Eugene Conference 2021 Program

Midwifery Today Conference

Eugene, Oregon, USA • September 19–22, 2021

Gentle Birth; Gentle Midwifery

Midwifery Today Conference

Eugene, Oregon, USA
September 19–22, 2021

Gentle Birth; Gentle Midwifery

Sunday • September 19, 2021 • Pre-Conference

2:00 pm – 3:00 pm Registration and introductions


3:00 pm – 4:30 pm General session
Gentle Brain Wiring in the WombFernando Molina
Neuroscience has shown that the structural organization of the unborn baby’s brain depends on effective firing and wiring of neurons. Parallel to this, in the womb babies receive their first lessons of basic human emotions. Therefore, it is important for parents to create an atmosphere of love, happiness, and relaxation during pregnancy, because the constant production of stress hormones can affect the brain architecture of their babies. Practitioners can guide parents to bring baby the best possible start while still in the uterus.


4:30 pm – 6:00 pm General session
Low-Tech, No-Tech BirthGail Hart
Discover low-tech ways to make birth safer in those regions where the technology simply is not available, or to prepare to be able to provide care during a national disaster. Do you know how to work without medications or IVs? What would you do if you did not have your equipment and supplies at a birth? Would you be lost without your “stuff”? Let’s look at what is truly essential for birth, which routines can be abandoned or modified, and how we can improvise when necessary.


6:00 pm – 7:30 pm Dinner Break


7:30 pm – 8:30 pm General session

Massage for Restarting Stalled LaborEneyda Spradlin-Ramos
This is a fantastic tool to treat labor dystocias, to get labor restarted, and more. This treatment activates the parasympathetic nervous system and facilitates expansion. You can release tension in the pelvis and pelvic floor and open up the birth channel. You can improve oxytocin, sexual energy, and the well-being of the baby, supporting him in his effort of coming into the world. You may avoid many cesarean sections. Every midwife should have this tool!

Monday • September 20, 2021 • Conference Day 1

9:00 am – 10:00 am Opening general session
Visions and Dreams for Gentle Birth and Gentle MidwiferyEneyda Spradlin-Ramos and Jan Tritten
In this inspiring opening we will discuss how we each play an important part in changing the birth future for mothers and babies with a discussion of what other birth workers are doing around the world. We encourage you to discover your dream and carry it out.


10:00 am – 12:00 pm General session
Rebozo Techniques and PracticeEneyda Spradlin-Ramos and Anita Rojas
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 promote healthy 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.


12:00 pm – 1:30 pm Lunch break


1:30 pm – 3:30 pm Concurrent sessions A1 through A3: Choose one


A1 Balancing our Sacred Place, Nurturing the Abdomen and Pelvis — Shelley Hunt
Together let us share our stories in a supportive environment. Let’s learn self-care techniques, as well as energy work-based hands-on healing technique to support the women we serve. This labor of love is a spiritual as well as physical practice that will be incorporated into the practice of midwives, doulas, and wellness and massage practitioners. The Mayan methods, which this class is based on, teach that the uterus is the heart of a woman, as all of our blood passes through our pelvis. This work will benefit women at every stage of their life.


A2 Shoulder Dystocia Prevention and ManagementGail Hart
Do you know that the clues of the impending development of shoulder dystocia can help us actually prevent its occurrence? Gail will discuss the mechanical and physical causes of shoulder dystocia; the associated risk factors; the symptoms and signs to predict it; how to prevent it; and how to remedy it. She will analyze tools and methods used to overcome panic reactions and demonstrate effective treatments.


A3 Pelvic Anatomy: New InsightsAnne Frye
We will explore the latest research on pelvic floor anatomy, emphasizing soft tissue structures that have been misrepresented for decades in the medical literature. We’ll explore why this occurred and learn fascinating details that will help you visualize what you cannot see, like never before.


3:30 pm – 4:00 pm Break and Networking


4:00 pm – 5:30 pm General session
Tricks of the TradeEneyda Spradlin-Ramos and Jan Tritten and you!
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 topics have included preventing hemorrhage, herbs for labor and birth, correcting malpresentations, nutrition hints, and essential oils. We also plan to share tips for breech in this session. 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.

Tuesday • September 21, 2021 • Conference Day 2

9:00 am – 10:30 am General session
Alternative RemediesEneyda Spradlin-Ramos
You will learn about the use of herbs, essential oils, touch, and other natural remedies in pregnancy, birth, and postpartum. Learn practical uses of these remedies for your clients’ ailments and complications. Learn how to keep your clients well. Please come ready to share your techniques. This class is for everyone!


10:30 am -11:00 am Break and networking


11:00 am – 12:30 pm General session
Gentle Birth Is a Human Rights IssueEneyda Spradlin-Ramos and Jan Tritten
Women’s and babies’ human rights are being violated worldwide in today’s birth environment. All maternity care providers need to take a long, hard look at our practices and protocols, and make sure we are putting motherbaby first. Many midwives stand for a widespread and radical change in the way modern society approaches birth, grounded in the notion of “first, do no harm.” How can providers propose good birth practices that respect human rights in all the different settings, in which we practice and prioritize the needs of motherbaby over our fears of legal vulnerability and system dysfunction? Jan and Eneyda will build on years of international experience as an advocates for human rights in childbirth to present a model of midwifery and maternity care that upholds every woman’s human rights, including respect, dignity, and the support to make informed decisions.


12:30 pm – 2:00 pm Lunch break


2:00 pm – 4:00 pm Concurrent sessions B1 through B3: Choose one

B1 Newborn Babies Need Love, Microbes, and StressFernando Molina
According to emergent scientific disciplines, we know the following: Newborn babies need maternal love, and this need has been ignored for thousands of years (routine separation of mother and babies, delayed initiation of breastfeeding, etc.). Until recently all microbes were considered enemies; however, newborn babies are supposed to be colonized by friendly microbes that immediately educate their immune system. Until recently, the word “stress” had an exclusively negative connotation, yet the stress induced by uterine contractions has a positive role to play in the development of human beings.


B2 Neonatal Resuscitation with the Placental Circulation IntactGail Hart
There has been a revolution in our understanding of neonatal resuscitation in relationship to oxygen, ventilation, and the role of the placenta in the switch to neonatal circulation. Recent studies prove the superiority and importance of maintaining umbilical circulation, and of the technique of placental transfusion to help a baby recover from asphyxia. This new revolutionary research needs to be widely published and promoted to all birth attendants. Come see the data!


B3 Do Your Legal Documents Protect You?Hermine Hayes-Klein
What are the legal documents that every midwife should have in her toolkit? How can you draft informed consents and client contracts to ensure that you feel legally secure while you work to support mothers and babies? This experienced lawyer for midwives can help you safely walk the legal tightrope that midwifery can sometimes be.


4:15 pm – 5:30 pm General session
Technology as a Threat to the Normal Birth ProcessGail Hart
We will explore the 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 in childbirth.

Wednesday • September 22, 2021 • Conference Day 3

9:00 am – 10:00 am General session
Creating a Better Future for BirthMarion Toepke McLean
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 – 12:00 am General session
Quantum Healing and MidwiferyDr. Rulin Xui and Anita Rojas
Quantum physicist Dr. Rulin Xiu reveals the leading-edge breakthrough Tao Science quantum information life transformation technique to empower midwives. You will learn to offer greater physical, mental, emotional, and spiritual support in pregnancy, birth, and postpartum recovery. You will also learn to manage common or urgent medical complications as well as techniques for supporting women through fear and or past trauma for a gentler birth experience for mother/baby. You will also be empowered to enjoy more love, joy, and abundance in life.


12:00 pm – 1:30 pm Lunch break


1:30 pm – 3:30 pm Concurrent sessions C1 through C3: Choose one

C1 Heart & Art of Birthing Workshop for DoulasLois Wilson
Are you a doula who was trained in an online, medical, or hospital setting? Are you thinking about becoming a doula and wondering if it’s a good fit for you? Do you feel like you might be “missing something” that has to do with the heart and art of natural birth, homebirth, and the ancient, traditional path? Then this workshop is for you! At the HEART of every birth is TRUST: in the mother, the baby, and the unchanging nature of birth itself. Join us as we explore how to create a space for women that is so safe and trusting that the laboring mama can relax, open up, and give birth without fear. What is normal birth? Why trusting birth matters. How to create emotional safety and ease. Working with birth energy. And much, much more


C2 Hemorrhage and Estimating Blood LossGail Hart
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 about what problems may arise in third stage and how to be prepared to attend them. Bleeding, problems with placenta retention, and other issues will be discussed. You will learn about how to assess and deal with bleeding in a way that will increase your confidence—by estimating with real blood in and on different materials such as on pads and in water. We will also talk about using the placenta, cord, and membranes for hemorrhage control.


C3 All You Need to Know about Blood PressureAnne Frye
Midwives take blood pressure readings routinely, in a variety of settings and for different indications. We rely on these readings for assessment and even diagnosis. A normal pregnancy can become high risk based on blood pressure readings alone. Yet, blood pressure assessment is, by far, the most poorly performed vital sign in medicine. This class offers an in-depth review of the challenges inherent in proper blood pressure technique. We will explore the why and the how, with an emphasis on special considerations when evaluating this volatile vital sign during pregnancy. Please bring all your blood pressure equipment (including different-sized cuffs you may have), a stethoscope with a bell and diaphragm (if you have one), and a flexible centimeter tape measure (like one you would use for fundal height) with you to class. Be sure to label your stuff!


3:45 pm – 4:45 pm Closing general session
Gentle Birth; Gentle MidwiferyEneyda Spradlin-Ramos, Marion Toepke McLean, Lois Wilson , and Jan Tritten
Join us for an inspirational closing where we will recap what we have learned. Every woman has the right to a gentle birth with kind, loving midwifery care. All birth practitioners need to work toward this goal of helping families achieve an optimal, gentle birth.

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