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:I started out as many doulas, attending the births of friends, and soon found this was my passion! In 2003 I completed my training as a Certified Midwife Assistant and Advanced Doula. I haven't looked back since, and I am so grateful for this journey and all that I have learned and been able to share. I have 3 children of my own and I remember all the questions and concerns during each one of my pregnancies. I simply loved being pregnant and the wonder of the miracle of life.
I began Birth Happens Naturally in 2012. After working for several years as a midwife assistant/advanced doula at a birth center, I decided it was time to work independently. I really wanted to reach out and serve the birthing community.