Vicki Penwell

Vicki Penwell is known by many titles—midwife, educator, nonprofit founder and director, student, mother, Lola, and her least favorite: new widow. She divides her time between living in the Philippines and the USA while training midwives through the Mercy In Action College of Midwifery, the Mercy In Action Diploma in International Midwifery & Maternal/Child Health, and numerous seminars and workshops, including a 10-Day Learn and Serve held annually at her home in the Philippines. Vicki has a Masters in Midwifery and a Masters in Intercultural Studies and is currently finishing her second year of a doctoral program in Creative Leadership.

The Strength of Midwifery—Evidence on Two Sides

Global recognition of the importance of midwifery is growing. Recently, I was asked to contribute to a presentation that was being prepared for a large foundation seeking evidence that midwifery works. Due to time constraints, I was informed that we could have exactly two slides in the final PowerPoint presentation, which seemed not enough to make even a brief report on our Mercy In Action birth center outcomes in the Philippines. Read more…. The Strength of Midwifery—Evidence on Two Sides

Buntis Day Party: A Mercy In Action Imaginative Prenatal Model in the Philippines

Imagine that you are a young woman, poor and pregnant. Let’s say your name is Myrna. Your home is located in a remote, rural area of an island that is recovering from disaster. You have had no prenatal care because it’s too far to walk and even if it was nearby, you could not afford the cost.

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 Read more…. Buntis Day Party: A Mercy In Action Imaginative Prenatal Model in the Philippines

Mercy In Action—Still Training Global Midwives After All These Years!

The ancient Greek philosopher Heraclitus said that you can’t step in the same river twice. If he were alive today and had an understanding of midwifery education, he would probably say the same about Mercy In Action’s midwife training programs. I first wrote for Midwifery Today 32 years ago, an article titled Midwifery Education: A Global Perspective (Midwifery Today Issue 20, 1991.)

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 Read more…. Mercy In Action—Still Training Global Midwives After All These Years!

Emerging Strategies: Helping Mothers Survive Bleeding After Birth

Vicki Penwell, of Mercy In Action, has another fantastic article about providing services for birthing women in low-resource areas. The article discusses new strategies to stop and prevent hemorrhage in third or fourth stage, and the need for ongoing training so that midwives are better able to handle emergencies. Read more…. Emerging Strategies: Helping Mothers Survive Bleeding After Birth

The One-Minute Preceptor Model for Midwives

This helpful article details the one-minute preceptor model for teaching and learning. Vicki, who works in the Philippines, discusses the five basic micro-skills and provides examples of how they can be applied.

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 Read more…. The One-Minute Preceptor Model for Midwives

Become an Implementing Partner of the International Childbirth Initiative: A Model for Safety and Respect in Childbirth that Works in Every Setting, Everywhere in the World

Globally, there is the problem of the over-medicalization of childbirth, but there is also the problem of the under-utilization of lifesaving care, and marginalized people often suffer needlessly from lack, rather than overuse, of health care during pregnancy, birth, and postpartum recovery. This quote from Miller et al. Read more…. Become an Implementing Partner of the International Childbirth Initiative: A Model for Safety and Respect in Childbirth that Works in Every Setting, Everywhere in the World

The Role of the Midwife in the First 1000 Days

It is the universal joy of every community midwife to run into a family months or years later and see them with the baby you so lovingly helped them bring into the world Read more…. The Role of the Midwife in the First 1000 Days

Birth Interventions: A Double-Edged Sword

Speaking figuratively, a double-edged sword refers to something that has both positive and negative consequences. It will either hurt you or have a harmful cost, or it will help you and be good for you.

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 Read more…. Birth Interventions: A Double-Edged Sword

Future-Thinking Midwifery Education: Birthing the Midwives We Need

The most exciting thing to me about the future of midwifery is the non-traditional nature of midwifery education in America and the potential it has to become a model for the world. Student midwives can train by apprenticeship at the same time they also earn college degrees in midwifery, without ever leaving their home community. This is a game-changer. Read more…. Future-Thinking Midwifery Education: Birthing the Midwives We Need

PostPartum Care in the Context of a Developing Country

In past articles I wrote in this series, I mentioned that while visiting Thailand years ago, I found that they have a charming expression that translates in English to “same same but different” (vendors in the market will say this to you repeatedly as they show you different products in the same basic grouping).

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 Read more…. PostPartum Care in the Context of a Developing Country

Building Strong Foundations for Midwifery Education: The World Needs Midwives, Now More Than Ever!

To equip means to prepare someone sufficiently in all aspects, for a particular situation or task. Everyone who aspires to become a midwife desires to be properly equipped for this task.

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 Read more…. Building Strong Foundations for Midwifery Education: The World Needs Midwives, Now More Than Ever!

Newborn Care in the Context of a Developing Country

In my first and second articles in this series, I mentioned that in Thailand, they have an expression that translates in English to “same same but different.” As is true with pregnancy and labor and delivery, so it is true of caring for the newborn, as well. There are unique aspects to newborn care in a low-resource setting and, while many elements of caring for a newborn baby in the six weeks following birth are universal, the midwife needs to be aware of how best practices can be different according to the setting. The International Confederation of Midwives (ICM) has created global standards, competencies, and guidelines to ensure that midwives in all countries have effective education and skills (ICM 2018). When working in developing countries where newborn mortality is high in the neonatal period, the midwife should possess advanced skills and be humble about the high-risk population in which she may find herself. Business as usual will not be adequate or even ethical in these situations.

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 Read more…. Newborn Care in the Context of a Developing Country

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