What do you think of when you think postpartum warrior? For the third post in the State of Midwifery series, we’re diving into it. After having my fourth baby this past November, I have spent hours thinking about how to support people better in their postpartum period – both as a mother, as a midwife…
Tag: a midwife nation
2023 State of Midwifery: The Key to Making More Midwives
Welcome to the second post in the 2023 State of Midwifery series. In case you missed the first post, catch it here: 2023 State of Midwifery: The 10,000 Foot View of the Profession. Precepting is the only path forward. If you were looking for the BLUF, or the bottom line up front, there it is….
2023 State of Midwifery: The 10,000 Foot View of the Profession
Welcome to the state of midwifery 2023! Get excited. I’ve got 5 posts for the series that are outstanding. https://nashp.org/midwife-medicaid-reimbursement-policies-by-state/ If you’re new to the blog, I started a state of midwifery series back in 2020, then repeated the series in 2021. (I missed 2022 because of a lot of things: mom of 3 littles,…
10 Tips to Guide: When Should I Take A Break From Precepting Students
Last month, we chatted about 10 tips that you can use to guide when you should take a student. This month, we’re taking a 180 and talking about when you should take a break. I always say I love precepting and taking students. But it’s really hard. And midwifery is already hard work. But, the…
10 Tips: How to Tell If It’s Time To Be A Preceptor
Are you thinking it’s time to dive into precepting a student? Let’s talk about it! I could talk about precepting, students and midwifery all day long. I’m not an expert by any means and learn new things every day. Let’s get that disclaimer out of the way. But I do think there’s not a lot…
Can I Eat Fish During Pregnancy?
The short answer: YES! Eating fish has many benefits for you and the baby. Fish has omega-3 and omega-6 fats, iron, iodine and choline. Omega fats and choline help support the development of your baby’s brain and spinal cord. Iron supports increased red blood cell production for women. Other adult benefits include reduced risk of…
How to Practice Ice Holds to Prep For Labor and Birth Pain
One of the most common questions I get in clinic is “What does a contraction feel like?” Ask ten women what a contraction feels like and you’ll get ten different answers: “charlie horse”, “cramping”, “hot poker in the stomach”, “dying”… This is closely followed by “What childbirth classes do you recommend?” (These ones are FREE…
Desiree’s Birth Stories!
Happy day to you! I have a treat in store for you guys. During my first tour through Virginia, I met Desiree as a patient. I was there for her dating ultrasound but wasn’t there for her birth. And I still remember caring for her all these years later (midwives have memories like this). I…
Hello New Year: Reflections and New Goals
Happy New Year! I stopped doing New Year’s Resolutions a long time ago. They don’t ever work for me and never seem to stick. But I do believe in reflection of the prior year and setting realistic goals. One of my favorite conversations that has happened a few years in a row with my sister…
A Home Birth: My Fourth Birth Story
Are you ready for a birth story? It took me a while to come to a place mentally to write my birth story of my fourth babe. There are a few reasons why it took a little longer to put everything down in black and white. One, I’m still processing the birth, but I think…
4 Tips for Student Midwives
In the past 6 months, I precepted two students, one in the clinic and one on labor and delivery. I also got to be a participant of student care with my recent home birth. Both experiences gave me some time to reflect on being a preceptor and being a patient that receives care from a…
What happens at my visits during pregnancy?
This seems like a straightforward question – what happens at my pregnancy visits – but I spend a lot of time talking about the current and upcoming visit’s components. Common questions include: When can I find out the gender of my baby? When is my next ultrasound? When do I have to take that glucose…
Gift Ideas for Midwives or Birth Workers
This post has been in the docket for a while. I have randomly added to the list for over a year but think it’s about time to share. Holidays are on the way and you may want to shower your favorite midwife, birth worker, doula, OB/GYN or labor and delivery nurse with one of these…
20 Tips for Midwives or Midwife Students (or any birth worker!)
Does anyone feel this way sometimes?! I used to think about this meme a lot while I was active duty! But Happy Thursday to you! We are suffering from a Disney World hangover and at house but loving all the memories we made. And the littlest one and I have been sick for a few…
Recap from the 2022 Postpartum Support International Conference
In July, I went to the Postpartum Support International Conference in New Orleans, LA. My friend Tina from my DNP program tagged along and we had a lot of fun exploring New Orleans between the various lectures we attended. In retrospect, the conference isn’t geared towards providers and there really weren’t a lot of obstetric…
Help Alabama Open a Birth Center!
It’s advocacy day at AMN for the state of Alabama. Alabama is historically a hard state for midwifery. Stringent regulations have prevented licensure, practice and birth for many decades. But, there is light on the horizon. Dr. Stephanie Mitchell is a doctoral prepared certified nurse midwife that moved to Gainesville, AL to open up the…
The BEST Contraception and Family Planning Shared Decision-Making Tool
Disclaimer: Best is my opinion. But I have spent hundreds of hours reading about contraception and contraceptive counseling. And many of those hours have been spent pouring over existing contraceptive tools. I came to a point in my DNP program where my faculty advisor told me “Well, you’re just going to have to make a…
7 Newsletters You Should Subscribe To…
Hello and happy week! I am recovering from conference fatigue but loved all the new information and resources I picked up at the Postpartum Support International conference in New Orleans last week. I always make a list of things to look up and new resources people recommend at each conference – the list from last…
Why I’m Planning a Home Birth
Yep, you read that correctly. I’m planning a home birth! In retrospect, the first birth should have been a home birth. The husband wasn’t on board with that idea and I knew I would labor at home most of the labor. The second birth could have been a home birth too…and I try not to…
Update Your Discharge Teaching (Part 1)
Total truth: I am missing some Alaska this week. So please bear with me while we look at some pretty glaciers 🙂 I came off a 24 hour shift today and am plain old tired. There were lots of babies and some crazy triage calls…i.e. can you take oxycodone for a migraine in the 3rd…
New Tools and Tool Updates!
Hello hello! Today was a milestone. I submitted what I think is the LAST edited version of a manuscript that will hopefully be published in the fall (fingers crossed!). And my littles napped long enough for me to put the final touches on the 38 and 39-40 week templates. And then I was able to…
Behind the scenes lately…
Hey friends! Wow. If you’ve been wondering where I’ve been in the past 6 weeks, I’ll tell ya. It has all to do with this little one! We’re expecting baby #4 in the fall and goodness, gracious me – I have never been so nauseous my entire life. Does nausea get worse the more times…
The State of Midwifery Sneak Peeks…
Happy day to you! If you’re a long time reader of the blog, usually spring time means a series on the state of midwifery. This year I opted to skip the series because we’re still in the throes of a pandemic. There have been some great changes in how prenatal care was delivered – enter…
A Fistula Update
It’s been one year from today that I had surgery for my fistula. Most people probably don’t remember the days of their surgeries. This one was memorable. Mostly because I thought it was going to fix something that was wrong. But it didn’t. I journaled the details of my fistula recovery through eight weeks. (You…
The Disruptive Innovator’s Toolbox
Happy Monday! First and foremost, if you haven’t signed up for the newsletter, today is the last day before the March newsletter goes out. If you’ve been a long time reader, everything that was in the Friday Five is moving to newsletter format. Plus a lot more. Sign up at the bottom of the blog…
How to Heal Those Dry, Cracked Hands!
Hello! I’ve got a quick Midwife Monday tip for the hundreds of beautiful hands out there catching babies and caring for mamas. Whether you’re in the hospital, the clinic or in the birth/home settings, we’ve all been washing our hands and using hand sanitizer like it’s going out of style this pandemic. (Side note: Does…
Friday Five (#48)
It’s been a minute since a Five went live around here. Virginia is getting snow today instead of this sunny weather. The husband and I have a bet as if we’ll actually need the snow machine or not based on the snow forecast. Stay tuned to see who wins the bet. I also want to…
Two Tips for Practicing Midwives!
Hello hello! It’s been a crazy month around this house! We swung round the New Year, got smacked in the face with a GI bug, and I went to single parent-ops for a few weeks. Behind the scenes, I was also working on resubmitting a publication for Journal of Midwifery and Women’s Health. The last…
Book Recommendation: Babies are Not Pizzas: They’re Born, Not Delivered! by Rebecca Dekker
Hello Monday! We’re starting off the week with a book recommendation that I’ve been so excited to share. Babies Are Not Pizzas: They’re Born, Not Delivered! by Rebecca Dekker was recommended to me sometime this year and I finally got around to reading it in the fall. It was a quick read – it only…
My 5 Favorite Books from 2021
Hello Friday! And thank goodness – we made it to Christmas. I was looking over my book log this year and was thinking about which ones I loved the most. I do like to re-read books, although I haven’t had a chance in a few years to do so. I thought about which books I…
Trish’s Birth Story!
Happy Monday! You guys are in for a treat today. One of my dear friends, colleagues and all around outstanding mamas is sharing her story. Trish is one of those people that fills up the room with laughter and warmth and easily makes you feel at home. When you meet Trish, you would have no…
Friday Five (#47)
My baby turns five this weekend! She did not smile at us for the first 4 months of her life. We literally didn’t think she could smile! But she has made up ground since and we are blessed to celebrate another year with her…. Are your ready for a packed Five?! Fasten your seatbelts…this one…
Student Resources (Bonus: An Exam Prep Template for Boards!)
Hello hello! I had a crazy week of work and a little car crash that took over my life – all is good, everyone is safe/healthy, and we’re back on track to share some goodies this next week. I’ve had a lot on my mind lately. But one thing that keeps surfacing to the top…
Midwife Monday: 4 Tips on How to Prep for Clinic
Happy day to you! The leaves are blowing around like snow here in Virginia and it is gorgeous. I was prepping for clinic this week and was thinking about how I learned how to prep for clinic. I learned the hard way by good old fashioned experience. No one really taught me in school or…
Happy Birthday to A Midwife Nation!
Each year I take a look at the the reasons why I have a blog. I like to go back to why did I start a blog. Is it helping the midwifery profession and women? What has changed in the past year and what needs to change on the blog? What isn’t needed anymore and…
Friday Five (#47): Five Things I’ve Been Thinking Since Turning 35
Happy Thanksgiving! And good luck to all shopping Black Friday! I completed all of our Christmas and birthday shopping at the beginning of the month. It’s something I’ve learned over the past few years – early shopping equals more peace during the month of December for me. And along those lines, this Five is about…
Women Ask Wednesday: The ONE Thing Women Forget to Pack in Their Hospital Bags…
Howdy howdy! Just a quick post to talk about the one thing I tell people to pack in their hospital bag over and over and over: the heating pad. That little gem that plugs into an outlet is worth its weight in gold when you’re sitting in a postpartum room with a sweet little babe…
Best Postpartum Apps for Mamas
Who doesn’t love a baby in an old man fishing hat? Happy Monday to you! How are you enjoying fall? The leaves in Virginia are spectacular. And so is the weather. I spend as much time outside as possible with the littles. The fresh air is good for EVERYONE. Today’s post is one that takes…
Midwife Monday: A COVID-19 Vaccine in Pregnancy Reference Guide for Clinicians from the CMQCC
Hello, hello! And happy weekday to you! I caught some babies over the weekend and it was lovely. I even snuck in a mama that birthed on hands and knees and I did a hands off delivery! Very mid-wifey 🙂 I was checking email this weekend and got my monthly update from CMQCC (California Maternal…
Friday Five (#46)
Hello! This Five full of goodies. And it finally feels like fall. I had to turn on the heat in the house because we woke up to a house at 62 degrees. The littles were shivering and I acquiesced. I hope you’re enjoying the fall wherever you may be. I like to sit outside in…
Safe Over the Counter Medications in Pregnancy – New Handout!
Howdy! We spent Halloween as the Incredible family. When you have girl-boy-baby boy, it just makes sense. It was super fun to dress up with the kids – I think they got a kick out of mama and dad dressed up more than anything else. Well, that and the candy. Today’s handout comes via a…
Midwife Monday: How To Recover From A 24-hour Shift
Hello! Just popping on today to offer a couple tips on how to recover from a 24 hour shift. I’ve worked 24 hour shifts since 2012. I did them in graduate school unintentionally…I would go to school all day and then work a night shift as a nurse. And since gradation, the 24 hour shift…
Friday Five (#44)
Well hello! I promise I’m still here. I had two trips to see family in New York and Tennessee that were back to back…and I took the three kids on the road by myself…for both trips. Hence the lack of posts this month! But we’re back in the swing. It’s a great Five. This one…
Midwife Monday: Happy Midwifery Week and A Tip for Postpartum Rounding
Hello! It’s National Midwifery Week – wahoo for midwives! We do midwifery every week around here though. I’ll highlight a couple of midwifery week things throughout the week, but there are a few other things in the line up that I’m excited about. One of them I’ve been waiting to share for a few months…
Midwife Monday: How To Organize Your License and Certification Information
I really thought about putting this up on the blog for some kind of fee-for-download. But, in total truth, the behind the scenes to make that happen is far more than I am able to teach myself right now. Coding is another language. It’s learnable, but it’s not more important to me than sleep. Instead,…
Midwife Musings on Trends in Obstetric Practice During the COVID -19 Pandemic
Hello hello! It was a quiet week on the blog last week. I did two weeks in a row of clinic to spin up for the new job and I didn’t have any brain power leftover. But, I did run into a lot of frustrations related to the pandemic that I thought it would be…
Kim’s Adoption Story
Happy Monday friends! Today is a special post. I have a dear friend that is sharing her adoption story. This is a friend that looked at me 13 years ago and said at an employee orientation “We’re going to be best friends.” We had never met before that day at orientation. And she was exactly…
Friday Five (#43)
Ya’ll, this might be my favorite Five so far this year. First, I discovered Droplet. Their animations and pictures (see above) are some of my favorite that I have ever seen! And Droplet states off our Five today! 1. Droplet The mission of this group is great: too many women discontinue breastfeeding prematurely for reasons…
Friday Five (#42)
Hello weekend, I am so glad you’re here! I spent the week in orientation for the new job. Does anyone else always feel a little mentally exhausted learning a new system’s way of doing things? I’m looking forward to some couch time this weekend. Onto the Five. It was a busy week in the news….
Friday Five (#41)
Hey hey hey! Hope your week was great! Our week was full of more potty training, unpacking and organizing (in between all the mothering!). And so much baby drooling. Bless this little man. So much drool, not a tooth in sight, and smiles all the day long. This Five was really fun to put together….