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A MIDWIFE NATION

Helping disrupt traditional prenatal care and education for women and midwives.

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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…

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State spotlight: ARKANSAS!

🤰For mamas: Decline those stirrups!

Tip #17 for midwives!!! 💪: Be the calmest person in the room during birth and emergencies. It’s easier said than done. Your hands are trying to figure out when the constant flow of blood is coming from… the baby’s shoulders are stuck and you’re the one trying to figure them out…you get a page in the middle of the night because a mama got bit by a tick and now wonders what her chances of Lyme disease are… all normal days on the battlefield of midwifery. But most important, is how you take a deep breath, steady yourself, and keep your voice calm as you identify what’s wrong, how to fix it, what kind of help you need and then talk to your team and mama. These help me: I’ve found keeping your voice calm keeps everyone calmer (i.e. no shouting). Closed loop communication never fails. And calling for help as soon as you identify you need it (whether you need the peds team ASAP or your back in house for a placental abruption). Although midwifery can make you feel like a lonesome ranger some days, it’s a team sport. Next time your feel the butterflies or anxiety build, take a breath, stay calm, call for help and get to work. 🏃‍♀️💨 #steadydoesit #amidwifenation

Happy weekend! I've had a number of students lately and I keep coming back to the advice in this guide...

ARIZONA! Love this state - especially their canyons, desert and cacti 😍

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?

Tip #16 💪 For midwives: Freshen up that discharge teaching!

ALASKA! My heart belongs to you!

Make your prenatal care great in 2022!

Truth: I missed this advocacy by a day (May is MICA Awareness month) - I point to all my mamahood duties for my tardiness. If you're new to the blog, I encouraged you to go check out the birth stories and read Chelsea's story. I was privileged enough to attend the birth of her first son but the postpartum period was everything that no one expected. Fast forward and she's doing great (she's a rockstar btw...) but that doesn't mean her journey was easy.

Do you get the newsletter yet? All of the previous Friday Five post content is only in the newsletter!

A while back the STATE RESOURCES page went live. The page came out of a need I kept identifying - When patients move across state lines, what do we recommend for them (usually, not a whole lot)?

Anyone struggling with round ligament pain?!

Today is the day! Awareness for obstetric fistula world wide. The United Nations has a goal to end obstetric fistula by 2030. That's a lot of work in 8 years. What are you doing to help that work? Do you know about SAFER PASSAGES?

Happy Thursday! It is hot, hot, hot in VA. Tip #14 for mamas today is to read some books to prepare for birth. The templates have recommended book lists on each handout - these are the ones I recommend over and over...and over. Save some money and buy them used on ebay :) Google is not where you are going to find you answers and usually won't help you prepare for labor, birth or postpartum. You have to put some effort in too! If I had to rank the top 3...I would say:

Who is Jamie/@amidwifenation?? Behind the scenes I’m a mama of three (expecting #4!!!!), married to an amazing guy and trying to catch some babies part time between mamahood and family life. I’m passionate about shared decision-making, practicing to the evidence and empowering women with education, encouragement and the space they need to navigate pregnancy, postpartum and motherhood as they desire. I love to read (my TBR is beyond achieving but I’ve accepted that and am happy to pick up one good book after another; although I’m quicker to discard a read that’s not good much faster these days). I love the outdoors, gardening and am newly obsessed with succulents. I’m passionate about pouring into family and hobbies outside of midwifery because it make you a better midwife. But a big piece of my heart tugs at helping the current midwifery force and student midwives so they don’t burn out at 5-7 years. And long term, I’m here to help disrupt traditional prenatal care and challenge the maternity system in the US with the midwifery model as the standard - not the exception. I’m up for the challenge - will you come along with me?! 🤷🏼‍♀️ Want to help? Check out the free tools on the blog for over the counter meds and prenatal visits - these are FREE for mamas or providers to use. Link in the linktree ⬆️⬆️⬆️⬆️!!!!

Want a tip from the granny midwives for your practice? Try to deliver those baby shoulders during restitution when the shoulders are moving into the widest angle of the pelvis (bonus: you'll prevent some shoulder dystocias too!) Try it in your next birth and see what you think!

AMAZING resource to add to your postpartum discharge education and postpartum visits. A 24/7, 365 hotline, with multiple languages for support, resources and understanding. Add this to your clinic resource list, your discharge teaching, your handouts (you know it's going on the templates ASAP!).

I have seen SO many initial prenatal visits in the past few weeks! And a theme among the visits was no one knew what to expect and the mamas were a little overwhelmed by everything that happened at the visit.

Medical Disclaimer and Copyright

A Midwife Nation was created for information purposes only and is not intended to replace professional medical advice, recommendation, diagnosis or treatment. All site content – to include images, text, audio and other formats are for informational purposes only. The information on this website is subject to change without notice and you should always seek to verify the accuracy and source of the information provided. Information provided on this website is not complete, or exhaustive, and currency of the information is subject to change frequently. You should always seek the advice of your medical provider for any questions about your health or healthcare, and should never disregard or delay medical care because of something you have read on this website.

This blog was created by Jamie Guertin, DNP, CNM, RNC-OB in 2019. Copyright 2019-2022, amidwifenation.com. All rights reserved. Copyright protects the content of this blog (original content, images and artwork) and use of any content without permission is illegal. Tools and handouts are free for use and credit should be given to the original source. For any questions, please email amidwifenation@gmail.com. Thank you!

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