Save St. Luke's Hospital

November 12, 2007

To the Decision-makers:

Regarding the proposed closure of St. Luke’s Hospital, specifically impacting the continuation of the Homestyle Midwifery practice there, please consider the following, based upon my experience as a Doula and lactation specialist serving birthing women:

• most women desire a natural birth experience but are unsure how to accomplish it
• most women are afraid to do a homebirth, at least for the first time
• midwifery care often achieves what modern medicine can no longer afford to offer: in-depth knowledge of the patient’s physical, emotional, and mental states leading up to the birth, thus providing the depth of trust and ease of association so necessary to an uncomplicated, natural birth
• Homestyle Midwifery offers an ideal blend of midwifery care, with its honoring of the natural process of birth, option of birth tub, and required Doula support, plus the security of hospital back-up “just in case.”
• Homestyle Midwifery has established and is now offering an opportunity for St. Luke’s and CPMC to nurture the harmonious working relationships between midwives and OBs that can provide the optimal care for birthing women. Such a model is very much needed in America today, and will be the prevailing model of the future, just as it is in other first-world countries already, nations whose maternal mortality rates are much better than ours are today.

The chance to establish a new paradigm of maternal/infant care should inspire the imaginations of all concerned. There is so much more that can be done to make birthing in America safer and more empowering to women and their families, thus benefiting society as a whole.  I urge you to consider the implications of this opportunity, to resist fear and embrace the possibilities evident for social evolution presented here in microcosm, which can lead the way for other health-care providers across America.

Sincerely yours,

Catherine Stone,

Doula, Lactation Specialist

Send mail to webmaster@savestlukes.org with questions or comments about this web site.
Copyright © 2007 Save St. Luke's
Last modified: 01/13/08