Belgium 2019 Program

Midwifery Today Conference

Blankenberge, Belgium • 30 October – 3 November 2019

“Creating a Better Future for Birth”

Walk-InRegister Main Conference Page Conference Updates

Wednesday • 30 October 2019 • Pre-Conference

Choose one full-day class: A1 – A5 | 9:00 am – 5:00 pm

A1 Midwifery Skills, Part 1Johanna Honkanen, Gail Hart, Vijaya Krishnan, Mirjam de Keijzer, Thea van Tuyl, and Eneyda Spradlin-Ramos

Note: Two-part class A1 and B1; you may sign up for one or both days.

Midwifery is an art that requires practical thinking, information, a strong intuitive sense, and emotional understanding. Learn from these classes that help form a strong foundation to your care.

9:00 am – 10:30 am
Magic of Movement in Birth Johanna Honkanen
Movement in labor increases sense of control, decreases need for pain medication, helps baby in her rotation and reduces the length of labor. Learn more about optimal fetal positioning, rotation, pelvis, and many movement patterns that can help the baby rotate in the pelvis.

10:30 am – 12:00 pm
Fact and Fiction in Midwifery and ObstetricsGail Hart
Many busy birth practitioners find it difficult to keep up with new research and even more difficult to separate fact from fiction. Let’s look at the newest data, information, and research and update our knowledge about some common issues. What’s the “real deal” about postdates, fetal testing, active management of labor (third stage), probiotics, vitamin supplementation, anti-hemorrhage medications, and more. Every birth practitioner seeks to do The Right Thing. But how do we know what the right thing is when the definitions, protocols, and recommendations are constantly shifting?

1:30 pm – 3:00 pm
Helping a Slow Labor ProgressVijaya Krishnan
Learn about how to handle specific complications as they arise. Learn the possible reasons behind slow or stalled labors. Differentiate between physical and emotional causes of slow labors. Learn hands-on techniques to help slow labors to progress. Learn signs that would indicate transfer of care or recommendations for possible interventions and/or collaborative care.

3:15 pm – 4:30 pm
Empowering Couples for BirthMirjam de Keijzer and Thea van Tuyl
How can we help empower women for birth together with their partner? This can be done with practical prenatal teaching. Fear in birth can be avoided with trust in your own body and the knowledge that your partner knows what to do, accepts the birth process as a normal process, and understands how he or she can be helpful in going with the flow of the hormones. The teachers will present how to teach this to couples, including how to use relaxation, breathing, positions, and other techniques.

4:30 pm – 5:00 pm
Turning Fear into Trust in the Birthing WomanEneyda Spradlin-Ramos
Women’s fear is one of the big dilemmas facing normal birthing in Western society. Eneyda will share ways of helping women turn fear into trust. This is an important component of the art of midwifery.


A2 Waterbirth Practice, Practicalities, and New DiscoveriesDianne Garland
Dianne will explore the many benefits and ways of using water for labor and birth and discuss its unique properties—psychological as well as physical. Waterbirth is an option for a woman to give birth in an undisturbed, private, and dignified manner. It also empowers women and helps to create transitional ease for both mother and baby. It reduces medical interventions while maintaining safety for mother and baby. Breech births, OP births, and twin births benefit from water labor/waterbirth in skilled midwives’ hands. The ease of attending births in water is a joy. Dianne will share birth stories, DVD sequences, and photos from her extensive international work. She will address challenges and concerns about water labor/waterbirth. She will report on clinical findings, current research, and models from various places around the world, as well as share her hands-on experience. This workshop will present information on attending all types of births in water and about how to recognize and manage complications.


A3 Two half-day classes. (You must sign up for both.)

9:00 am – 12:00 pm
Acupressure and Cupping for Birth PractitionersTine Greve
Acupuncture can be very useful during pregnancy, birth, and the postpartum period. Only a certified acupuncturist can perform this treatment. Learn about different conditions that can be helped and when to refer to acupuncturists for treatment. Acupressure and cupping are other treatment aspects of Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) closely related to acupuncture. In this class you can learn about their use during birth. Demonstration and basics of cupping and acupressure will be covered in this powerful and informative class. Bring a small towel and your favorite massage oil. This is a hands-on class; you will get an opportunity to practice.

1:30 pm – 5:00 pm
Gua Sha for Pregnancy, Birth, and RelaxationJohanna Honkanen
Gua sha is a healing technique of Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM). Sometimes called coining, spooning, or scraping, gua sha is defined as instrument-assisted unidirectional press-stroking of the body surface to intentionally create transitory therapeutic petechiae called “sha” representing extravasation of blood in the subcutis. Modern research shows gua sha produces an anti-inflammatory and immune protective effect that persists for days following a single gua sha treatment. This accounts for its effect on pain, stiffness, fever, cough, nausea and vomiting, etc., and why gua sha is effective for pregnant and laboring women. The technique is useful for doulas, midwives, spouses, and other support persons. It can be used to soothe, relax, and add oxytocin, as well as to address stalled labor, back labor pains, headaches, vomiting/nausea, and many other discomforts. This class will include hands-on training.


A4 Two half-day classes. (You must sign up for both.)

9:00 am – 12:00 pm
Eat, Promote, and DoulaDebra Pascali-Bonaro
Debra will present proven strategies for taking your business and your message online. Take care of yourself and market your birth business! This class is for midwives as well as doulas. Come develop a plan to promote your business with interactive strategies to engage and grow your audience. We all have an important message to share. Learn or expand how you use social media, blogs, websites, e-newsletters, and other online business tools to unlock your potential and share your passion. A nurturing surprise awaits you as you doula and midwife yourself through the ever-changing and expanding online world.

1:30 pm – 5:00 pm
Implementing the International Childbirth InitiativeDebra Pascali-Bonaro
The International Childbirth Initiative (ICI) promotes MotherBaby-Family Maternity Care: a complex, multidimensional, dynamic process of providing safe, skilled, and individualized care, responsive to the physical, emotional, psychosocial, and spiritual needs of the women, the newborn, and the family. Come learn about the 12 steps to safe, respectful MotherBaby-Family Maternity Care and how to apply them in your community. This will be an interactive session—there is something for everyone to work on. Learn strategies for bringing a multi-discipline group together, inviting local hospitals and other care providers to learn about the ICI and participate in work groups to develop practical next steps in each arena. Learn how to enhance your practice and bring respectful quality care with compassion to a new level.


A5 Healing Trauma for Birth Practitioners and Clients: New Tools to ExploreElizabeth Davis and Sally Kelly

9:00 am – 10:30 am
Collaborative Care with Survivor ClientsSally Kelly
Having trauma survivors as clients can be challenging. This talk will discuss how best to promote clients’ healing and autonomy, with the understanding that a team effort of multiple professionals may be necessary for complete care. Ways to build an effective network that respects participants’ expertise and client confidentiality will be explored at length, with an emphasis on the client as the prime coordinator of her care.

10:30 am – 12:00 pm
Supporting Women Survivors of Sexual Abuse in ChildbirthSally Kelly
Pregnancy and birth can bring up many conflicting emotions in women who have been sexually abused. Learn how to help these women by offering individual attention and love.

1:30 pm – 4:30 pm
Trauma and Transformation through Pregnancy and BirthElizabeth Davis
One out of three women is a survivor of trauma, whether from abuse, neglect, or violence. Certain aspects of the childbearing experience can potentially reopen old emotional wounds, activate unhelpful coping mechanisms, and cause further trauma—not only in our clients, but in ourselves. Fortunately, there is also the potential for deep healing. Elizabeth will explain the physiology of why this is so, and provide tools that bypass standard counseling approaches with more rapidly effective techniques shown to have a profound and lasting impact. Birth is meant to be transformational: with a deeper understanding of how to make this possible, we can generate the best outcomes for our clients and ourselves.

4:30 pm – 5:00 pm
Questions and Wrap UpSally Kelly and Elizabeth Davis


5:30 pm – 7:00 pm | Open to all registrants.
Christian Midwives MeetingEneyda Spradlin-Ramos
All are welcome.

Thursday • 31 October 2019 • Pre-Conference

Choose one full-day class: B1 – B5 | 9:00 am – 5:00 pm

B1 Midwifery Skills, Part 2Gail Hart, Dianne Garland, and Eneyda Spradlin-Ramos

Note: Two-part class A1 and B1; you may sign up for one or both days.

Midwifery is an art that requires practical thinking, information, a strong intuitive sense, and emotional understanding. Learn from these classes that help form a strong foundation to your care.

9:00 am – 10:30 am
Shoulder Dystocia, Prevention, and ManagementGail Hart
Gail will discuss the mechanical, physical, and emotional causes of shoulder dystocia. She will describe symptoms and signs used to predict it. She will analyze tools and methods used to overcome panic reactions, demonstrate effective treatments, and look in-depth at maneuvers to predict and correct shoulder dystocia. Learn about all aspects of shoulder dystocia, including causes, incidence rates, prevention, and solutions. She will discuss how to quickly deal with this type of dystocia when it occurs and how to enlist the help of the mother to deliver her child in an atmosphere of calmness and strength.

10:30 am – 12:00 pm
Waterbirth and Using Water in Labor Dianne Garland
Dianne will explore the many benefits and ways of using water for labor and birth and discuss its unique properties—psychological as well as physical. Waterbirth is an option for a woman to give birth in an undisturbed, private, and dignified manner. It also empowers women and helps to create transitional ease for both mother and baby. Attending births in water is a joy. (Note also Dianne’s full-day class on waterbirth, A2.)

1:30 pm – 2:00 pm
Eyes and Non-verbal CommunicationEneyda Spradlin-Ramos
What do the eyes say? Why do newborns and their mamas seek each other’s eyes in that profound gaze of the early hours of life? Research evidence on communicating through eye contact throughout life will be shared.

2:00 pm – 3:30 pm
Neonatal Resuscitation with the Placental Circulation IntactGail Hart
Analyzing the various techniques used around the world brings the surprising conclusion that neonatal resuscitation methods are a cultural, not a scientific, norm. The experiences of what works in one hospital unit is often different from a unit in the same city and practitioners who work in both home and hospital know they often do things differently depending on the setting. Gail will present the concept of safe and effective physiological resuscitation methods which don’t require high technology for implementation.

3:45 pm – 5:00 pm
Postpartum CareGail Hart
Having a baby is a new beginning. Your responsibility to mother and child continues after the baby is born. Discover some tips for preventing problems before they arise. We will cover the first hour after birth as well as the all-important first six weeks and beyond.


B2 Rebozo Techniques and PracticeThea van Tuyl and Mirjam de Keijzer
The origin of these techniques and traditions from Mexico goes back thousands of years. We will learn how to use a rebozo, a useful tool in all parts of the childbearing cycle. In this amazing class you will discover simple techniques that bring comfort and relaxation during pregnancy and birth. You will learn many “new” old techniques you can apply immediately to your practice. Time for hands-on practice will be provided. Thea and Mirjam co-wrote the book, The Rebozo Technique Unfolded, with Naolí Vinaver.


B3 Birth, Breastfeeding, and Bonding: Does It Matter How We Are Born?Tine Greve
Physiological birth is an involuntary process orchestrated by neurochemicals and hormones that unfurl in a woman’s body. Oxytocin plays a very important role in these processes that will prime the motherbaby dyad for breastfeeding and bonding after birth. What happens to motherbaby when these fine-tuned mechanisms are disturbed by interventions such as induction, augmentation, or epidurals? These interventions are everyday events in hospitals all over the world. Are midwives, doctors, doulas, and mothers/parents aware of the direct and indirect consequences of these procedures? This workshop will focus both on the normal physiological parameters for a good birth experience as well as the consequences when the physiological processes are disturbed. We will discuss what can we do to facilitate a better breastfeeding start and bonding process when an intervention has occurred for any reason.


B4 Childbirth in the Scientific Context of 2019: One Thousand and One Possible TopicsMichel Odent
At a turning point in the history of life on planet Earth, midwives are in a position to raise avant-garde questions. Should we expect an evolution of Homo in relation to the way babies are born? What is the future of underused physiological functions? Can we understand the basic needs of laboring women in the light of modern physiology? Is there a future for midwifery? Can humanity survive the neutralization of the laws of natural selection by reproductive medicine? Are human beings able to phrase vital questions before it is too late? Michel has been—directly or indirectly—involved in childbirth for more than 60 years. He has practiced on the European and African continents and has experience with hospital births and homebirths. Bring your burning questions to this vital session.


B5 Spinning Babies WorkshopJennifer Walker
Note: Due to space needs, class size is limited to 35 registrants.
Learn to spot a long labor before labor begins and turn it around to a shorter labor. This course goes beyond Optimal Fetal Positioning with the 3 Principles of Spinning Babies: Balance, Gravity, and Movement in pregnancy and in labor. Compare anterior and posterior fetal position. Practice labor progress techniques appropriate to the level of descent and tell whether a cesarean is needed or just more time. Fewer cesareans and fewer transports may be possible now.
Program is full.


6:30 pm – 10:00 pm | All are welcome
International Doula Meeting
Join Debra Pascali-Bonaro and representatives from the European Doula Network for an update on doulas in the European Union and around the world. All are welcome to join the discussion. Share your challenges and successes of being a doula, working with doulas, or having a doula in your community. We will discuss recent recommendations for the inclusion of doulas as a missing or underused aspect of quality, respectful maternity care. We will also cover how doulas and midwives are working together, about challenges and joys around the EU and globally. No charge; please join us.

Friday • 1 November 2019 • Day One

9:00 am – 10:00 am | Opening general session
Creating a Better Future for BirthJan Tritten, Eneyda Spradlin-Ramos, and Debra Pascali-Bonaro
What is the future of midwifery and birth? What can each of us do to create a better future? What is your vision? We envision a future where every woman gives birth as she chooses, and every baby is welcomed in gentleness and love. A future where all women have optimal pregnancies and births and every baby is healthy. A future where every family starts with this sacred and safe beginning. How do we get there from here?


10:00 am – 10:45 am | General session
The Importance of the MicrobiomeMichel Odent
This presentation explores the human microbiome and how it affects the human being inside the womb and throughout the life span. We will discuss the fetus and intrauterine life, labor, birth, and the first hours and days after birth. Because maternal and newborn practices following birth set the stage for the rest of the child’s life, the importance of not disturbing this delicate balance is emphasized. Practices to encourage microbial seeding in the newborn will be explored.


10:45 am – 11:30 am | General session
Visions and Dreams for Birth ChangeJan Tritten and Eneyda Spradlin-Ramos
You are needed as a birth change agent, wherever you are studying, practicing, or teaching. Women want to have healthy babies and good experiences. Around the world women are prevented from achieving these goals, causing trauma to them and their babies. Learn what you can do in your community to promote positive birth change. We will discuss how each of us plays a part in changing the birth future for mothers and babies, with a discussion of what other birth keepers are doing around the world. We encourage you to discover your dream and carry it out.


Choose one class: C1 – C4 | 1:00 pm – 2:30 pm

C1 Why Is This Baby Breech?Jennifer Walker
Spinning Babies proposes that babies fit in the space available. Jennifer will discuss why being inverted on a slant board or manually turning the baby is sometimes ineffective. She will introduce the physiology of body balancing for fetal positioning.


C2 Hemorrhage and Third Stage DifficultiesGail Hart and Tine Greve
Many episodes of excessive blood loss are either preventable or foreseeable and easily controlled. It is important to facilitate delivery of the placenta with patience. Learn techniques and approaches that render the need for pharmaceuticals rare. Learn what problems may arise in third stage and how to be prepared to attend them. Bleeding, various problems with placenta retention, and other issues will be discussed. You will learn how to assess and deal with bleeding in a way that will increase your confidence.


C3 Newborn Babies Need Love, Microbes, and StressMichel Odent
According to emergent scientific disciplines, we know the following: Newborn babies need maternal love; this need has been ignored for thousands of years (routine separation of mother and babies, delayed initiation of breastfeeding, etc.). Newborn babies are supposed to be colonized by friendly microbes that immediately educate their immune system; until recently all microbes were considered enemies. The stress induced by uterine contractions has a positive role to play in the development of human beings; until recently the word “stress” had an exclusively negative connotation.


C4 Comfort Techniques for Midwives and DoulasDebra Pascali-Bonaro
Women who are coping well with labor have some things in common: relaxation, rhythm, and ritual (the 3 R’s). Debra will describe the 3 R’s and the many ways women experience them. Comfort measures for labor such as the gate control theory of pain, hot and cold compresses, music, massage/touch, acupressure, aromatherapy, and the birthing ball will be discussed. Positions that facilitate rotation and descent in first stage and help to rotate and ease back labors will be demonstrated. Techniques for second stage, such as the support squat, dangle, toilet, “tug of war,” the rope, and lap squatting will be shown.


Choose one class: D1 – D4 | 2:45 pm – 4:15 pm

D1 Midwifery as Preventive and Long-term Health CareMavis Kirkham
Midwifery can do a great deal to prevent ill health and to address many of the major health problems of our time. There is ample research to support this claim. We will explore how this works and the conditions needed for us to take up our full role in long-term family health. We will then address how we can fully practice our long-term focused role within health systems based on a short-term business model.


D2 Caring for Women with Trust, Intimacy, and Love in LossSally Kelly
Birth practitioners need skills in caring for women whose babies don’t survive whether by miscarriage, stillbirth, or neonatal death. If we are afraid of this area of our practice then we cannot provide the right environment of care. Join this class to turn your fear of helping in these situations to one of faith.


D3 Midwifery EducationElizabeth Davis
The way we educate midwives has everything to do with the way they will someday practice. A majority of instructors are satisfied with their performance, but many students are not happy with their educational experience. How can we bring the two together? What is needed for the next generation of midwives to survive in the current circumstances of practice? How can we prepare students to practice confidently, wisely, and autonomously?


D4 MalpresentationsGail Hart and Tine Greve
Learn about the myths and realities of this issue. Learn what factors increase the likelihood of a malpresentation. Identify different types of malpresentations and discover techniques for assessing and dealing with them. You will learn many tips for helping with malpresentations so birth can move forward and be achieved. Bring your techniques to add to this body of midwifery knowledge.


4:30 pm – 6:00 pm | General session
Roundtables
In this well-loved Midwifery Today format, you’ll sit in on three interesting and inspiring roundtables of your choice.
Roundtables will include:


7:30 pm – 10:00 pm | Open to all registrants
Physiological Birth: The Musical! — Lara FairyLove Stockbridge
The author wrote this on the train from Belgium to Switzerland after the Global Midwifery Council’s decision to make stages of physiological birth more widely known because insurance protocols and fear were creating a medicated “normal” across the globe. Filled with tunes from the end of the 20th century, this jolly little jaunt gives clear direction and inspiration to all those who wish to birth in joy and beauty. The play is participatory and so much fun—come sing, act, dance, and laugh.
Download PDF Script

Saturday • 2 November 2019 • Day Two

9:00 am – 10:15 am | General session
Technology as a Threat to the Normal Birth ProcessElizabeth Davis
Elizabeth will explore the reasons for and the negative consequences of the inappropriate or excessive application of technology—drugs as well as instruments, machinery, and surgery—in birth. Learn your role in protecting pregnant and birthing women and how current research actually supports the use of less intervention in birth. Discover how to establish the appropriate and careful use of technology.


Choose one class: E1 – E4 | 10:30 am – 12:00 pm

E1 Shoulder DystociaGail Hart
Gail will discuss the mechanical and physical causes of shoulder dystocia; the associated risk factors; symptoms and signs to predict it; and how to remedy it. She will analyze tools and methods used to overcome panic reactions and demonstrate effective treatments. Come learn new methods, new mnemonics, and the latest research!


E2 Pain to Power ChildbirthDebra Pascali-Bonaro
We have a culture of fear and overuse of technology. Pain has become a focal point, creating added tension and stress for many birthing women as well as care providers. Learn how language, environment, breathing, and many simple techniques can shift the focus and the experience from pain to power (physically and emotionally) with comfort, pleasure, and love.


E3 Evidence-based MidwiferyTine Greve
Midwifery is an art that requires practical thinking, medical know-how, a strong intuitive sense, and emotional understanding. Learn how all of these elements combine and work together, creating a firm foundation of good care. How is midwifery different from obstetrics? We will cover safety, value, and differences provided by midwives, including evidence-based practice and how to apply it.


E4 Posterior ArrestElizabeth Davis
Not all babies in posterior positions experience an arrest during labor. Discover why some babies pass through the pelvis just fine and others get stuck at the inlet. Learn about hands-on maneuvers for addressing posterior arrest that are non-invasive and available to anyone, as well as internal repositioning maneuvers that every midwife should know. Case histories will be presented and special circumstances explored.


Choose one class: F1 – F4 | 1:30 pm – 3:00 pm

F1 Maximizing MidwiferyJohanna Honkanen
Let us consider how to meet in the middle and yet give the best care to every motherbaby. We need to be advancing midwifery care for the next generation before it disappears. The midwifery model has advantages because it avoids unnecessary interventions during labor, thus helping the process remain normal. In this class, Johanna offers her insight on how we can work towards addressing needs that are not met by the medical model and how midwives empower women more.


F2 The Role of Story in Midwifery and BirthMavis Kirkham
Midwifery is responsible for the safe birth of the mother’s childbearing story, as well as the safe birth of her baby and placenta. The story is woven after the baby is born and changes with its early telling. Whatever the nature of the baby’s birth, the midwife has a duty to ensure the mother weaves a story she can live with and which will give her strength. This is very important as she will live with her story long after the baby has grown up. This session will also address individual midwives’ stories and our midwifery professional story.


F3 Caring for VBAC WomenVijaya Krishnan
Separating the wheat from the chaff: Is trying for a VBAC really that different from trying for a natural birth? Who will be there for the VBAC women and their babies? What are their special needs? What are the realities of this issue? Explore ways to help women complete the circle—from cesarean through vaginal birth. VBAC pregnancy, labor, birth, and healing will be discussed. Birth is a miracle. VBAC birth is an emotion-laden, joyful double miracle. Come learn about the midwifery skills needed to midwife this miracle.


F4 Breech BirthMichel Odent
Learn techniques to turn breech babies and develop skills for vaginal breech birth. Breech birth is not for beginners, though everyone is welcome to attend this class. We will begin with basic skills and review the hands-off approach as well as what to do if hands off does not work. You will also learn about the many research studies already done on breech birth and what an examination of them tells us. Michel will also cover which breeches may do better by cesarean.


3:00 pm – 4:30 pm | General session
International Issues and TechniquesEneyda Spradlin-Ramos and Jan Tritten
There is much to learn from midwives around the world. We will share techniques and systems as well as political and educational ideas that will help you further the midwifery model in your sphere of influence. We can make changes for the better with knowledge of global possibilities.


4:30 pm – 6:00 pm | General session
Tricks of the TradeEneyda Spradlin-Ramos and Jan Tritten facilitate
Share the techniques you’ve perfected in your practice or bring your burning questions to this roundtable of pertinent tips on a wide variety of topics. Previous sessions have included alternative remedies, ways of using placenta, membranes and cord for hemorrhage control, tear prevention, and complications in birth. This is always a much-appreciated session, for its sense of sisterhood as well as its information. “Worth at least two weeks of academic training,” said one participant.


7:30 pm – 10:30 pm | Open to all registrants
Summit MeetingEneyda Spradlin-Ramos and Jan Tritten facilitate
With all that is going on with midwifery and birth around the world we thought it was time for another summit meeting where we can work on change in small groups and then report back to the group what we have discussed. If you have a particular area you want to work on please bring the idea and we can do a discussion roundtable on it. One of the important issues that came up in Germany last year was to claim the role of midwives globally. Our roles have been coopted and controlled. We had hoped to come up with a statement putting a line in the sand and claiming what belongs to midwives. Doulas will have their special issues and anyone is welcome to join any group. Combating medicalization is another crucial issue. Now more than ever is the time to make goals and also make a plan for carrying out these goals. Some other possible topics are: Autonomy, Cross-Cultural Change, Using Waterbirth to Facilitate Change, Changing Hospitals and Humane Midwifery Education. What are your ideas?

Sunday • 3 November 2019 • Day Three

9:00 am – 9:45 am | General session
Wisdom from Decades of PracticeGail Hart, Dianne Garland, and Mavis Kirkham
Gail, Dianne, and Mavis have been practicing classical midwifery for decades. Find out what keeps them going. Share in their wisdom from years of dedication and practice, and go home inspired to strengthen and build your own holistic midwifery practice.


9:45 am – 10:15 am | General session
Setting a Respectful Stage, No Matter Where You AreSally Kelly and Johanna Honkanen
Learn how to create a nurturing environment for women no matter where they are giving birth. Optimal births can happen in any setting if love and respect underpin the place of birth.


Choose one class: G1 – G4 | 10:30 am – 12:00 pm

G1 Alternative Remedies for the Childbearing YearJohanna Honkanen
You will learn about non-medical measures for pain relief including water. Johanna will also discuss acupressure, rebozo, TENS, oils, and other natural remedies for use in pregnancy, birth, and postpartum. Learn practical uses of these remedies for your clients’ ailments and complications, such as using alternatives to halt a hemorrhage and how to keep your clients well. This class is for not just for novices but for everyone!


G2 Second Stage ProblemsGail Hart and Tine Greve
Our teachers will share the protocols and techniques they use to help the mother move through labor. This discussion will include prolonged rupture of membranes, failure to progress, abnormal labor patterns, non-medical intervention, and more. Listen to these experienced midwives discuss constructive and effective ways to handle both normal and difficult situations. Bring your questions and experiences.


G3 Lessons from Spinning BabiesJennifer Walker
Spinning Babies offers a unique way to answer the question, “When do we take action in a long or painful labor while still supporting a physiological model?” Supporting birth without interference is what we strive for. Learn to open the three levels of the pelvis to make space where the baby is waiting for rotation and descent, restore balance, and help motherbaby.


G4 How to Implement Rebozo in Your Birth ClassThea van Tuyl
Most partners really love to do something together, and the rebozo is a unique and easy tool for them to learn. You can teach rebozo techniques to the partner to help with relaxation. This can be helpful during pregnancy as well as during birth itself. Learning rebozo skills together can enhance the relationship between the parents-to-be. Thea will teach some simple techniques which can enhance your practice, whether you are a childbirth educator, doula, or midwife.


1:30 pm – 3:30 pm | General session
Roundtables
In this well-loved Midwifery Today format, you’ll sit in on three interesting and inspiring roundtables of your choice.
Roundtables will include:


4:00 pm – 5:00 pm | Closing general session
We Have Created a Better Future for BirthSally Kelly, Tine Greve, Eneyda Spradlin-Ramos, and Jan Tritten
Let us each do our part as we have determined to do during this conference. If we go out and carry the torch of better birth, we can make it happen. Because we have different spheres of influence, our combined effort will be powerful. Never give up.

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