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THE ASSOCIATION FOR WHOLISTIC MATERNAL AND NEWBORN
HEALTH


and

CALIFORNIA NURSE-MIDWIVES ASSOCIATION - LOS ANGELES CHAPTER

Videorecordings of some of the sessions are available for all who attended or tuned into our Videoconference, at no charge. If you did not attend, there is a nominal fee to receive a videorecording. These will be available after November 7, 2015. Please email: training@wholisticmaternalnewbornhealth.org to request a video.

The 4th Annual MFCI Symposium will explore new and innovative approaches in maternity care to protect the MotherBaby-Dyad and discuss emerging issues in perinatal health from a socioecological perspective.

This conference encourages maternity care practices, practitioners & facilities to implement the Mother-Friendly Childbirth Initiative (MFCI) Developed by The Coalition for Improving Maternity Services (CIMS) in the hospital, clinic and community setting.

To learn more: http://wholisticmaternalnewbornhealth.org/cims-mfci-principles-steps/

Purpose of the Symposium

1) Discuss the benefits of the Mother-Friendly Childbirth Initiative (MFCI) for hospitals, clinics, mothers, infants, and clinicians

2) Provide a forum for discussion among nurses, doctors, doulas, childbirth educators, midwives, administrators and others on the challenges and opportunities of implementing mother-friendly care in the clinical or hospital setting.

3) Provide a forum for dissemination of evidence-based best practices for maternity care.

4) Support clinics, hospitals and community-based programs in developing plans of action to shift the thinking in their organizations towards mother-friendly care and develop multidisciplinary coordinated networks  of maternity care providers.

5) Practitioners and students of maternity care will obtain an objective understanding of the  collision of worldviews and belief systems when the medical and midwifery models of maternity care intersect.

6) Participants will describe how the perinatal community as a whole can best collaborate to provide optimal care for mothers and infants based on the principals of the MFCI and the evidence-based practices available as outlined in the 10 steps of the Mother-Friendly Childbirth Initiative (MFCI).

Principles of the MFCI are:
  • Normalcy of Childbirth
  • Empowerment
  • Responsibility
  • Do No Harm
  • Autonomy

CONFERENCE THEMES


 Equity in Maternal-Child Health

Sessions under this theme will explore the underlying causes of health inequities and disparities for vulnerable mothers and infants including racism, poverty, geography, ethnicity. Research, best practices and innovations to deliver interventions aimed at reducing  maternal and infant mortalities and morbdities will be described. Speakers will share strategies to address gaps in equity and promote justice in maternity care.


Respectful Treatment in Maternity Care

Sessions under this theme will address cultural and systemic barriers to providing humane and respectful maternity care. Using a human rights framework, speakers will discuss issues such as informed consent and refusal, right to privacy, autonomy, and freedom of choice. Strategies for cross-cultural communication between caregivers and clients and between practitioners will be addressed.


Professional Collaboration in Maternity Care

Sessions under this theme will provide a forum for Maternal-Infant Health care providers from various discliplines to discuss strategies for bridging the gap when worldviews and models of maternity care--technocratic, humanistic, holistic (Davis-Floyd)--collide. Opportunities for ongoing communication will inspire allied perinatal health professionals to create harmonious teams committed to promoting the health and well-being of mothers and newborns.


Promoting Normalcy of Birth and Breastfeeding

Sessions under this theme will promote physiological childbirth and breastfeeding, protecting the motherinfant-dyad even when complications arise. Research and empirical knowledge will be shared about the innate abilities of mothers and newborns to survive and thrive. The impact of childbirth practices on breastfeeding and maternal mental health are explored in these sessions. Spirituality as a coping strategy in childbirth and compassion as a part of a caregiver’s toolkit will also be discussed in these sessions.

GET TICKETS ON EVENTBRITE. GROUP RATES. STUDENT RATES AVAILABLE.

EARLY BIRD TICKET SALES END JULY 17.

WEBINAR OPTION AVAILABLE GO TO:  https://2015-mfci-symposium-virtual-meeting.eventbrite.com  TO REGISTER FOR WEBINAR ONLY.

Questions? Call Us:  (626) 388 - 2191 ext. 2 or Email Us

CREATE YOUR UNIQUE SCHEDULE BY SELECTING THE SESSIONS YOU WANT TO ATTEND AND THEN ’ADD TO MY SCHED"

CEUs Pending for RNs, CNM/LM/CPMs, IBCLCs/CLEs, MFTs, LCSWs & CHES by PAC/LAC, Breastfeed L.A., ICEA, ACNM
Wednesday, October 14
 

7:30am PDT

Registration, Opening Blessing
Limited Capacity seats available

Breakfast and registration with opening blessing by Stephanie Dawn founder of the Sacred Birth Mentor Program.

Speakers
avatar for Stephanie Dawn

Stephanie Dawn

Founder, Sacred Birth Mentor Program
Stephanie Dawn is the Team Leader  for Publicity and PR at this conference. She is the creator of Sacred Birth Work, founder of the Sacred Birth Mentor Program and is a is the founder of this organization supporting visionary leaders and women entrepreneurs to bring their sacred... Read More →


Wednesday October 14, 2015 7:30am - 8:00am PDT
REDWOOD

8:00am PDT

The Mother-Friendly Childbirth Initiative and Its Alignment to Healthcare Reform
Limited Capacity seats available
This session refers to all of the steps and principles of the MFCI.

For a complete description of each principle and step, go to http://wholisticmaternalnewbornhealth.org/cims-mfci-principles-steps/

This session refers to all of the conference themes:


  •  Equity in Maternal-Child Health
  • Respectful Treatment in Maternity Care
  • Professional Collaboration in Maternity Care
  • Promoting Normalcy of Birth and Breastfeeding

This session will be broadcast as a live-streamed  simultaneous  webinar. Please go to: https://2015-mfci-symposium-virtual-meeting.eventbrite.com  to register.

SESSION DESCRIPTION:

In this session, The Mother-Friendly Childbirth Initiative (MFCI) developed by the Coalition for Improving Maternity Services (CIMS) will be described. Ten evidence-based steps and five principles make up this recommendation to improve maternity care quality, lower expenditures and reach goals for maternal and infant health.

Also a video will be shown from Dr. Micheal C. Lu, Director of Maternal Child Health Bureau of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services praising CIMS and the MFCI.

By the end of this session, attendees will be able to:

1. Describe the Mother-Friendly Childbirth Initiative including three supporting organizations, four principles on which it is based and describe three of ten recommended steps.

2.  Discuss two benefits of the Mother-Friendly Childbirth Initiative for hospitals, clinics, mothers, infants, and clinicians.

3.  Identify one of the 10 steps which they are willing to implement in the setting where they work.

4. Describe how the priorities of the Affordable Care Act and national initiatives for maternal-child health are aligned with the Mother-Friendly Childbirth Initiative.




Speakers
avatar for Cordelia Hanna-Cheruiyot

Cordelia Hanna-Cheruiyot

Founder & Executive Director/Conference Coordinator, The Association for Wholistic Maternal and Newborn Health
Cordelia Hanna-Cheruiyot, MPH, CHES, ICCE, CLE, CBA, Conference Coordinator, is the Co-Founder, Executive Director, CEO and President of The Association for Wholistic Maternal and Newborn Health which was founded in 1983 as a 501 (c) 3 non-profit organization, Wholistic Midwifery... Read More →




Wednesday October 14, 2015 8:00am - 8:45am PDT
REDWOOD

8:45am PDT

Weaving A Collaborative Tapestry: Advocates for Quality, Respectful, Transparent & Evidence-Based Maternity Care
Limited Capacity seats available
This session applies to all of the  Principles &  steps of the MFCI.

It refers to the following conference themes:
  • Professional Collaboration in Maternity Care

This session will be broadcast as a live-streamed  simultaneous  webinar. Please go to: https://2015-mfci-symposium-virtual-meeting.eventbrite.com to register.

SESSION DESCRIPTION:

Many organizations and individuals are involved in maternity care advocacy in the United States. The US has some of the worst maternal outcomes among developed countries, with African American women at three-four fold greater risk of dying than women of other racial-ethnic groups, the widest public health disparity. Subsequent calls for an organized, national response to worsening maternal outcomes have resulted in coordinated efforts including actions to address patient safety in maternity care, increase state maternal mortality reviews, and other private and public investment in maternal health initiatives. Grassroots activists and childbirth advocacy organizations have long been promoting quality, respectful, transparent & evidence-based maternity practices using a rights-based framework of women-centered care.  How are these groups & efforts aligned? Where do they diverge?  This presentation will provide an overview of historical and recent initiatives to improve maternity care and outcomes.  It outlines a vision of maternal quality improvement that balances awareness and responsiveness to “risk” (the measurement, analysis, and prevention of maternal mortality and morbidity) with meaningful efforts to support the “normality” of physiologic birth among low-risk women in hospital settings.

 

 


Speakers
avatar for Dr. Christine H. Morton, Ph.D.

Dr. Christine H. Morton, Ph.D.

Research Sociologist/Program Manager, California Maternal Quality Care Collaborative
Christine H. Morton, Ph.D is a medical sociologist and a Program Manager for Calfornia Maternal Quality Care Initiative (CMQCC). Headed up by Dr. Elliott Main, MD,  CMQCC promotes data-driven quality improvement in maternity care. CMQCC is devoted to eliminating preventable ma... Read More →


Wednesday October 14, 2015 8:45am - 9:45am PDT
REDWOOD

9:45am PDT

Morning Break
Wednesday October 14, 2015 9:45am - 10:00am PDT
California Endowment Center for Healthy Communities 1000 N. Alameda St. Los Angeles, CA 90012

10:00am PDT

Cross-Cultural Competency Workshop for Birth Workers & Breastfeeding Counselors

MFCI Step this session refers to:

Principles

  • Empowerment
  • Autonomy

Steps

Step 3. Provides culturally competent care—that is, care that is sensitive and responsive to the specific beliefs, values, and customs of the mother’s ethnicity and religion.

 For a description of MFCI principles and steps, go to:  http://wholisticmaternalnewbornhealth.org/cims-mfci-principles-steps/


This session refers to conference theme of:


  • Respectful Treatment in Maternity Care

This session will also be a webinar. Go to: https://2015-mfci-symposium-virtual-meeting.eventbrite.com to register.

SESSION DESCRIPTION:

In this session, attendees will develop the ability to sense the subtle and obvious cultural, religious, spiritual, philosophical needs of our clients and their families. The session will help attendees develop competency in culture specific trends,  beliefs,  and customs related to pregnancy and childbirth and breastfeeding,  included, but not limited to  Islamic, Latino, African-American, West African and Jewish traditions. 

This workshop will help Birth Workers and Breastfeeding Consultants to develop communication skills and interpersonal approaches helpful in relating with clients from cultures different than their own.


 


Speakers
avatar for Dr. Sayida Peprah, Psy.D., CD

Dr. Sayida Peprah, Psy.D., CD

Licensed Clinical Psychologist & Certified Doula, Bureau of Prisons/Conscious Surrender Childbirth
Dr. Sayida Peprah, Psy.D., CD, has a Doctorate of Psychology in Clinical Psychology, with a Multicultural Clinical-Community Emphasis, from the California School of Professional Psychology at Alliant International University. She is also a Certified Doula with Doulas of North America... Read More →
avatar for Luz Chacon, MPH, CLE

Luz Chacon, MPH, CLE

Program Director, Maternal and Child Health Access
Luz Chacón, MPH, CLE has over 25 years of experience developing and implementing community health programs, primarily serving low-income women and families within at-risk communities.  She has worked for a variety of nonprofit agencies including a large community clinic, two different... Read More →



Wednesday October 14, 2015 10:00am - 11:30am PDT
REDWOOD

10:00am PDT

Removal of Physician Supervision of Midwives: Opportunities and Challenges
Limited Capacity seats available

MFCI Principles and Steps this session refers to are:

Principles

  • Normalcy of Birth
  • Autonomy
  • Responsibility

Steps

Step 1. Offers all birthing mothers:

  • Unrestricted access to the birth companions of her choice, including fathers, partners, children, family members, and friends;
  • Unrestricted access to continuous emotional and physical support from a skilled woman—for example, a doula,* or labor-support professional;
  • Access to professional midwifery care.

Step 5.   Has clearly defined policies and procedures for:

  • Collaborating and consulting throughout the perinatal period with other maternity services, including communicating with the original caregiver when transfer from one birth site to another is necessary;
  • Linking the mother and baby to appropriate community resources, including prenatal and post-discharge follow-up and breastfeeding support.

For a complete description of the MFCI Principles and Steps, go to: http://wholisticmaternalnewbornhealth.org/cims-mfci-principles-steps

The conference themes this session refers to are:

  • Professional Collaboration in Maternity Care
    Promoting Normalcy of Birth and Breastfeeding

This session will also be a live international town-hall meeting livestreamed over the internet. To register, go to: https://2015-mfci-symposium-virtual-meeting.eventbrite.com

SESSION DESCRIPTION:

Recent legislation revised the California Licensed Midwifery Practice Act of 1994 by removing the physician supervision requirement for California Licensed Midwives. Presently, California’s Licensed Midwives work as independent practitioners in collaboration with OB/GYN physicians. California’s nurse-midwives are pursuing similar legislation regarding their physician supervision requirement. In this session, physician and midwife panelists will share their viewpoints and attendees will engage in a conversation about the opportunities and challenges of this new development in the history of California midwifery, addressing the question, “Now What?”





Moderators
avatar for Dr. Ruth Mielke, CNM, Ph.D., FACNM

Dr. Ruth Mielke, CNM, Ph.D., FACNM

Assistant Professor Women’s Health Care/ Staff Nurse-Midwife, California State University Fullerton/Eisner Pediatric & Family Medical Center
Dr. Ruth Mielke, CNM, Ph.D., FACNM,  has been practicing full-scope midwifery in Los Angeles for 25 years and more recently also educates nurse midwives and women’s health nurse practitioners at the university level. She received her BSN at Emory University in Atlanta, GA, a master’s... Read More →

Speakers
avatar for Linda V. Walsh CNM, MPH, Ph.D., FACNM

Linda V. Walsh CNM, MPH, Ph.D., FACNM

President, CNMA
Linda V. Walsh CNM, MPH, Ph.D., FACNM career as a CNM spans 35 years in clinical practice, midwifery and nursing education and research.  She continues to contribute to the profession through her work work as an Associate Editor for JMWH, serving as President of the California Nurse... Read More →
avatar for Dr. Stuart Fischbein, MD, FACOG

Dr. Stuart Fischbein, MD, FACOG

Physician, Birthing Instincts, Inc.
Stuart James Fischbein, MD was Board Certified in 1989 and became a Fellow of the American College of Obstetrics & Gynecology in 1990. He has been a practicing obstetrician in Southern California since completing his residency. While well trained at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in... Read More →
avatar for Dr. Paul Crane MD, FACOG

Dr. Paul Crane MD, FACOG

Obstetrician/Gynecologist, Paul Crane, MD
Dr, Paul Crane MD, FACOG has been an OB/GYN for 49 years and has  collaborated with midwives for  most of that time. He works out of his office in Beverly Hills and is the doctor to the stars as well as ordinary women delivering at Cedars Sinai Medical Center in West Los Angeles... Read More →
avatar for Sarah Davis, LM, IBCLC

Sarah Davis, LM, IBCLC

Policy Chair, California Association of Midwives
Sarah Davis, LM, IBCLC is legislative and policy chair for the California Association of Midwives (CAM). She has practiced as a licensed midwife in clinic, home and birth center settings and served as a clinical preceptor and academic faculty for several midwifery schools. In 2013... Read More →


Wednesday October 14, 2015 10:00am - 11:30am PDT
TAHOE

10:00am PDT

MotherBaby-Centered Gentle Cesarean Section: Rethinking Our Protocols
Limited Capacity seats available
This session will be available as a webinar.

This session applies to MFCI Step 8: "Encourages all mothers and families, including those with sick or premature newborns or infants with congenital problems, to touch, hold, breastfeed, and care for their babies to the extent compatible with their conditions."

SESSION DESCRIPTION:

In this session, a new MotherBaby-centered approach to managing cesearean sections will be described. Advantages and disadvantages of the new protocol will be discussed and guidelines will be given for nurses, physicians and doulas who attend these unique deliveries.

To view this new approach to cesarean section, view this video on You Tube: Natural Mother-Centered Cesarean Section

By the end of this sessions, attendees will be able to:
  1. Describe how hospitals are changing.
  2. Explain the purpose of the gentle motherbaby-centered cesarean section.
  3. Describe what a gentle cesarean section is and why it is needed.
  4.  Discuss what makes a gentle c section different and what the benefits are to parents.
  5. Describe the benefits of gentle motherbaby-centered cesarean on neonates.
  6. Describe the necessary safety measures.
  7. Describe how to implement safe skin-to-skin contact during cesarean section.
  8. Begin the process of developing a program within individual institutions.



Speakers
avatar for Dr. David Ghozland, MD, FACOG

Dr. David Ghozland, MD, FACOG

MD- Owner, Dr. David Ghzoland
A second generation OB-GYN with years of extensive experience, Dr. David Ghozland, MD, FACOG specializes in:natural deliveries,natural Cesarean birth, multiple pregnancies and high-risk obstetrics, in collaboration with Maternal-Fetal Medicine Specialists. It’s Dr. Ghozland’s... Read More →
avatar for Aida Simonian, MSN, RNC-NIC, SCM, SRN

Aida Simonian, MSN, RNC-NIC, SCM, SRN

Executive Director/NICU Nurse, Perinatal Advisory Council-Leadership, Advocacy, Consultation (PAC/LAC)
Aida Simonian, MSN, RNC-NIC, SCM, SRN is the Executive Director of the Perinatal Advisory Council - Leadership, Advocacy, Consultation (PAC/LAC). Ms. Simonian leverages her more than 40 years of maternal child health expertise and leadership skills to manage the work of PAC/LAC... Read More →



Wednesday October 14, 2015 10:00am - 11:30am PDT
BIG SUR

11:30am PDT

Lunch
Wednesday October 14, 2015 11:30am - 12:30pm PDT
California Endowment Center for Healthy Communities - Redwood Patio 1000 N. Alameda St. Los Angeles, CA 90012

11:45am PDT

Healing the Mother Wounds: Compassion in Maternity Care
MFCI Principles and Steps this session refers to are:

Principles:


  •  Empowerment
  •  Do No Harm
Steps:

Step 3. Provides culturally competent care—that is, care that is sensitive and responsive to the specific beliefs, values, and customs of the mother’s ethnicity and religion.
For a description of MFCI principles and steps, go to: http://wholisticmaternalnewbornhealth.org/cims-mfci-principles-steps/

This session refers to the conference themes of:


  • PROMOTING NORMALCY OF CHILDBIRTH AND BREASTFEEDING
  • RESPECFUL TREATMENT IN MATERNITY CARE

SESSION DESCRIPTION:

In her workshop on Compassion in Maternal and Newborn Health, Wendy Silvers, Certified Hypnotherapist and founder of The Million Mamas Movement and an Agape International Spiritual Center Licensed Spiritual Practitioner, illustrates how a caregiver can embody and apply compassion to the mother in their care, thereby providing a nurturing and healing emotional environment for both mother and child.

Learner Objectives:  

 

At the conclusion of the program, the participant should be able to:

  1. Describe how compassion and loving kindness impacts maternal health.
  2. Discuss the impact of compassion and loving kindness on the developing fetus.
  3. Discuss how these concepts of loving kindness and compassion relate to MFCI principles of empowerment, autonomy and responsibility and how this impacts maternal and child health care practices.

 


Moderators
avatar for Stephanie Dawn

Stephanie Dawn

Founder, Sacred Birth Mentor Program
Stephanie Dawn is the Team Leader  for Publicity and PR at this conference. She is the creator of Sacred Birth Work, founder of the Sacred Birth Mentor Program and is a is the founder of this organization supporting visionary leaders and women entrepreneurs to bring their sacred... Read More →

Speakers
avatar for Wendy Silvers

Wendy Silvers

Founder/President, Million Mamas Movement
Wendy Silvers is the founder/CEO of the Million Mamas Movement, an organization whose mission is to empower mothers in igniting their immeasurable power as global changemakers, and, ensuring that children thrive globally. She is an Inspirational speaker/teacher, author and Mindful Parenting educator. While a successful celebrity publicist creating... Read More →


Wednesday October 14, 2015 11:45am - 12:15pm PDT
REDWOOD

12:45pm PDT

Undisturbed Birth: Nature's Blueprint for Safety, Ease and Pleasure
Limited Capacity seats available
This session refers to conference theme of:

  • Promoting Normalcy of Childbirth and Breastfeeding

This session will be a broadcast over the internet in an international town hall meeting. Sarah will be live streamed via the internet from Australia, and broadcast to the audience at California Endowment Center and those tuning in remotely via computer or phone.

If you want to watch or listen to her presentation remotely (not from the California Endowment Center), please register at: https://2015-mfci-symposium-virtual-meeting.eventbrite.com

SESSION DESCRIPTION:

Sarah J. Buckley, a Medical Doctor specializing in family practice and obstetrics will lead this session via videoconference from Australia where she will discuss her new report whic is the culmination of years of research into the hormonal physiology of childbirth.

This comprehensive Report Examines the Science on the Hormonal Physiology of Childbearing and Its Implications for Women, Babies and Maternity Care.

The U.S. maternity care system is missing opportunities to provide better care and use resources more wisely by routinely intervening in labor and delivery in ways that interfere with, instead of promoting, supporting and protecting, innate biological processes that result in healthier outcomes for women and newborns. That is the conclusion of a major new report, Hormonal Physiology of Childbearing: Evidence and Implications for Women, Babies, and Maternity Care. The unprecedented synthesis of scientific research on how hormone systems function from late pregnancy through the early postpartum period concludes that commonly used maternity interventions — such as labor induction, epidural analgesia, and cesarean section — can disturb hormonal processes and interfere with the benefits they offer.

Dr. Buckley will describe ways birth attendants of all kinds -- physicians, nurses, doulas and family members-- can support the laboring woman in such a way that the birth process can unfold naturally as it was designed to do.

Overview of hormonal physiology of childbearing which has evolved over millions of years to optimize reproductive success.

After this session, you will be able to:

  1. Describe four hormone systems that are consequential for mothers and babies.
  2.  Discuss two actions for each hormone system for mothers and/or babies.
  3. Discuss three ways that hormonal physiology contributes to safe outcomes for mothers and/or babies.


Speakers
avatar for Dr. Sarah Buckley,MB, ChB, Dip Obst (via Videoconference)

Dr. Sarah Buckley,MB, ChB, Dip Obst (via Videoconference)

Family Practice Physician, Gentle Natural Birth
Dr. Sarah J Buckley is a qualified GP/family physician with qualifications in GP-obstetrics and family planning. She is the mother of four home-born children, and currently combines full-time motherhood with her work as a writer on pregnancy, birth, and parenting, Dr Buckley’s... Read More →



Wednesday October 14, 2015 12:45pm - 2:15pm PDT
REDWOOD

2:15pm PDT

Afternoon Break
Wednesday October 14, 2015 2:15pm - 2:30pm PDT
California Endowment Center for Healthy Communities 1000 N. Alameda St. Los Angeles, CA 90012

2:30pm PDT

Film Presentation: "Freedom for Birth"
Limited Capacity seats available
This film is included in the conference fees. People may attend only for the film and the presentation following it with Hermine Hayes-Klien, JD and Dr. Laila Al-Marayati, OB/GYN. If attending  Film Presentation only, must purchase Film Presentation Only \"Freedom for Birth\" (Regular -$20) or if a student purchase student rate tcket: Film Presentation Only: \"Freedom for Birth\" (Student Rate - $10)

This session will also be a live international town-hall meeting live-streamed over the internet. To register, go to: https://2015-mfci-symposium-virtual-meeting.eventbrite.com 

ABOUT THE FILM:

“Freedom for Birth" is a 58 minute documentary that reframes women's birthing rights as one of the most pressing human rights issues in the world today. “Freedom For Birth” is more than just a film. It marks the beginning of a movement that will focus global attention on the violations of women's rights during childbirth all around the world.

This film and presentation following presentation with Hermine Hayes-Klein JD of Human Rights in Childbirth  will also be available via webinar. Fee: $20 Regular Admission $10 Student Admission (with ID)

Note:

If you are attending just the film + lecture and not the entire day, please park at the Postal Annex parking lot adjacent to the California Endowment. Fee is $6. There will NOT be any parking available in the California Endowment parking lot.


Moderators
avatar for Stephanie Dawn

Stephanie Dawn

Founder, Sacred Birth Mentor Program
Stephanie Dawn is the Team Leader  for Publicity and PR at this conference. She is the creator of Sacred Birth Work, founder of the Sacred Birth Mentor Program and is a is the founder of this organization supporting visionary leaders and women entrepreneurs to bring their sacred... Read More →

Speakers
avatar for Dr. Laila Al-Marayati, MD, FACOG

Dr. Laila Al-Marayati, MD, FACOG

Director, Women's Medical Services, Eisner Pediatric Family Medical Center
Dr. Laila Al-Marayati is a Board-certified Ob-Gyn and Clinical Assistant Professor at LAC+USC in the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology. She currently serves as the Medical Director of Women’s Health at Eisner Pediatric and Family Medical Center, a large community health... Read More →
avatar for Hermine Hayes-Klein

Hermine Hayes-Klein

Founder & Human Rights Attorney, Human Rights in Childbirth
Hermine Hayes-Klein, JD,  is an American lawyer, mother, and founder of the international organization, Human Rights in Childbirth.  Hermine has represented children as their attorney or guardian ad litem, litigated for LGBT rights, and mediated family disputes and divorce, among other things.  Hermine lived in the Netherlands from 2007 – 2012, where both of her children were born at home with a Dutch midwife... Read More →




Wednesday October 14, 2015 2:30pm - 3:30pm PDT
REDWOOD

3:30pm PDT

Informed Consent and Refusal in Maternity Care as a Human Right in Childbirth
Limited Capacity seats available
Persons not attending the entire conference may attend this session only and the film screening of Freedom for Birth immediately preceeding this talk. Register for film screening on Eventbrite ($20): Film Presentation Only \"Freedom for Birth\" (Regular). Student rates are also available ($10). For student tickets: Film Presentation Only: \"Freedom for Birth\" (Student Rate).

This session + film is available via webinar. Fee: $25

This session will also be a live international town-hall meeting livestreamed over the internet. To register, go to:  https://2015-mfci-symposium-virtual-meeting.eventbrite.com

SESSION DESCRIPTION:

This session will discuss Reproductive Rights and Justice in Maternity Care by two human/women's rights advocates, Hermine Hayes-Klein, JD, a Human Rights Lawyer, and Dr. Laila Al-Marayati, MD, FACOG, an Islamic Women's Rights Activist and Obstetrican-Gynecologist. Their discussion will follow a screening of the film "Freedom for Birth: The Mother's Revolution" a 28-minute film that highlights violations in human rights in maternity care around the world.

Since the 1990s, the global community has been recognizing that preventable maternal mortality is a human rights issue, and that nations have an obligation to ensure non-discriminatory access to reproductive health services for all women and their babies.  However, significant mortality disparities continue to exist, both between nations, and within nations, as marginalized women remain significantly more likely to die, or see their babies die, during childbirth.  This session will discuss the human rights at stake in maternity care, and the efforts underway around the world to ensure that no woman dies while bringing forth new life.  The session will also examine the human rights at stake in childbirth beyond the right to survival, and the status of those rights in maternity care in both developed and developing nations.

 There is more than one path to a live mother and live baby, and the care given in childbirth can either respect or violate the human rights to dignity, privacy, and autonomy of birthing women, with lasting impact. This session will also discuss emerging international recognition of the right to non-violent, respectful maternity care, and current initiatives underway around the world to ensure quality of care. Additionally, they will discuss practical applications for the maternity care team -- physician, midwife, nurse, doula, lactation consultant, childbirth educator--to protect the birthing woman's rights and dignity, and foster cooperation among all members of the woman's support team.
 For more information on Human Rights in Childbirth, please go to: http://humanrightsinchildbirth.com/

In this session, the speakers will:
  1. Describe the Human Rights Framework as it pertains to maternity care, including:
    1. Right to Informed Consent
    2. Right to Refuse Medical Treatment
    3. Right to Health
    4. Right to Equal Treatment
    5. Right to Privacy
    6. Right to Life
  2. Discuss basic political, economic, and reproductive rights, like the right to vote, to go to school, and to choose whether to conceive and bear children.
  3. Discuss emerging international recognition that human rights are at stake in maternity care for understanding the global problem of maternal mortality, morbidity, and perinatal mortality, and the obligations of governments to provide maternity care that is accessible and affordable to all citizens.
  4.  Discuss the dynamics that occur between birthing women and their healthcare providers, and problems with medical intervention and abuse including the skyrocketing cesarean section rate.
  5. Discuss ACOG’s Essential Components of Informed Consent and Refusal.
  6. Discuss the ethical and legal precedence of Informed Consent and Refusal in maternity care.
  7. Discuss the benefits of Informed Consent and Refusal for women and their caregivers.
  8. Discuss barriers to Informed Consent and Refusal in maternity care by institutions and medical providers.
  9. Articulate  ethical dilemmas that occur with informed refusal in maternity care when considering both maternal and child rights.
  10. Discuss whether the current model of informed consent and refusal fully respect the rights and needs of pregnant women and their infants.

Moderators
avatar for Stephanie Dawn

Stephanie Dawn

Founder, Sacred Birth Mentor Program
Stephanie Dawn is the Team Leader  for Publicity and PR at this conference. She is the creator of Sacred Birth Work, founder of the Sacred Birth Mentor Program and is a is the founder of this organization supporting visionary leaders and women entrepreneurs to bring their sacred... Read More →

Speakers
avatar for Dr. Laila Al-Marayati, MD, FACOG

Dr. Laila Al-Marayati, MD, FACOG

Director, Women's Medical Services, Eisner Pediatric Family Medical Center
Dr. Laila Al-Marayati is a Board-certified Ob-Gyn and Clinical Assistant Professor at LAC+USC in the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology. She currently serves as the Medical Director of Women’s Health at Eisner Pediatric and Family Medical Center, a large community health... Read More →
avatar for Hermine Hayes-Klein

Hermine Hayes-Klein

Founder & Human Rights Attorney, Human Rights in Childbirth
Hermine Hayes-Klein, JD,  is an American lawyer, mother, and founder of the international organization, Human Rights in Childbirth.  Hermine has represented children as their attorney or guardian ad litem, litigated for LGBT rights, and mediated family disputes and divorce, among other things.  Hermine lived in the Netherlands from 2007 – 2012, where both of her children were born at home with a Dutch midwife... Read More →


Wednesday October 14, 2015 3:30pm - 4:45pm PDT
REDWOOD

3:45pm PDT

Hot Topics in Maternity Care: The Healing Powers of Placenta Placentophagy: Science or Fad?
Limited Capacity seats available


MFCI Step this session refers to:

Principles

  • Empowerment
  •  Autonomy

Steps

 
Step 3. Provides culturally competent care—that is, care that is sensitive and responsive to the specific beliefs, values, and customs of the mother’s ethnicity and religion.
. For a description of MFCI principles and steps, go to: http://wholisticmaternalnewbornhealth.org/cims-mfci-principles-steps/

Conference Themes this session refers to are:

  • Respectful Treatment in Maternity Care
  •  Normalcy of Birth and Breastfeeding

This session will also be a live international town-hall meeting livestreamed over the internet. To register, go to:  https://2015-mfci-symposium-virtual-meeting.eventbrite.com


SESSION DESCRIPTION:

Placenta eating, or Placentophagy, is the consumption of one's own placenta.Eating Placenta is becoming increasingly popular among childbearing women these days. What used to be in the homebirth midwife's 'bag of tricks' for treating severe postpartum hemmorhage has now become mainstream practice much in demand. Is this practice beneficial or harmful? Is it cannabalism or is it a natural and effective approach to treating common conditions of postpartum?

More and more women who suffer from postpartum depression or who suffer from anemia due to postpartum hemmorhage are considering placenta eating as a natural remedy for these conditions. The placenta can be consumed in a variety of ways, and has many health benefits according to Placenta Encapsulation Specialists and Naturopathic Physicians, Midwives and others.

 Many mammals, humans included, who are malnourished consume the placenta after birth to boost their nutritients. Eating the placenta after childbirth has been linked to preventing postpartum depression. Advocates also claim that placenta eating can lower the risk of hemhorraging after birth.Placenta eating is traditionally practiced in many cultures, including Mexico, China, and the Pacific Islands. Many of these countries revere the placenta and see it as a crucial part of the birth process. However, in the US, the placenta is frequently discarded as medical waste. More and more women, however, are learning about the benefits of placenta eating. These women often choose to birth at home, allowing them to maintain control over what happens to this important organ. Increasingly, acceptance for parents taking home the placenta from the hospital and the benefits of placentophagy are becoming known by hospital OB/GYNs and Nurses. The placenta is then frozen or dried until it can be consumed.There are a variety of benefits associated with placenta eating according to its' advocates.

In this session, the formal scientific research that is currently underway and empirical knowledge of the benefits of placentophagy will be discussed  and guidlelines and a demonstration will be given for safe preparation of placenta products.

Speakers
avatar for Tatiana Rubio, Lic. Ac., CD (DONA)

Tatiana Rubio, Lic. Ac., CD (DONA)

Licensed Acupuncturist, certified Birth Doula, Divine Delivery
Tatiana Rubio, MS, Lic.Ac., CD (DONA)   for the past fifteen years  has worked to bridge the gap in western perinatal care using the alternative healing methods of acupuncture and Chinese herbal medicine, to better meet the physical and emotional needs of pregnant women.  She... Read More →
avatar for Blyss Young

Blyss Young

birthingblyss@hotmail.com, Birthing Blyss
Blyss Young has been involved in the natural birth world since the birth of her first son in 1992.  In 2006 Blyss co-founded The Sanctuary Birth & Family Wellness Center.  This was a culmination of all of her previous experience as a natural birth advocate, an educator and environmentalist... Read More →


Wednesday October 14, 2015 3:45pm - 4:45pm PDT
TAHOE

3:45pm PDT

Hot Topics in Maternity Care: Co-Sleeping, Skin-to-Skin and Biological Nurturing: Supporting Maternal-Infant Instinct: Dangerous or Protective?
Limited Capacity seats available
This session will NOT be broadcast via webinar.

MFCI Steps and Principles this session refers to:

 

Principles

 

  • Normalcy of Birth
  • Empowerment

 

Steps

 

Step 7.  Encourages all mothers and families, including those with sick or premature newborns or infants with congenital problems, to touch, hold, breastfeed, and care for their babies to the extent compatible with their conditions.

Step 10.

Strives to achieve the WHO-UNICEF “Ten Steps of the Baby-Friendly Hospital Initiative” to promote successful breastfeeding:

  1. Have a written breastfeeding policy that is routinely communicated to all health care staff;
  2. Train all health care staff in skills necessary to implement this policy;
  3. Inform all pregnant women about the benefits and management of breastfeeding;
  4. Help mothers initiate breastfeeding within a half-hour of birth;
  5. Show mothers how to breastfeed and how to maintain lactation even if they should be separated from their infants;
  6. Give newborn infants no food or drink other than breast milk unless medically indicated;
  7. Practice rooming in: allow mothers and infants to remain together 24 hours a day;
  8. Encourage breastfeeding on demand;
  9. Give no artificial teat or pacifiers (also called dummies or soothers) to breastfeeding infants;
  10. Foster the establishment of breastfeeding support groups and refer mothers to them on discharge from hospitals or clinics.

 


SESSION DESCRIPTION:

In this session,  Kittie Frantz, RN, CPNP-PC, a world-renown expert on breastfeeding, will summarize the research on co-sleeping conducted by James McKenna Ph.D. at the sleep research lab at the University of Notre Dame in Indiana, as well as other research which supports the tenet that “babies should never sleep alone”. Drawing upon Suzanne Colson’s paradigm of Biological Nurturing TM, and research by Dr. Nils Bergman on Kargaroo Mother Care and skin-to-skin contact, Ms. Frantz will summarize why practitioners that work with families should counterbalance the negative information that families often receive on the dangers of co-sleeping with evidence-based information on the potential benefits of Co-sleeping, and give safety guidelines for families who make informed decisions to co-sleep with their infants and young children.


Speakers
avatar for Kittie Frantz, RN, CPNP-PC

Kittie Frantz, RN, CPNP-PC

Pediatric Nurse Practitioner, LAC+USC Medical Center
Kittie Frantz, RN, CPNP-PC,  is internationally known for over 45 years of work developing breastfeeding programs. She is a full-time Clinical Instructor in Pediatrics for University of Southern California Keck School of Medicine as well as the Coordinator of Lactation Education... Read More →



Wednesday October 14, 2015 3:45pm - 4:45pm PDT
BIG SUR

4:45pm PDT

Final Remarks
Please stick around to complete your evaluation and pick up your CEU certificate

Wednesday October 14, 2015 4:45pm - 5:00pm PDT
REDWOOD

5:30pm PDT

Dinner with Hermine Hayes-Klein at Olvera Street (Optional; Self-Pay)
Price range: $12-20 per person

All are invited to an informal Mexican dinner with Hermine Hayes-Klien at a restaurant (to be determined) at Olvera Street, immediately after the conference. This is optional and self-pay. Not included in the conference fees.

For More Information:

http://olvera-street.com/About-Us/about-us.htm
e-mail: info@Olvera-Street.com

 Olvera Street, known as “the birthplace of Los Angeles,” is a Mexican Marketplace that recreates a romantic “Old Los Angeles” with a block-long narrow, tree-shaded, brick-lined market with old structures, painted stalls, street vendors, cafes, restaurants and gift shops.  Olvera Street was created in 1930 “to preserve and present the customs and trades of early California."  Many of the merchants on Olvera Street today are descended from the original vendors.

The marketplace is located across the street from The California Endowment Center. We will walk across the street after the conference. Parking is available at the Postal Annex Building adjacent to California Endowment for $6. The Postal Annex is located accross the street from Olvera Street.

For directions, click here!


Speakers
avatar for Hermine Hayes-Klein

Hermine Hayes-Klein

Founder & Human Rights Attorney, Human Rights in Childbirth
Hermine Hayes-Klein, JD,  is an American lawyer, mother, and founder of the international organization, Human Rights in Childbirth.  Hermine has represented children as their attorney or guardian ad litem, litigated for LGBT rights, and mediated family disputes and divorce, among other things.  Hermine lived in the Netherlands from 2007 – 2012, where both of her children were born at home with a Dutch midwife... Read More →


Wednesday October 14, 2015 5:30pm - 7:30pm PDT
Olvera Street Pueblo de Los Angeles l845 N Alameda St, Los Angeles, CA 90012
 
Thursday, October 15
 

7:30am PDT

Registration, Opening Blessing
Limited Capacity seats available

Stephanie Dawn founder of the Sacred Birth Mentor Program will open the session with a blessing.

Speakers
avatar for Stephanie Dawn

Stephanie Dawn

Founder, Sacred Birth Mentor Program
Stephanie Dawn is the Team Leader  for Publicity and PR at this conference. She is the creator of Sacred Birth Work, founder of the Sacred Birth Mentor Program and is a is the founder of this organization supporting visionary leaders and women entrepreneurs to bring their sacred... Read More →


Thursday October 15, 2015 7:30am - 8:00am PDT
REDWOOD

8:00am PDT

Maternal Mental Health: How the MFCI Can Reduce Postpartum Depression and Birth Trauma
Limited Capacity seats available

MFCI Step this session refers to:

 

Principles

 

  • Empowerment
  • Autonomy
  • Do No Harm
  • Responsibility

 

Steps

 

Step 2. Provides accurate descriptive and statistical information to the public about its practices and procedures for birth care, including measures of interventions and outcomes.

 

Step 5.   Has clearly defined policies and procedures for:

  • collaborating and consulting throughout the perinatal period with other maternity services, including communicating with the original caregiver when transfer from one birth site to another is necessary;
  • linking the mother and baby to appropriate community resources, including prenatal and post-discharge follow-up and breastfeeding support.

.

For a description of MFCI principles and steps, go to:  http://wholisticmaternalnewbornhealth.org/cims-mfci-principles-steps/ 

 

 

Conference Themes this session refers to are:

 

  • Respectful Treatment in Maternity Care

 

For a description of conference themes, go to: http://2015mfcisymposiumprotectingthemo.sched.org/
This session will also be a live international town-hall meeting livestreamed over the internet. To register, go to:  https://2015-mfci-symposium-virtual-meeting.eventbrite.com


SESSION DESCRIPTION:

In this session, Joy Burkhard, MBA, Founder of the 2020 Moms Project will present about maternal mental health disorders, including depression and anxiety, which are real illnesses caused by changes in biology, psychology, environment and hormones.  Maternal anxiety and depression are the most common complications of childbirth.Ms. Burkhard will give practitioners guidelines on how to recognize perinatal mood disorders and guidelines to follow when suspected.

Joy is the founder of The 2020 Mom Project ("The Project") an urgent national call to action that sets forth an aggressive new path for solving what some have called one of the biggest public health concerns of our time: the silent maternal mental health crisis which impacts up to 20% of expecting and new moms.  

The project seeks to bring about change by the year 2020, starting with the insured population.  

Because of a complicated set of long-standing barriers, expecting and new moms are not consistently screened for emotional problems and therefore are not diagnosed and offered treatment, and consequently these moms and families largely suffer in silence

Research suggests that when moderate to severe cases of maternal mental health disorders are left untreated, not only does the mother's health suffer, but so does her infants', the stability of her marriage or partner relationship, and the long-term health and well being of all of her children.




Moderators
avatar for Dr. Sayida Peprah, Psy.D., CD

Dr. Sayida Peprah, Psy.D., CD

Licensed Clinical Psychologist & Certified Doula, Bureau of Prisons/Conscious Surrender Childbirth
Dr. Sayida Peprah, Psy.D., CD, has a Doctorate of Psychology in Clinical Psychology, with a Multicultural Clinical-Community Emphasis, from the California School of Professional Psychology at Alliant International University. She is also a Certified Doula with Doulas of North America... Read More →


Thursday October 15, 2015 8:00am - 8:45am PDT
REDWOOD

8:45am PDT

The Impact of Stress and Poverty on Pregnant Women and their Infants & Children & How Community-Based Doulas Make A Difference
Limited Capacity seats available


This session refers to MFCI Principles:

  • Normalcy of Birth
  • Autonomy
  • Empowerment

This session refers to MFCI Steps:

Step 1. Offers all birthing mothers:
    • Unrestricted access to the birth companions of her choice, including fathers, partners, children, family members, and friends;
    • Unrestricted access to continuous emotional and physical support from a skilled woman—for example, a doula, or labor-support professional;
    • Access to professional midwifery care.

Step 3
. Provides culturally competent care—that is, care that is sensitive and responsive to the specific beliefs, values, and customs of the mother’s ethnicity and religion.

This session refers to Conference Themes:

  • Equity in Maternal-Child Health
  • Respectful Treatment in Maternity Care
  • Professional Collaboration in Maternity Care

This session will also be a live international town-hall meeting livestreamed over the internet. To register, go to: https://2015-mfci-symposium-virtual-meeting.eventbrite.com

SESSION DESCRIPTION:


Emerging research on the impact of stress and poverty on pregnant women has linked them not only to chronic physical conditions in the mothers themselves but also to their children. Additionally, several mental illnesses have been found to have their roots in pregnancy stressors a fetus experienced while in utero. This research points to the importance of social support for pregnant mothers. Community-Based Doulas are in a unique position to mitigate the stressors which contribute to poor infant outcomes (ie prematurity, perinatal mortality). Drawing upon her research on Doulas, Dr. Morton will describe how the professional doula and perinatal community health promoter could be integrated into the public health system to support our most vulnerable pregnant women and infants.

By the end of this session:
  1. Attendees will be able to describe how stress and poverty among pregnant women contribute to chronic physical conditions in the mothers as well as their children.
  2. Attendees will be able to identify the evidence to support the use of community-based doulas to the stressors contributing to poor maternal and infant outcomes (i.e. hypertension, gestational diabetes, prematurity, perinatal mortality).
  3. Attendees will be able to compare the patient navigator model with the current community-based doula framework and how each has been incorporated into public health and hospital-based care.





Speakers
avatar for Dr. Christine H. Morton, Ph.D.

Dr. Christine H. Morton, Ph.D.

Research Sociologist/Program Manager, California Maternal Quality Care Collaborative
Christine H. Morton, Ph.D is a medical sociologist and a Program Manager for Calfornia Maternal Quality Care Initiative (CMQCC). Headed up by Dr. Elliott Main, MD,  CMQCC promotes data-driven quality improvement in maternity care. CMQCC is devoted to eliminating preventable ma... Read More →



Thursday October 15, 2015 8:45am - 9:15am PDT
REDWOOD

9:15am PDT

Morning Break
Thursday October 15, 2015 9:15am - 9:30am PDT
California Endowment Center for Healthy Communities - Redwood 1000 N. Alameda St. Los Angeles, CA 90012

9:30am PDT

How Community-Based Doulas and Midwives Address Equity, Access, and Experience of Women of Color During Pregnancy and Maternity Care
Limited Capacity seats available

MFCI Step this session refers to:

 

Principles

 

  • Empowerment
  • Autonomy

 

Steps

 

Step 1.  Offers all birthing mothers:

  • Unrestricted access to the birth companions of her choice, including fathers, partners, children, family members, and friends;
  • Unrestricted access to continuous emotional and physical support from a skilled woman—for example, a doula,or labor-support professional;
  • Access to professional midwifery care.

Step 3.

Provides culturally competent care—that is, care that is sensitive and responsive to the specific beliefs, values, and customs of the mother’s ethnicity and religion.

.

For a description of MFCI principles and steps, go to:  http://wholisticmaternalnewbornhealth.org/cims-mfci-principles-steps/ 

 

This session refers to conference themes of:


  • Respectful Treatment in Maternity Care
  • Equity in Maternal-Child Health

This session will also be a live international town-hall meeting livestreamed over the internet. To register, go to:  https://2015-mfci-symposium-virtual-meeting.eventbrite.com

SESSION DESCRIPTION:

Michele Giordano, MSW, , Excutive Director and Nan Strauss, JD from Choices in Childbirth will report on their new report Doula Care in NYC: Advancing the Affordable Care Act, Via videostreaming  from NYC.

In this session, Ms. Strauss and Ms. Giordino will discuss:

Doula Care in NYC: Advancing the Goals of the Affordable Care Act  which uses the framework of the Affordable Care Act’s “triple aim” to present information on how doula support:

  • improves outcomes,
  • enhances the experience of care, and
  • reduces unnecessary spending.

 

The report highlights how doula care can reduce disparities and improve patient engagement in health care decision-making.

CONTEXT:

Overview of Maternal Health in the US, including:


               Maternal mortality data
               Severe maternal morbidity
               Disparities in maternal health outcomes
               Intervention data

Bottom Line: doula care is an evidence-based service that improves maternal and infant heath outcomes.

 

Following this, a panel discussion with MCH experts and Birth Workers of Color will ensue. The purpose of this session is to facilitate meaningful dialogue within the childbirth reform movement about racial and social inequities and multiculturaliim using compassionate and respectful communication.

In this session, a mother, doulas, lactation consultant, community activist,  midwife, healer, public health maternal child health advocate and a clinical psychologist who specializes in cultural awareness training will discuss:

  • Intersections of race, class, gender and how these issues collide to impact women of color during the maternity care and birth experience.
  • The need to put the maternal and infant health disparities issue in context- How did we arrive at this point?
  • A framework that takes into account the historic trajectory of women's access to reproductive health throughout US history to better inform our understanding of root causes and solutions to disparities.
  • Re-framing the question of equity and access for women of color- not a "minority" of women anymore, implications of changing demographics.
  •  The resurgence of African-American Midwives and Doulas and why they are  crucial to the health of communities of color.
  • The importance and availability of Lactation Professionals in communities of color and what dominant culture communities can do to support them.
  • The need to create more access to people of color seeking to enter the professions of midwifery, doula care and lactation support.
  • How the Latino culture is extremely diverse in terms of country of origin, socio-economic status, and levels of acculturation.
  • While the "Latino Paradox" posits that Latinas have favorable birth outcomes despite low socioeconomic status, this really varies based on acculturation and other factors.
  • Protective factors in the Latino culture can contribute to healthy behaviors and improved outcomes.
  • How support networks, including promotoras, doulas, and midwives (parteras) can serve to support and enhance maternity care among Latinas in a culturally competent manner.
  • How maternity care professionals  and organizations can become aware of issues of  culture, racism and classism and better support the families they are entrusted to serve with awareness and justice.
  • Examples of what types of changes are needed within the current maternity care systems and examples of models of care that work such as interdisciplinary models of care; example of Mama Sana/Vibrant Woman model that integrates midwifery with community organizing and leadership development by and for those directly impacted by the disparities.

 

Moderators
avatar for Dr. Sayida Peprah, Psy.D., CD

Dr. Sayida Peprah, Psy.D., CD

Licensed Clinical Psychologist & Certified Doula, Bureau of Prisons/Conscious Surrender Childbirth
Dr. Sayida Peprah, Psy.D., CD, has a Doctorate of Psychology in Clinical Psychology, with a Multicultural Clinical-Community Emphasis, from the California School of Professional Psychology at Alliant International University. She is also a Certified Doula with Doulas of North America... Read More →

Speakers
avatar for Marisol Rosales-Mendez, BA

Marisol Rosales-Mendez, BA

residential counselor, st. annes
Marisol Rosales-Mendez, BA is a mother of three children, and an aspiring Nurse-Midwife. She received her Bachelor's in Psychology at Chino State University and currently works ar St. Anne's Maternity Home, a residential center for pregnant teens in the foste care system. Marisol... Read More →
avatar for Luz Chacon, MPH, CLE

Luz Chacon, MPH, CLE

Program Director, Maternal and Child Health Access
Luz Chacón, MPH, CLE has over 25 years of experience developing and implementing community health programs, primarily serving low-income women and families within at-risk communities.  She has worked for a variety of nonprofit agencies including a large community clinic, two different... Read More →
avatar for Kimberly Durdin, IBCLC

Kimberly Durdin, IBCLC

Internationally Board Certified Lacation Consultant/Student Midwife
Kimberly Durdin, IBCLC  is a Los Angeles based IBCLC (International Board Certified Lactation Consultant), Doula, Childbirth Educator and Student Midwife. She received her calling to support birthing and breastfeeding families shortly after having her first child. After experiencing... Read More →
avatar for Paula X. Rojas

Paula X. Rojas

Co-Founder & Licensed Midwife/Certified Professional Midwife, Mamas of Color Rising
Paula X. Rojas, LM, CPM, is a Licensed Midwife and Certified Professional Midwife located in Austin, TX who has over 20 years of experience working in community organizing. Born in Chile, then passing through Houston, TX she spent over a decade working as an organizer in Brooklyn... Read More →
avatar for Nan Strauss, JD (via Videoconference)

Nan Strauss, JD (via Videoconference)

Director of Policy and Research, Choices in Childbirth
Nan Strauss, JD,  is the Director of Policy and Research for Choices in Childbirth  a non profit organization based in NYC, NY.  Most recently, Nan was the lead author of Doula Care in New York City: Advancing the Goals of the Affordable Care Act, which pairs research on the benefits of doula care with personal accounts from women and doulas, to document the need to expand access to doula care for all women in New York City. Before joining Choices in Childbirth, Nan worked as an independent researcher and policy consultant on maternal health. Previously, Nan serv... Read More →
avatar for Michele Giordano, MSW (via Videoconference)

Michele Giordano, MSW (via Videoconference)

Executive Director, Choices in Childbirth
Michele Giordano,MSW,  is the Executive Director of Choices in Childbirth based in NYC. Michele believes making a difference in maternal health necessitates a holistic, integrated approach. Michele started her career at Planned Parenthood, working in reproductive rights. Then... Read More →




Thursday October 15, 2015 9:30am - 11:00am PDT
REDWOOD

11:15am PDT

The Impact of Medical Interventions on Breastfeeding
Limited Capacity seats available
This session will NOT be available as a webinar.

MFCI Principles and Steps this session refers to are:

 Principles:

  • Do No Harm
  • Normalcy of Birth

Steps:

This session refers to MFCI Steps 6, 7, 8 & 10:

Step 6:

  1. Does not routinely employ practices and procedures that are unsupported by scientific evidence, including but not limited to the following:
    • shaving;
    • enemas;
    • IVs (intravenous drip);
    • withholding nourishment or water;
    • early rupture of membranes*;
    • electronic fetal monitoring;

other interventions are limited as follows:

  1.  
    • Has an induction* rate of 10% or less;†
    • Has an episiotomy* rate of 20% or less, with a goal of 5% or less;
    • Has a total cesarean rate of 10% or less in community hospitals, and 15% or less in tertiary care (high-risk) hospitals;
    • Has a VBAC (vaginal birth after cesarean) rate of 60% or more with a goal of 75% or more.

Step 7:

Educates staff in non-drug methods of pain relief, and does not promote the use of analgesic or anesthetic drugs not specifically required to correct a complication.

 

Step 8:

Encourages all mothers and families, including those with sick or premature newborns or infants with congenital problems, to touch, hold, breastfeed, and care for their babies to the extent compatible with their conditions.

Step 10:

 

Strives to achieve the WHO-UNICEF “Ten Steps of the Baby-Friendly Hospital Initiative” to promote successful breastfeeding:

  1. Have a written breastfeeding policy that is routinely communicated to all health care staff;
  2. Train all health care staff in skills necessary to implement this policy;
  3. Inform all pregnant women about the benefits and management of breastfeeding;
  4. Help mothers initiate breastfeeding within a half-hour of birth;
  5. Show mothers how to breastfeed and how to maintain lactation even if they should be separated from their infants;
  6. Give newborn infants no food or drink other than breast milk unless medically indicated;
  7. Practice rooming in: allow mothers and infants to remain together 24 hours a day;
  8. Encourage breastfeeding on demand;
  9. Give no artificial teat or pacifiers (also called dummies or soothers) to breastfeeding infants;
  10. Foster the establishment of breastfeeding support groups and refer mothers to them on discharge from hospitals or clinics

For a description of MFCI principles and steps, go to:  http://wholisticmaternalnewbornhealth.org/cims-mfci-principles-steps/

Conference Themes this session refers to are:

  • Promoting Normalcy of Birth and Breastfeeding
  • Respectful Treatment in Maternity Care


SESSION DESCRIPTION:

In this session, Karen Peters, IBCLC, RD, MBA, former Director of Breastfeed L.A. will present the work of  Linda J. Smith, MPH, FACCE, IBCLC, FILCA, on the impact of medical interventions on breastfeeding such as vacuum extraction, epidurals, cesarean section, episiotomy, suctioning, etc.  Ms. Peters will also describe interventions the Lactation Consultant and/or midwife, nurse, doula or physician can do to support and assist the motherbaby-dyad who has experienced these interventions to help them to successfully breastfeed.


For More information about Linda J. Smith: http://www.bflrc.com/ljs/ljs-home.htm

  1. Identify three typical birth practices related to breastfeeding outcomes
  2. Articulate technique for eliciting and documenting a birth history
  3. Describe three strategies to improve breastfeeding outcomes when families have experienced problematic birth practices.





Speakers
avatar for Karen Peters

Karen Peters

Lactation Consultant, Private Practice
Karen Peters, MBA, RD, IBCLC is a Registered Dietitian and International Board Certified Lactation Consultant located in Los Angeles, CA. Formerly the Executive Director of BreastfeedLA, she will present the work of Linda J. Smith, MPH, IBCLC, FACCE, FILCA on the Impact of Birt... Read More →



Thursday October 15, 2015 11:15am - 12:30pm PDT
BIG SUR

11:15am PDT

Honoring the Pregnant Woman: Clarifying Normal, Emphasizing Collaboration and Remembering Beneficence
Limited Capacity seats available
  

This session refers to the following MFCI Steps and Principles:

Principles

  • Normalcy of Birth
  • Do No Harm
  • Empowerment
  • Autonomy

Steps

Step 4. Provides the birthing woman with the freedom to walk, move about, and assume the positions of her choice during labor and birth (unless restriction is specifically required to correct a complication), and discourages the use of the lithotomy (flat on back with legs elevated) position.

Step 5. Has clearly defined policies and procedures for:

  • Collaborating and consulting throughout the perinatal period with other maternity services, including communicating with the original caregiver when transfer from one birth site to another is necessary;
  • Linking the mother and baby to appropriate community resources, including prenatal and post-discharge follow-up and breastfeeding support.

Step 6.  Does not routinely employ practices and procedures that are unsupported by scientific evidence, including but not limited to the following:

  • shaving;
  • enemas;
  • IVs (intravenous drip);
  • withholding nourishment or water;
  • early rupture of membranes*;
  • electronic fetal monitoring;

other interventions are limited as follows:

  • Has an induction* rate of 10% or less;†
  • Has an episiotomy* rate of 20% or less, with a goal of 5% or less;
  • Has a total cesarean rate of 10% or less in community hospitals, and 15% or less in tertiary care (high-risk) hospitals;
  • Has a VBAC (vaginal birth after cesarean) rate of 60% or more with a goal of 75% or more.

This session refers to the following conference themes:

  • Respectful Treatment in Maternity Care
  • Professional Collaboration in Maternity Care
  • Promoting Normalcy of Birth and Breastfeeding

This session will also be a live international town-hall meeting livestreamed over the internet. To register, go to:  https://2015-mfci-symposium-virtual-meeting.eventbrite.com

SESSION DESCRIPTION:

Dr. Stuart Fischbein, OB/GYN, formerly a hospital doctor and now a homebirth doctor, who has long collaborated with midwives, will lead this session.


In this session, participants will learn how by adhering to ethical and evidenced based standards we can reestablish the normalcy of the human birth process. The presenter will review how the idea of beneficence does include respect by the practitioner for the well informed pregnant woman's reasonable choices. Models of collaboration between home and hospital, midwife and physician for smooth transition of care will be discussed. The goal of this presentation is to assist the participants with evidence to build a case to improve the relationships between care providers in their own communities and so honor the pregnant woman.



Speakers
avatar for Dr. Stuart Fischbein, MD, FACOG

Dr. Stuart Fischbein, MD, FACOG

Physician, Birthing Instincts, Inc.
Stuart James Fischbein, MD was Board Certified in 1989 and became a Fellow of the American College of Obstetrics & Gynecology in 1990. He has been a practicing obstetrician in Southern California since completing his residency. While well trained at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in... Read More →



Thursday October 15, 2015 11:15am - 12:30pm PDT
TAHOE

12:30pm PDT

Lunch
Limited Capacity seats available
Lunch is included in ticket
During this lunch break, we will have a brief presentation on and see a trailer of, Heads Up: The Disappearing Art of Vaginal Breech Delivery, a short film on breech birth. This film is the first of a series that will shed light on little known and sometimes taboo information that goes against the social norm.

Presentations will be by: Dr. Elliot Berlin, Prenatal Chiropractor/Executive Producer and Mel Kennedy-Morrow, Director. The full film plus a Q and A will be an afternoon break-out session after lunch and will feature some of the mothers and physicians featured in the film.

 


Thursday October 15, 2015 12:30pm - 1:30pm PDT
California Endowment Center for Healthy Communities - Redwood Patio 1000 N. Alameda St. Los Angeles, CA 90012

1:45pm PDT

Bridging the Gap: Multidiscliplinary Grand Peer Review with MDs, LMs, CNMs, CDs, RNs
Limited Capacity seats available
This is a confidential session and WILL NOT be broadcast via webinar. No one will be admitted after start of session. Limited to first 10 attendees who add it to their schedule. No one admitted after start of session. All information shared will be confidential.

MFCI Step this session refers to:

Principles

 •
Responsibility
 • Autonomy

Steps

Step 2.
Provides accurate descriptive and statistical information to the public about its practices and procedures for birth care, including measures of interventions and outcomes.

Step 5.
Has clearly defined policies and procedures for:

• Collaborating and consulting throughout the perinatal period with other maternity services, including communicating with the original caregiver when transfer from one birth site to another is necessary;
 • Linking the mother and baby to appropriate community resources, including prenatal and post-discharge follow-up and breastfeeding support.

 For a description of MFCI principles and steps, go to: http://wholisticmaternalnewbornhealth.org/cims-mfci-principles-steps/

 Conference Themes this session refers to are:

 • Professional Collaboration in Maternity Care

This will be a closed session. No-one will be admitted except those who pre-register for the session.This session will not be available via livestreaming over the internet.

SESSION DESCRIPTION:

In this roundtable discussion session, MDs, LMs, CNMs, RNs and CDs have been invited to bring cases of actual anonymous clients to discuss with their peers for feedback and continuiung education. No identifying information will be shared. The purpose of this session is to foster cross-discliplinary communication and a broadening of understanding of all available treatment options. This session is confidential. No one will be permitted in the session once it has started. The invited practitioners will present their cases and the attendees in this session will have an opportunity to ask questions and give constructive criticism. Limited to 10 attendees in addition to the presenters and moderators.



Moderators
avatar for Kerin Asher-Galloway, RN, CNM, MSN

Kerin Asher-Galloway, RN, CNM, MSN

CNM, Kaiser
Kerin Asher-Galloway, RN, CNM, MSN has been a Nurse-Midwife for 14 years. She is a graduate of Columbia University in May of 2001 with a masters degree in Nurse Midwifery. Kerin has delivered over 1000 babies. She works most recently at Kaiser Sunset Los Angeles Medical Center. Prior... Read More →
avatar for Dr. Ruth Mielke, CNM, Ph.D., FACNM

Dr. Ruth Mielke, CNM, Ph.D., FACNM

Assistant Professor Women’s Health Care/ Staff Nurse-Midwife, California State University Fullerton/Eisner Pediatric & Family Medical Center
Dr. Ruth Mielke, CNM, Ph.D., FACNM,  has been practicing full-scope midwifery in Los Angeles for 25 years and more recently also educates nurse midwives and women’s health nurse practitioners at the university level. She received her BSN at Emory University in Atlanta, GA, a master’s... Read More →

Speakers
avatar for Cheryl Baker, CD, CLE, CCE

Cheryl Baker, CD, CLE, CCE

Childbirth Educator/Doula, Los Angeles Birth Partners
Cheryl Baker, CLE, CD, CCE is the founder and owner of Los Angeles Birth Partners, located in Santa Monica offers a wide range of childbirth education classes, developmental play groups, new mom support, and parenting lectures. She has been a childbirth educator and birth doula... Read More →
avatar for Dr. Laila Al-Marayati, MD, FACOG

Dr. Laila Al-Marayati, MD, FACOG

Director, Women's Medical Services, Eisner Pediatric Family Medical Center
Dr. Laila Al-Marayati is a Board-certified Ob-Gyn and Clinical Assistant Professor at LAC+USC in the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology. She currently serves as the Medical Director of Women’s Health at Eisner Pediatric and Family Medical Center, a large community health... Read More →
avatar for Dr. Emiliano Chavira, MD, FACOG, FSMFM

Dr. Emiliano Chavira, MD, FACOG, FSMFM

Physician, MFM Associates
Dr. Emilano Chavira completed his Ob/Gyn residency at USC in Los Angeles. He stayed on at the same institution to complete his fellowship in Maternal-Fetal Medicine (high risk pregnancy). He has a passion for caring for women with complex medical problems in pregnancy, especially... Read More →
avatar for Molly Jarchow ND, LM

Molly Jarchow ND, LM

Naturopathic Doctor and Licensed Midwife, Sage Naturopathic Medicine
Dr. Molly Jarchow, ND, LM,  is a Naturopathic Doctor and Licensed Midwife specializing in holistic care for women and children. Molly provides comprehensive midwifery care for families choosing to give birth at home in Los Angeles as part of the LA Midwife Collective. The best... Read More →


Thursday October 15, 2015 1:45pm - 3:15pm PDT
TAHOE

1:45pm PDT

Film Presentation: "Heads Up: The Disappearing Art of Vaginal Breech Delivery"
Limited Capacity seats available
This session refers to MFCI Principles of :

  • Autonomy
  • Empowerment
  • Responsibility
  • Normalcy of Birth
  • Do No Harm
This session refers to MFCI Steps:

Step 6.
Does not routinely employ practices and procedures that are unsupported by scientific evidence, including but not limited to the following:
  • shaving;
  • enemas;
  • IVs (intravenous drip);
  • withholding nourishment or water;
  • early rupture of membranes*;
  • electronic fetal monitoring;

other interventions are limited as follows:

  • Has an induction* rate of 10% or less;†
  • Has an episiotomy* rate of 20% or less, with a goal of 5% or less;
  • Has a total cesarean rate of 10% or less in community hospitals, and 15% or less in tertiary care (high-risk) hospitals;
  • Has a VBAC (vaginal birth after cesarean) rate of 60% or more with a goal of 75% or more.
This session refers to conference theme of:
  • Promoting Normalcy of Childbirth and Breastfeeding
  • Professional Collaboration in Maternity Care

SESSION DESCRIPTION:

Executive Producer Elliot Berlin of The Informed Pregnancy Project and Director Mel Kennedy-Morrow have collaborated to wake up the birth industry with their documentary, Heads Up: The Disappearing Art of Vaginal Breech Delivery, a short film on breech birth. This film is the first of a series that will shed light on little known and sometimes taboo information that goes against the social norm.

Presentation following the film with Dr. Elliot Berlin, Prenatal Chiropractor/Executive Producer

and

Mel Kennedy-Morrow,Director

and Mothers and Physicians appearing in the film.

 SYNOPSIS:

Time Is Running Out For Breech Babies

Los Angeles, CA, February --, 2015  - In America, 1 baby is born breech every 4 minutes. After a faulty study in 2001, women were given no choice but to deliver breech babies via cesarean section. Even after the study was rejected and the American Congress of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG) concluded that vaginal deliveries of breech were a reasonable choice, doctors were no longer taught this skill in medical school. The doctors with the knowledge and experience are approaching retirement and women will be left without a choice. 

Heads Up delivers facts to debunk the C-section myth and a call to action so that the power of choice can be restored. Actress Morena Baccarin (Gotham, Homeland) and Kimberly Van Der Beek (Wellness Blogger & Public Speaker) eagerly joined this production along with celebrity obstetrician Dr. Paul Crane to share their compelling stories about why informed choice is so important to childbirth in America.

By the end of this presentation, attendees will:
  1. Understand the history of vaginal breech delivery and why it has become a disappearing art. 
  2. Learn the data upon which the 2001 recommendation that all breech deliveries be born via planned cesarean was made as well as the data upon which the 2006 revised recommendation asserting that vaginal breech delivery may be a reasonable option that should be discussed with the patient is based on. 
  3. Learn about selective vaginal breech delivery and the risks and benefits of both vaginal and cesarean breech delivery. 

 


Moderators
avatar for Dr. Elliot Berlin, DC

Dr. Elliot Berlin, DC

Doctor of Chiropractic, Berlin Wellness Group
The award-winning Dr. Elliot I. Berlin, DC, along with his wife, Dr. Alyssa D. Berlin, PsyD, founded Berlin Wellness Group in order to naturally promote comfortable and healthy pregnancy, labor, delivery, and postpartum experiences. Other than being doctors, Elliot and Alyssa are... Read More →

Speakers
avatar for Dr. Stuart Fischbein, MD, FACOG

Dr. Stuart Fischbein, MD, FACOG

Physician, Birthing Instincts, Inc.
Stuart James Fischbein, MD was Board Certified in 1989 and became a Fellow of the American College of Obstetrics & Gynecology in 1990. He has been a practicing obstetrician in Southern California since completing his residency. While well trained at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in... Read More →
avatar for Dr. Paul Crane MD, FACOG

Dr. Paul Crane MD, FACOG

Obstetrician/Gynecologist, Paul Crane, MD
Dr, Paul Crane MD, FACOG has been an OB/GYN for 49 years and has  collaborated with midwives for  most of that time. He works out of his office in Beverly Hills and is the doctor to the stars as well as ordinary women delivering at Cedars Sinai Medical Center in West Los Angeles... Read More →
avatar for Mel Kennedy-Morrow

Mel Kennedy-Morrow

Film Director, Informed Pregnancy Project
Mel Kennedy-Morrow is the Director of the film "Heads Up:The Dissapearing Art of Vaginal Breech Delivery" which will be screened on October 15th at the Symposium. Mel will make a presentation  and participate in a Q and A session along with Dr. Elliot Berlin, DC, Executive Producer... Read More →


Thursday October 15, 2015 1:45pm - 3:15pm PDT
REDWOOD

3:15pm PDT

Afternoon Break
Thursday October 15, 2015 3:15pm - 3:30pm PDT
California Endowment Center for Healthy Communities 1000 N. Alameda St. Los Angeles, CA 90012

3:30pm PDT

Supporting the Special Needs Breastfeeding MotherBaby Dyad
Limited Capacity seats available
This session will NOT be broadcast via webinar.

MFCI Principles and Steps this session refers to are:

 Principles:

  • Do No Harm
  • Normalcy of Birth

Steps:

This session refers to MFCI Steps, 8 & 10:

Step 8:

Encourages all mothers and families, including those with sick or premature newborns or infants with congenital problems, to touch, hold, breastfeed, and care for their babies to the extent compatible with their conditions.

 

Step 10

Strives to achieve the WHO-UNICEF “Ten Steps of the Baby-Friendly Hospital Initiative” to promote successful breastfeeding:

  1. Have a written breastfeeding policy that is routinely communicated to all health care staff;
  1. Train all health care staff in skills necessary to implement this policy;
  2. Inform all pregnant women about the benefits and management of breastfeeding;
  3. Help mothers initiate breastfeeding within a half-hour of birth;
  4. Show mothers how to breastfeed and how to maintain lactation even if they should be separated from their infants;
  5. Give newborn infants no food or drink other than breast milk unless medically indicated;
  6. Practice rooming in: allow mothers and infants to remain together 24 hours a day;
  7. Encourage breastfeeding on demand;
  8. Give no artificial teat or pacifiers (also called dummies or soothers) to breastfeeding infants;
  1. Foster the establishment of breastfeeding support groups and refer mothers to them on discharge from hospitals or clinics

For a description of MFCI principles and steps, go to: 

http://wholisticmaternalnewbornhealth.org/cims-mfci-principles-steps/

Conference Themes this session refers to are:

  • Promoting Normalcy of Birth and Breastfeeding



SESSION DESCRIPTION:

In this session, Dr. Meier, Director, Clinical Research & Lactation Professor of Women, Children & Family Nursing/Professor of Pediatrics, Rush University Medical Center in Chicago, Illinois, who is an international speaker and an  expert on lactation support for high-risk newborns, will discuss how birth workers of all types can support the breastfeeding dyad even when they are special needs such as premature or have other medical conditions.

 In this session, attendees will be able to:

1.  Compare and contrast the short- and long- term outcomes of human milk versus donor human milk and infant formula for infants who require care in the NICU.

2.  Describe the Rush Mothers' Milk Club program of lactation and human milk feeding as an exemplar for supporting lactation in risk populations.

3.  Discuss case studies and talking points that exemplify the engagement of families in decision-making about provision of human milk and breastfeeding after the NICU hospitalization.





Moderators
avatar for Melissa O'Keefe,BS, CLE

Melissa O'Keefe,BS, CLE

CLE, AWMNH
Melissa O'Keefe, BS,  CLE is the Exhibitor Liaison for the conference.Melissa is a Certfied Lactation Educator and Le Leche League Leader and  is a Co-Course Leader for The Association for Wholistic Maternal and Newborn Health.Melissa  O'Keefe is on the Advisory Committee of The... Read More →

Speakers
avatar for Dr. Paula Meier,  PhD, RN, FAAN

Dr. Paula Meier, PhD, RN, FAAN

Director, Clinical Research & Lactation Professor of Women, Children & Family Nursing/Professor of Pediatrics, Rush University Medical Center
Dr. Paula Meier, PhD, RN, FAAN, is the director for clinical research and lactation in the neonatal intensive care unit and is a professor of women, children and family nursing and a professor of pediatrics at Rush University Medical Center in Chicago. She has worked as a practitioner... Read More →


Thursday October 15, 2015 3:30pm - 4:30pm PDT
REDWOOD

4:30pm PDT

Closing Remarks
Please turn in your evaluation and pick up your CEU certificate before you leave.

Thursday October 15, 2015 4:30pm - 4:45pm PDT
REDWOOD

4:45pm PDT

After-Conference Reception
Limited Capacity seats available
If you plan to attend only the Networking Reception, you need this ticket from Eventbrite to sign up: Reception Only (Thursday, October 15, 2015 - 4:00-6:30 pm).

This session will NOT be broadcast via webinar.
We have a limited number of spots available to those who wish to attend a closing reception on the Redwood Patio, immediately following the end of Day Two, Thurs,.Oct. 15. Wine, beer and appetizers will be served. Come celebrate Happy Mamas and Healthy Babies!

Bring your business cards for the community resource table and network with your colleagues.

This reception may be attended separately for an additional fee for those who did not attend the conference.

Thursday October 15, 2015 4:45pm - 6:00pm PDT
California Endowment Center for Healthy Communities - Redwood Patio 1000 N. Alameda St. Los Angeles, CA 90012
 


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