BOLD (Birth on Labor Day) Event in Atlanta

I was approached by Anna Laura of the Etsy shop Liberation, about submitting the above Polaroid transfer to an art event in Atlanta. When I found out it was a BOLD (Birth on Labor Day) event, I said yes right away. BOLD is an organization that was founded by Karen Brody, a playwright, who allowed her critically acclaimed play, BIRTH, to be performed for four days over American Labor Day across the world for free. She did this because she wanted to raise awareness about maternity care and to allow organizations that wanted to make maternity care more mother-friendly to raise money. In the end, $10,000 was raised at over 40 performances. This caused Brody to create BOLD so that there could be more events where women could talk about the kinds of births that wanted or have had and to raise even more awareness.


BOLD events happen in one of two ways. There are performances of the play Birth, which can be anything from a full on play to a simple reading where the actors are sitting at a table reading directly from a script (in this case they are often not professional actors). I love the idea of the latter, and know exactly whom I would ask to read should I ever have the time and energy to stage a reading. Birth was written by Brody after she interviewed over one hundred women in America who gave birth between 2000 and 2004. The play tells the true stories of how eight educated, low risk women gave birth.


The other way to raise money and awareness through a Bold event is called a Red Tent Event. This brings women in a community together in a red tent to tell their birth stories. These stories are recorded via film, the written word, or visually. The stories go into the BOLD Library of Birth Truths.


I sent ten of my Polaroid transfers to Anna Laura, to be showcased at the BOLD Atlanta event. I also donated a piece to the silent auction. I was pleased to see about 25 artists are taking part in this event. For more info on the art show you can click here. All proceeds of the silent auction go to benefit Georgia Friends of Midwives.


I have not seen or read Birth but I plan to. I have a passion for birth related topics, especially those that explore the options available and educate low risk women about alternatives to a medicalized birth. I had my first child under the care of a midwife in Quebec. I had a natural birth in a birthing centre and it was a wonderful experience for myself, my husband, and my child.


My second daughter was born at home in Banff, Alberta. It was an AMAZING experience. Although we had planned a home birth and I was under the care of a midwife, my husband caught our daughter in our bathtub, as our three year old looked on, because my entire labor was less than one hour and our midwife was not able to get there in time. Everything was calm and just as we had wanted and our midwives arrived ten minutes later to care for us. While I know I am among only 1% of Alberta women who have given birth at home I do feel that everyone has a right to know their options and to decide what works for them. I am not against medical birth, it was just not what was right for me and my family.

To see this full image, which includes nudity, click here.

If you are in Altanta any time during September 18th - 19th and would like to attend the BOLD event there is a schedule located here. Best wishes for a massive turn out and for many funds to be raised.


All images by Tiffany Teske

Lovely Flowers

Since having Le Belle Emmanuelle 6 weeks ago, I have been so behind on posts, which bums me out, because there are even more wonderful things I could be posting about than before. Playing catch up, I better just get used to it. I have never been more excited about my life; 2 happy, healthy, amazing daughters, my completely made for me husband, living in a beautiful and inspiring place, incredible friends, life is good... I need to hit the bed, since my little one actually sleeps like an angel once she falls asleep around midnight. I will leave you with some pretty images of a monstrously large bouquet that was generously sent to us upon Elle's birth. Next to handmade gifts, flowers, and food are my favorite. What a treat! Merci beaucoup!

She's Here - Our New Babe

Monday evening was a night to remember. With absolutely no warning, our second child came into the world, two weeks early, in one hour from start to finish. NO WORD OF A LIE. We had planned a home birth under the care of a midwife, all along, because I knew this birth was going to be fast (and because we believe in midwives for normal births). Our first child was born in a birthing centre in Quebec, under the care of a midwife, and my labor was about 6 hours, with Quin being born about 2 hours after my water broke. I knew this time it would be faster, and I would need to drive 25 minutes away if I wanted a hospital birth (I didn't), since the obstetrics ward in our town has been temporarily closed. My husband and I felt comfortable with having our child at home. You can read more about the closing of obstetrics here and of our choice to do a home birth here.

Well, on Monday night, after having some light cramps while I ate dinner, which turned to not being able to talk while I had them within 20 minutes, I went to take a bath. I knew if I was not having contractions that meant I would soon give birth, that the bath would stop them. Not so. It became apparent very quickly that they were two minutes apart. Our midwife was called, but soon after, when my water broke, myself, my husband, and our midwife who was on route and on the phone, knew things would change in a couple moments. And that is what happened. One urge to push and there was her head, another urge and her shoulders came out, along with her body, which my husband caught skillfully, as our three year old assisted. Crazy, yes, but we had all been so calm, and when our babe let out a cry and quickly turned from purple to very pink, we knew all was ok. Our midwife arrived less than 10 minutes afterwards. And it was time for celebrating!

Welcome to our world, Emmanuelle Louise Hélène. Thank you for joining our family :)

More Families Look to Midwives...

Last week at our midwife appointment, we were interviewed by local Banff Crag and Canyon reporter, Larissa Barlow, about our decision to use a midwife. I had emailed Larissa to ask her if she would be interested in writing a story that coincided with the Alberta Government starting to cover the service as of April 1st, 2009. She came to the home clinic of our midwife, Mireille Caron, whom we are so happy to be working with. The article came out in the paper yesterday, and is also on their website, which is nice because they only feature a selection of their articles on the site. I will post the whole article below, since this link to the website may becoming inactive over time...

To read some of my other blog posts about midwifery click here, here, or here...

More families look to midwives
Posted By Larissa Barlow


Larissa Barlow/Banff Crag & Canyon. Midwife Mireille Caron, left, with Tiffany Teske, her husband Andre Quenneville and daughter Quinlyn. Midwifery officially became a publicly funded service in Alberta on April 1.

By Larissa Barlow
Larissa@thecrag.a

Last Wednesday was a day to celebrate for expectant moms.

Midwifery officially became a publicly funded service on April 1, giving parents the option of choosing a midwife without having to bear the brunt of the expenses – something that can average around $3,500.

A milestone for women and their families in Alberta, the funding kick-in comes nearly a year after Bow Valley residents protested in a province-wide demonstration against the lack of midwife funding.

Banffite Tiffany Teske was part of that protest, wanting to see the service covered so she and others could enjoy the benefits of having a midwife without breaking the bank.

Teske and husband Andre Quenneville had their first child, Quinlyn, at a birthing centre in Quebec with the aid of a midwife.

After moving to Alberta, they were surprised to see midwifery wasn’t a publicly funded service. The couple planned on having more children, and they wanted to have a midwife after the positive experience they’d had in Quebec.

“I don’t like hospitals and I would just like to avoid them,” Teske said. “I don’t see being pregnant as being a pathology.”

Teske said she liked the familiar feeling of having a midwife guide her through her pregnancy, and it made a world of difference when in labour to have someone there that understood her desire to have a natural birth.

“I wanted to be listened to and be respected and do this myself, but obviously with someone there that had experience dealing with births,” she said.

When she became pregnant again the reality was they would have to pay for a midwife. But less than a month after the couple found out they would be having another child, the provincial government announced $4 million in new funding for midwifery with additional support from the Alberta Health Services, giving a total of approximately $4.7 million to fund the service. Now Teske, due June 7, will be having a home birth with Canmore-based midwife Mireille Caron.

“It’s a safe choice with trained people to help you,” Teske said. “I’d rather be at home for this, and I feel great about that choice.”

Quenneville said from his perspective, having a midwife was an eye opening experience that helped him learn a lot and be at ease.

“I felt comfortable the first time and I feel very comfortable now,” he said.

Caron, who is the only practicing, registered midwife in the Bow Valley, said it’s that comfort, as well as trust and confidence, that people seek when choosing a midwife.

She said it’s an option for women with low risk pregnancies that want to feel that extra support they can provide.

“It’s very family oriented. I try to make it warm and give the feeling of group support,” she said. “The experience people are looking for is different.”

Caron is having another midwife join her practice in September, but now that the service is publicly funded, she said it will be in greater demand than it is now.

“They have to book as soon as they know they’re pregnant. I’m getting calls from women in the city because they’re so packed,” she said.

Caron is already tightly booked, but she said she tries to give preference to Bow Valley women.

With the increase of women seeking a midwife, Caron expects there will be an increase of people becoming midwives.

“There’s going to be a big change within the next year for sure,” Caron said.

For Teske, having a midwife was the preferred option all along, and now that it’s funded, it makes the process that much easier.

“You have such a close relationship with a midwife,” she said. “I’ve never had that with a doctor.”

Happy Dance

This week, I seem to be catching up on all the things I have been meaning to post about. It is good to have a week like that. Especially, since I have been creating a lot of new work this week, as well as putting together several submissions. I am not ready to show most of these on my blog yet, but keep coming back, as they will be starting to appear. After I get done catching up on all these languishing post ideas from the past month or so.


One day, several weeks ago, I opened and Etsy convo and did a happy dance. A previous customer, whom I have had great communications with, was hoping I could fill some image needs for her business. She has already bought my Polaroid transfer, Bloom, seen above. And I had given her permission to use it on her business card. She is a doula, which is something I am familiar with since my very best friend was my doula during my daughter's natural birth. The DONA (Doulas of North America) website defines doula as, "a woman experienced in childbirth who provides continuous physical, emotional, and informational support to the mother before, during and just after childbirth." (Klaus, Kennell and Klaus, Mothering the Mother). She has named her business Bloom, so she loved the image. You can read more about this initial meeting in my blog post here.

As I was saying, this woman (whose business I am happy to link here once her website is up and running and I get her permission), and I have had pleasant conversations via Etsy. I am currently pregnant, and she was was truly interested in hearing about when my babe is born. She had mentioned that she might be back to my shop for more images. Well, she was not kidding...

She ordered this:

Tickle Fern by Tiffany Teske

And this:

Iris by Tiffany Teske

And this:


Fragile by Tiffany Teske

AND this:

Bouquet 2 by Tiffany Teske

AND THIS:

Bound by Tiffany Teske

AND THIS!:


Amazing Grace by Tiffany Teske

AND FINALLY this:

Bouquet by Tiffany Teske

Happy Dance?! Yes!! These are those moments that independent artists love. When someone who loves what you create finds you and wants to support your art making by owning your art. And the best part? She is thrilled with her purchase. Thank you so much for supporting individuals by buying original art :)

Happy Dance

This week, I seem to be catching up on all the things I have been meaning to post about on this blog, and this one, and this one. It is good to have a week like that. Especially, since I have been creating a lot of new work this week, as well as putting together several submissions. I am not ready to show most of these on my blog yet, but keep coming back, as they will be starting to appear. After I get done catching up on all these languishing post ideas from the past month or so.


One day, several weeks ago, I opened and Etsy convo and did a happy dance. A previous customer, whom I have had great communications with, was hoping I could fill some image needs for her business. She has already bought my Polaroid transfer, Bloom, seen above. And I had given her permission to use it on her business card. She is a doula, which is something I am familiar with since my very best friend was my doula during my daughter's natural birth. The DONA (Doulas of North America) website defines doula as, "a woman experienced in childbirth who provides continuous physical, emotional, and informational support to the mother before, during and just after childbirth." (Klaus, Kennell and Klaus, Mothering the Mother). She has named her business Bloom, so she loved the image. You can read more about this initial meeting in my blog post here.

As I was saying, this woman (whose business I am happy to link here once her website is up and running and I get her permission), and I have had pleasant conversations via Etsy. I am currently pregnant, and she was was truly interested in hearing about when my babe is born. She had mentioned that she might be back to my shop for more images. Well, she was not kidding...

She ordered this:

Tickle Fern by Tiffany Teske

And this:

Iris by Tiffany Teske

And this:


Fragile by Tiffany Teske

AND this:

Bouquet 2 by Tiffany Teske

AND THIS:

Bound by Tiffany Teske

AND THIS!:


Amazing Grace by Tiffany Teske

AND FINALLY this:

Bouquet by Tiffany Teske

Happy Dance?! Yes!! These are those moments that independent artists love. When someone who loves what you create finds you and wants to support your art making by owning your art. And the best part? She is thrilled with her purchase. Thank you so much for supporting individuals by buying original art :)

Banff Town Meeting

Today was the Banff Town Meeting where the Banff Mineral Springs Hospital presented their case on why they have "temporarily" suspended obstetrics services. Many in the community do not believe that this closure will be temporary, so those of us in support of it reopening have been out in full force to put pressure on the hospital to make good on their promise to reopen should their staffing shortages be resolved. Saturday there was a rally at the hospital as you can see here.


All of the rallies have been friendly, and families turned out in droves. Kids were welcome today, although many had left by the time the meeting reached one hour. Here is my daughter before she got to restless for me to stay. We were there about 1 1/2 hours. She did really well listening to a bunch of adults droning on and on, as did all the kids who were there.


After the hospital had their say, the Councillors asked questions, many of which were from the community. I really have no way of gauging how it went, since I left before it was over. However, the turn out from the community was awesome!


I am proud of my community. When I got home from the meeting, I drafted the following letter to The Banff Crag and Canyon. I am not sure I submitted it in time for tomorrow's edition, but will post it here...

To The Editor:

I just returned from the Banff Town Meeting where Banff Mineral Springs Hospital Administration presented their side of the story as to why they have "temporarily" closed Obstetrics. They also answered many questions from our community, that were asked by Councillor Stavros Karlos, but I had to head home with my 2 ½ year old daughter before the meeting came to an end. I will not recount all of the concerns surrounding the unfortunate closing, as I am sure to forget something, and I don't really feel I know all the facts even though I have been closely following the story since it broke. All the important points have been raised and covered in the pages of our local newspapers, both in articles and letters to the editor, as well as at recent rallies. I would rather write about this issue on a personal level.

I am currently pregnant with my second child, who is due in June of 2009. My family has only been living in Banff since May of 2007 but have made many friends here and are pleased to call it home. I have attended all the support events related to the closing, aside from the first one, when I watched my friend Pam Currie's shop, so she could lead it. I have been a part of these friendly events not only for the concerns of my family. I have been present at these rallies because it is the least I can do for my friends who have recently given birth, who are set to give birth in coming weeks, and for the (hopefully) future births of children in Banff. It is the only way I can effectively lend my voice for people in all our surrounding communities, as the closing of obstetrics here will affect those communities as well.

What I would most like to say is how proud I am to be part of this community! As a professional photographer who has worked on several social/humanitarian related documentaries/photo essays, I have seen people come together all over the world in an effort to make change. All of the experiences I have covered have involved peaceful demonstration in the form of things like rallies or simply by people coming together to bring change by doing whatever they could as a group. I have watched 400 people, most of them teens, repair 60 homes of impoverished, disabled, and elderly in rural Maine. I have witnessed hundreds of students in Terrier Rouge, Haiti, being given the opportunity for a better life because of the compassion of hundreds of people in the North Eastern US. I have watched workers peacefully marching in Spain for better working conditions. And my family and I attended a rally close to home in Calgary last May, arranged by local Banff resident, Ulrike Kimbley-Nicolai, to ask the government to cover midwifery services for women who want to choose this option for the birth of their children. In all of these cases positive changes were made. I am hoping a positive outcome will result from the coming together of our residents over the need for the continuation of birthing in Banff.

I have always believed in the power of people peacefully joining together for positive change. And now that we are under the care of Canmore midwife, Mireille Caron, for the birth of our second child, which will be covered by the government as of April 1st, 2009, I am able to teach my daughter the value of making our voices heard. This weekend she witnessed this at the sit-in and again today at the town meeting. I am so happy I can show her how our friends and neighbours have come together with us on this issue. And I hope I can show her a positive outcome of our collective efforts by the reopening of obstetrics services at BMSH. I hope that this will not have to be the sad example I need to show her of how sometimes, even when you do your best, a change cannot be made. Please, for my family, and for all of the families who live, work, play, and raise their children in Banff and our surrounding communities, think about our future and find a way to allow babies to be born in Banff.

Thank you again to everyone who has been active on this issue. It warms my heart and adds to my long list of good reasons for living to this amazing place. Because of you efforts there is hope that this closing can be reversed. As Dr. David Swann, leader of the Alberta liberals, pointed out in his speech at the rally on Saturday, there have been several rural obstetrics wards that have recently closed, but ours is the only community that has protested. We should be proud that we are not willing to let this issue end without a fight. We can be a positive example to the communities who will certainly be faced with this issue in the future.

Tiffany Teske

Yesterday's Friendly Rally at the Banff Mineral Springs Hospital

Yesterday was the family friendly rally to support the reopening of obstetrics at the Banff Mineral Springs Hospital. Quin & I, along with friends, Megan, Corinne, & Jodie, picked up the t-shirts provided by Dr. Jane Fowke, and headed to the rally about 5 PM. There were already a few people there, including Crazy Larry, our local good guy, who had giant balloons for the kids. The donated tent was not anywhere to be found, but the hospital had designated a spot for us to be, in their smaller park lot, in front of the building. They had hired two security guards earlier in the week, so we knew that we would not be let into the building. Local press were already there, from the Canmore Leader and Mountain FM. Eventually someone from the Rocky Mountain Outlook arrived, but the CBC never turn up but wow, the community sure did. I am not good at estimating these things but there were over one hundred people at the peak. Pam arrived with pizzas donated by Panago, and Wild Flour Bakery donated a bunch of food, in fact there was someone bringing it around on trays. Men, women, children, and dogs came out to lend their support. Megan, Jodie, Corinne, and Quin brought their posters to the road to get passing cars to honk. My friend, Kim, who is due on March 17th, came with her husband, Kevin. They are among the couples who did not have their child before Friday's closing of the ward, and will have to go to Canmore or Calgary when Kim goes into labor. She could have walked to BMS, I feel so bad for her. She is taking it in stride but was devastated when she was given the news....



At 6 PM, Dr. David Swann, the liberal leader for Alberta, arrived with Dr. Fowke, to speak with the crowd. From all the research I have done on him, he is a really good guy, who is very into rural community, the environment, and peace. He said that the government has mandated a 20% reduction in health care costs, and that while we are not the only rural community that has had the basic service of obstetrics removed from our hospital, we are the only community that has thus far put up a fight. He was inspiring to listen to, and Crazy Larry handed out transcripts of him going to bat for us in the legislature. Dr. Fowke also spoke, telling us how she had to deliver two babies in Canmore that day, when that hospital was over full, and when in Banff they had plenty of room. One of Pam's friends also spoke, about the horrible experience she had two years ago when she was medi vaced to Edmonton to give birth.





At one point we did march on the hospital, only to be locked out. Aside from this, people mostly spoke to one another about how unbelievable this whole thing is. There were many good signs, one of the best being the one below. And it is true.



Tomorrow there is a town meeting with the hospital administration. We have all been encouraged to attend with our kids. I think Andre will even be able to come with us. The turn out should be even better than the rally. Councillor Stavros Karlos will be asking some very difficult questions, among them many submitted by locals. I am excited about it so I must get to bed... For more photos you can check out my albums on Facebook.

Oh My Goodness, I am 8 1/2 weeks!

My calculations were just a wee bit off, I thought I was only 6 1/2 weeks pregnant, although, I had not actually sat down with a calendar to plot it out. I wanted to wait for my first midwife appointment. Yes, I am still pinching myself, because about two weeks ago, Alberta Health announced they will begin to cover midwifery care in on April 1st, 2009! This is AMAZING news and something I have been hoping for since we moved to Alberta when our daughter was 7 months old. We had Quin in a birthing centre, in Gatineau, Quebec, with a wonderful midwives Johanne and Christine. It was such a good experience, something I will never forget, and something both Andre and I were so happy with we wanted to do it again. Midwives are well trained, generous women, who save on medical costs while providing a healthy woman who is having a routine pregnancy with a less medicalized, more personalized experience.

Here is Midwifery Philosophy of the Alberta Association of Midwives:
The practice of midwifery is based on the understanding that pregnancy, labour and birth are profound experiences which carry significant meaning for a woman, her family and her community. Midwifery is grounded in the belief that having a baby is a natural life process and an opportunity for considerable growth. The intent of midwifery care is to enhance these life experience.

Midwifery is traditionally holistic, combining an understanding of the social, emotional, cultural, spiritual, psychological and physical aspects of a woman's reproductive experience. Midwives promote wellness in women, babies and families both autonomously and in collaboration with other health care professionals.

Midwifery is a partnership between a midwife, woman and her family which is based on mutual respect. The women is the center of the childbirth experience and a great influence on the health and well-being of herself and her baby.

I am blessed to have Mireille Caron, of Canmore, as my midwife. We had our first meeting with her tonight and I am so excited not only to be pregnant but to once again be under the care of a midwife. She said our babe is due around June 7th, 2009 :)

To read more on the funding of midwives in Alberta go to the Alberta Health site.

Funding for Alberta Midwives NOW

Today, Andre, Quin, & I went to Calgary to participate in a protest. Actually I would call it more of a rally. It was an event to protest the lack of funding for midwives in Alberta. I have always secretly wanted to be an activist, and this was my kind of rally, upbeat and positive.



I read about it in the local Banff weekly, The Crag and Canyon. May 6th is the International Day of the Midwife. A local woman, named Ulrike, planned this rally because she had her first child with the help of a midwife, in German, at no cost. Much like us, when she moved to Banff, she found out it would cost $3,250 to work with a midwife. She had her second child in Banff, at the Mineral Springs Hospital, with a doctor.



We had our daughter in Quebec, at a birthing centre, with two lovely midwives, at no cost, and it was the best experience we could ever hope for. Throw in on of my best friends, who was not only our doula but who was our chiropractor, and it was more than we could have ever dreamed. We moved to Alberta, the richest province in Canada, and found out that not only would we have to pay $44 a month, each, for our health care, but that if we wanted a midwife it would cost us over $3,000. Alberta is the only province in Canada that regulates midwives but doesn’t fund their practice. It is ridiculous when it has been proven that midwives save the province money, while providing women and men a safe, nature alternative to what has become the traditional, over medicalized North America way of birth.



These issues are something we are familiar with and are close to our heart. We are willing to pay the out of pocket cost if we have a second child because we believe in midwives. However, we would like to see the government fund this. In order for that to happen, in order to make a change, our voices need to be heard. I was thrilled when Andre read the same article, pointed it out to me, and said we should go to this rally. It is important that we be there. And if Ulrike, can arrange this whole event, while breastfeeding her 1 month old son, then we could certainly be there.



It was well attended by both the media and the public, the weather held out and even got sunny at the end. We marched once around the block, and I got extremely emotional, seeing all these people coming together to make their voices and beliefs heard. I will never forget it. Quin seemed quite happy to be there, she even commendeared someone's sign and held it for a long time. I think it was the flowers ;)