wow!! what a weekend!! i attended the "women helping women" midwifery conference at spruce knob, and my heart is full and my brain even MORE full!! i was the least experienced woman there as far as catching babies, and it was intimidating to be in a room with 50 women who, among them, have delivered literally THOUSANDS of babies!! but, everyone was so welcoming and helpful!
my class the first day was 8 hours of "beginning midwifery skills". i learned how to wash my hands, do diagnostic urine testing, use a fetoscope, check blood pressure, temperature, respirations, pulse, all about female reproductive anatomy, how to measure fundal height, how to feel baby in-utero, charting, informed decision making, and so many other things that i can't remember them to list right now! there is a lot for me to practice, so i need many women that i know to get pregnant so they can be my guinea pigs!! :) (hint hint: virginia, emily, brandy, tina)
after supper we learned about the different pathways to midwifery, and then we had charades and wine. fun times.
day 2 was more classes--some for the whole group and others that we could pick a topic such as post partum hemmorage, post partum care, shoulder dystocia, placenas, etc.
highlights:
+meeting two women whose business is called "at your cervix" LOVE it!
+a ob/gyn from mo-town teaching on post partum hemmorage. what a great class!
+ stuffing plastic women with cateloupe uterus' with plastic and gauze
+many one on one talks with experienced midwives. so much knowledge and experience from which to glean!
+playing with real placentas and learning how to capsulize them
+a divine connection with a doula/student midwife from marietta who is planning to attend my birth
+the game of charades that eventually ended up with wine-filled midwives acting out every word as "orgasm". wow.
+the drive up and down a 10 mile one lane gravel road. definitely almost heaven west virginia.
+carrying my own cup and napkin throughout the weekend in order to conserve wash water.
+feeling a baby within ruth ann's womb as i learned the leopold's maneuvers.
+spending an entire weekend with no tv, internet, radio, phone, etc. how peaceful.
+coming home. i missed my family soooooo much.
who wants to come with me next year????????
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"at your cervix" that's perfect! i can't wait to see what develops out of all of this for you, jess.
ReplyDeletei want to come i want to come! i don't know if i have it in me to be a midwife. doula, yes, but maybe not midwife. not at this point in my life anyway.
ReplyDeletecan i still come though? :)
of course you can come!!! you'd LOVE it. anyone with a heart for women to have positive and peaceful birth experiences would fit right in and learn a ton!
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