May, 2010

Visual Aids for Childbirth Preparation

Every now and again I find myself teaching a class that is just a tad less responsive than usual.  They don't ask many questions and don't have many comments.  Sometimes its like pulling teeth just to get them to say anything.  Everyone has different ways of learning-some like to listen to me talk-others prefer to have a visual to reinforce the discussion.  It is important to have some variety in your classes-different ways of learning concepts that compliment one another.  Most of the time I use different videos and/or visual aids. I would love to hear what you have incorporated into your childbirth education classes. 

A few of my favorite videos include-In Joy's "Everyday Miracles" and "Stages of Labor" as well as my all time favorites by Penny Simkin-"Comfort Measures" and "The 3 Rs."  So far I have not purchased any visual aids but have created my own-I always use the Fear-Tension-Pain Cycle diagram in all of my classes - I find it very helpful.

What visual aids do you use most? Which ones do you find most helpful?  What are some of your favorite videos? And what do you do when you have a quiet class?  

Pregnancy and Birth Poetry Contest Finalists...

We had many beautiful entries-Let us know what you think...

The winner will be announced next week!  Thank you to all who took part-



 

SWEET SIXTEEN

Late. Positive.

There's a baby on the way.

Should I laugh or scream or cry?
Or maybe even pray?

 

Sick. Tired.

There's a baby on the way.

I haven't told a single soul.

What will people say?

The 50th Anniversary Mega Conference!! Register Today!!

Celebrating Our Pasts-Uniting for the Future of Birth-September 30-October 3, 2010-Miluakee, WI

ICEA has a long history of amazing conferences-in fact I recently came across an old convention booklet from the International Convention in 1997 entitled "Celebrating the Educator-Renewing the Spirit."  I can not begin to express how much fun I have been having flipping through the 300 or so pages.  Its amazing how much information is still relevant.  

So it is within that spirit that I am thrilled to be writing about this year's event.  ICEA has joined forces with Lamaze this year to host a "Mega-Conference." Mega-indeed-50 years is quite impressive.  Its overwhelming to think about how long ICEA has been in existence-I was flipping through the very first issue of Mothering Magazine the other day and stumbled upon an article about ICEA (I will post that to the blog one of these days). The excitement is bubbling over.  

Check out what is on the agenda: 

* Video: Laboring Under an Illusion with commentary from the filmmaker, Vicki Elson, MA, CCE 

* Warren Newton, MD: Prospective on Developing a Collaborative System of Care in Education 

Call to Action-Maternal Health Crisis

Please take a few minutes today to contact your members of Congress and ask them to attend the Congressional briefing on the maternal health crisis on Thursday, May 6th, from 12:00-2:00 pm in the Rayburn House Office Building, Room 2226. (Lunch will be served).

 

Stories as a Teaching Tool

I have been teaching childbirth education classes for almost two years.  The more births I attend, the more classes I teach - the more stories I am exposed to. I try to vary my teaching techniques as much as possible and it occurred to me recently how valuable the stories I tell in class are to the learning process. Using real life examples was an instinctual technique that found validation while reading one of the "required texts" for certification through ICEA.  ("Prepared Childbirth-The Educator's Guide"). I have a few favorites that always make an appearance at some point in the class series and I am looking forward to the opportunity to experience more.

I wanted to check in with other educators and find out if they use story telling as a tool in their classes and if so-which are their favorites?  Do you find telling birth stories valuable? Do you share your own experiences or those of friends and family?  For those of you who are fortunate enough to attend births-have you used any of those stories to complement your lectures-confidentially of course....

What works for you?