Please view the complete program for this meeting on our Web site here: http://www.midwiferytoday.com/conferences/Strasbourg2010/IMBCI2010.asp

Learn new things about blood pressure, pulse, lab tests, assessing reflexes and general health observation skills.

In this age of technology, do we remember how to use our hands? Workshop focuses on developing and improving hands-on techniques to determine fetal position, station and cephalic prominence, assessing fetal heart with a fetascope or pinard horn in prenatals and labor.

Identify and evaluate the clinical, psychological, emotional and spiritual aspects of prenatal care to nurture the well-being of pregnant and birthing women. We will explore unique ways to identify problems and facilitate great outcomes.

Debra will describe the 3 Rs (Relaxation, Rhythm and Ritual); comfort measures for labor; techniques for second stage; supporting women in difficult labors, and strategies to make birth more positive for mothers and babies. Registrants raved about this course, calling it fun and informative!

This class will help develop breech skills such as palpation, assessing fetal weight and amniotic fluid levels and version techniques. Frank, footling and complete breech and complications will be covered. Breech birth is not for the beginning midwife though everyone is welcome in this class (you never know when a breech birth will surprise you).

Join Cornelia in this part of the breech workshop to learn the special circumstances of breech waterbirth. Breech birth in water improves fetal oxygenation by increasing uterine blood supply during immersion. Mobility of the mother in water allows better interaction of the baby through the pelvis. Fine-tune your skills at this important workshop.

In this class we will see why labor pain is important, how it functions on different levels, and how to find an “entering door” for every woman through the three neurological dimensions of pain evaluation and perception. We will learn about the three dimensions and find specific tools for preparation and training before birth and for specific support and non-pharmacological methods of pain relief during labor.

(Bilingual) We will be immersed in traditional Mexican techniques for pregnancy, birth and postpartum including herbs and massage, from this brilliant Mexican midwife. Learn how to use a rebozo, a useful tool in all parts of the childbearing cycle. Discover simple techniques that promote healthy pregnancy and birth. Learn how midwives work with both normal birth and problems that arise. Learn ways to manage breech, move stalled labor and much more. Naolí will share a wealth of ideas that can be applied directly to your practice.

All are welcome.

(Bilingual) Learn how to deal with irregular fetal heart rates, meconium, asynclitism, long and exhausting labor, shoulder dystocia, hemorrhage, floppy babies that need stimulation and much more. This class packs a lot of information for the homebirth midwife, though all midwives will benefit from Naolí’s presentation.

Although the cesarean has become easier, faster and safer than ever, there are serious reasons to try to rediscover the basic needs of laboring women and newborn babies. After thousands of years of cultural interference and half a century of wrong messages transmitted by different schools of “natural childbirth,” we must rely on the physiological perspective.

Midwives sometimes put the woman’s right not to choose to breastfeed, over the child’s human right to obtain the optimal nutrition as a baby. Has the mother actually been given the information needed to make an informed choice, or is her decision to not breastfeed based on myths and misinformation? In this class we will learn the benefits of breastfeeding for both mother and child, and gain tools and information to help women prepare for the breastfeeding period.

Learn to make the exam a valuable experience for both client and practitioner. A “holistic” exam assesses how the woman is doing physically, emotionally, and in her life as a whole. With this as a background, we review the Complete Exam, system by system, with particular focus on obstetrical and gynecological functioning.

Carol discusses how the midwife “tunes in” at the initial interview to read the needs of motherbaby, artistically supporting one of life’s most momentous rites of passage. She is not fearful, yet is ever vigilant; evaluating normal vs. abnormal—nudging positive direction without judgment. Birth is not a technological event, but is a sacred space to be held, embraced and released at the baby-appointed time.

Elizabeth will discuss how to evaluate the need for suturing or when it is better to allow natural healing. We will discuss the use of alternative healing techniques such as tissue adhesives and seaweed.

Learn to identify complications before they become major, handle problems as they occur, and how to care for women during—and after—transport for emergencies.

The connection between motherbaby and loving, calming caregivers plays a part in successful resuscitation. Remembering the humanity of the newborn is a hallmark of the midwife. Carol will share ways to help the baby receive its breath without unnecessary interference of bulbs and/or over-management. She’ll also teach how to resuscitate with gentleness.

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.

Our teachers will explain and discuss the mechanical, physical and emotional causes of shoulder dystocia. They will describe symptoms and signs used to predict it and analyze tools and methods used to overcome panic reactions; demonstrate effective treatments; and use mnemonics and the latest research to look in-depth at more than fourteen maneuvers.

Learn to identify fetal presentations and positions, the factors associated with them, and discover techniques for assessing and dealing with them. You will learn many tips for helping with non-LOA presentations. Bring your techniques to add to this body of midwifery knowledge.

Denying women their choice in birth is a basic human rights violation; one of the many forms of oppression women experience in the world today. Women are sometimes coerced into undergoing unneeded medical procedures against their will and then being left to deal with the resulting pain and trauma. How can we help women gain their rights to respect and independence?

Every mother and baby has the right to be treated with reverence and respect during the birth process including pregnancy and beyond. We welcome you to this conference as we seek solutions to the problem of overmedicalization of normal birth. Safe and humane birth is a basic human right. Harriette adds to the opening with the beauty she captures in photographs. Join her as she carries you deep into the womb of life, giving you a visual reminder of that deep trust in birth with her photo presentation, “First Home—Body Itself.”

Each baby, and each mother, has a right to as joyful and healthy a birth as possible. Each mother needs this for a good beginning of the mothering she will do over her lifetime. We need to speak out for a widespread and radical change in the way we approach birth. We need to review our own practices and protocols and make sure we are putting motherbaby first. Join us as we propose and consider together the many different ways we can be with women: Giving them respect, dignity and informed decision. “First, do no harm.”

(Bilingual) Gail will share her brilliant insights and findings on the emotional states of mother and baby and the interaction that occurs at birth. She will cover how we can facilitate the process without disturbing motherbaby. Gail’s teaching on this subject makes it a fascinating class.

Eneyda will explain why massage is essential for pregnant and birthing women and show practical application. She will discuss the importance of healing touch as a preventative tool and safe remedy for pregnant, laboring and postpartum women. In this hands-on class you will practice massage, something valuable to take to the women you serve.

Many instances of excessive blood loss are either preventable or can be controlled with non-pharmacological methods. Learn techniques to facilitate the normal delivery of the placenta and render the need for pharmaceuticals rare. Learn how to deal with bleeding, placenta retention and other third stage problems.

(Bilingual) In 1975, at a time when births became more and more difficult, Michel published a paper in La Nouvelle Presse Médicale about intracutaneous injections of sterile water in the lumbar region to treat intense back pain associated with failure to progress. Also in the 1970s, for the same reasons, Michel introduced the concept of birthing pools. This is how a review of alternative methods of pain relief will start.

Debra and Elizabeth will present suggestions for preparing for an orgasmic birth, including physical, emotional and mental aspects, as well as cardinal decisions that impact this potential in any setting. They will also share an approach to the postpartum period that allows for continued realization of the empowering experience in breastfeeding and parenting. Share your stories—we welcome your revelations!

Ina May has extensive experience with twin birth. She will discuss strategies for safe twin birth, including positioning, time of delivery, premature delivery and avoiding postpartum hemorrhage, as well as special aspects of prenatal care. The telling of amazing birth stories is one of Ina May’s gifts.

(Bilingual) Learn why sound is important in the birth year, and how sound affects the baby, mother and whole family. Learn how to intentionally use sound as a tool to help labor progress. This is a groundbreaking class, presenting information new to the midwifery knowledge base. Agnes has been conducting this research for many years.

(Bilingual) According to highly plausible extrapolations, within some decades the majority of human beings will be born by the abdominal route. Among the remaining cases of vaginal births, the replacement of natural hormones by pharmacological substitutes will be almost the rule. In other words, human ingenuity will make “love hormones” useless in a highly critical period of reproductive life. This pessimistic future is probable if we do not introduce new criteria to evaluate the practices of midwifery and obstetrics.

Many cesareans occur due to persistent occipital posterior position. Avoid cesareans by understanding how to detect, prevent and fix posterior positions. Intimate roundtables allow participants the chance to talk with each teacher individually. This fast-paced fun class will give you the tools you need for dealing with posterior labors!

(Bilingual) 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 birth topics. Previous sessions have included facilitating effective contractions, dealing with prolonged labor, preventing perineal tears, helping the slow-to-start baby.

(Bilingual) The UN Human Rights Council adopted a resolution recognizing maternal mortality as a pressing human rights concern. Ina May will discuss this issue and show the beautiful quilt she is making to commemorate each maternal death.

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.”

Salutogenesis is the knowledge of how to create and conserve health. With salutogenesis it is possible to improve and facilitate the social adaptation to childbirth. Tools to improve the coping capacities are given by creativity, supplementary knowledge and competencies, support and body awareness. It is the right to optimal health.

The goal of this workshop is to empower health care practitioners to deal with the ever-growing number of diverse beliefs and styles of practice in the health care field and to examine and assess their own practices and beliefs in the interests of continued learning and professional growth.

A midwife who is deeply concerned about the trends toward inappropriate medicalization of midwifery discusses how to preserve it in practice and teaching. Without a keen awareness of the forces that impact and alter midwifery, midwives can unwittingly conspire to make birth a technological event.

You will wonder how you practiced without this fantastic tool. “I saw this work at a birth in Mexico where Verena and I were present. This labor had stopped entirely at about 7 cm. Verena did this massage and the labor restarted. The woman had her baby a couple hours later,” says Jan Tritten.

Waterbirth is not only an option for a woman to give birth undisturbed and with dignity; it has medical advantages for mother and child as well. Breech births, OP births and twin births benefit from waterbirth. Cornelia will address concerns, research and models as well as share her hands-on experience. This class covers many types of births in water and equips the midwife to recognize and manage complications.

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. Many techniques and ideas from Mexico will be included.

Let us be with the women we serve, united in focus, committed to their ultimate experience. We are more than aides or observers. Let us be careful to avoid controlling or intrusive management. Heart-centered midwives walk in the very footsteps of the generations of women who have tread before them. Join us as we ponder what midwifery really means.

Verena will discuss ways of pushing and the transformation of the perineum. She will include maternal positions and effects on the mechanism of labor. She teachers this in a clear and comprehensible manner that helps you truly understand the baby’s path through the pelvis and out into the world with the least resistance.

Every woman’s life is an epic journey. Each woman is the story of her own life. Let’s speak, and listen to one another’s journey and commitment to attending women and birth as midwives, doulas, teachers, writers, artists.

Mothers’ Rights, Babies’ Rights: What have we learned? Where do we go from here? We will put up a board and list solutions and who would be willing to work on which idea. Let’s change the world.

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.

The cabaret is for everyone to show their many talents whether in song, dance or whatever you do that you would like to share.
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 country. Bring a gift if you want to participate.

Learn from amazing video footage about the subtle reflexes the mother and baby exhibit in birth and shortly after when born naturally in water. This class will help you sharpen your powers of observation.

Faith—it’s what we believe. We impart it to our clients and families even if we don’t realize it. Our faith is part of us and affects how we see the world and the birthing woman. Carol shares how midwives can act in ways above words and actions—working intuitively—combining heart and spirit. Let’s lay claim to this powerful tool.

Women and birth providers are reacting to excessively high c-section rates in traditional hospital settings by resurrecting midwifery care. Exchanging midwifery knowledge with midwives from other countries is the key to women’s rights.

We will explore the art of being a relaxation specialist for labor. Comfort measures for labor such as hydrotherapy, massage/touch, focal points, movement, toning and the birthing ball will be discussed. Learn comforting and calming techniques to support your clients through all stages of labor with confidence, resources and hands-on skills.

How do we get a long labor to progress? Long labors may be associated with complications ranging from social or emotional issues to physical problems. We will learn different reasons for prolonged labor, as well as methods for helping women move along in labor. Analysis of myth and reality will also be discussed.

Explore the human rights aspect of homebirth as well as the many benefits for mother and child. Carol and Eneyda will discuss skills required to be a homebirth midwife and how to provide the homebirth client with the highest standard of care. They will explore the homebirth model, why it is best for mothers and babies.

Authoritative knowledge forms the basis for decision and action. The sources and styles of authoritative knowledge about birth vary from culture to culture. Robbie examines systems of authoritative knowledge in various societies, analyzing each system as an expression of the beliefs and values of the culture that generates it.

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

View the winning films of the Midwifery Today Short Video Contest, “Birth Is a Human Rights Issue.” Find out how to enter here: midwiferytoday.com/conferences/Strasbourg2010/MTShortFilmContest.asp

Debra will share with us The International MotherBaby Initiative (IMBCI). It carries many of the solutions we need and gives us a document in many languages that we can use in our effort to change birth practices.

We will wrap up the conference with powerful words and images that we hope you will carry with you as you take up your calling to make birth better for motherbaby, father and our world, including a photo presentation from Harriette Hartigan: “For the Eye of Our Soul.”