Ten Reasons I Share My Birth Stories with My Adolescent Daughters

~Crysta

1. There is great value in oral history. Oral history has benefits no other form of history can quite match. The rich intricacies of a story told person-to-person have been the method of passing information for generations. This first-person account contains an emotion that is lost in many other methods.

2. Through stories, our children will reclaim their power, control, and courage. Knowledge of birth was once passed down exclusively orally, and midwives learned by watching, helping, and doing. It is my opinion our culture is in dire need of a return to these stories. In our time, a generation of women are finding themselves without the strength of birth stories to draw from when they give birth.

3. Choosing the message. I don’t want the uber-medicalized, “What to Expect When You’re Expecting” version of birth – or the sanitized, made-for-TV version – to be the only story my daughters hear. There is so much more to it, and if I don’t tell them, chances are no one will. Sharing real-life birth stories may be just the thing to offset the medical model as the ideal.

4. To help them KNOW “16 and Pregnant” is not cooler than 18 and Backpacking through Europe. Enough said, really. What better way to counteract a little bit of imagined baby fever than with a dose of reality? No illusions here.

5. Breaking down fear of the unknown. So much of the pain in childbirth comes from fear of the unknown. I am planting the seeds early to gift my daughters the knowledge to trust their bodies as they become mothers. Removing the unknown is also about removing the giggle factor. My daughters are not the sort to giggle about private parts, because they aren’t secrets, they are part of everyday conversations.

6. So they can tell others. Now and as mothers. My middle daughter had a pregnant teacher in the fifth grade. Did that poor woman ever get an education! E frequently came home telling stories of her discussions with the teacher about doulas, midwives, water birth, and so much more. This freedom with birth information will continue when my daughters are mothers themselves, as they pass along their own birth stories, and the cycle continues.

7. Birth is beautiful. Honestly and truly. The process of becoming a mother for the first time or the tenth time is the most awesome, incredible experience any woman can tap into. That is worth sharing.

8. Guess what? I talk to them about sex, too. I am raising smart, worldly girls who will be armed with the information they need to take on the difficult situations that come up in teen life. Being a teenager is hard enough without being uninformed, too!

9. Feminism aside, motherhood is their legacy. According to U.S. Census data, more than 80% of women become mothers by age 40. I don’t want my daughters to be blindsided by motherhood.

10. Because they need to hear it from ME. Russian psychologist Lev Vygotsky stressed the importance of cultural and social contexts through his work in the 1970s. “The more significant and powerful the storyteller, the more significant and powerful the story,” he wrote in 1978. What woman is more significant in the life of an adolescent girl than her mother? I am the right messenger for this story to resonate with them, now and later in life.

Not sure how to share your story? Check out my upcoming free call to learn how! http://storydoulapreview.eventbrite.com/

Spring doula training in Williston

Thank you for your interest in my upcoming DONA International Birth Doula  Workshop. This email should give you the necessary information about the weekend, as well as how to register. If you have any questions please email Ann Grauer at annidoula@gmail.com.

 

DONA INTERNATIONAL
 BIRTH DOULA TRAINING WORKSHOP
Exploring How the Doula's Heart, Mind and Spirit
Can Help to Create
Special Birth Memories

Friday, April 19th

Saturday, April 20th

Sunday, April 21st
2012

in
Williston, North Dakota

An educational offering which meets one of the requirements
 for certification by
 DONA International
  

The Workshop
If you are feeling called to work with birthing families this workshop may be what you have been looking for. We have designed it to be interactive and enjoyable, as well as to help you feel confident as you begin your journey as a doula.

During this intensive 2 1/2 day workshop students discuss the emotions and psychological processes associated with labor and the role of the doula prenatally, during labor and birth and postpartum followup. The course emphasizes the importance of appropriate, culturally-sensitive support.

The doula's scope of practice and ethical standards are emphasized, as are the realities of what being a doula entails. The workshop does not include training in clinical skills, since those are outside the doula's scope of practice.

The course is designed to help participants prepare to become expert labor support providers and utilizes texts and supplementary literature, videos and role play to build theoretical knowledge and practice skills.


Preparing to Attend

We want each participant to come into the training with enough background information to fully participate in the weekend. Our experience is that if a participant has not done the prerequisites then they will not feel as if the workshop has met their expectations. To best prepare we encourage you to do the following:


1. Attendance at a full series of childbirth preparation classes for first-time parents (12 hours, minimum) as a non-pregnant person. DONA
certification requires that this be done prior to certifying. We have started having participants take the childbirth classes prior to the workshop so that they feel as prepared as possible for the weekend. If you have questions about this, please let me know. (Please note: if you are a childbirth educator, nurse with labor and delivery experience or midwife this requirement will be waived)


2. Read the following two books: (all are most current editions)
Pregnancy, Childbirth and the Newborn by Penny Simkin, 4th edition
The Birth Partner by Penny Simkin, 3rd edition

NOTE: You MUST have a copy of The Birth Partner, 3rd Edition and bring it to class


Schedule for the Workshop

Friday, April 19th

Registration 12:45-1PM
Class 1-6PM

Saturday, April 20th
Class 8:30AM-6:00PM

Sunday, April 21st

Class 8:30AM-5:30PM


Topics Covered During the Workshop Include:

Significance of Birth
DONA Code of Ethics and Standards of Practice
Ideal Birth
Doulas in Action videos
Prenatal Contact
Art and Practice of Labor Support Throughout the Stages of Labor
Doula-supported Birth with an Epidural
Touch
Positioning and Comfort Measures
What if Labor Started Now
Difficult Labors
Induced Labors
Unexpected Outcomes
Cesarean Birth
VBAC Birth
The Amazing Newborn
Postpartum Contact
Role Play



YOUR INSTRUCTOR
A little over 17 years ago Penny Simkin told us that we should teach together. We love spending time with women who are exploring the doula profession and feel that we bring that passion to the workshop. Also, Carolyn's background as a nurse and Ann's as a layperson allow us to bring two very important and distinctive viewpoints to the workshop. Past participants tell us that this has enriched the experience for them. We love teaching together and hope that we will have the opportunity to welcome you into our workshop.


Ann Grauer, LCCE, FACCE, CD(DONA), PCD(DONA), IBCLC 

A Fellow in the American College of Childbirth Educators, Ann is certified as a childbirth educator with Lamaze International and ICEA and has been teaching pregnancy, birth and parenting classes since 1989. She has also been a doula for that length of time and is certified both as a birth and postpartum doula through DONA International. In addition to being a DONA-approved birth and postpartum doula trainer, Ann was President of DONA from 2003-05. She is also a board-certified lactation consultant.
 

She coordinates the first hospital-based doula program in Wisconsin at Columbia Center and is a member of the Family Education and Support team there. She has created parent and breastfeeding support groups in two states and has been a consultant to other hospital-based doula programs.  Ann is the 2007 recipient of Lamaze International's prestigious Elisabeth Bing Award.

Tuition Cost
I want to make attending the workshop financially do-able for everyone. If you have questions about the options below, please let me know.
Tuition cost for the workshop can be lowered by registering early and/or registering with a friend!

1. Early Bird Registration
Register by January 19th  $300 (90 days prior)
Register by February 19th  $325 (60 days prior)
Register by March 4th  $350 (45 days prior)
Register by March 19th  $375 (30 days prior)
*Because class size is limited, early registration is encouraged.


2. Attend with a friend
There is a discount for each person who registers with a buddy. Just send in your registration forms and payment together and you'll receive a discount of:
$20/each for two people
$30/each for three people
$40/each for four people
$50/each for five or more people
*These discounts can be taken in addition to Earlybird sign-up


One final note: As an instructor, I recognize that there are many wonderful potential doulas whose life circumstances are such that they cannot afford full payment in one lump sum. Payment plans are available in cases of true need and occasionally partial scholarships may be available. Please contact me for more information. Also, please note that the registration form contains information on cancellation policies. All tuition payment is non-refundable, however, a qualified participant may attend in your place or you may choose to attend a future birth doula worshop (in which there is space available) taught by Ann Grauer.

Registration

To register, please send the following:

1. The registration form below
2. A description of yourself and your interest in childbirth
3. Check made out to Ann Grauer

Please mail all of the above to:
Ann Grauer
620 N. 60th St.
Wauwatosa, WI 53213

Registration Form


Please print:


Name_____________________________________________


Address___________________________________________


City ______________________________________________


State, Zip Code__________________________ ___________


Home Phone_________________________ _______________


Email Address______________________________________


Current Profession___________________________________

Please make payment out to "Ann Grauer" and mail to 620 N. 60th St., Wauwatosa, WI 53213.
Class size is limited, so early registration is strongly encouraged. Payment must accompany your registration form.
CANCELLATION POLICY:Cancellations received more than 30 days prior to training will be refunded, minus a $100 processing fee. Less than 30 days prior to the training there will be no refunds, but the applicant may apply her fee to a later training taught and sponsored by the instructor.
*************************************************************************************************************************************

I have read and understand the cancellation policy for the workshop.
Signature of Registrant