We Can Do It!

You love Mother-Friendly Birth. You come to the meetings. You love what you hear each month and the chance to connect with other like minded people. Maybe you even enjoy sharing your own story and influencing others around you. If this is you... keep reading!

We have so many great projects in the works and events in the planning for our chapter! This chapter was started in July of 2008. Since we started the major focus has been on our monthly informational meetings, increasing our professional membership and publishing our semi-annual resource guide. Things are going pretty smoothly in those departments and we are now ready to take some more grown-up steps to continue sharing our message of Mother-Friendly care with our local community.

There are some large projects in the works and other smaller ideas that we'd love to see happen as well. This is where YOU come in! ;) We would love to start setting up a few committees or project groups that our consumer members run. We value our consumer members and want you to feel like you really are a part of this great mission to bring Mother-Friendly Birth awareness to others in the Reno Sparks area. So if you are dedicated to the cause, want to be more invested in our chapter, have ideas you want to share, are interested in being a future chapter leader or just want to help in any way you can please come an hour earlier to the Grand Opening for the Lending Library. Bring your questions, ideas, talents etc. WE CAN DO IT!

Click the google button below to access the calendar for this event.

Advocating for Yourself in a Medical Setting

How do you go about making health related decisions? Do you feel like the choices are made for you? Do you feel like you actively participated in your health decisions? Did you understand all the choices that were presented to you? What happens if your provider and you do not agree? Can you discuss options or does your relationship become hostile? How can you partner with your provider to make the best most informed choices for your care?

These are some of the questions we'll attempt to tackle at our next meeting on May 2nd. One of the main components of Mother-Friendly or Baby-Friendly care is to make informed decisions. Sometimes this can be hard to do in a medical setting where policy and procedures become the norm and time with providers is limited. The meeting topic with cover medical settings beyond the delivery room. Knowing how to advocate for yourself will apply in many different situations throughout your lifetime or the lives of your loved ones.

***REMINDER***
Don't forget to bring a full or partial pack of diapers for The Women's & Children's Center of the Sierra's Diaper Bank. The WACCS generously provides us free meeting space at the Hope Cafe each month, asking only that we help collect for their Diaper Bank.
For more info: http://www.waccs.org/aboutus/diaperbank.php

Ch-ch-ch-changes!

A few weeks ago my husband and I were eating at a fairly new little place downtown and I couldn't help but think what a wonderful spot it would be to hold our monthly meetings. I had a brief chat with the owner before we left and let her know I would be in touch with her soon!

Today, Sheri and I had the chance to stop by the place. Just like I did, Sheri also fell in love! We discussed details and confirmed our new meeting place for our April 4th meeting. Yes, that is a Monday evening, so I hope you all can make it!

So let me tell you a bit about the Hope Cafe. There is just such an amazing vibe and energy that fills you when you enter and that is probably a result of all the great things they are doing. Hope Cafe is part of the Women & Children's Center of the Sierra. They are a non-profit with a goal of bringing lasting hope and change to women and families deep in poverty. You can read more about what they do here.

As you enter the cafe you instantly feel at ease. The decor is simple and classic. To the left, there is a gift shop with some really cute items you won't find most places. Everything they sell fits a standard of local or fair trade etc. Tracey said they like to practice what they preach, so you know your purchase there help women, the local community or those in poverty. The front of the gift shop area has a little family room seating area with comfy couches and chairs. This is where we will hold our meetings each month, but there will be plenty of seating when we include the chairs from the cafe side.

Our meetings will take place in the evenings when the store and cafe are closed. This will give us a very private (quiet) environment with which to hold our discussions. Tracey is allowing us to use this location for free, but asking that we help supply their diaper bank. Diapers do not have to be full packs, so she will gladly accept those partial packs your baby just outgrew as well as new unopened packs of diapers. I realize a lot of us mamas are using cloth these days, so we will also have a container to collect cash donations to be used to purchase diapers.

I think you all are really going to enjoy the new location! Maybe if you get a chance, stop by the Cafe for some shopping or yummy food and tell Tracey we sent you!

Hope Cafe
555 S. Virginia St.
(1/2 block south of California)
775.348.6467