A Note of Thanks

First, thank you to everyone that helped with "The Business of Being Born" (BoBB) screenings and discussion, clean-up, set-up, "woman" the tables, etc. It was a success and thank you, also, for those of you who helped spread the word. And a big thank you to our panelists and moderators. It seems that the discussion could have gone on and on if we didn't all need to go home at some point. A great indication that there is a continued need for this.
 
It turned out to be wonderful. The attendance was great. On Saturday night, we had about 150+ people there. On Sunday, it was pretty much a full house (200+). The event was on the news Saturday night on WILX and FOX and Sunday evening.
 
Overall, the best thing is that people are talking about birth in our community now. Starting a dialog about birth in the Lansing Area was one of the goals of this event and that has been accomplished. Moms and babies deserve to know that there are choices, even within the hospital setting, and we are one step closer to that.
 
As was announced at the Sunday screening, Jennifer Block was not able to come at the last minute due to a family emergency. We are trying to determine if she will be able to come at a later date. It would be one more way to continue the discussion and to continue to provide information to those in our community. Her book is wonderful and she spent a long time researching it. There are many truths and important questions she brings up.

So, what can you do in the meantime? Here are a couple of things:

• Birth Story Nights on the 2nd Wed of the month through May. Brought to you by the Friends of GBC. Please check the GBC website and calendar for more information. All are welcome and every story will be honored, regardless of where the birth took place or what took place.

• And, yet another thing is that some women are organizing the Capital Area BirthNetwork Chapter in the Lansing Area. This will be an invaluable tool for women and families and they hope to begin regular meetings in the coming months. If you are interested in this, please e-mail capitalareabirthnetwork@gmail.com.

• Write out your birth story if you haven't already, both for your sake and your child's.

The GBC website will continue to be a place where you can check for updates on what is upcoming. Check back soon and we will have event photos added. Thank you again to all that attended, helped spread the word, or helped in any other way. We couldn't have done it without you.
 
The BoBB planning committee