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News from MaMA, Vol. 1, Number 2
We welcome comments and questions at info@mamah.org.

PRACTICE NEWS

4000th baby! In August, MAMA welcomed the 4000th baby born in our practice since it opened in 1983.
Maryann Long was the attending midwife. This happy event was publicized in the Cambridge Chronicle
not long afterwards, with a photo of Maryann holding the baby accompanied by a brief quote from our
director, Phyllis Gorman.

Midwifery Week 2004 We celebrated National Midwifery Week (October 3-9, 2004) on October 5 with a
baby pumpkin giveaway in the newly renovated Mt. Auburn Hospital cafeteria. We served cake and
chatted with fellow Mt. Auburn employees as they stopped at our display table. The baby pumpkins, each
tagged with our logo, were a big hit. In addition, we filled the display case outside the coffee shop with
midwifery-related items during the weeks before and after the event. We are grateful to Mary Culliton and
Megan MacInnes who coordinated the celebration, and Julie McGrath of the Department of OB-GYN for
her assistance.

Joseph M Smith – Waltham office opens On September 14, we conducted the first midwifery clinic session
at the new Joseph M. Smith Community Health Center in Waltham, at 564 Main St. The new site is spacious
and welcoming. Robyn Churchill is the primary midwife there. She recently launched a Centering Pregnancy
program, conducted in Spanish, to better meet the educational and health needs of our clients at the site.
Also underway in Waltham is a doula training program. The doula learns about pregnancy, labor and birth;
her principal functions are to provide a comforting and knowledgeable presence in the birthing room and to
give the birthing woman physical and emotional support throughout the birth process. Some doulas also
work with new mothers at home, helping them with breastfeeding and newborn care, household tasks and
care of older children. As a bonus, the doula students receive training as medical interpreters during
the program.


MIDWIFE NEWS

Welcome back! After an extended medical leave we are happy to welcome Director Phyllis Gorman back to a
nearly normal schedule starting in November. Phyllis will once again be seeing clients at our Arlington and
Joseph Smith offices.

The Compleat Midwife… After a few years of helping others birth their babies, Mary Culliton will be
birthing her own in a few months! She is due in early February, and she’s looking fabulous!

Marathon midwife, take 2 Robyn Churchill is preparing to run her 3rd marathon, Cape Cod, on Halloween.
At last year’s she was a first-timer and finished ahead of her expectations. We’ll all be pulling for a
personal best this time. Look for her results in the next News from MaMA!

Congratulations, Julie! Julie Mann, our Yale student from earlier this year, passed her midwifery boards
in June. She’ll be starting the Mt. Auburn midwifery credentialing process very soon, and we hope to
have her on board per diem early in 2005.