HomeMy WebLinkAboutCOM 0104.019 2022-2024 p /GOCAG
Reo, l-23
COMM. 10u
From: Zoe Zaina
Sent: Thursday, February 16, 2023 4:59 PM
To:
Council Testimony
Subject: Regarding resolution 57-23
Aloha,thank you for your commitment to serving this tight knit community. My name is Zoe Durant. I am a resident&mom of
two in Pahoa. I wanted to reach out and leave my testimony before tomorrow. I fully support the resolutions involving
midwives& birth attendants.After a very healthy pregnancy, my first daughter and I suffered from a traumatic delivery due to
mainly hospital policy. Unplanned C-section and my daughter was injured from it and ended up having an 11 day NICU stay. I
never thought I'd be able to have more babies because of it. It wasn't until I found the traditional birth attendants that I
realized I could have a beautiful birth with my second child, and for nine months I was treated like an individual. Under my
traditional midwife's expertise, I had the most empowering VBAC Homebirth-Waterbirth. It was duringa time when Covid
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restrictions were the tightest and I knew that I'd become another statistic if I hadn't been offered to chose the traditional
route:While the traditional route might not be everyone's wishes, it will be the only thing I'll ever go to to save my family
from unnecessary interventions. It is such an important option to have during pregnancy in these rural communities because
access to medical care is limited in a hospital setting, language barriers are a common reason for interventions,culturally as
well-some women wont birth in a hospital environment.Whatever the reasons may be, we are the women who can choose
who we feel would best serve us during such a personal,and monumental experience in life.Sacred birth.The option to
choose this quite literally saved my life, and my baby's. It's something very important to me,and many women of this
community. I am in full support of this resolution!Thank you for your time.
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Comm. No. Ibit
Ref.To: P[ OEA- G
1 Ref. Date FEB 2 1 2023