Educating young people about alternative forms of childbirth, providing access to community resources and empowering women to be in control of the childbirth process are the goals of the recently opened United Mothering Alliance (UMA) Center, according to Tara Hoger, director of the new center.
Philip Vukelich | Argonaut Tara Hoger plays with her son, Noah in the United Mothering Alliance Center. Hoger is the founder and director of the center which offers support, education and resources for new and expecting mothers. The UMA Center shares their location on Jackson Street with Success By Six, an early childhood education program.
“Essentially that means looking at ways that we can support mother and child during childbirth, not looking at (it) as a medical procedure,” Hoger said. “In celebrating birth a big component is taking out the fear element. We’ve created a lot of fear around the dialogue of child birth in our culture and it does not have to be that way at all.”
The UMA Center is a non-profit organization affiliated with BirthNetwork National, an organization concerned with providing information about mother-friendly childcare.
Hoger said they want to promote the many ways a woman can give birth and that each comes with its own set of risks and benefits.
“The whole idea is that a woman’s body can give birth and by medicalizing it too much we are actually creating a sense of fear around childbirth instead of using medical care only when necessary,” Hoger said.
The Women’s Center has shown support for the UMA Center as a community resource.
“It’s a way for women to get connected with a community resource. I think their approach is really holistic and mother-centered and I think that’s a really exciting approach,” said Heather Gasser, director of the Women’s Center. “I appreciate that it’s a resource center, it’s an education center, it’s a place for women to support each other and share that empowerment.”
Gasser said Western models of childbirth have not always empowered women to make decisions in the best interest of their bodies, but rather in the best interest of the medical provider.
“Obviously women have been having children for thousands of years and basically it’s just a way for them to get in touch with their own natural processes,” Gasser said. “I think people are fearful of pain and that’s often when we see that medical piece come in.”
The UMA Center will sponsor a lecture series on the first Thursday of every month at Bookpeople of Moscow beginning May 3.
“We’re going to (discuss) quite a few women and family health issues,” Hoger said. “We’ll have a Chinese medicine discussion — learning more about birth options — there’ll be a nutrition dialogue, learning about infant massage. One of the midwives is giving a monthly lactation class beginning in May. We really have a lot to offer.”
The UMA Center is also sponsoring a showing of “More Business of Being Born” at 6:30 p.m. April 17 at the Kenworthy Performing Arts Centre. Tickets for the film must be purchased in advance online at www.umacenter.com.
“I think it’s a really needed resource and a possibility for people to connect with alternative perspectives,” Gasser said. “There’s a whole lot of mystery around childbirth and people are not always aware.”
The film will be followed by a panel discussion with physicians, midwives and representatives from Gritman Medical Center and Pullman Regional Hospital.
“Births that come from a place of acceptance and understanding of the risks, with sort of an innate trust in a woman’s body to be able to give birth and the trust in the child being able to work with the woman to birth, really results in a very wonderful birth experiences for mother and child,” Hoger said.
Hoger said the support of the Women’s Center has been instrumental in exposing the UMA Center as a new community resource.
“I think having a center like the UMA Center in town is really important for people to make informed choices,” Gasser said.
Hoger said the UMA Center is not only a source of childbirth information, but also a resource and support system for families and women.
“It’s much more than just providing information,” Hoger said. “It’s also linking people to the practitioners in town too. So the nutritionists and acupuncturists and massage therapists and physicians and chiropractors and all the people that can really support family health, whether it’s the post-natal period or you’re looking at pediatric care for your kids. We even have groups centered around menopause. It’s really the full spectrum.”
Kaitlyn Krasselt can be reached at [email protected]