Russia 2011

Midwifery Today Conference

Moscow, Russia • 13–17 June 2011

“Traditional Midwifery—The Profession, the Art, the Life”

Program

Please note: Russian and English are the official conference languages.

Monday, 13 June 2011 • Pre-Conference

8:00 am – 9:00 am|| General Session

Svetlana Akimova and Karina Rychkova

Body-focused practice for communication in labor
Work with feelings and sensations to communicate with moms during labor.
9:00 am – 5:00 pm Choose one: A1–A4 (Full-day class)
A1 Elizabeth Davis, Carol Gautschi, Ina May Gaskin and Gail Hart

Traditional Midwifery Skills, Part 1
Note: This is a two-part class, A1 and B1; you may sign up for one or both days. These classes are designed to improve and enhance your midwifery skills and knowledge. This is a great class for beginning and advanced midwives as well as for doulas who want to be able to inform their clients of various issues or who want to become a midwife.

9:00 am – 10:00 am

Essentials for a Normal Birth — Elizabeth Davis
What do we really need to truly support birthing mothers in having a normal birth? What tools do we have or what can we bring to each birth as midwives, doulas and birth supporters? Be inspired to use all of the skills and tools you truly need.

10:00 am – 11:15 am

Preventing Complications with Prenatal Care — Carol Gautschi
Identify and examine the clinical, psychological, emotional and spiritual aspects of prenatal care. We will learn how to evaluate and nurture the emotional, physical and psychological well-being of pregnant and birthing women. As with all prenatal care, the goal is to have a healthy baby and birth.

11:30 am – 12:30 pm

What Do You Do in a Birth? — Ina May Gaskin and Gail Hart
Traditionally, the midwife “tunes in” at the initial interview, prenatally and during the crescendo of birth. Intuitively, she reads the needs of motherbaby, artistically co-supporting with open hand one of life’s most momentous rites of passage. This is not a technological event; this is a sacred space to be held, embraced and released at the appointed time.

2:00 pm – 5:00 pm

Labor and Birth Complications — Ina May Gaskin, Carol Gautschi and Gail Hart
You have set the stage for good births in prenatal care. Learn to identify your own risk criteria. Learn to look, listen, know and act to prevent problems. Develop ways to inform and educate your clients about complications. Learn how to handle specific complications as they arise. VBAC and breech will be covered. Bring your questions and experiences for an exciting afternoon.
A2 Jan Tritten, Sister MorningStar, Eneyda Spradlin-Ramos, Natalia Kotlar, Irina Martinova and Alexander Naumov

Midwifery Essence, Ideas and Ideals
Learn the art, the essence and the skills in midwifery care in this full-day workshop designed for midwives, beginning through advanced. Our experienced teachers share their wisdom and love of midwifery in a way that will nurture your interest and make you feel welcomed to the world of birth.

9:00 am – 10:00 am

With Women — Sister MorningStar
Birthing women can experience ecstasy and empowerment in childbirth. Join Sister to learn how to be truly with them.

10:00 am – 11:30 am

The Secrets of Russian Traditional Midiwfery — Irina Martinova
Irina will show you the best methods and techniques of Russian ancient midwifery that are really useful today.

1:00 pm – 2:15 pm

Normal Physiology of Pregnancy and Birth — Alexander Naumov
Alexander will give you the full information about normal physiology of all parts of the childbearing year. This knowledge is based on research in the normal physiology of humans and the practice of Russian midwives for more than 30 years.

2:15 pm – 3:30 pm

Gentle Birth — Natalia Kotlar
From first contraction to breath in first and second stage. From massage in labor to position in labor. Learn gentle care in all periods of labor.

3:40 pm – 4:30 pm

Postnatal Restoration of Mother and Gentle Adaptation of Baby — Marina Blank
Marina, a midwife with more than 30 years experience, will show the powerful methods of postnatal care for mother and baby.

4:30 pm – 5:00 pm

Trusting Yourself to Trust Birth — Eneyda Spradlin-Ramos and Jan Tritten
What forces shape our approach to birth? Do we bring confidence and positive expectations or fear and apprehension? Learn how we can develop the trust necessary to allow the patient unfolding of the birth process, while remaining alert and prepared for any problems or complications.
A3 Robbie Davis-Floyd

Birth across Cultures: An Evolutionary Perspective
This seminar will give you a fascinating evolutionary perspective on midwifery and birth and an overview of recent findings from social scientists who study midwifery and birth around the world. Focal points include the role of midwives in human evolution; birth in various types of cultures; traditional and professional midwifery; the effects of modernization, socialism in Communist countries and Western colonialism on birth, obstetrics and midwifery; disagreements over appropriate routes to midwifery education; the problematic relationship between nursing and midwifery; and the shifting identities and role transformations experienced by what Davis-Floyd has called “postmodern midwives.”
A4
Full-day class in two parts (You must sign up for the full day.)

9:00 am – 12:15 pm

Breastfeeding Empowerment and Politics — Tine Greve
When a woman decides to start breastfeeding, it must come from a genuine desire and based on an informed choice. When a woman has made that decision, she may need support and guidance according to her current situation. Birth practices strongly influence breastfeeding and bonding. In this class we will talk about both short- and long-term correlations between birth, breastfeeding and bonding as well as the benefits of breastfeeding.

1:45 pm – 5:00 pm

Waterbirth Practice — Cornelia Enning and Igor Charkovsky
Cornelia and Igor will explore the many benefits and ways of using water in birth and will discuss its unique properties—psychological as well as physical. Waterbirth is not only an option for a woman to give birth undisturbed and in dignity, but it has medical advantages for mother and child. Breech, OP and twin births may all benefit from waterbirth. Breech waterbirth requires no hands, no extra warming for the newborn’s body or any other intervention. The ease of attending births in water is a joy. Cornelia will show aqua-midwifery with photos and a video sequence.

5:00 pm – 6:00 pm Open to all registrants

Facilitated by Eneyda Spradlin-Ramos and Jan Tritten

Christian Midwives Meeting
Everyone is welcome.
7:30 pm – 9:30 pm Open to all registrants

Meeting of MAMA
We will discuss the legalization of homebirth in Russia. This is the official meeting of all members of the interregional public organization MAMA. We’re beginning our work for all mothers, babies and midwives. MAMA was founded to make sure that by being united, the parents and the midwives would be able to create the professional, flexible, sensitive system of alternative birth assistance capable of providing a personal approach to each family and cooperating with the official system at the same time.

Tuesday, 14 June 2011 • Pre-Conference

8:00 am – 9:00 am|| General Session

Svetlana Akimova and Karina Rychkova

Body-focused practice for communication in labor
Work with feelings and sensations to communicate with moms during labor.
9:00 am – 5:00 pm Choose one: B1–B4 (Full-day class)
B1 Svetlana Akimova and Karina Rychkova, Elizabeth Davis, Sister MorningStar and Tine Greve

Traditional Midwifery Skills, Part 2 (Note: See A1)

9:00 am – 10:30 am

Holistic Complete Exam — Svetlana Akimova and Karina Rychkova and Elizabeth Davis
In this class we will review complete physical exam skills, with attention to making the exam a valuable experience for both client and practitioner. How is the mom doing, physically, emotionally, in her life as a whole? Is she healthy, or does she have chronic health problems? Is she happy, sad, busy or stressed? With this as a background, we discuss the complete exam, head to toe, system by system, with particular focus on obstetrical and gynecological functioning as appropriate.

10:30 am – 11:30 am

Cherokee Wisdom — Sister MorningStar
“From GrandMother to GrandDaughter the Cherokee Way of Love taught me to live comfortably in my own skin, to walk gently upon the Earth, and to stand in good relations with all people. For the Cherokee, Her-Story, His-Story is a fact. The Story contains the Wisdom. That saying guides us…the passing on of Wisdom through Ritual and Storytelling.”

11:30 am – 12:30 pm

Sharpening Your Intuition Skill — Elizabeth Davis
What is intuition, and can we learn to rely on it? How much a part of the midwife’s art is based on it? And what role does it play in the birthing process—for midwife and mother alike? This class explores the physiological underpinnings of intuition, links intuitive ebbs and flows to the monthly cycle and certain brainwave states, and includes practical suggestions for cultivating our intuitive abilities.

2:00 pm – 3:10 pm

Helping the Slow-starting Baby — Tine Greve
Western medicine often forgets about the humanity of the newborn. The connection between motherbaby and loving, calming environmental participants plays a part in successful resuscitation. Remembering the humanity of the newborn is a hallmark of the midwife. Let the baby receive its breath without interference of bulbs and/or over-management—simultaneously communicate with the baby the importance of breathing, and resuscitate if necessary.

3:25 pm – 4:25 pm

Suturing Overview — Elizabeth Davis
The purpose of this session is to increase knowledge in the recognition and repair of lacerations. Preventive care will be discussed along with new ideas for types of repairs. Attendees are encouraged to share ideas and tricks.

4:30 pm – 5:00 pm

Trusting Birth — Sister MorningStar
What forces shape our approach to birth? Do we bring confidence and positive expectations or fear and apprehension? Learn how we can develop the trust necessary to allow the patient unfolding of the birth process, while remaining alert and prepared for any problems or complications.
B2 Ina May Gaskin, Carol Gautschi, Irina Martinova and Gail Hart

First and Second Stage Difficulties
Learn how individual care and good communication can positively affect labor. Our teachers will also share the protocols and techniques they use to help the mother move through the first stage of labor. This discussion will include prolonged ruptures of membranes, failure to progress, abnormal labor patterns, and non-medical intervention and more. Second stage is a time of watchfulness and sometimes mounting tension. Listen to these experienced midwives discuss constructive and effective ways to handle both normal and difficult situations. Bring your questions and experiences to what promises to be an exciting day!
B3 Michel Odent

Improving Your Practice with Research, Insights and Realities
Michel will teach you how to look at birth through the eyes of a physiologist, which is a valuable asset to any midwife or doula. In an easy-to-understand manner, he will cite important findings from many areas of research and explain how this information can affect mothers and babies, not only during birth, but also over the course of their lives. There will be time for questions and discussion following the presentation of leading edge research and analysis of current problems. Do yourself and your clients a big favor and take this fascinating class. Michel will bring us insight from his books, The Scientification of Love, The Farmer and the Obstetrician, and The Caesarean.
B4 Cornelia Enning

Placenta Medicine
In medieval times, placenta powder and essences were part of holistic care by midwives in cultures around the world. If stored correctly, the placenta can be used after birth to prepare baby creams, cream gravidarum or labor-inducing preparations. This is a very helpful medicine for postpartum depression. Teach families you care for how to make the most natural remedy from their placenta. Learn how to dry placentas. Come learn about this important modality. The book Placenta: The Gift of Life by Cornelia Enning makes a perfect resource for this important class.

5:15 pm – 6:45 pm|| General Session

Facilitated by Eneyda Spradlin-Ramos and Jan Tritten

Tricks of the Trade
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 facilitating effective contractions, dealing with prolonged labor, preventing perineal tears, helping the slow-to-start baby and holistic first aid. 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.

6:45 pm – 7:00 pm|| General Session

Katerina Perkhova and Jan Tritten

Welcome to the conference.

Wednesday, 15 June 2011 • Conference Day One

Opening general sessions 9:00 am – 12:00 pm
Jan Tritten, Carol Gautschi, Eneyda Spradlin-Ramos, Katerina Perkhova and Russian midwives

Preserving Our Traditions, Improving Our Skills [ 9:00 am – 10:30 am ]
It is important to spread birth traditions that work well and at the same time add to our skills from new evidenced-based information and global techniques and ideas. We have to be ever vigilant in these times of medicalization to carefully discern which skills we need to hold onto and expand. We will address the need for improving our skills while discussing our best traditions.
Elizabeth Davis

Countering the Medicalization of Midwifery and Birth [ 10:30 am – 11:00 am ]
Join us for practical ideas on this important issue.
Ina May Gaskin

Remembering Our Global “Herstory” [ 11:00 am – 11:30 am ]
Ina May is the mother of midwifery in the United States. She has also traveled around the world studying and teaching midwifery. She will help us understand our shared “herstory”.
Carol Gautschi

Reclaiming Independent Autonomous Midwifery [ 11:30 am – 12:00 pm ]
One of the keys to joy in midwifery practice is autonomy. Autonomy is also very important in protecting the mother from the devastating experience of medicalization in birth. It is essential that midwifery be an autonomous profession.

1:30 pm – 3:00 pm Choose one: C1–C4

C1 Ina May Gaskin and Gail Hart

Shoulder Dystocia
Our teachers will explain and discuss the mechanical and physical causes of shoulder dystocia. They will describe symptoms and signs to predict it. They will analyze tools and methods used to overcome panic reactions. They will also demonstrate effective treatments. Gail will look in-depth at more than 14 maneuvers, and will cover mnemonics and the latest research.
C2 Michel Odent

Birth and Beyond: How Pregnancy and Birth Affect All of Life
Birth must be empowering for women because it sets the future for child and family. Michel shares the conclusions he has drawn from his extensive study of the research.
C3 Elizabeth Davis and Natalia Kotlar

Working with Women—The Heart of Midwifery Care
We can prevent complications by attending to women’s needs before labor begins. If you can help her work out her issues and fears, a woman will often sail through labor. Listen to some creative ways to help women enter labor ready for this beautiful passage.
C4 Vera Samarina

Natural Family Planning
Vera will present the concept of natural planning of family (NPF) from a variety of cultures, including terminology that widens our perspective, such as “the matrimony ecology,” “natural regulation of conception,” and “natural harmony of a matrimony.”

3:30 pm – 5:00 pm Choose one: D1–D4

D1 Mikhail Golovach

The True Physiology of the Uterus
Mikhail will tell us about a global mistake made by medical science, and will explain the true physiology of the uterus.
D2 Elizabeth Davis

Hemorrhage and Third Stage Difficulties
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.
D3 Gail Hart and Michel Odent

Prolonged Pregnancy: Waiting, Watching, Worrying
What to do when the due date comes and goes? What are the real risks of prolonged pregnancy? How do we assess for signs of postmaturity syndrome? How do we know when it is time to intervene, and how do we intervene when it’s needed? Let’s look at what the evidence says about risks and how to mitigate them, discuss how to monitor the prolonged pregnancy, and learn how to balance protocols with common sense. Also covered will be how to calculate due dates as accurately as possible, and how to determine fetal well-being.
D4 Carol Gautschi and Jan Tritten

Getting in Touch: Hands and Senses
This class will affirm the knowledge and the power we contain and express through our hands. It will remind you that the essence of midwifery is, after all, its hands-on approach to providing care, support and education. It will give you confidence to use your senses, to keep your heart open and to listen. Gain skills that involve the sense of touch. The practical use of hands will be discussed; you will be reminded that hands are also tools of emotional support and love.
5:30 pm – 7:00 pm|| General Session
Katerina Perkhova, Carol Gautschi and Jan Tritten

Global Midwifery Council Meeting (GMC)
What is the best education for midwifery and what are appropriate standards of practice in Russia and the world? Do we want to open an institute for midwifery and the birth professions? Are the Certified Professional Midwife (CPM) and doula profession relevant in Russia? We will make our plans and goals.

8:00 pm – 10:00 pm|| General Session

We will screen the film, Orgasmic Birth, directed by Debra Pascali-Bonaro.

Thursday, 16 June 2011 • Conference Day Two

8:00 am – 9:00 am|| General Session

Baby-Yoga and yoga practice after birth
The best techniques from Birthlight.

9:00 am – 10:15 am|| General Session

Ina May Gaskin, Natalia Kotlar, Carol Gautschi and Irina Martinova

Wisdom and Tenacity in Midwifery
These are women who have been doing midwifery for over 30 years. Find out what keeps them going. Share in their wisdom from the years of dedication and practice. Learn about commitment through their caring about motherbaby through time.
10:30 am – 12:00 noon Choose one: E1–E4
E1 Gail Hart

Pain, Pain, Pain; Risk, Risk, Risk
Childbirth does not need to be a painful experience. Much of the pain in childbirth is caused by fear and anxiety. Fear increases tension, which increases pain, which increases fear. Midwives and doulas can use methods to reduce fear and tension in order to reduce pain. Most women can be relatively comfortable throughout labor if they have tools for relaxation, support and confidence.
E2 Robbie Davis Floyd

The Technocratic, Humanistic and Holistic Models of Health and Birth Care
At present in both the Russian and global societies, the spectrum of possible ways of thinking about birth is defined by two extremes, the technocratic and holistic models. A third model, internationally known as the humanistic model of care, struggles between simply being very nice to women while performing all kinds of unnecessary interventions (superficial humanism), and deep humanism, which honors and facilitates the normal physiology and psychology of birth, attempting to mediate these two extremes. How does each paradigm define the human body, and how does this definition affect the kind of health care you—as a childbirth practitioner—choose to provide your clients?
E3 Ina May Gaskin, Cornelia Enning and Carol Gautschi

Breech Birth Roundtables
Explore the art and science of breech delivery. Learn what factors may lead to breech presentation and when external version is contraindicated. This panel also covers the mechanism of normal breech birth as compared to a stuck breech and presents techniques for handling both. You’ll spend time with each of the teachers as they circulate among small groups of participants.
E4 Natalia Kotlar, Tatiana Sargunas and Svetlana Akimova

Imaginary and Real Problems in Labor and Methods of Their Prevention
We will cover problems in labor: Are they real or not? Dangerous or not? Physiological or psychological? Let’s talk about our experiences and share our tricks of the trade.

1:30 pm – 3:00 pm Choose one: F1–F4

F1 Tine Greve

Heart and Science of Midwifery
Scientific data proves midwives help to keep birth safer for mother and baby. “Evidence-based practices” can improve birth outcome by helping mother remain the center of her birth. Learn the science which supports midwifery methods such as “skin-to-skin contact,” physiological pushing, optimal positions for labor, delayed cord clamping, family bonding and “the newborn breast crawl.” Midwives use their heads and their hearts!
F2 Robbie Davis-Floyd

The Rituals of Hospital Birth
This presentation analyzes obstetrical procedures—from electronic fetal monitoring to cesarean section—as rituals that convey the core values of the technocratic society to birthing women. The birth process as it is “managed” in the hospital reflects and perpetuates a cultural emphasis on the value of technology and its intervention into normal life processes such as birth. Typical hospital birth has become a rite of initiation into the belief and value system of the technocracy, whereas the alternative rituals of holistic birth enact belief and value systems radically different from the technocratic paradigm dominant in the hospital, one that offers powerful options to us all.
F3 Carol Gautschi and Jan Tritten

Fear in Midwifery and Birth
Fear in pregnancy and birth can have many consequences for both the family and health care provider. This class will help you define, understand and move through the fear that confronts us. Learn several ways of helping women, including midwives, turn fear into trust.
F4 Ina May Gaskin, Gail Hart and Irina Martinova

Posterior Roundtables
The importance of positioning, maternal sense of control and flexibility to approaches will be shared. Many cesareans occur due to posterior presentation. Learn to prevent cesareans by understanding how to make an early diagnosis, and how to prevent and fix posterior presentations. These intimate roundtables give the participant a chance to talk with each teacher individually. This fast-paced fun class will give you options for dealing with posterior presentation.

3:30 pm – 6:30 pm|| General Sessions

Michel Odent

Questions We Don’t Dare Ask About Synthetic Oxytocin [ 3:30 pm – 4:15 pm ]
Can synthetic oxytocin easily cross the placenta? Can it cross the fetal blood brain barrier? Can it interfere with the development of the baby’s oxytocin system? Can it desensitize the maternal oxytocin breast receptors and interfere with the capacity to breastfeed? Can the phthalates released by the plastic bags cross the placenta? Michel will answer these important questions.
Irina Martinova, Natalia Kotlar and Tatiana Sargunas

Russian Traditional Birth Practices [ 4:15 pm – 5:00 pm ]
Hear tales from deep in the “herstory” of Russian national midwifery, Slavic practices and rituals and the ancient Karelian, to modern obstetrics in the beginning of the 20th Century and the “new” ways of the old Soviet Union to the present ways of mother-centered and gentle birth concepts.
Sister MorningStar

Birth Is a Story; Life Is a Story [ 5:00 pm – 5:30 pm ]
Join Sister MorningStar as she ponders the role of story in birth and in life. From the earliest societies, people have told birth stories and shared personal experiences of strength and healing as a way of transmitting wisdom and confidence as well as trust in the birth process and love for each other. Midwives need to find their common ground to achieve unity. The role of story in culture is a powerful one. Explore how our stories of births, our calling and our love of midwifery can help unify us.
Robbie Davis-Floyd

Models That Work [ 5:30 pm – 6:30 pm ]
What is a birth model that works, and how do you know that it is working? Come and listen to Robbie present the criteria she developed for identifying birth models that work. She will describe some effective models from all over the world. She will also describe low-cost, immediate ways to humanize birth in current hospital settings in the developing world—rapid ways to create new “models that work.”
8:00 pm – 9:30 pm Open to all registrants

Film festival
“Midwife movies”—We’ll see some short movies (maximum duration 5 minutes) about birth and parenting.

Friday, 17 June 2011 • Conference Day Three

8:00 am – 10:15 am|| General Sessions

Singing with Michel Odent! [ 8:00 am – 9:00 am ]
Ina May Gaskin and Stephen Gaskin

The Farm Midwifery Experience [ 9:00 am – 10:15 am ]
We are fortunate at this Home Child/Midwifery Today conference to have both Ina May and Stephen together. They will talk about The Farm midwifery practice and how they built it as an important part of their community.
10:30 am – 12:00 pm Choose one: G1–G4
G1 Carol Gautschi and Gail Hart

Freedom to Practice the True Art of Midwifery
Many blocks have formed against midwives being able to practice the true art of midwifery. Come and learn what they are and how to stay true to motherbaby and their real needs, not the whims of the medical field.
G2 Cornelia Enning

Waterbirth
Cornelia will explore the many benefits and ways of using water in birth and will discuss its unique properties—psychological as well as physical. Waterbirth is not only an option for a woman to give birth undisturbed and in dignity; it has medical advantages for mother and child. Breech births, OP-births and twin births benefit from waterbirth. Breech waterbirth needs no hands, no extra warming for the newborn’s body or other interventions. The ease of attending births in water is a joy. Cornelia will show aqua-midwifery with photos and a video sequence.
G3 Alexandra Gurevich and Igor Charkovsky

Russian Methods
In this workshop you will learn the best tricks of Russian method for pregnancy and birth you can use in your daily work from the founder of the methods.
G4 Elizabeth Davis

Sexuality in Pregnancy and Childbirth
Learn how undisturbed birth is inherently sexual in nature and how even our well-intended assistance can interfere. Develop a deeper understanding of oxytocin and its relationship to adrenaline by seeing how these hormones function at other times in the lifecycle, including the postpartum period. Share sexy birth stories and come away with new ideas of how to promote transformation and pleasure in birth.

1:30 pm – 3:30 pm|| General Session

Cultural and Clinical Roundtables
In this well-loved Midwifery Today format, you’ll sit in on three interesting roundtables of your choice. Roundtables will include:

Writing and Publishing to Change Birth — Katerina Perkhova and Jan Tritten

Complications in Labor — Gail Hart

Supporting The Farm Midwives — Stephen Gaskin

Shoulder Dystocia — Ina May Gaskin

Birthing Women, Sacred Ground — Eneyda Spradlin-Ramos

Preventing Prematurity — Carol Gautschi

Educating Midwives — Elizabeth Davis

Tell Your Story! — Sister MorningStar

The First Hour after Birth — Michel Odent

Changing Breastfeeding: The Norway Experience — Tine Greve

How to Change Doctors’ Minds about Midwives and Homebirth — Robbie Davis-Floyd

Handling Complications in Waterbirth — Cornelia Enning

Active Baby-Yoga and Dynamic Gymnastics — Alexander Naumov

The Physiology of the Uterus — Mikhail Golovach

Natural Contraception — Vera Samarina

Method “Theater of Birth” — Natalia Kotlar

Art of Traditional Midwifery — Irina Martinova

Postnatal Care — Marina Blank

Labor and Birth — Svetlana Akimova

Aquaculture for Pregnancy and Birth — Tatiana Sargunas

Gentle Baby-Yoga — Birthlight

3:30 pm – 5:30 pm|| General Sessions

Eneyda Spradlin-Ramos and Jan Tritten

Heart, Hands and Spirit in Midwifery and Birth [ 3:30 pm – 4:30 pm ]
With skillful hands and open heart, true midwifery marries science and art, forges the deepest alliances and operates at a level of intimacy uncommon in our busy society. Join us as we delve into the joys and mysteries of our sacred calling.
Ina May Gaskin, Stephen Gaskin, Katerina Perkhova and Jan Tritten

Changing Birth [ 4:30 pm – 5:30 pm ]
Even as more evidence mounts showing the harm caused by unnecessary obstetrical interventions, such interventions continue to increase and cesarean rates around the world continue to soar. How can midwives help bring needed change to others? Much is happening all around the world that is preventing women from achieving these goals and causing trauma to mothers and babies. Learn what you can do in your community to promote positive birth change. We are all needed to change birth—let’s hone our skills at creating optimal birth care for the women of the world.

5:30 pm – 6:30 pm Closing general session

Ina May Gaskin, Gail Hart, Carol Gautschi, Jan Tritten and Elizabeth Davis

Skilled Midwifery Is a Human Rights Issue
There are many “midwives” around the world who are not recognized as midwives. Some have practiced in their country without the support of their governments. Some are doulas or activists who want to be midwives but do not want to go to schools that teach a medical education. How can we get the 300,000 midwives the World Health Organization deems necessary? How can we harness the dedication, skills and experience that are around our world in the form of indigenous, traditional or doula midwives? Is our answer right in our sight? How can we ready those who are nearly ready? We will discuss the Global Midwifery Council and other organizations with the goal of helping this need. This is a human rights issue!

8:00 pm – 10:00 pm Midwives’ Cabaret and Potlatch

Midwives’ Cabaret — Robbie Davis-Floyd and Michel Odent, MCs
The Cabaret is for everyone to show their many talents, whether in song, dance, story, skits, poems, or whatever you do that you would like to share. We will create our own entertainment! Please find Robbie, the program organizer, and tell her to put you on the program!

Potlatch—A “potlatch” is a traditional giveaway practiced by Northwest Native Americans. Our potlatch plan is to have each conference participant bring a gift to give to another participant. We suggest something for midwifery practice or something from your heart or region.

10:00 pm Movie Festival Finale

Categories:
Skip to content