Science & Sensibility

Did you know that Lamaze International membership runs with the calendar year?  Did you remember to renew your membership at the end of 2012, or did it get lost in the hustle and bustle of the holidays, along with your normal everyday juggle of work, family and self-care?  Have you considered becoming a Lamaze International member but never followed through or were unsure of how it benefits you?  I would like to take a few minutes to share my “Top 10 List” of why it is simply wonderful to be a Lamaze International member, and how I benefit financially and professionally from my membership every day.

1. Supporting the Lamaze International Mission

The mission of Lamaze International is to promote, support and protect natural, safe and healthy birth through education and advocacy through the dedicated efforts of professional childbirth educators, providers and parents.

I am a childbirth professional, working with birthing families, new doulas and new childbirth educators.  I find that Lamaze’s mission aligns so well with my own, and how I create my classes and work with families and birth professionals.  I am proud to say that I am a member of Lamaze and an LCCE.  I think that many of today’s families and birth professionals can also respect and relate to Lamaze’s mission and find that their values are in sync with what Lamaze offers to the maternity world.  Your membership dollars, combined with other members’ financial support help Lamaze to fulfill this very important mission.

2. Journal of Perinatal Education

The Journal of Perinatal Education (JPE) is a quarterly journal mailed to the home of all Lamaze members and is  filled with relevant, current research that can change the way you teach or practice.  The JPE offers you insights into current maternity trends, access to in-depth articles and the opportunity to learn from international experts.  The JPE is read by childbirth educators, doulas, midwives, RNs, Doctors, Lactation Counselors and other professionals. Additionally, as a Lamaze member, you have access to back issues of the JPE online.

3. FedEx Office Discounts

Being a member of Lamaze International allows you to receive a FedEx Office (Kinko’s) discount that has the opportunity to provide you with significant savings.  All of the discounted services that you can receive at the FedEx Office store along with online discounts have the potential to save you more money than your membership costs.  I am amazed at the level of savings on some of the products and services I use for my business printing and shipping needs.

4. Reduced Fees for Lamaze Products and Events

As a member of Lamaze, you receive member discounts when you register for the annual conference, continuing education contact hours, purchase the Study Guide and other Lamaze materials in the Online Education Store, certification materials and test fees for your LCCE or when you recertify for your LCCE.

5. Birth: Issues in Perinatal Care Journal Discounts

Birth is published quarterly and Lamaze members receive a 50% discount on both the hard copy journal and the online journal. Birth: Issues in Perinatal Care is a multidisciplinary, refereed journal devoted to issues and practices in the care of childbearing women, infants, and families. It is written by and for professionals in maternal and neonatal health, nurses, midwives, physicians, public health workers, doulas, psychologists, social scientists, childbirth educators, lactation counselors, epidemiologists, and other health caregivers and policymakers in perinatal care.

6. Your Lamaze Classes Listed on Lamaze Website

If you are a Lamaze Certified Childbirth Educator and a current Lamaze member, your childbirth classes can be listed on the Lamaze International website for parents, in the “Find a Lamaze Childbirth Class” section so that those families looking for a childbirth class can locate your offerings. Increase your class enrollment with this members only benefit.

7. Full Cochrane Library Access

Lamaze International members have full access to the Cochrane Library, a collection of databases containing independent evidence to inform healthcare decision-making.  The Cochrane Library is considered the gold standard of evidence based information and if you are looking for the most up-to-date research on topics relevant to obstetrics and maternity care, breastfeeding and newborn issues, this is the ideal place to find the information you are looking for.

8. Lamaze Forums and Community

As a Lamaze International member, you have member access to our professional forums, on-line communities and discussion groups, where you can share teaching ideas, learn how your peers feel and respond to different topics of interest and collaborate with professionals around the world, from the comfort of your own home or office.

9. Members Only Teaching Resources

When you join Lamaze International, you are provided access to teaching handouts and resources to share with your students, and a variety of class-enriching resources to make your course more relevant, useful and informative to the families that you are working with.

10. Supporting Lamaze Improves Maternity Care Worldwide

LCCEs attend the DONA Conference
Photo Credit HeatherGail Lovejoy

When you purchase a Lamaze membership, Lamaze International can pool your dollars with other members’ dollars and use some of this income to support other organizations that are leading the way in changing maternity care around the world for the better.  Lamaze International supports and collaborates with the Coalition for Improving Maternity Services (CIMS) and others.  Additionally, Lamaze can send personnel to international conferences to represent Lamaze International, create networking opportunities for all of us, collaborate with other maternity leaders and further work to fulfill the mission of Lamaze International and improve birth for women everywhere.

Where else can a membership that costs only $115 ( or less, depending on your country of residence) produce such tangible benefits and savings for you and combine with other membership funds to improve maternity care world-wide?  I am proud and excited to renew my Lamaze International membership every year and invite you to renew yours, if you haven’t already.  If you are not a member of Lamaze, then now is the time to join, so that you can reap the professional benefits for the full calendar year.  For a full list of member benefits , please see the member benefits page on the website. Don’t hesitate, join or renew now!

Can you share how being a Lamaze International member has benefited you? Why are YOU a Lamaze member?  Tell us what it means to you in the comments section.

Sharon Muza Journal of Perinatal Education, Lamaze International, Maternal Quality Improvement, Maternity Care, Push for Your Baby annual conference, Birth journal, CIMS, Cochrane Collaboration, Journal of Perinatal Education, Lamaze International, Lamaze membership, LCCE, Safe Birth Advocacy, Sharon Muza

By Cara Terreri, BA, Community Manager for Lamaze International’s Giving Birth With Confidence blog

Today is the second post in an occasional series on Science & Sensibility, “Journey to LCCE Certification.”   We are following Cara Terreri as she progresses on the path to become a Lamaze Certified Childbirth Educator.  Her journey started with her Childbirth Education Seminar and in this post we learn about her experience as an observer at a birth.  In the future, we will continue as she develops her own curriculum, teaches her first classes and sits for the exam.  I invite you to cheer her on and offer your support, suggestions and encouragement based on your own experiences on a similar journey. – Sharon Muza, Community Manager

http://www.flickr.com/photos/d_k/11289947/

Since my last post that talked about beginning my path toward LCCE certification and attending a Lamaze Childbirth Educator Seminar, I have not progressed very far. My day job and family life have taken precedence. That being said, I was lucky enough to be given the opportunity to attend a birth! A friend of a friend was due with her second baby and was open to the idea of an almost-complete stranger (me!) attending her birth. I treated the experience as if I were a doula-in-very-early-training and talked at length with the mom about her first birth, her expectations and feelings about her upcoming birth, and my proposed role during her labor and birth. I was upfront in letting her know that while I knew quite a bit about birth, I was not certified as either an educator or doula, and that I was very early in my stages of training for both.

While I was so excited about the upcoming experience, I was also very anxious. Would I know what to do? Would I be able to step up and help mom when she needed it and how she needed it? By nature, I tend to be more of an introvert – initiating conversation with someone new or speaking up in an unfamiliar situation can sometimes take me out of my comfort zone. I did my best to ready myself for the situation by talking often with mom and taking a crash self-study course in labor support. I re-read specific sections of all of my favorite birth books and rehearsed possible scenarios in my head.

When it came time for birth, I was able to arrive within minutes of mom and dad at the hospital. I helped support mom – who had asked immediately for an epidural – while waiting for the epidural by massage, touch, verbal encouragement, and having water ready after she vomited. In our conversations prior to birth, mom talked fondly about the epidural during her first birth, which she said rescued her from the pain of laboring with Pitocin. But she also talked about leaving it “up in the air” for her second birth.

The experience and environment came very naturally to me. I felt comfortable jumping in and doing what I could, suggesting positions, using touch, etc. Of course, there were moments when I wished I knew more – how to respond more with verbal encouragement, how to encourage more movement while keeping fetal monitors in place for the requisite 20 minutes, and how best to calm a very panicked mom, who was still waiting for an epidural when she entered transition and pushing (note: the epidural never came).

Attending a birth was an amazing teaching tool for me, both in preparation for a future career as a doula as well as a childbirth educator. Having never attended any births but my own, it was so enlightening to attend a birth as an observer/support person. One unexpected part of my role was the support I provided in helping to encourage communication/conversation between staff and the parents. I also learned the importance of not projecting my own feelings about birth onto others, as it doesn’t always apply. As baby was kept in the warmer for an extended period of time for suctioning (there was meconium and baby had significant amounts of fluid), I ached for mom to be able to have skin-to-skin with her baby. But, when we had a quiet moment, mom told me, “I wasn’t ready to hold him; I was still recovering from the shock of the fast birth – it was overwhelming.” It just goes to show that everyone deals with and feels differently about their birth experience.

flickr.com/photos/54828642@N06/6086795509/

In my unfamiliar role as birth observer, I also earned new respect for the experience of a loved one in the labor room. As mom panicked at the onset of transition, she cried out in fear and pain, “Help me, help me!” I of course, recognized what was happening and knew she would be ok and that this was just the next natural phase. Dad, however, did not necessarily share the same knowledge! I could only have imagined what it was like for him to witness his wife panicked, in pain, and very scared.

Preparing dad/partner is just one way that childbirth education can have a real impact on a birth experience. Another is preparing and knowing about pain relief options. Even if a mom knows she will get an epidural, there are MANY cases where it doesn’t come in time or does not “work.” Knowing about and preparing for natural pain relief can go a long way, especially for parents who do not have a doula.

Next steps in my journey include preparing to teach for observation early next year, attending more births, attending a local childbirth class for observation, and burning the midnight oil with the Study Guide to prep for the exam in April.

I would love to hear input from other educators and doulas – what kinds of things did you discover in the first few births you attended? How does attending births help you as an educator?  When you were starting out, did attending births change how how you had considered teaching certain topics or clarify information that you absolutely want to stress in your own childbirth classes?  Please share those first birth on your own personal journey to becoming a birth professional.

About Cara Terreri

Cara began working with Lamaze two years before she became a mother. Somewhere in the process of poring over marketing copy in a Lamaze brochure and birthing her first child, she became an advocate for childbirth education. Three kids later (and a whole lot more work for Lamaze), Cara is the Site Administrator for Giving Birth with Confidence, the Lamaze blog for and by women and expectant families. Cara continues to have a strong passion for the awesome power and beauty in pregnancy and birth, and for helping women to discover their own power and ability through birth. It is her hope that through the GBWC site, women will have a place to find and offer positive support to other women who are going through the amazing journey to motherhood.

Sharon Muza Childbirth Education, Doula Care, Giving Birth with Confidence, Guest Posts, Lamaze International, Series: Journey to LCCE Certification, Uncategorized Cara Terreri, Childbirth Education, childbirth educator training, guest post, Lamaze International, LCCE, Series: Journey to LCCE Certification

An invitation from Linda Harmon, Lamaze International’s Executive Director.  Please consider joining this interactive webinar and learn how you can help women “Push for Their Baby!” I know I am going to be online and participating!  Won’t you join me! – SM

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You play an important role in helping pregnant women achieve the safest, healthiest birth possible. Throughout pregnancy and birth, women need strong partners so they can get the maternity care that meets their unique needs.

Lamaze’s Push for Your Baby effort is aimed at helping women work in partnership with their care providers to achieve the best outcomes. And, we know there’s much work to be done. Certain birth practices, such as the overuse of cesarean surgery, early induction and confinement to bed can make it harder for women to have a safe and healthy birth.

As part of our initiative, we’re pleased to invite you to join an upcoming educational webinar for nurses and childbirth educators, which will offer one nursing contact hour and one Lamaze contact hour (with the purchase of a post-webinar quiz).

Push for Your Baby Nurse & Educator Webinar
Arming Women with the Tools to Push for the Safest, Healthiest Birth Possible
Friday, November 30, 2012
1:00 – 2:00 p.m. ET

During this webinar, we’ll discuss evidence-based research in maternity care, and introduce the latest tools to help nurses and educators support moms-to-be in navigating maternity care decisions. We’re excited to take this opportunity to support your important role in helping women recognize the challenges in maternity care and encourage them to speak up and push for better care for themselves and their babies.

Featured speakers include:  

• Tara Owens Shuler, M.Ed., CD (DONA), LCCE, FACCE, Lamaze President and Director of Continuing Education, Special Projects, & Lamaze Childbirth Educator Program, Duke AHEC Program
• Amy Romano, CNM, MSN, Co-Author, Optimal Care in Childbirth: The Case for a Physiologic Approach
• Jessica Deeb, RN, LCCE, and new mom

At the conclusion of the presentation, we will open up for a discussion and brainstorming session where we encourage you to share the real challenges you face in helping women get the best maternity care. Our mutual work is important to the health of women and babies, and we look forward to engaging with you on this initiative.

We hope you will join us for this exciting event! Register online to attend.

Best,

Linda Harmon
Executive Director/CEO
Lamaze International

P.S. Stay tuned for additional webinars in 2013 on hot topics and controversies in maternity care.

Sharon Muza Babies, Christy Turlington Burns, Continuing Education, Healthy Birth Practices, Healthy Care Practices, Lamaze International, Lamaze News, Maternal Quality Improvement, Push for Your Baby, Webinars Continuing Education, Healthy Birth Practices, Lamaze International, Lamaze webinars, LCCE, Linda Harmon, Sharon Muza, Transforming Maternity Care, Webinars

By Cara Terreri, BA, Community Manager for Lamaze International’s Giving Birth With Confidence blog

Today, an occasional series starts on Science & Sensibility, “Journey to LCCE Certification.”   We will follow Cara Terreri as she progresses on the path to become a Lamaze Certified Childbirth Educator.  Her journey starts with her Childbirth Education Seminar and will continue as she develops her own curriculum, teaches her first classes and sits for the exam.  I invite you to cheer her on and offer your support, suggestions and encouragement based on your own experiences on a similar journey.- SM

After having worked for the Lamaze International headquarters office for seven years now (marketing, writing, managing the Giving Birth with Confidence blog), it’s safe to say that I’ve drank the Kool-Aid. Slowly but surely, the words I pored over while editing became part of my own beliefs – even before I began my own birth journey. And until my last birth, I was happy to remain in my role of reaching women through writing. But my most recent, and most amazing birth (first unmedicated and truly empowering experience), ignited my desire to be more directly involved either as a doula or educator. But how? I already have a part-time job in marketing and writing (for clients in addition to Lamaze) on top of three children, a husband, and a dog – when would I find more time to devote to a budding career in birth?

While I still haven’t answered that last question, in the meantime, I attended the Passion for Birth Lamaze Childbirth Educator Seminar as the first step on the path to being a Lamaze Certified Childbirth Educator.  There was going to a workshop in my hometown, and the timing worked with my other obligations.  This workshop was going to be taught by Passion for Birth founder, Teri Shilling and  co-taught by Ann Tumblin.

At the end of day one, I was blown away. Walking into class, the first thing I noticed was how the tables and each seat were meticulously set up with loads of colorful, playful – and questionable (like, balloons and a ping pong ball?) – class materials. It was like walking into an art class! When class began, I was immediately engaged by the teaching techniques. Nearly every activity and exercise was meant to double as something that could be replicated in your own Lamaze class, including some techniques that should not be used. For example, class kicked off with the dreaded PowerPoint slide. Ann reviewed the slide, turned off the projector and asked everyone to write down the six bullet points reviewed. No one could. Why? Because PowerPoint is a horribly ineffective teaching tool! This was just one of countless “aha” moments for me over the next three days.

In spite of a nine-hour day, the instructors excelled at keeping me engaged and involved, and allowing me to learn – and successfully retain – the material. Beyond the teaching, I really enjoyed the community aspect of class. Participants (27 of them!) came from all walks of the maternal-child health arena, which allowed for interesting dialogue with differing but respectful perspectives.

The Lamaze Childbirth Educator Seminar was, in a word, inspiring. I truly believe that if I could mirror my classes using the Passion for Birth techniques I observed and learned, I would be one fantastic educator! Because Teri still actively teaches childbirth classes in her community, I also felt confident knowing that the information in her workshop is not only effective, but relevant to today’s families.

I believe that my biggest hurdles in completing certification and developing a birth business are making the time, given my other professional commitments; and overcoming my dislike of networking. In class, we discussed the need for aspiring educators to develop face-to-face relationships with individuals, groups, organizations, and businesses in the community. While I don’t think of myself as a wallflower, I’m also not a social butterfly and I’ve never liked being in a “sales-y” role. I’d love to hear from other educators who feel the same way – what did you do to overcome your aversion to marketing and promoting yourself and be able to successfully network with peers and potential students?

So what next? As a new/inexperienced educator on the pathway to certification, the next official step is to be observed in teaching. But before I can do that, I need to create my curriculum and develop a plan for connecting with my local prenatal community. After a group curriculum-building exercise on day one, I gained new respect for the work that educators put into writing, preparing, and refining a class curriculum. That being said, my strongest skills are in writing, researching, and organizing. And with the multitude of tools I acquired through the workshop, I now have the resources create a comprehensive curriculum. Stay tuned for my next update, when I share how that is going.

If you are interested in becoming a Lamaze Certified Childbirth Educator and taking a seminar, please refer to Lamaze International for more information on seminars and the pathways to certification.

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I would like to ask experienced LCCEs and Doulas;

• How did you get started on this path?  
• What led you to become a childbirth educator?  
• What things did you find useful?  
• How do you enjoy what you do?  
• What are some of the challenges?  
• Why did you choose Lamaze as the organization to certify with?
• Can you share your tips from the trenches with Cara and other people who are interested in working as a childbirth educator or other birth professional?

In the next installment of the Journey to LCCE Certification Series, Cara will share how things are going as she works to develop her own curriculum.  Look for that post in the next few months. In the meantime, share your own experiences so that Cara and others on the same path can benefit – SM

Addendum

In the interest of full disclosure, I want to share that I am a trainer for the PfB organization that presented the workshop Cara attended.  I want to take a moment to share that Lamaze International has many vibrant, creative and well established programs that offer workshops all around the country, and internationally as well,  for men and women interested in becoming childbirth educators.  I encourage each individual to reach out and explore the different programs, talk to the program representatives and select the program that meets their professional needs.  Links to all the programs can be found on the Lamaze International Childbirth Education Training page -SM

About Cara Terreri

Cara began working with Lamaze two years before she became a mother. Somewhere in the process of poring over marketing copy in a Lamaze brochure and birthing her first child, she became an advocate for childbirth education. Three kids later (and a whole lot more work for Lamaze), Cara is the Site Administrator for Giving Birth with Confidence, the Lamaze blog for and by women and expectant families. Cara continues to have a strong passion for the awesome power and beauty in pregnancy and birth, and for helping women to discover their own power and ability through birth. It is her hope that through the GBWC site, women will have a place to find and offer positive support to other women who are going through the amazing journey to motherhood.

Sharon Muza Childbirth Education, Giving Birth with Confidence, Guest Posts, Lamaze Method, Series: Journey to LCCE Certification, Uncategorized Ann Tumblin, Cara Terreri, Childbirth Education, Giving Birth With Confidence, guest posts, lamaze, Lamaze Certification, LCCE, Passion for Birth, series, Series: Journey to LCCE Certification, Teri Shilling