Commonsense Childbirth Inc. (CSC) is a 501(c) 3 non-profit organization that was formed in 1998 to enhance women's experience of childbirth and improve perinatal outcomes using a midwifery model of care. Low birth weight, prematurity and infant mortality rates remain particularly high in Central Florida’s minority and indigent population and so CSC has focused efforts on removing and reducing the barriers to health care that have impacted these statistics. Our vision is that all women have a healthy baby.

Commonsense Childbirth’s mission is to ensure access to timely maternity healthcare particularly for minority, low-income, uninsured, and underinsured women; and to provide practical, social, educational and emotional support, resources and referrals as a means to improving the chances for a positive pregnancy outcome.

Jennie JosephJennie Joseph is a master midwife, executive director of Commonsense Childbirth Inc. (a non-profit corporation), owner/director of The Birth Place birthing center and the Easy Access Prenatal Care Clinics, and the founder of The JJ Way™ Maternal Child Health Care System. She launched the Campaign for Healthier Babies in 2008.

" I had no idea when I started this work that there would be such a tremendous need! I had hoped to impact a few women alongside of my small midwifery practice but as the Birth Center grew so did the Indigent Clinic. After a while I realized that not saying no to women who asked for help was proving to be very expensive. None-the-less by God's grace we are still here! Thank you for being willing to learn about our program - please spread the word, OUR BABIES ARE THRIVING!" Jennie Joseph

Did you know that:

  • infant mortality is the death of a baby before he reaches his first birthday?
  • the rate is calculated as 'number of deaths per every 1000 live births'?
  • the USA ranks 41st out of 222 countries for infant mortality
  • nationally 6 babies of every 1000 died in 2006
  • nationally 14 African American babies of every 1000 died in 2006 and in many communities it is much worse
  • our government set goals that by 2010 infant mortality for all races would be 4.5 per 1000. (Healthy People 2010 - objectives 16-10a and 16-10b, respectively)
  • prematurity (being born too soon, before 37 weeks of pregnancy) and low birth weight (being born too small, weighing less than 5lbs 8ozs at birth) is one of the leading causes of infant death
  • prematurity and low birth weight can cause short term and long term deficits to babies that survive

Jennie speaks often about Infant Mortality:

"These are not just numbers on a page from yet another spreadsheet," Joseph points out, "rather these statistics represent shattered lives, dashed hopes, and unfulfilled potential as families grieve the loss of their loved one. It is impossible to measure the pain."

You can read about the Campaign in detail or read more about Easy Access Prenatal Clinics.

September is National Infant Mortality Month

We only have 9 months!We need your help!

In order to continue to impact prematurity and low birth weight in our communities we have launched our 2009 Campaign. By SEPTEMBER we plan to reach our goal - just like a baby we have NINE MONTHS in which to grow to full term.

OUR GOAL IS $90,000 – or $10,000 per month for 9 months. Imagine if 1000 people gave $10 per month - we would reach that goal with ease!

Your $90 goes a long way:

  • one prenatal visit for an uninsured patient (the average pregnancy needs 14 visits)
  • or the cost of one of the many prenatal lab tests (the total lab package alone costs $1200)
  • or one half of the fee for an ultrasound
  • or one childbirth education series
  • or one teen counseling session.

So 71 women could receive quality prenatal care for their entire pregnancy or 32 could receive prenatal care plus a complete lab package, a sonogram, education and counseling.

Won’t you please help us reach this goal?

If you have been blessed with a healthy baby I know you know how important our work is. The anguish of seeing your newborn isolated in a plastic incubator with tubes everywhere is indescribable. How much worse would it be if that happened because you were unable to find a midwife or doctor to help you with your pregnancy? As you snuggle with your little one consider the pain of women and families dealing with a tiny baby, knowing that timely prenatal care, information and support could have made all the difference in the outcome.

Please support our Campaign; make your tax deductible donation and you can send us a picture of your healthy baby for others to see and be encouraged. (Every time you donate you can add another picture). If you have a story you would like to share please get in touch! Send your friends and family to our site and encourage them to donate and send a picture for us to post too – there can never be too many images of beautiful, bouncing babies! We want to continue making a difference in the lives of families everywhere – you can help. Donate NOW and thank you!

You can choose from two methods to support the campaign. You can make a one-time donation of $90 or more. Alternatively, if you are able to aid the campaign throughout its nine-month course, you can register with us and set-up a subscription-based periodic payment. You can choose from several amounts ($10 upwards) to donate each month for nine months.

Your support, communication and involvement are essential to our Campaign for Healthy Babies. Please contact us!