2014 Mother-Friendly Childbirth  Initiative Symposium

 “MEDICINE AND MIDWIFERY: BRIDGING THE GAP”

A Conference for Perinatal  Health  Professionals

Tuesday and Wednesday, April 29 & 30, 2014

Download: Conference Flyer | Download: Conference Program

Location:

California Endowment Center for Healthy Communities

1000 N. Alameda Street, Los Angeles, CA 90012

Hosted by

The Association for Wholistic Maternal and Newborn Health (AWMNH)

in Collaboration with

California Nurse-Midwives Association (CNMA)

KEYNOTE SPEAKER: ROBBIE DAVIS-FLOYD, Ph.D.

Cultural and Medical Anthropologist

Senior Research Fellow, Dept. of Anthropology, University of Texas, Austin

Author of  Birth As An American Rite of Passage

WATCH VIDEO CLIP FROM CONFERENCE:

Dr. Robbie Davis-Floyd at MFCI Symposium 2014

DAY ONE AGENDA | DAY TWO AGENDA | SESSION DESCRIPTIONS

 

I am just buzzing–I mean it feels like every cell in my body is humming with a deep adoration and gratitude for all of you amazing birth care providers, advocates, educators, midwives, RNs, and mothers…Thank you for continuing to inspire me and give me direction in my (nonlinear and somewhat disorganized) journey. So much food for thought (and fuel for action).”

-Angeline Shiley, an attendee at the conference

Purpose of The Conference

To galvanize the perinatal  community to harmoniously work together to create multidiscliplinary maternity care teams committed to forwarding the action towards  a mother- and baby-centered, collaborative model of maternity care in Los Angeles County.

Audience

Physicians, Midwives, Doulas, Nurses, Childbirth Educators, Academics, Researchers, Funders,  Public Health Professionals, Community Perinatal Health Workers and more.

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) Enhance maternity care providers ability to apply cultural anthropological perspectives to the study of maternity care and reproduction across cultures.

6)  Maternity care providers will benefit from an understanding of the effects of industrialization on childbirth practices, and how these have changed with the development of the technocracy, and will identify the effects of industrialization on childbirth practices, and how these have changed with the development of the technocracy three major paradigms of healing available today–the technocratic, humanistic, and holistic models of medicine.  Profound differences in belief, practice, and worldview among practitioners of each of these three paradigms will be delineated, so that birth practitioners can understand the consistency of these models and evaluate their own choices in terms of where they wish to stand on this spectrum, and how they choose to practice.

7) 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.

8) Participants will be able to describe what motivated some physicians  to change, the forms those changes took over time, the current ways in which they practice, the persecution they suffer from the larger health care system, and the ways in which they are working, individually and collectively, to transform that systems in which they work.

9) 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).

About the Keynote Speaker

Robbie Davis-Floyd PhD, Senior Research Fellow, Dept. of Anthropology, University of Texas Austin, is a medical anthropologist specializing in the anthropology of reproduction. An international speaker and researcher, she is author of over 80 articles and of Birth as an American Rite of Passage (1992, 2004); coauthor of From Doctor to Healer: The Transformative Journey (1998); and coeditor of ten collections, including Childbirth and Authoritative Knowledge: Cross-Cultural Perspectives (1997); Cyborg Babies: From Techno-Sex to Techno-Tots (1998); and Mainstreaming Midwives: The Politics of Change (2006). Her latest book is Birth Models That Work (2009), an edited collection that highlights excellent models of birth care around the world. This is Volume 1 of a 2-volume series; the second volume, entitled Birth Models on the Global Edge, is underway. Robbie’s research on global trends and transformations in childbirth, obstetrics, and midwifery is ongoing. She currently serves as Editor and Board Member for the International MotherBaby Childbirth Organization (IMBCO).

About The Sponsoring Organizations

The Association for Wholistic Maternal and Newborn Health (AWMNH)

AWMNH is a Los Angeles community-based training and maternal-infant health advocacy organization which provides education and support to childbearing families  and offers networking and training opportunities for maternal-child health professionals. The organization promotes The Mother-Friendly Childbirth Initiative (MFCI) developed by the Coalition for Improving Maternity Services (CIMS)  to improve maternal and infant health outcomes.

 California Nurse-Midwives Association (CNMA)

CNMA’s mission is to facilitate the integration of nurse-midwives into the healthcare system of California,  and to promote legislation/regulations supportive of maternal-child health goals.

Mission of the Coalition for Improving Maternity Services

CIMS is an international coalition of individuals and  organizations with concern for the care and well-being of mothers, babies, and families. CIMS mission is to: “promote a wellness model of maternity care that will improve birth outcomes and substantially reduce costs. This evidence-based mother-, baby-, and family-friendly model focuses on prevention and wellness as the alternatives to high-cost screening, diagnosis, and treatment programs”.

“The evidence-based Mother-Friendly Childbirth Initiative (MFCI) evolved from the collaborative effort of many individuals and more than 26 organizations focused on pregnancy, birth and breastfeeding during meetings spanning nearly three years in the 1990′. The MFCI – the cornerstone of our mission – is the first and only consensus document on U.S. maternity care.”  The scientific evidence supporting the MFCI was published in the peer-reviewed Journal of Perinatal Education in 2007.

Evidence Basis for the Ten Steps of Mother-Friendly Care in the Journal of Perinatal Education, 2007, Issue 16, a Special Supplement Download now

31 individuals and 26 organizations representing over 90,000 members ratified the Mother-Friendly Childbirth Initiative (MFCI) on July 1, 1996 These original signers (or “Ratifiers”) of the MFCI are listed here.

Benefits of The Mother-Friendly Childbirth Initiative for Hospitals, Clinics, Doctors, Nurses and Families

1) Increased patient satisfaction resulting in better compliance to medical recommendations and improved outcomes

2) Increased job satisfaction among nurses; helps to retain qualified staff and reduce turnover

3) Improvement in quality of care (evidence-based practices resulting in better outcomes for mothers and infants)

4) Cost-savings to hospitals because of shorter labors and less medical interventions

5) For doctors, clinics and hospitals, increased patient satisfaction results in repeat business and word-of-mouth recommendations

 

OVERVIEW OF CONFERENCE

DAY ONE AGENDA: TUESDAY, APRIL 29, 2014 (Symposium & Reception)

CONFERENCE SCHEDULE:

8:00–8:30 am – Check in

8:15 am – Welcome – Wende Owen, President, California Nurse-Midwives Association and Cordelia Hanna, Executive Director, Association for Wholistic Maternal and Newborn Health

Session 1: 8:30-9:00 am –-“Overview of the Coalition for Improving Maternity Services Mother-Friendly Childbirth Initiative and It’s Alignment with Healthcare Reform”-Speaker: Cordelia Hanna, MPH, CHES, ICCE, CLE, CBA, Executive Director, AWMNH

Session 2: 9:00 –10:30 am – “The Technocratic, Humanistic, and Holistic Models of Birth” – Speaker: Robbie Davis-Floyd, Ph.D.,Senior Research Fellow, Dept. of Anthropology, University of Texas Austin

10:30-10:45 am – Morning Break

Session 3: 10:45 am-12:00 pm “Good Girls and Guys: The Paradigm Shift of Holistic Obstetricians: Why Some Doctors Choose To Change” – Speaker: Robbie Davis-Floyd, Ph.D.

12:00-1:00 pm – Lunch

Session 4: 1:00- 2:30 pm –  “Home Birth Emergencies: The Trouble with Transport” – Speaker: Robbie Davis-Floyd, Ph.D.

2:30-3:00 pm – Afternoon Break

Session 5: 3:00-4:15 pm – Panel Discussion: “Implementation of Holistic Multidisciplinary, Mother- and Baby-Centered Maternity Care- Teams”  (Panel Discussion)  Panel Moderator: Dr. Ruth Meilke, CNM, DNP., California State University, Fullerton

Session 5: 3:00-4:15 pm – Panel Discussion: “Implementation of Holistic Multidisciplinary, Mother- and Baby-Centered Maternity Care- Teams”   Panel Moderator: Dr. Ruth Meilke, CNM, DNP., California State University, Fullerton

Adjourn 4:15 pm

4:30 -6:00 pm – Wine and Cheese Reception & Book Signing With Dr. Davis-Floyd

 DAY TWO AGENDA: WEDNESDAY, APRIL 30, 2014 (In-Depth Workshop for 20 persons)

Topic: “The Anthropology of Reproduction: An Evolutionary Perspective on Childbirth, Obstetrics, Midwifery, Breastfeeding, and the New Reproductive Technologies”

Presenter:  Robbie Davis-Floyd, Ph.D., Senior Research Fellow, Dept. of Anthropology, University of Texas & Fellow, Society for Applied Anthropology

Format: Full-day day CEU Workshop (for up to 20 people).

Schedule: 9:00 am – 4:00 pm

SESSION DESCRIPTIONS

DAY ONE: TUESDAY, APRIL 29, 2014 (Symposium & Reception)

Session 1: 8:30-9:00 am –-” Overview of The Coalition for Improving Maternity Services and The Mother-Friendly Childbirth Initiative and It’s Alignment to Health Care Reform”-Speaker: Cordelia Hanna, MPH, CHES, ICCE, CLE, CBA, Executive Director, AWMNH

Session Description:
In this session, we will discuss the history of the Coalition for Improving Maternity Services (CIMS), a coalition of leading maternity care associations with concerns for mothers and infants and the Mother-Friendly Childbirth Initiative (MFCI), a 10-step, evidence-based recommendation to improve maternity care and reach public health objectives for maternal and infant health. Examples of how to implement the 10 steps in the clinic, community and hospital setting will be described and the ways in which the MFCI is aligned with the Affordable Care Act  and other national policies for quality improvement and national priorities for maternal health planning will be described.

Session 2: 9:00 –10:30 am – “The Technocratic, Humanistic, and Holistic Models of Birth” – Speaker: Robbie Davis-Floyd, Ph.D.,Senior Research Fellow, Dept. of Anthropology, University of Texas Austin

Session Description: 
What are the three major paradigms that define the current spectrum of global health care? Where do various types of birth practitioners and their clients fit along that spectrum?

This talk presents the results of an anthropological study (carried out by Robbie Davis-Floyd and Gloria St. John) of models of health care and of the paradigm shift made by increasing numbers of health care practitioners. The presentation begins with a description of three major paradigms of healing available today–the technocratic, humanistic, and holistic models of medicine (see handout). The profound differences in belief, practice, and worldview among practitioners of each of these three paradigms are delineated, so that birth practitioners can understand the consistency of these models and evaluate their own choices in terms of where they wish to stand on this spectrum.

The ability to identify which paradigm a given practitioner or client is operating under gives maternity care practitioners a set of tools they can use to communicate with that practitioner or client. Understanding the subtle differences between humanistic and holistic practitioners can be of great use, as what is easily understandable and workable to a holistic practitioner may be well outside the tolerance range of the humanist (and completely unacceptable to the technocrat). Maternity care practitioners should be aware that a major catalyst for a given practitioner’s (or client’s) paradigm shift is often direct exposure to alternative systems. Practitioners can use the information in this workshop for self-evaluation and introspection: are they practicing under the paradigm they choose?

The Mother-Friendly Childbirth Initiative (MFCI) will also be a focus. It is an entirely humanistic initiative that includes some elements of holism and of course some elements of techno-medicine when it is evidence-based. I will demonstrate how the MFCI spans these three paradigms. At the end of the talk I will provide a forum for discussion among nurses, doctors, childbirth educators, midwives, administrators, and others on the challenges and benefits of implanting the MFCI 10 Steps in the clinical setting.

Learner Objectives:

At the end of this session, participants will be able to:

1. Explain the primary differences between the technocratic, humanistic, and holistic paradigms of health care and describe the significance of the spectrum of care these paradigms constitute.
2. List four primary factors that often motivate medical practitioners, including physicians and nurses, to move outside of conventional

medicine.
3. Pinpoint the opportunities for maternity care practitioners and lactation consultants that arise from the growing phenomenon of practitioners and clients shifting paradigms.
4. Describe the possible futures that can emerge from the ideological and social implications of each of the 3 paradigms.

5. Pinpoint where the MFCI falls on the spectrum of these three paradigms, and discuss the challenges and opportunities for implementing humanistic Mother-Friendly care in technocratic institutions.

10:30-10:45 am – Morning Break

Session 3: 10:45 am-12:00 pm – “Good Girls and Guys: The Paradigm Shift of Holistic Obstetricians: Why Some Doctors Choose To Change” – Speaker: Robbie Davis-Floyd, Ph.D.

Session Description:
Why do some obstetricians choose to radically change? This question is most poignant in Brazil, a country with one of the highest cesarean rates in the world. This presentation is based on 32 interviews with Brazil’s holistic obstetricians, who call themselves “the good guys and girls.” Come and lean what motivates them to change, how they do it over time, how they practice now, and what that means for midwives! Robbie offers concrete information about how midwives and doulas can encourage and facilitate this paradigm shift in obstetricians in any country.

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

1.    Describe why some Brazilian obstetricians, working in a country with one of the highest cesarean rates in the world (54%), choose to make a “paradigm shift” and practice holistically. And describe why some American obstetricians choose to do the same, in a country so focused on the technocratic model of birth. Pinpoint some of their multiple motivations in cross-culturally comparative ways.

2.     Define “holistic obstetrician” and why that term can, according to Davis-Floyd’s definition of it, encompass obs who have cesarean rates that range from 7% to 30%. Explain how a “holistic obstetrician” can even have a cesarean rate of 30%. Identify the “pivot points” in their lives that make them open to change, and some of the baby and then giant steps they take in their process of change. Once they decide to change the way they practice, how do they start? Describe the baby and then giant steps they take in their process of change.

3.     Define “holistic obstetrical practice” and how it differs from traditional medical (technocratic) practice in both countries. Contrast the relationships of holistic ob practice vs. technocratic practice to the scientific evidence, and describe the role that evidence plays in the paradigm shift of holistic obs. Explain why they in fact pay attention to it and act on it when the vast majority of obs in both countries do not.

4.     Identify the relationships of these holistic obs to the larger medical system in Brazil and the U.S., the types of persecution they experience, and how they cope with that persecution by finding support among midwives, doulas, and childbirth activists, and in their online support groups and the organizations they create and participate in to advocate for change in their respective countries in support of normal physiological birth.

5.     Describe their relationships with midwives and their efforts to support the development and growth of professional midwifery in both countries. Explain why they choose to adopt the midwifery model of care, and sometimes call themselves “midwife-obstetricians.” Learn how midwives can work to facilitate the same kind of paradigm shift in other obstetricians. Pinpoint their opinions of and reactions to the International MotherBaby Childbirth Initiative (IMBCI): 10 Steps to Optimal Maternity Care, which grew out of the CIMS Mother-Friendly Childbirth Initiative (MFCI), and explain how they apply this initiative in their own practices and in their efforts to change the practices of others.

6.     Consider their relationship to religion and spirituality, which differs widely between the American and Brazilian holistic obs we have studied, and describe the role it sometimes plays regarding the values they hold and in opening them to change.

12:00-1:00 pm – Lunch

Session 4: 1:00- 2:30 pm –  “Home Birth Emergencies: The Trouble with Transport” – Speaker: Robbie Davis-Floyd, Ph.D.

Session Description:

The process of transporting a laboring mother from home to hospital can involve a collision of worldviews and belief systems. This talk presents ethnographic examples of such collisions and the various types of articulations that can result, from fractured to smooth and even

seamless.

In this presentation, the focus will be on the differences between the cultures of obstetrics and home birth midwifery. Although physicians are taught that effective communication requires that they consider the cultural orientations of their patients, this teaching almost never includes the orientations of non-medical practitioners like home birth midwives (and their clients). These differences become most salient and in need of careful, culturally sensitive communication in the encounters that take place between midwives who are transporting a client from home to hospital during an emergency and the obstetrical practitioners—physicians, nurse-midwives, and nurses—who receive that patient. This talk analyzes such encounters through the lens provided by the transport stories American midwives and physicians tell. These stories refract the communication difficulties that can result when the usually quite separate cultural systems of obstetrics and home birth midwifery are brought face to face. The trouble may start with the arrival of the EMTs at the home or upon arrival at the hospital, when the midwives try to explain the client’s labor history, the reasons for the transport, and the course of action they recommend. The articulation, or lack of it, between what the midwives say and what the hospital practitioners hear and are willing to do about it often has dramatic effects on the outcome of the birth.  Davis-Floyd will analyze these encounters along a spectrum of cross-cultural communicative possibilities, from fractured to smooth and even seamless articulations between home birth midwives and medical personnel.

1.    Description of  Dr. Davis-Floyd’s study on home-to-hospital transport

2.    The anthropological concept of “articulation”
3.    Four possible types of articulation re home-to-hospital transport: Dis-articulation, fractured articulation, smooth articulation, seamless articulation
4.    Transport stories with many quotes exemplifying the four types of articulation
5.    Presentation of factors that can enhance smooth and seamless articulation
6.    Magical transport mandorlas

2:30-2:45 pm – Afternoon Break

2:45-4:15 pm – Panel Discussion: “Implementation of Holistic Multidisciplinary, Mother- and Baby-Centered Maternity Care- Teams”  (Panel Discussion)  Panel Moderator: Dr. Ruth Meilke, CNM, DNP., California State University, Fullerton

Session Description:
In this session, we will explore the role of all of the players on the maternity care team  as they work together to deliver cohesive, quality care to pregnant and birthing women, and implement evidence-based maternity care based on the principals and steps of the Mother-Friendly Childbirth Initiative. In addition, we will explore pertinent issues in maternal and infant health, i.e.; health equity how the MFCI can address perinatal health disparities. Additionally, we will discuss  future possibilities for Medical and Midwifery collaboration.

Opening Remarks:

Carl Coan, MS, MPH, President and CEO, Eisner Pediatric and Family Medical Center

Mr. Coan has been president and CEO of EPFMC since 1990. He has been instrumental in broadening EPFMC’s service mix to include programs in “whole family” health and well-being, prenatal care and delivery, and mental health. He previously served for eleven years as director of planning for the Los Angeles Regional Family Planning Council and for six years as a private consultant to the healthcare industry. Mr. Coan is president of the Health Care L.A. IPA, a member of the Southside Coalition of Community Health Centers, and a board member for both the Community Clinic Association of Los Angeles County and the California Primary Care Association. He holds an MS in Human Genetics and an MPH in Public Health from the University of Michigan.

 

 

 

Panel Moderator:

Dr. Ruth Meilke, CNM, Ph.D., Eisner Pediatric & Family Medical Center/California State University, Fullerton and  Staff Nurse-Midwife/Assistant Professor Women’s Health Care Concentration

Dr. Mielke’s scholarly work includes contributions to the Journal of Midwifery and Women’s Health, a book chapter in women’s health text, and numerous presentations locally and nationally. Research interests include pregnancy weight gain, gestational diabetes, health issues of Hispanic women, and Centering Pregnancy.  Service includes being a reviewer for the Journal of Midwifery and Women’s Health, membership on the American College of Nurse-Midwives Division of Standards and Practice, and being on the advisory board for LA Best Babies Perinatal Collaborative.

Dr. Mielke is a past president of the California Nurse Midwives Association and is currently the Southern California regional representative for the organization.  She has mostly been involved with midwifery in hospitals and is passionate about preserving and promoting the normalcy in birth in the hospital setting.

 

Panelists:

Dr. Laila Al-Marayati, MD, OB/GYN,  Medical Director of Women’s Health Services, Eisner Pediatric Medical Center, Los Angeles, CA

Dr. Al-Marayati is a Palestinian-American doctor and Islamic activist, and former presidential appointee to the US Commission on International Religious Freedom, where she served for two years after being appointed by President Bill Clinton.

Al-Marayati was born in 1962 and was raised in Los Angeles. Her father, the late Dr. Sabri El Farra, was originally from the Gaza Strip and her mother is from Missouri.

She earned her medical degree from UC-Irvine, and received specialty training in Obstetrics and Gynecology at Los Angeles County USC Women’s Hospital. After, she opened her own practice focusing on gynecology, which she ran for 11 years. She is currently an Assistant Professor of Clinical Obstetrics and Gynecology at the University of Southern California, Keck School of Medicine. She also serves as the Director of Women’s Health at the Eisner Pediatric and Family Medical Center in downtown Los Angeles.

In the 1990s, Al-Marayati served as a member of the US State Department’s Advisory Committee on Religious Freedom Abroad, and was a member of the official US Delegation to the United Nations Fourth World Conference on Women in Beijing, China, alongside former-First Lady Hillary Rodham-Clinton, in 1995.

From 1999 to 2001, she served as a presidential appointee to the US Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF).

In addition, she has been the spokesperson for the Muslim Women’s League, based in Los Angeles since 1994. The MWL’s main work has been to educate Muslims and non-Muslims alike about the rights of women in Islam. She is the author of numerous articles and position papers on a range of issues that include topics such as sexuality in Islam and violence against women. Al-Marayati led a fact-finding delegation to Croatia during the Balkan War to help spread awareness about rape survivors from Bosnia. She continues to be an outspoken critic against female genital cutting (also known as female circumcision or female genital mutilation) and other practices that are harmful to women.

Dr. Kevin Justus, MD, FACOG – Chief Perinatologist, Medical Director & CEO of the Centers for Maternal Fetal Medicine, Los Angeles County, CA

After receiving his Doctor of Medicine in 1999 Dr. Justus completed his internship and residency in Obstetrics and Gynecology at St. Luke’s Hospital & Health network in Le High Valley, PA, followed by a fellowship in Maternal Fetal Medicine at Cedars Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles, CA.  Dr. Justus is certified with the American Board of Obstetrics and Gynecology with a sub-specialtiy in Maternal Fetal Medicine; National Translucency Quality Review and is a CA Prenatal Diagnosis Provider.

Dr. Justus is a current member of the American College of Obstetrics and Gynecology, American Institute of Ultrasound in Medicine and Society for Maternal Fetal Medicine.  He has co-authored numerous publications and presentations and has been involved in many research experiences.  In addition, Dr. Justus has a clinical appointment at the Keck School of Medicine, USC, within the department of Obstetrics and Gynecology. Dr. Justus is currently the Medical Director & CEO of the Centers for Maternal Fetal Medicine.

 

 

Ana Paula Markel, CD, ICCE – Doula & Childbirth Educator, Owner, Bini Birth, North Hollywood, CA

Ana Paula Markel originates from Brazil, and  is the mother of four children. Having experienced two cesarean births, a medicated vaginal birth and a natural birth (in that order), Ana Paula discovered a passionate interest in the childbirth process. Her goal is to assist mothers and families to explore the many options available in childbirth (and parenting) and to take responsibility of their choices. Ana Paula has been teaching a very fun and active childbirth preparation workshop in Los Angeles, for the past 14 years and has supported thousands of families during pregnancy, childbirth and postpartum. Ana is also a doula trainer for DONA International and has been mentoring new doulas for the past 10 years. Ana Paula is honored to serve as Director of International Development for DONA International and to be on the advisory board for PAM (Pregnancy Awareness month ) and The Ina May Gaskin Documentary. In 2013 Ana Paula joined the prestigious faculty of the Simkin Center at Bastyr University to teach Doula Trainings. Ana Paula is the only non clinical/staff to be invited to join Cedars-Sinai Medical Center Customization of Care Task Force.

In 2008 Ana founded BINI Birth, a center in Los Angeles dedicated to the childbirth education field, doula training, parenting classes and green pregnancy retail. BINI offers a variety of classes for pregnant couples and new parents. BINI offers prenatal and postnatal yoga, Hypnobirthing, Breastfeeding classes and support groups for new mothers and Ana’s very popular workshops. BINI Birth is also the premiere doula referral service in Los Angeles. Ana Paula’s clientele is unique, informed and conscious. Ana has been feature in many magazines, newspapers and TV shows both in the US and Internationally. Ana Paula is passionate about connecting families of all backgrounds with their ideal birth support team and encouraging parents to make conscious decisions about their children.

Melissa O’Keefe, LLLI, CLE – Le Leche League Leader, Certified Lactation Educator, Mother, Glendale, CA

Melissa graduated Cum Laude with a B.S. in Education from  St. Mary-of-the-Wood in Indiana. She has been a Le Leche League Leader for 17 years and was trained by DONA International as a Doula. Melissa was trained by The Association for Wholistic Maternal and Newborn Health (AWMNH) as a Perinatal Support Specialist in 2013.

She currently serves as AWMNH’s fundraising chairperson and is on the planning committee for the Mother-Friendly Childbirth Symposium 2014. She is a mother of four children, including twin girls who she delivered naturally and vaginally in the hospital full term, with the support of Licensed Midwives and an OB-GYN. She exclusively breastfed all of her children, including her twins. She is passionate about promoting collaboration between doctors, midwives, nurses, doulas, breastfeeding specialists and childbirth educators for the benefit of mothers and infants alike.

 

 

Geraldine Perry-Williams, ASRN, BSN, PHN, MSN – MCAH Director/Perinatal Services Coordinator, Pasadena Public Health Department, Pasadena, CA

Geraldine Perry-Williams, ASRN, BSN, PHN, MSN, is a registered nurse currently working as the Maternal, Child and Adolescent Health Director and the Perinatal Services Coordinator for the City of Pasadena Public Health Department.  She has worked in the field of maternal child health for over 30 years in various capacities working in the hospital postpartum unit, NICU and high risk and in public health for the last 20 years. Geraldine is a Birth Assistant, a La Leche League Trained Breastfeeding Counselor Trainer, a Lamaze Pregnancy and Childbirth Health Educator, State Certified Outreach Worker Trainer, S.I.D.S. Trainer and CPR Instructor.  She has presented on numerous health topics and workshops throughout the community.  Geraldine has developed and implemented numerous programs for the community.  She has volunteered in a variety of activities to promote public health including Public Health Week, community health workshops, and facilitating Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS) conferences, organizing health fairs and others. Geraldine is a Birth Assistant, a La Leche League Trained Breastfeeding Counselor Trainer, a Lamaze Pregnancy and Childbirth Health Educator, State Certified Outreach Worker Trainer, S.I.D.S. Trainer and CPR Instructor.   She is active in church activities, is married and has four adult children and three grandchildren, all born healthy to healthy moms.

 

 

Kerin Asher-Galloway, CNM – Certified Nurse-Midwife, Eisner Pediatric Medical Center, Los Angeles and Haven at Home Midwifery, Santa Clarita, CA

Kerin has been a Nurse-Midwife for 13 years, She is a graduate of Columbia University in May of 2001 with a masters in Nurse Midwifery. Ms. Asher-Galloway has delivered almost 1000 babies. She has worked most recently at Eisner Pediatric and Family Medical Center, and at Kaiser Panorama City, at the same time as having a home birth practice, Haven at Home Midwifery.

Ms. Asher-Galloway specializes in Centering Pregnancy,  speaks Spanish, and teaches at USC Medical School. She  has been asked to speak at the Mother-Friendly Childbirth Initiative Symposium to share how she has  bridged the different settings into a wonderful work world.

 

 

 

 

Chemin Perez, LM, CPM, CD – Licensed Midwife/Certified Professional Midwife

Chemin Perez is a Certified Doula and a California Licensed Midwife and Certified Professional Midwife accredited through the North American Registry of Midwives (NARM). She graduated from  National College of Midwifery  and received her California midwifery license in 2014 through the California Medical Board. She currently works at the Santa Clarita Birth Center in Santa Clarita, CA where she received her supervised clinical training under Renee Cicignano, LM, CPM.

She is a mother to six children and she is also a grandmother to two grandsons, born at home, who she helped deliver.

Chemin is proud to be the first Licensed Midwife of Mexican heritage in Los Angeles County. She is fully bi-lingual in Spanish and English and is very committed to serving the Latino community who want out-of-hospital birth.

Prior to becoming a midwife, she was a volunteer Doula with Pasadena Public Health Department’s Caring Companions Doula Program where she had the pleasure of being part  of  a team of maternal-child health professionals who worked harmoniously together to advocate for a very  exceptional young pregnant woman whose birth story she will share at the conference.

 

L’Tanya Simien-Robnett, RN, MSN, NEA-BC, Director, Perinatal Services, Good Samaritan Hospital, Los Angeles, CA

Ms. Simien-Robnett has more than 25 years in the areas of Maternal Child Health (Cedars-Sinai Medical Center – 12 years and St. Francis Medical Center (13 years) covering Maternal Child Services.   Ms. Simien-Robnett’s  MSN is in Nursing Administration and  she holds board certification is as a Nursing Executive, Advanced.  She  maintains certifications consistent with  areas she covers (BLC, NRP, ALS, and Advanced Fetal Monitoring) and well as Six Sigma and a secondary Certification in Quality Management.

Good Samaritan Hospital is located in downtown Los Angeles and has a very  patient friendly birthing services.  Allied health professional (Midwives in L&D, NP/PA’s in NICU) support the in-house OB Hospitalist as well as the Anesthesia and Neonatology.  In line with the Mother-Friendly objectives, Good Samaritan hospital supports the mothers to have a less invasive labor experience (fetal monitoring, IV’s, etc) to support the mother’s birth plan so long as the mother is stable and baseline assessments support this path.

4:15 pm –  Adjourn

Wine and Cheese Reception

4:30-6:00 pm  – Book Signing by Dr. Davis-Floyd, Networking

Bring your Dr. Davis-Floyd books for signature or buy one at the event. Proceeds benefit CNMA. Bring your business cards for the resource table.

6:00 pm Adjourn

DAY TWO: WEDNESDAY, APRIL 30, 2014 (Small Workshop for up to 20 persons – A whole college course in one day!)

Topic: “The Anthropology of Reproduction: An Evolutionary Perspective on Childbirth, Obstetrics, Midwifery, Breastfeeding, and the New Reproductive Technologies”

Presenter:  Robbie Davis-Floyd, Ph.D., Senior Research Fellow, Dept. of Anthropology, University of Texas & Fellow, Society for Applied Anthropology

Format: Full-day day CEU Workshop, 9:00 am – �4:00 pm

Schedule:

8:30 am – 9:00 am – Check In  & Breakfast (On Your Own)

9:00 am – 10:30 am –  “The Anthropology of Birth”

10:30-10:45 am – Morning Break

10:45 am -12:00 pm – “The Anthropology of Midwifery: Creation of a new Subdiscipline”
12:00 – 1:00 pm Lunch (On Your Own)
1:00 – 4:00 pm –” A Wider Arena: The Anthropology of Reproduction”

Summary of Workshop:

This workshop offers an overview of the exciting sub-discipline of the anthropology of reproduction from its early beginnings to its latest findings. The anthropology of reproduction is a rapidly growing field. Its present span is too wide to fully encompass in one day, so in this workshop I will concentrate on anthropological studies in four major areas: childbirth, midwifery, the new reproductive technologies, and the politics of nation-states as they play out on women’s bodies and affect women’s reproductive lives. I will describe the works I consider to be key in each area and summarize their findings, and will suggest important directions for future research.

Dr. Davis-Floyd’s goal is to provide a stimulating overview of these anthropological subdisciplines for midwives and others who want to know what the social scientists are up to, and to accompany that overview with an extensive annotated bibliography that will provide a helpful template for further exploration and research.

Learner Objectives

By the end of this workshop, participants will be able to:

1. Define anthropology and describe its major subfields.

2. Identify major works in the anthropology of birth and their relevance to contemporary midwifery.

3. Name and describe the six subsistence strategies that humans have developed in the course of their cultural evolution.

4. Describe childbirth and midwifery across cultures in evolutionary perspective.