Pregnant in America

The trailer for this film will get you contemplating about birth practices and what can be done to make birth better. The cesarean rate is at an all time high of 31.1 %. Many women feel that they have no say in their care during labor and birth. A woman will always remember giving birth. It is important that the experience be empowering. Please watch "Pregnant In America". Peace

A Commercial for Midwives

I really wish all women could have access to a midwife. In the United States there are still states were midwives are not able to practice legally. Women who want to become midwives are not able to get the training that they need.

I know that midwives are not promoted enough! Everyone knows about the epidural, but not enough women know that if they have a midwife then they can give birth successfully. The research is in that shows that for low risk pregnancies the care of a midwife is best.

What troubles me is that my own midwife informed me that midwives just do not use enough interventions and so their births cost less. They do not earn the hospital or insurance companies enough money.

I just have to believe that the word will get out that midwives are so empowering. My midwife let me know that the birth was mine, and she was only present to support me in every possible way. I wish all women could have a woman like that standing by her side when she gave birth. The midwife was present my entire labor never leaving me.

When the baby came ought she caught the baby and handed her up between my legs as I was standing and that was it. She never said a word, I was the first one to check and voice the sex as I did not know before hand. I said it is a girl. That was a powerful moment. The midwife let me have that moment she did not take it from me. I wish all women could feel the power of owning their birth in that way.

The midwife came to check me the next day, and day 3, day 5, 1 week, 3 weeks, and 6 weeks. What care during postpartum. I owe my breastfeeding success to my midwife. I am stronger and a better woman because of midwife. How I wish all woman knew and could have a midwife care for them!

Peace

Resources
Midwifery Today
Citizens for Midwifery
California Association of Midwives
Rosenthal Perinatal College
Approved Midwifery Schools by California Medical Board
Midwifery Education
Midwives Alliance

Inspiration and Resources

Elisabeth Bing is a founding mother of "Lamaze" classes. At the age of 91, in 2006, she was still actively teaching. I hope to live as long and keep on teaching families. Her story is inspiring. Check out the words of wisdom she offers to educators, women and families. A video interview of her is also posted.

The Journal of Perinatal Education has been archived from 2000 to 2006 and you can read and print out articles. It is an excellent resource for teaching strategies and research data. Also, it contains many heartfelt experiences of other childbirth educators.

This week I was busy planning for 2008. I have been dreaming of how to teach and write and balance my life. I really want to connect with the families who come to me. I have begun to use a closing circle where each person states in a word or two what they got from the class. It is a beautiful way to end my all day Saturday classes. I feel better connected with the class and I get to really see and hear the change in them from fear to confidence.

Peace

Become a Childbirth Educator

You have a yearning to become a childbirth educator. What a beautiful and rewarding field to “labor” in, if you will. I have been teaching for close to 10 years and never does it get old. The energy is so pure. You will be surrounded by people at one of the happiest milestones in their lives. I celebrate you! I offer these steps to get you started on your journey as a fellow childbirth educator.

First
You should observe a childbirth class. Remember to take a journal with you and take notes. Later on reflect on what you took away. Can you envision yourself leading your own class?

Second
You should research the field of childbirth education. Search the Internet for job opportunities, certifying organizations, childbirth educator groups, associations, collectives, and classes. It is important to find out the role childbirth educators have in your community. Ask yourself what your intention is in becoming a childbirth educator. The answer will allow you to connect with organizations and people who can assist you. The field of childbirth education is small and yet vast with various pathways to becoming an educator.

Third
You should find a childbirth educator in your community who will mentor you. Also, join an organization that will certify you and complete their requirements.

Last
Read, research, write, and share all the things you learn. You should begin dreaming about all the possibilities for yourself as a childbirth educator, no limits exist.

I teach, speak, mentor, write, blog, and podcast about birth. The best part is connecting with you and other women.

I want you to know for sure that you have been called to this profession to empower women everywhere!

Peace

picture © Janelle Durham

Teaching Strategies

It is so important to keep your teaching fresh. You should be inspired by yourself, then of course you know families will be. I hope you still have that inner glow and spark. You should have a faith in what you do, knowing that so many families are in need of the information and confidence that you provide. "Teaching Normal Birth Interactively" by Barbara Hotelling offers such wonderful tips to change up your class and reinforce the things you teach. Download this very useful article.

Stay inspired!

Protect the Birth Space

My children are small so I rarely offer my doula services, yet this couple had that pleading look in their eyes. It was going to be her second birth, and I felt the right energy from them. I told them if she happened to go into labor on the weekend when my children were not around I would do it. Of course she went into labor on the weekend. Long story short it was not a wonderful birth.

I had never been part of a birth like this. No epidural or pitocin, and we labored in all positions and walked and showered. I arrived at the hospital at 11 pm and her water had been broken since 9 pm. It was now 2:45 pm the next day. I knew something was wrong. She had been 7 cm since 5:30 am. I thought the baby must not be in a good position. I mentioned this to the midwife who was checking her, I do not know what happened exactly, but I think she turned the baby during her check. The midwife suggested pitocin to help. She left the room. The woman in labor stood up and went to the bathroom.

In the next moment the nurse and midwife flew back into the room and asked the woman to get in the bed because the baby's heart rate had dropped. The midwife was trying to insert an internal monitor when she discovered the cord had prolapsed. They called a code and snatched the bed from the wall with the midwife on the bed, her hand inside the mother keeping the baby's head from descending, into surgery they rushed. I was left with the father praying for the baby's life.

Cesareans are life saving and needed for rare cases such as this. The baby was healthy and strong without any complications.

No one could have predicted a prolapse cord. I just keep thinking I am so glad she never did get pitocin which she was strongly offered four times.

What I realized from this birth is that it was so hard to keep the mother's space protected. From about 7 am to 9:30 am when the morning staff comes into work, multiple people came in to the mother's room to introduce themselves, and talk to her about her plans.

This was very disruptive to the mother and it stalled her labor out for awhile. She was visibly discouraged and bothered from the interruptions.

I just keep wondering if this affected the outcome.

My lesson is above all protect the birth space!

Women are not protected and safe when they give birth. They are frightened, scared, and discouraged. I know that we can make birth better, and women can be free to say, "I don't want to be checked now", or "I don't want you in my room now".

I'll send my thoughts out later about how to protect the birth space.

Best Teaching Guide

I hope that you are enjoying life and the beauty that surrounds us in simple ways. I want to thank Janelle Durham, a fellow ICCE, for this excellent teaching guide and resource that she has provided free of charge and with a very liberal copyright license for educators everywhere.

When I first began teaching years ago I stumbled upon these materials and they were a big help to me in developing my class formats, especially an all day Saturday session. She has listed ice breakers, games, handouts, artwork, medication articles, statistics, and so much more. This sketch is courtesy of Janelle's site.
You just feel Janelle's warmth and passion for childbirth education emanating from this website she has created. She has a generous spirit and is a mentor to many childbirth educators she may never meet through this website she has made available to us all.

I encourage you to make use of this invaluable resource. May we all incorporate generosity into our teaching and the way we live. Peace

Childbirth Connection Rules

I vote Childbirth Connection as the leader in providing accessibility to research based and evidence based materials for families and professionals. This booklet on "Comfort in Labor" by Penny Simkin is so wonderful and it can be downloaded at no charge. Just refer your families to their website. They also have "What Every Pregnant Woman Needs to Know About Cesarean Section". This booklet is so well done. The resources provided by this organization will teach for you. I feel that my job is done when I refer my families to this amazing site. Information and knowledge is power. If we can provide all the data and possibilities to families we will make birth better for women everywhere!
Check it out!

Handouts for Class

The internet has available resources for free class handouts and downloadable pdf booklets. Here are a few links to the ones I have used before. Yes, it is free advertisement for the companies that provide them. Yet, if you are just beginning to teach or don't have the time to write a new handout then these are wonderful options and most have accurate and great information written by some by leaders and peers in the childbirth education field.

Pampers Professional Website
Growing Families
Lamaze Care Practices
Childbirth Connection
American Baby Magazine

Use these resources to keep your teaching fresh.

Happy Teaching!

Dream Come True

I am on the path of my dreams. When I was a girl I was fascinated by babies. I would ask mothers to please let me hold their babies. They did. Who knew that from my girlhood I was already on the path to becoming a childbirth educator.

I began in this field innocently enough as a fill in for a friend's husband who was out of the country during her pregnancy and labor. I had no clue that going to childbirth classes and meeting her at the hospital when she was in labor would bring me to this point. I did not know that I was a "doula", and that was a job or that even teaching the classes was a job.

As the path continues you always get to the right place. I had been working at Kaiser in membership service for 3 years when I got a transfer to health education. In health education I scheduled patients to attend childbirth classes. After a few months, my manager mentioned that she thought I would make a great educator, and guess what, she was right.

She has been a mentor to me.

Now I get to mentor other educators and I love it.

ICEA just put into place this new program of approved trainers who provide childbirth teacher training workshops worldwide.

I was just really thinking and praying to do something like this and of course you knew this opportunity would open up at just the right time for me. All the pieces are in place. My kids are older and I am single, so I feel free to travel.

I am eager for this coming year to meet you.

I hope you will find the same joy I do in this amazing field, empowering women everywhere!

Peace