Waterbirth is awesome

Yay for more birth workshop learning. One day, I will be out there in the birth world, making birth super, one family at a time. Until then, I will learn lots and store it all in my brain.

The Waterbirth Certification workshop was run by Barbara Harper -- those of you in the birth world know that she's a pretty big deal. (Really, she is. She's awesome.) She is the founder of Waterbirth International, an organization that has brought waterbirth to thousands of US hospitals and dozens of other countries. And I got to learn about it all from her. And I ate lunch with her. Nyah - nyah. :)

Anyway, I learned a lot, about waterbirth and birth in general. There were a bunch of student midwives in there, and she presented information to us that kinda turned some of our learning up-side down... there's definitely no evidence for some of this crap that happens in the hospital... even with midwives. (Preggies: do your homework before making decisions -- or before having them made for you by your provider.)

The biggest thing we birthy people need to remember is that we have to have patience. Quit freaking out. Of course that comes with decades of experience, though, so we all get nervous when things don't go quite as planned until we have enough births under our belts that we're finally confident in our abilities and with the birth process in general. I mean, we're dealing with LIFE here. No wonder we're freaking out a little. (And then blubbering like idiots when the kid is finally born.)

And on the what-kind-of-midwife-am-I-finally-going-to-wind-up-being front: Talked to two fellow birthy colleagues, and there's a pretty awesome two year weekend midwifery program in the city. It's not nurse-midwifery (the Master's degree in nursing kind of midwife), it's for certified professional midwifery (the apprentice for a bunch of years kind of midwife). It's legally touchy in some states, including Illinois, but we'll see. I don't know yet where life is going to put me -- in homes or in hospitals. I want to serve everyone. I still want to get my RN. And then become a midwife... somehow. We'll see. Matt & I don't even know where we're going to live 2 years from now, so I have no idea what life will bring me.

Oh, and Barbara was originally an actress, and recently performed on Broadway in "Birth, the Musical". See... birth and theatre DO mix!

Birth on, everyone.