Print Everyday Birth Magazine! Spring Summer 2022
Disrupt the weathering effects of inequity with our magazine of inclusive pregnancy, birth + postpartum education + storytelling.
Project Description
Everyday Birth Magazine is a biannual print and digital magazine for parents, showcasing real-life hospital, birth center, and home birth stories as well as educational content written by professionals. We are funded by subscribers and advertisers and have the same commitment to centering historically and popularly underrepresented people as our parent organization, The Educated Birth.
THE CHALLENGES
We've been faced with a number of challenges this year that have impacted our ability to bring this issue to print as quickly + easily as we normally do.
- Our founder + executive editor (that's me, Cheyenne) — I'm pregnant! Being pregnant has absolutely affected my capacity during the production of this issue — from managing various symptoms, to integrating new habits + lifestyle changes, to the mental/emotional load — I've had to slow down and adjust to not grind as hard as I've done in the past.
- Unforeseen Equipment Setbacks — I use two laptops to organize and create each issue of Everyday Birth Magazine. The one I use primarily for organizing and creating photo + video content was stolen in March. While I began a small internal effort among allies in my community to help recoup the loss, I haven't been able to fund its replacement yet, efforts that it may be recovered through device tracking have been fruitless + much of the data was not able to be recovered either. The other laptop, which I primarily use for layout + design, as well as communication with other editors, contributors, photographers, etc., has experienced two technological failures over the past two months — a broken battery + a distortion to the display — each of which required that the computer be shipped out for repairs for almost a full week each time.
- Rising Cost of Printing — Since we began printing Everyday Birth Magazine, the cost of each round of printing has gone up over $1000 for the same number of magazines from approximately $2200 to $3500 (we currently print 1000 per round). Shipping-related costs have been impacted by inflation as well.
- Less Advertising Support — Our advertising campaign this season has resulted in less advertiser commitment than in previous ones. We're so pleased and grateful to ToLabor and Calm Birth for being advertiser's on board for this Spring/Summer 2022 issue. The majority of our advertising support in the past has come from small businesses and capacities to support have understandably changed. Of course, this directly impacts our ability to bring our issues to print.
MORE BACKGROUND
Combined with our parent org, The Educated Birth, we reach over 45k followers on Instagram. In the past two years, we've distributed thousands of magazines to subscribers, birth centers + medical offices, conferences, and events.
Want to see what's inside Everyday Birth Magazine? Just visit our home page! The digital editions of some of our first issues are available for free and beautifully accessible to view on computers, laptops, tablets, and mobile screens.
WHERE WILL THE MONEY GO?
Funds from this campaign will go toward printing and shipping our Spring/Summer 2022 issue. If we surpass our goal of $4500, funds may go towards our Fall/Winter 2022 issue.
In addition to the many wonderful photographers and writers who join us as contributors, and the founding team members who first helped bring this publication to light — our team currently consists of one full-time staff person — Founder and Executive Editor, Cheyenne Varner, and part-time support from Associate Editor Janice Formichella and Staff Writer Devon Copeland. Check out our about page for more.
Thank you, thank you, thank you — for your time, consideration — and if you're able — contribution!!
With gratitude and love,
Cheyenne + The Educated Birth Team
The Campaign FAQs
How long has Everyday Birth Magazine been around?
Since 2018!
What's Everyday Birth Magazine's birth story?
Everyday Birth Magazine began — a seed of an idea — when founder and editor Cheyenne Varner sat in her OB/GYN office waiting for an appointment, early Fall of 2017. Cheyenne had been a doula for a little over a year at that point and had already started The Educated Birth, a collection of inclusive birth education materials for birth workers. Sitting in that chair, waiting as everyone does in their doctors' offices, she thumbed through the magazines provided and had that same sense of discontent that she felt when searching for inclusive birth education materials. "I don't see myself here," she thought.
Later that season, Cheyenne met Sarah Choi. Sarah was Cheyenne's first postpartum support client. As they chatted in-between caring for Sarah's son, Max, and attending to Sarah's rest, hydration — all the good things that support healing and a healthy postpartum experience — Cheyenne's idea for a magazine was revealed. "It should come out by mother's day," Sarah said. She was on board.
From there, a team of all POC folks assembled. DeAudrea Rich offered photography. Virginia Strobach created custom illustrations for the cover and several articles. Maria Oya X offered insight into inclusivity, guidance to ensure that all parents would really be spoken to, seen, and welcomed by our content. The first issue of Everyday Birth Magazine dropped Spring/Summer of 2018.
How can I become a subscriber?
I'm glad you asked! Visit www.everydaybirth.com/subscribe and join us as a digital subscriber at $4/month or $40/year, as a print + digital subscriber at $5/month or $50/year, a waiting room subscriber at $15/month or $150/year, or an advertising subscriber at $65/month for 12 months or $650 one-time.
Has there been any press on Everyday Birth Magazine?
We’ve had the pleasure and honor of having partners publish articles about and/or help spread our content through their outlets.
- Birthing a Magazine, Style Weekly
- Lactation Support: Practicing Latch and Hand Expression with In-Person Support, Nanobebe Blog
- Stop Telling Me How Black Women Die During Childbirth and Start Showing Me How We Can Thrive, Blavity
- Birthing While Black: African-American Women Face Disproportionate Risks During Pregnancy, Virginia Mercury
- Birthing a Magazine, Style Weekly
Where is Everyday Birth Magazine going?
The future of Everyday Birth Magazine is a deepening and widening of what it means to be inclusive toward parents and families in the birth world. It's continuing to intentionally center the images and stories of parents of color, people who identify as LGBTQIA+, people of many body sizes, and more.
The future of Everyday Birth Magazine is striving to remain attune and relevant to what's going on in the world and in reproductive health and justice.
The future of Everyday Birth Magazine is landing in every waiting room, every community space, and on every doorstep that's looking for more stories and more education on pregnancy, birth, postpartum — and honestly, even more areas of reproductive health and family life!
The future of Everyday Birth Magazine is the growth of a team. We hope to bring on more birth workers and more folks committed to inclusion and justice to support the ideation, production, packaging, and delivery of more magazines.
The future of Everyday Birth Magazine is continuing to redistribute. We want to do more fundraiser kick-offs like our campaign with the National Black Midwives Alliance. As we grow and become more sustainable ourselves, we believe that should overflow into our community.
Just Because I Care
Thank you for supporting #EverydayBirth!
We will feature you on our Instagram stories and add you to a new gratitude highlight for both @EverydayBirth and @TheEducatedBirth reaching over 45K incredible parents and birth workers
You will receive a mystery package mixed with past issues of Everyday Birth magazine and goodies from The Educated Birth
Your business or organization will receive one digital ad in the digital version of the Spring/Summer issue, one digital ad on our IG pages (@EverydayBirth + @TheEducatedBirth), a shout-out in the issue reveal email, and your logo on our websites (see our media kit for more details).
Your business or organization will receive all the digital advertiser perks plus one half-page ad in the print issue of our magazine and 20 copies of the print issue you're advertised in (see our media kit for more details).
Rewards
Just Because I Care
Thank you for supporting #EverydayBirth!
We will feature you on our Instagram stories and add you to a new gratitude highlight for both @EverydayBirth and @TheEducatedBirth reaching over 45K incredible parents and birth workers
You will receive a mystery package mixed with past issues of Everyday Birth magazine and goodies from The Educated Birth
Your business or organization will receive one digital ad in the digital version of the Spring/Summer issue, one digital ad on our IG pages (@EverydayBirth + @TheEducatedBirth), a shout-out in the issue reveal email, and your logo on our websites (see our media kit for more details).
Your business or organization will receive all the digital advertiser perks plus one half-page ad in the print issue of our magazine and 20 copies of the print issue you're advertised in (see our media kit for more details).