Are you or your mate of Asian/Asian American descent?
Did you choose a Home Birth or Out-of-Hospital Birth for your child(ren)?
Can you write at least 200 words about why you chose a home birth?
Can you submit your piece by April 15, 2012?
Call for Submissions

Picture
Mama Gloria with Baby #2
_Hi, I'm Gloria and I strongly believe in women's natural ability to bring new life onto the planet. I also believe in bringing voices that are often underserved and underheard to the table--I mean, come on, race is not just white, black, and "Hispanic." My passion to create a book about Asian Americans' experiences with home birth or out-of-hospital birth (regardless of transferring to the hospital) comes from my own experience with Baby #2: Even after I explained to my mom that we had the baby at home, she still asked me: "When were you discharged from the hospital?"

I won't get into the initial disbelief and doubts I faced about my choice to birth at home even with Baby #1. I would actually like to hear from YOU. According to the U.S. Office of Vital Statistics, between 2004 and 2009, there was a 29% increase in births occurring at home in the U.S. and its territories. Among the 29% increase was also a slight increase among Asian Americans. My intentions for this book project is to seek to illuminate why this increase has occurred. (If you're wondering about my editing and publishing experience, you can check my bio in the upper right corner "Who is Gloria Ng?" tab.)

Write at least 200 words (2500 words max) to share your experience by April 15, 2012, and you can be a contributing author! (Book is due out in time for this May 2012's Asian American Heritage Month.)

Details

_Please consider but do not limit yourself to:
  • Tradition/Heritage – what messages did you face, leave behind, or continue?
  • Peers, Friends – what did you encounter, hear, or value?
  • Parents, Partners, Families – what were the issues/concerns/discussions you had?
  • Locale, Community – what were some urban, rural, suburban obstacles, if any?
  • Service Providers (e.g., midwifery care, doulas, childbirth educators, etc.) – did you have convenient access to such?
  • Internet, Social Media, Mainstream Media – did this resource help or hinder your choice?
  • Hospital Access – did knowing you could transfer to a hospital make choosing a home birth easier?
  • Finances – Would you still choose to have a home birth, since most insurance plans do not cover 100% of costs?
  • Religion, Philosophy, Ideology – Was there anything in particular that helped you choose a home birth?
  • Ultimately, what helped you choose home birth?
We are especially interested in Pacific Islander and South Asian experiences and any of the following heritages: Asian Indian, Bangladeshi, Bhutanese, Bruneian, Burmese, Cambodian, Chinese, Cocossian (Cocos Islandian), East Timorese, Filipino/Pilipino, Hmong, Indonesian, Iranian, Japanese, Korean, Laotian, Macanese, Malaysian, Maldivian, Melanesian (including Fijian, Solomon Islanders, Papua New Guinean), Micronesian (including Guamanian, Marshallese, Palauan), Mongolian, Nepalese, Pakistani, Polynesian (including Samoan, Hawaiian, Tongan, Rotuman), Singaporean, Sri Lankan, Taiwanese, Thai, Tibetan, Vietnamese, etc. 

Submissions must be original work by the person submitting the piece.

Net proceeds from this book project goes towards further research and funding for Asian American Studies.

_Questions/Comments/Submissions

(Apologies in advance--need to filter out spammers.)