SLP 101

chelledelirious:

Students for Midwifery is a non-profit organization that aims to educate students and young adults in options during pregnancy and beyond, support Michigan Midwives and create local support networks between schools and pregnancy programs.

We want to design and print a workbook for new and expectant TEEN MOMs. After the workbook is finished we hope to travel local areas promoting pregnancy education and giving away our workbook to moms (with $500 we can  print over 40 books). We think it is extremely important to educate young girls about pregnancy to lower their risk of getting pregnant, but also to help expectant moms deal with their own pregnancies.

For many of these teens there is no support system; no one to answer simple questions, no one to hold their hand at appointments and no one to explain the difference between epidurals and Pitocin and IVs and every other confusing thing about pregnancy and babies. No one should go through pregnancy alone, especially the 13,000 or so Michigan Teens who wind up pregnant every year (www.michigan.gov (2007)).

Another important reason to educate teens on pregnancy is money. “Michigan, teen childbearing cost taxpayers $302 million in 2004” (www.michigan.gov).  In 2008 86% of pregnant women used drugs for pain, 47% used drugs to stimulate labor, and 41% were medically induced 41%, most of these were medically unnecessary (www.childbirthconnection.org). Using Midwives and Doulas help lower the percentage of unnecessary medical procedures such as these and also lower C-section rates which stack up a few more thousand dollars onto taxpayers shoulders yearly.

If you are unable to help, please reblog or pass this along to someone who may be able to? Thank you so much! <3