The Virtual Midwife

Te invitamos a conocer a nuestros invitados especiales para la Conferencia VIDM 2021, quienes estarán brindando un taller para estudiantes de obstetricia. En esta entrevista, ellos nos cuentan cómo ha sido su experiencia estudiando en tiempos de pandemia, qué significa "Equidad de Nacimiento para Todos" en su entorno, y porqué es importante formar parte de esta conferencia internacional. 

We invite you to meet our special guests for the 2021 VIDM Conference, who will be providing a workshop for midwifery students. In this interview, they tell us about their experience studying in times of pandemic, what does" Birth Equity for All" mean in their environment, and why it is important to be part of this international conference.

Soo Downe, BA(Hons), RM, MSc, PhD, OBE, University of Central Lancashire, UK

Soo spent 15 years working as a clinical and research midwife. In .2001 she joined UCLan  where she is now the Professor of Midwifery Studies. Her main research focus is the nature of, and cultures around, normal birth. She has been a member of the Technical Working Group of the World Health Organization antenatal, intrapartum, postpartum, and optimising caesarean section guidelines. 

She has published over 120 peer reviewed papers, and has undertaken research using a wide range of qualitative and quantitative methods. She is a member of the NHS England Better Births national Stakeholder group. She was the founder of the International Normal Labour and Birth Research Conference Series.

Hannah Dahlen is the Professor of Midwifery, Discipline Leader of Midwifery and Associate Dean (Research and Higher Degree Research) in the School of Nursing and Midwifery, Western Sydney University. She has been a midwife for 30 years. 

Hannah has over 200 published journal articles and book chapters and has strong national and international research partnerships. She has received 20 grants since 2000, including being a CI on three NHMRC grants and an ARC Linkage grant. She has spoken at over 100 national and international conferences in the past 5 years and given invited keynote addresses at most of these.

In 2019 Hannah was awarded a Member (AM) of the Order of Australia (General Division) in the Queen’s Birthday Honours list for her significant services to midwifery, nursing and medical education and research. In November 2012 Hannah was named in the Sydney Morning Herald’s list of 100 “people who change our city for the better” and named as one of the leading “science and knowledge thinkers” for 2012.

Catherine M. Salam, CNM, MS, FACNM lives in Annapolis, Maryland, USA. She retired from teaching and practicing midwifery. She was an Adjunct Assistant Professor as well as clinical faculty for Shenandoah University School of Nursing, a distance midwifery program. Prior to this appointment she was didactic and clinical faculty, and Interim Nurse-Midwifery Program Director at the University of Maryland School of Nursing. 

Throughout her career she has worked primarily with medically underserved populations and started midwifery services in several
community health centers. In one such center she also held privileges at a free-standing birth center, allowing women options in choice of birth settings.

Ms. Salam has developed and implemented health care training curricula for rural settings in the US and internationally. She has consulted in international health for JHPIEGO and ACNM and participated in medical missions to rural Nicaragua. Other areas of interest include cultural humility, health equity, and student and program evaluation. She has been a speaker and a facilitator for the VIDM Conference in previous years.

Johanna is a mother of 2, a doula, hypnobirthing teacher and a pre and postnatal yoga instructor who gave birth in hospital 2 weeks into lockdown. Thanks to her birth work experience she was well prepared, but even so she faced a challenge towards the end of her pregnancy that almost changed her plans completely and could potentially have resulted in a very different outcome.

I learned that it is possible to hire a a "kine" who is like a prenatal physiotherapist who is able to accompany you to your birth (in addition to a doula and a midwife) and assist with positioning. As far as I know this is unique to Europe but I would love to hear from you if you have something similar.

You will learn so much from listening to Johanna's experience and especially how she embraced the challenges - even when her and her husband were left to labor alone a lot of the time.

You can connect with Johanna here 
or find her on Facebook www.facebook.com/johannatillycoaching

An open hearted chat with Lori Mihalich-Levin about navigating the changes that come with having a baby when you are a successful and driven business person.

She shares with is how and why she started Mindful Return and wrote her book Back to Work After Baby

"The first year of each of my children’s lives were the hardest years of my life.  I fell madly in love with two little redheads, who turned my world upside down and left me in a spiral of both chaos and beauty.  I was fiercely committed to my career, yet had no idea how to survive being a new working parent.  How to be an engaged mother at home and a leader a work. I created Mindful Return after too many tears on the kitchen floor.  Too much overwhelm.  Too much guilt.  Too much anxiety."

I am sure that many of you can relate to this! 

The Virtual Midwife offers virtual support for couples who have limited or no access to quality antenatal care or who seek additional support and guidance. 
https://www.thevirtualmidwife.com/

Tristan put significant effort into being an awesome "daddy doula" and says that his biggest gift was knowing how to be fully present for Chanelle through her labor. He is in awe of the power of birth and was transformed by the exchange of energy during the pushing phase.

Chanelle shares how Pethidine gave her a chance to get some rest and helped her through the most intense part of her labor. Being aware of the power of suggestion gave her a deep insight into other peoples beliefs about birth without impacting her own belief system and enabled her to confidently decline the offer of an epidural.

Her labor progressed so fast that there was no time for her to be moved to the delivery room and we talk about how this was a blessing in disguise. 

If you would like to share your birth story, I would love to hear it. Stories connect us through shared experience and now more then ever we need reminding of our shared connection. Please book a spot here

More about me and how I can help you here 

https://www.thevirtualmidwife.com/

Nicole was planning a hospital birth with her second baby due in April 2020 - which was predicted to be a busy time for hospitals due to Coronavirus. With the uncertainty of having to move rooms and the possibility of not being able to have her husband with her, they decided to have a home birth instead.
It was not an easy decision to make and Nicole admits that her husband was initially concerned about what would happen if "something went wrong". Together with their midwife, they talked through all the possibilities and learned how midwives manage complications at home.

Listen to her story and if you would like to share YOUR story, I would love to hear it. It doesn't matter if english is not your first language or if you think you have an accent - if you feel called to share your story just click  here and let's chat.

More about me and how  I can help you here
More about Nicole here

A message from Nicole

If you’re ever looking for free information from the perspective of a mama and Physical Therapist, I put out videos weekly on my YouTube channel Mamas & Misses. I also offer 1 on 1 virtual Physical Therapy consultations for moms and offer an Online Postpartum Recovery Course for those interested in on-demand online learning  Learn more on my website https://mamasandmisses.com/ . 
Dr. Nicole Bringer, DPTOwner of Mamas & Misses, LLCEmail: [email protected]

Phone: (616)466-4889

An interview with Marie Claire Balaam who submitted a poster presentation to the VIDM 2020 entitled A review of perinatal social support interventions for asylum seeking and refugee women resident in Europe

In this interview you will learn more about 

Visit www.vidm.org for more information on VIDM 2020

Abstract

In 2018 over 638,000 people applied for asylum in Europe, half of these were women. Asylum seeking and refugee women frequently experience socioeconomic marginalisation, low levels of social support and poor physical and mental health, often exacerbated in the perinatal period, when women struggle to access optimal maternal healthcare.

There is a lack of evidence on which interventions are most effective in addressing the needs of asylum and refugee women at this time. In order to fill this gap a Critical Interpretive Synthesis was undertaken. Our findings suggest community befriending interventions may be most effective in supporting asylum seeking and refugee women in this period. There is little evidence that asylum seeking and refugee women have been consulted as to what support would be most useful to them. 

The involvement of asylum seeking and refugee women in the design of future interventions is paramount in ensuring that their needs are met.

An interview with Roisin Lennon who submitted a poster presentation to the VIDM 2020 entitled Normalizing Pregnancy and Birth Rates with Advanced Midwifery Practice in Sligo University Hospital

In this interview you will learn more about 

Visit www.vidm.org for more information on VIDM 2020

Abstract
In 2016, a service needs analysis identified the need for an alternative pathway to provide care for women with pre-existing medical problems, raised BMI and those wishing to have a vaginal birth after CS.The Irish National Maternity Strategy helped validate the need for an advanced practice service in Sligo choice and continuity for women out with traditional midwife led care inclusion criteria. The service has proven to be
a safe and popular option with a high number of vaginal births, a lower CS
rate, reduced number of interventions yet with no increase of adverse outcomes.
This has been shown through ongoing review and service users’ feedback.-2017-155 (18%) AMP care. 82%
vaginal birth (69% SUH). 18% CS (31% SUH)2018-226 (17%) AMP care. 79%
vaginal birth (63% SUH). 21% CS (37% SUH)initial;2019-271 (20%) AMP care. 83%
vaginal birth (65% SUH). 17% CS (35% SUH).