Birth is a human rights issue - BornstroppyBornstroppy	
I am typing up my notes from the amazing international Midwifery Today conference in Belgium, but as I did so I could not but share right away this declaration of mother/baby birth rights. It is powerful stuff. Sisters and brothers we must use it to ensure each woman and baby gets the care she needs. Alongside the rights, is a 10 step strategic programme of implementation which every maternity service can use to apply these basic mother/baby rights. For more information go to http://www.imbci.org/
Your baby has the right to be given no artificial teats or pacifiers and to receive no food or drink other then breast milk, unless medically indicated.
Associated IMBCI Step
Step 1 Treat every woman with respect and dignity.
Step 2 Possess and routinely apply midwifery knowledge and skills that optimize the normal physiology of birth and breastfeeding.
Step 3 Inform the mother of the benefits of continuous support during labour and birth, and affirm her right to receive such support from companions of her choice.
Step 4 Provide drug-free comfort and pain relief methods during labour, explaining their benefits for facilitating normal birth.
Step 5 Provide evidence-based practices proven to be beneficial.
Step 6 Avoid potentially harmful procedures and practices.
Step 7 Implement measures that enhance wellness and prevent illness and emergencies.
Step 8 Provide access to evidence-based skilled emergency treatment.
Step 9 Provide a continuum of collaborative care with all relevant health care providers, institutions, and organizations.
Step 10 Strive to achieve the BFHI 10 Steps to Successful Breastfeeding.
Our thanks to Marcia Westmoreland, Robbie Davis-Floyd, and Rodolfo Gomez for their work on extrapolating these MotherBaby Rights from the text of the IMBCI.
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