Finding a midwife for your care may be the most important step you take during pregnancy. Most pregnant women skip this step in their pregnancy care and look for the first obstetrics office that will schedule an appointment after their positive pregnancy test (and it’s not uncommon to go with the office that will schedule…
Tag: midwifery
The Cost of Being a Midwife
I remember getting one lecture on the costs it takes to MAINTAIN your midwifery certification in midwifery school. The lecture was at the end of the final semester before integration. There were other topics reviewed that grabbed by attention much more so than the cost to maintain my certification. (At this point in midwifery school,…
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. 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, working…
Should I Make A Preconception Appointment?
The short answer is YES, you should make a preconception appointment. But only 14% of people get preconception care and about 50% of pregnancies are unintended/unplanned. But let’s start with what preconception care is! Preconception care is a visit with your healthcare or obstetric provider before you become pregnant to review your entire health history,…
2023 State of Midwifery: Promote Midwifery
Welcome to the last post in the series. This post is all about promoting midwives and I’ve got 10 tips on how to promote midwifery from exactly where you are. If you missed the other 2023 State of Midwifery posts, catch up here: I’ve also been working on some coffee mug stickers/car decals and the…
2023 State of Midwifery: 10 Tips to Support Physiologic Birth
Look at that! That’s me with baby #1 at about 7 centimeters when I had just arrived at the hospital after laboring at home for 12 hours. I got my 20 minute non-stress test and got straight in the shower. Not everyone gets that same supportive care for low risk pregnancy. That’s why, for part…
2023 State of Midwifery: Become a Postpartum Warrior
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…
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….
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…
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…
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…
Gift Ideas for Student Midwives
This past week, we chatted gifts for midwives or birth workers and the post was (unexpectedly) quite popular! I’ve received some really touching cards and gifts over the past ten years from families, mamas and friends. Each has been a treasure to me and I know I’ll still have each of those treasures when I’m…
Abby’s Second Birth Story!
Hello friends! Today we get to share in the sweetest birth story of my dear friend. Abby shared her first birth story a while back. If you missed it, she had a planned cesarean section for breech position. Well, she went on to have an awesome vaginal birth after cesarean – commonly known as a…
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 in the Air Force. Today I’m sharing the 20 Tips for Midwives. The tips are meant to be small bites on ways to improve, bolster or challenge your practice. These are the things that I…
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 2)
Happy week! Is the summer flying by for anyone else? I looked at the calendar and it’s nearly JULY. Seriously ya’ll, where does the time fly? I’m excited about next month though – I’m headed to my first conference in a few years (the postpartum support international conference in New Orleans!) If you’re going 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…
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…
What Happens At My 36 Week Visit?
36 weeks! Now you’re counting down the days. This visit should be focused on labor education, prep for the hospital, review of the birth plan, breastfeeding, pain management plan and labor warning signs. Most people see their OB provider every week from 36 to 41 weeks. That’s almost an hour of talking time to ask…
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…
What Happens At My 32 Week Visit?
The third trimester usually flies by from 28 to 34 weeks. Then the last few weeks seem to drag out. The 32 week time frame is the perfect time to do all your planning for birth and postpartum. In case you missed the other posts so far…here are the links to catch up! Overwhelmed by…
What Happens At My 28 Week Visit?
The 28 week visit is a busy one – you need a checklist to guide the visit! I’ve got just the thing… Overwhelmed by all the information about pregnancy? Looking for a checklist to guide to each pregnancy visit? Don’t expect your birth provider to do all the work. Take control of your care and…
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…
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What Happens At My 24 Week Visit?
The 24 week visit! With the bulk of the laboratory testing, physical exam and an established due date, routine obstetric care moves into a prevention, assessment and education cycle. In case you missed the other posts so far…here are the links! Overwhelmed by all the information about pregnancy? Looking for a checklist to guide to…
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…
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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…
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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…
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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…
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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…
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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…
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Friday Five (#45)
Happy day! I’m recovering from a 24 hour shift today. Did you see the post from Monday about how to recover from a 24 hour shift? I had some great comments about other things you can do: make sure you’re resting during your shift, staying hydrated and eating during your shift and going home with…
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…
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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…
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What Happens At My 20 Week Visit?
What happens at my 20 week visit? With the bulk of the laboratory testing, physical exam and an established due date, routine obstetric care moves into a prevention, assessment and education cycle. Be sure to check out the other posts if you missed them! Overwhelmed by all the information about pregnancy? Looking for a checklist…
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,…
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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…
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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…
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How Your Placenta and Your Breastmilk Can Protect Your Baby Against COVID-19
Hey hey hey! Wednesday! I hope your week is going great. My two year old turned on my heat sometime today and it took me until 9pm to figure out why my house was 75 degrees….seriously. Once they find the step stool, there is no height they will not climb or things they will not…
Women Ask Wednesday Recap!
Happy middle of the week. I am seriously hoping to catch some babies this week as I venture back into the labor and delivery arena after a few months out of work. I can hear those little newborn cries already! When I set out to start the blog, I thought a lot (and still think…
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