I’m Back from the Trust Birth Conference!
Posted on | March 10, 2008 | 15 Comments
I didn’t see many other sessions, but I got to hear Laura Shanley who is a personal heroine of mine. Way back when I was first planning my third birth and considering an unassisted birth, I ordered her book. It was lovely to be able to give her a big hug for that, AND to tell her that her book helped move me to unassisted birth during the panel session “why women stay home alone” which we were on together. That was cool.
I got to give Sarah Buckley a kiss. Caught on film, coming soon! I got to ask advice of a self-proclaimed computer geek from ICAN, Laureen Hudson. I got to see the midwife Gail Hart declare “don’t ask for licensing from the state! Forget the State!” (I paraphrase, MAN I wish I could remember exactly what she said, it rocked!) I sat beside Henci Goer at dinner Friday night (I moved eventually to sit beside Gurumama aka Mara, who attended with me as my date ;o). And wanted to ask Jody McLaughlin the publisher of Compleat Mother “why they don’t carry Hathor comics?” but never could find her alone, she seemed great and I hope to really meet her someday…and I got to make new friends too many to list here, but here’s three: Wendy (thanks again for the dinner!), Kylie and Marissa (sp?) thanks for letting me come to lunch with you! and Hi!
Finally, I got to meet and listen to the strength and courage of my new hero Carla Hartley. She admits to running the most difficult midwifery school in the country AND training her midwives to sit back and trust the mother to birth the baby. She’s the dynamo force behind the trust birth conference and was obviously beloved by all who attended. I’ve got a comic coming about her too.
Anyway, that was my weekend, my kids are happy that I’m back to tucking them in at night ;o)
Love,
Heather
This musing is directly related to the comic: Michel Odent!
Comments
15 Responses to “I’m Back from the Trust Birth Conference!”
The Zoops!
March 10th, 2008 @ 1:25 pm
The conference was wonderful. It was fun to meet you and I will get crackin on my revision of my birth stories.
The only bummer of the conference was someone out bid me on one of your t-shirts in the silent auction!
March 10th, 2008 @ 4:09 pm
Dude! That was like me following you at the LLL Conference in Florida! And hanging on your every word! And then I got to sit next to you! And get a photo with you! And I was too shy to post all this in my blog but I’m gonna have to dig out that photo and do it!
Congratulations on meeting so many greats! I know just what you mean!
March 10th, 2008 @ 9:09 pm
Oh How I wish I could have gone. It sounds so amazing! I am really looking forward to your comics!
I would have been all stockerish to you the whole weekend. LOL
Heather in Tucson
March 11th, 2008 @ 6:24 am
We watched The Business of Being Born on Saturday night. My big strong husband cried when Ricki Lake had her baby, and then he cried again when Abby had her c-section. Having birthed a breech baby naturally ourselves, we were so sorry that she didn’t get a chance to birth her little breech baby…. but I understand he was IUGR and it could have been more dangerous than my birthing my 9 lb breech baby.
We’ll be hosting a screening of Business at our house, in fact we’ll do as many as it takes.
March 11th, 2008 @ 6:48 am
That’s awesome that you had sooo much fun….
March 11th, 2008 @ 7:09 am
Sounds like fun. Can humanity survive the safe cesarean? Hmmmmmmm….. I know a few more things I would add to that list of things coming our way that we definitely can’t survive.
March 11th, 2008 @ 9:29 am
Re. the comic: The thing that most stuck with me that Michel Odent said was, “We must be bilingual.” We are all fluent in our own experiences. But science is our friend, and we need to use it to really effect change.
It was an incredible conference.
March 11th, 2008 @ 12:18 pm
Well… it sounds wonderful and M. Odent seems to be a very wise person, but… A friend of mine in France (Europe, that is) was planning to attend a three day seminar with Mr Odent in southern France this spring, but had to cancel her registration cause she was contacted from the seminar office and told that she cannot bring her baby with her EVEN though she promised to leave the conference room from the very first sound from her baby.
They told her the master himself is very strict on this.
So, I think maybe it was a bit TOO silent there with all you women without your children listening to him. Makes me sad.
Karla,
in Finland
March 12th, 2008 @ 4:45 pm
With your new comic on the love hormone – I knew, when my second birth was induced by pitocin – that there was a huge difference. It was definitely more painful and much less pleasurable. I guess when they induce you you don’t get all those wonderful natural hormones that are normally released – actually that’s pretty much what I figured at the time – that my body’s natural painkillers weren’t kicking in. So they gave me a shot instead which didn’t help the pain but did make me want a cigarette. (I didn’t even smoke at the time lol.) But at least thank goodness it was a vaginal birth and it wasn’t really too bad (well except for you know, doctors and nurses screaming push and so forth.)
March 17th, 2008 @ 8:19 pm
I’m interested in this whole oxytocin businuess. Does anyone know if there’s any studies out there showing that breastfed little ones are ‘happier’ than their formula-fed counterparts? It would stand to reason that if Mamma has more circulating oxytocin then she would literally be feeding that happy-hormone cocktail to baby when (s)he nurses since hormones are some of the components of breastmilk. I remember one researcher found “laughter” was an ingredient in breastmilk, but I think it would be really powerful to be able to say that breastfed babies are actually ‘happier’ than formula-fed babies. They might be able to add DHA and ‘natural cultures’ to formulas, but they can’t (without a perscription) add hormones to it!
March 18th, 2008 @ 10:40 am
Excellent series of comics! They are so good at depicting what goes on in a pleasant birth. The oxytocin “other planet” and all that. I LOVED the hormonal high I got from giving birth and without that natural high, birth would have been a dreadful experience (except the part about getting a baby out of the whole deal). With it, it was not just something that I reminisce fondly about, but one of the most awesome experiences of my life. It was quite similar to climbing a huge mountain with wonderful views all the way up. And yes breastfeeding gives you little fixes too. My child is weaned now.. I think I’m going to go grab some chocolate….
Love your writing!!
March 24th, 2008 @ 7:57 am
i had fun reading this, on the trust birth conference but i wish to add one thing, regarding michel odent and what a certain karla wrote in the forum:
i organized several workshop with michel odent, all of them with the presence of many children, last one around 50 people, staff included, among them 14 children between 10 years and 5 months.
i can say that is not up to michel to exclude children, he enjoys them and always repeat, in case of noise, that the problem are not the children, but the adults giving them attention and stopping to listen to.
michel is absolutely not strickt about that, but sure he is about other issues (being on time, following the whole workshop, from first to last day – pauses for going to toilet or taking car of children are allowed!)
it’s easy to criticize; i suggest to be well informed, before spreading unsure information. for instance, to ask directly michel what he has to say about it
maybe, if asked, he will answer that it works with less interruptions without children. i didnt’ ask, because i take for granted, that children belongs to life. he also didn’t tell me anythign about tha issue, when we meet our agreements. he never complained (i assure you, he does if it’s the case), he accepted all further invitations by me.
i even became, suddenly and unexpected, a kind of pr and official translator for him, in Italy!!!!!!
michel is a very precious person, for all who take care of birth and life, like many others, of course. he is very wise and amazing simple – to meet ihm awoke in me a deep feeling of gratitude.
blessings
clara
March 26th, 2008 @ 5:40 pm
AHAHAHA! Yes!
I have to say I loved your Michel Odent cartoon. I was in that class too (oh, this is the crazy Jewish kid you ate mexican food with … remember me? REMEMBER ME?!!?!) and it was so absolutley breathtaking…
of course I am the same person who cried (aka sobbed like a soap opera addict) when I met him so maybe I’m a bit too attatched.
March 26th, 2008 @ 5:43 pm
Ok I commented before I actually read this blog. You DO remember me….
Oh I feel special!
May 22nd, 2008 @ 10:13 pm
You are kidding me right? Birth without love because I had a Cesarean birth? How completely idiotic do you think women are? There was a lot of love at my baby’s birth, and to call it a birth without love is insulting, ignorant, and arrogant.