ALACE participates in historic childbirth education summits. (Go Ask ALACE).

In the last several months, Karen Pestlin, Director of Childbirth Education, DeeDee Lafayette, Assistant Director, and I have been pleased to represent ALACE at two wonderful summit meetings of childbirth education organizations. The first was hosted by Lamaze[TM] International in conjunction With their annual conference last September. The latest was held following the annual Coalition for Improving Maternity Services (CIMS) conference in February.

A total of 11 organizations have participated in these summits: ALACE, Lamaze[TM] International, Academy of Certified Birth Educators, American Academy of Husband-Coached Childbirth, HypnoBirthing Institute, Birthworks, Childbirth and Postpartum Professional Association, Healthy Dimensions, Council of Childbirth Educators, Prepared Childbirth Educators, and International Childbirth Education Association.

It was fascinating to sit down with representatives from each of these diverse organizations and learn how much we had in common. We each agreed that a successful childbirth class was much more about empowerment than about teaching a particular "method" for birth. We had many similarities in our philosophies of childbirth, and were also in agreement about some of the most negative influences on pregnant women and their families.

As we discussed the various training programs and organizations, it became clear that we had enough commonality on some issues to present a unified voice to the public. We have decided to focus on two projects to begin with. The first is a recommended reading list for pregnant women and expectant families. We think it will be incredibly powerful to publish a list of books that is endorsed by every major childbirth education organization. As you might expect, What to Expect When You're Expecting will not appear on this list, and I'm hoping that fact alone will help women to understand that they do have choices in birth.

Our other current task is writing a brochure describing what to look for in a childbirth class. This is another exciting project, and one that I think will ultimately benefit all of our childbirth educators. I love the idea of a brochure describing what to look for in a childbirth class, again endorsed by all of the major organizations, and which encourages people to look beyond the hospital classes. I believe this will complement the new ALACE brochure for Independent Childbirth Classes quite well (see pages 7-8.)

It was really encouraging to sit down with all of these organizations and realize that there is much we can collaborate on, and to feel the strength and power our collaboration could have. If you have any input on either of the projects I mentioned, or questions about the Summit meetings, please don't hesitate to contact me.

And speaking of collaboration, please be sure to look at the ad on page 10 of this issue for a discounted copy of Suzanne Arms' video, Giving Birth: Challenges and Choices. This generous offer is brought to ALACE members by Suzanne and Amy Gilliland, a longtime ALACE member and DONA trainer, and I hope that you all will take the pledge to share the video with many people outside of your normal birth circle.