Women’s Rights

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Information

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Support

Hey folks!

We are absolutely swamped at the moment, working on our days off, weekends, and until we fall asleep at night.
There are so many projects we’re trying to get off the ground, things we’ve never done before. But this is what we love doing, and we’re getting ever closer to the big picture. Together with our volunteers we’re a dream team, and we’ve got this! (But also, please help us!)

As well as all the plates we’re spinning, Amy also managed to take her Brownie pack to the recycling centre. Here she is looking very fetching in her recycling garb:recycling centre wear

She also took some time out to volunteer with Sister Supporter. We each feel very strongly that women should be able to access whatever healthcare they need without restriction, judgement, or shame. 
There is a petition to this end here.

After a fantastic kids’ birthday party at Rock Over Climbing last weekend, Lori and Elle decided to work there on our day off, knowing the kids would be happy running about while we cracked on. We earned a break and had a quick climb.doulas on a climbing wall

Questions for the doulas

If you had to, would you rather fight a hundred duck sized horses, or one horse sized duck?
A: One horse sized duck. Anything in large numbers is too intimidating.
E: A hundred duck sized horses. Ducks are too cute no matter their size, and I’ve never met a horse I liked. They’re shifty and capricious. 
L: One horse sized duck. But I would feed it it’s fave snacks and love on it so we didn’t have to fight!

Where do you sit on a bus?
L: The back seat or the front on the top deck if I’m with Elle.
E: The front on the top, on the right, so I can pretend I’m driving.
A: I do like the front seats on the top deck, but when I was in college it was always the back row.
 
Favourite sleeping position?

L: Curled up like a giant fetus.
A: Foetal.
E: No pillow, lying in a straight line, on my front.

What we’re focusing on at the moment

Everything! Everything needs to be focused on, right now! Here’s what our everything looks like, and what we need help with:

  1. Birth Pool Hire Scheme – it’s getting off the ground. Supplies are slowly arriving, and once we have them we’re going to jump right into hiring them out alongside offering funded Holding Space sessions. If you have any donations (home birth stuff, anything from tap connectors to towels) we’ll gratefully take them. Look out for more news next week.
  2. International Women’s Day 2020 Event. Lori made a cool flyer:
    and we’re getting everything ready behind the scenes. We would love it if you could bake some vegan goodies for the bake sale – we’re hoping to get the attention of passersby with this! Also, do you have anything we could raffle off? Any proceeds from the day will go directly toward funding 1:1 work with local women. 
    Tickets are free via Eventbrite.
  3. Our antenatal course has a name, a brilliant Lori-designed poster, a venue, and a starting date, and places are now available to book. We are so excited to be launching this, so please share with rebellious friends who are ready to learn about and assert their rights during pregnancy and birth. The workshops will be comprehensive and will cover everything you’d expect to find on other antenatal courses too.

What’s coming up

Fellow birthworker Lucy told us about this event for parents in Salford.
Details: Saturday, 21 March 2020, 10:00-12:00, at Eccles Fire Station.
“Come and join us to talk about the support that you received or how you feel services in the area can be improved.”

This week – as always – we will be meeting with women who are preparing for an upcoming birth, and/or who are wanting to reflect on a previous one. Whatever else we may be up to, this will remain at the heart of what we do. We just know that in order to reduce instances of birth trauma we must take a multi-pronged approach – it’s not enough to try to help once the damage has been done. 

Thank you so much for working alongside us to a future where women feel confident and powerful all the damn time.

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