Raleigh Area, NC
Sept. 18-23, 2025
Join us for an immersive and intensive experience where we’ll explore and share story on the foundational concepts that support reproductive health from pre-conception through postpartum. These key understandings are vital for nurturing the biological journey, knowing when action is needed, and doing so with care, reverence, and skill. Throughout the Intensive, we’ll share a home, meals, collaborate on projects, role-play real-life scenarios, gather around the fire, and share in intimate conversations. This retreat will inspire critical thinking, deepen intuition, help you evaluate the values you bring to your community, and teach you how to stay accountable and move forward with integrity. Open to those who support pregnant, birthing, and postpartum families, Foundational Concepts for Midwives invites you to see familiar concepts in a whole new light.
day 1
We will begin gathering in the afternoon, gently settling into the space, preparing our surroundings, and sharing a nourishing evening meal together. This first evening will be a sacred opportunity to connect, where we can offer a piece of ourselves by sharing who we are, and listen deeply to the stories of others. It will be a time for us to start weaving the threads of community, honoring the uniqueness of each person, while finding common ground in our shared experiences. Through these heartfelt exchanges, we'll begin to build a foundation of trust, understanding, and sisterhood that will carry us throughout the retreat and beyond.
day 2
The day will unfold with an in depth exploration into hormonal physiology, delving into the intricate ways in which the brain and body communicate through the autonomic nervous system. We'll honor the interconnectedness of the whole body, taking time to walk through the anatomy and physiology that guide reproductive health. As we move through this journey, we'll weave together both scientific knowledge and the wisdom of the body. The day will culminate in a hands-on project that invites us to deepen our understanding of the pelvic musculature, allowing us to connect with this essential part of the body in a new and profound way.
day 3
Our prenatal day will focus on the core pillars we can support to bring vitality into the pregnancy story. We'll explore how to interpret routine lab results and understand what diagnostic tools can reveal. Complications such as Gestational Diabetes, Gestational Hypertension, Pre-eclampsia, HELLP syndrome, and Preterm labor will be approaching each from a holistic, whole-body perspective. We'll place a strong emphasis on honing our palpation skills, working with pregnant models from the community to deepen our practical understanding and connection to the physical shifts that take place during pregnancy. This day will be an opportunity to expand both our clinical knowledge and our embodied practice.
day 4
Today is a celebration of the beauty and strength of a normal labor and birth. We'll immerse ourselves in the rhythms of the birthing process, learning to recognize the early signs of labor and how to support in ways that prevent maternal exhaustion, how to bring movement throughout the experience with energy and confidence. We'll deepen our understanding of contraction patterns, exploring what they tell us about the progress of labor and how we can best support this birth. The nuances of fetal heart tone patterns will also be explored, giving us a deeper insight into the well-being of both mother and baby during labor. Documentation will be covered, ensuring that we capture the sacred process with clarity and accuracy. And, of course, we'll weave in moments of lightness and play through role playing scenarios, helping to bring these concepts to life in a hands-on way.
day 5
This day is filled with immersive, hands-on activities as we use simulations to practice birth variations, including vaginal breech birth, twins, and posterior positions. These scenarios will offer us the opportunity to refine our skills, practice team work, gain confidence, and deepen our understanding of how to support families in these unique circumstances. The adrenaline will continue to flow as we move into more intense simulations, practicing how to respond to complications such as fetal distress, shoulder dystocia, and prolapsed cord. Through each of these exercises, we'll work together to stay calm and centered, learning to trust our instincts and act with skill and compassion in challenging situations.
day 6
Our final day will immerse us in the sacred Postpartum Period, the Perineum, and the Placenta. We'll explore the key priorities in postpartum care, as well as potential complications, ensuring we have the knowledge to support mothers as they recover and adjust to their new rhythm. We'll also delve into the various options for assessing and repairing the perineum, approaching this delicate area with sensitivity and expertise. The placenta will be seen in a new light, allowing us to deepen our understanding of its role and significance in the birth process. To conclude the retreat, we'll engage in an experiential way that explores the neonatal transition into becoming an air-breather, offering us a profound and intimate understanding of the newborn's journey.
Post - intensive
We'll come together for one final virtual gathering to close our time together, with a topic chosen by the group. Our connection will continue in our online community, we'll support, and witness each other as we navigate and integrate the wisdom we’ve gained throughout this experience.
sarita bennett
Elder Midwife and Family Practice Physician
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rowan bailey
Elder Midwife
details:
- Share home all under one roof to complete and maintain a sacred circle of sisterhood
- Share food – breakfast and lunches include
- Share story around the fire, we can learn and grow from each other’s experiences
- Build a relationship with your local allies to better serve your families
topic options:
- Understand normal - how reproduction works and why, female pelvic/breast anatomy, menstrual cycles, contraceptive, menopause
- When things go out of balance - infertility, PCOS, endometriosis, prolapse…
- Prenatal care - what they do for themselves every day and how we support them
- Placenta Work - examining and reading
- First Trimester Intricacies – miscarriage, HG, UTI, ectopic…
- Second Trimester Intricacies – GD, PIH, preeclampsia, HELLP…
- Third Trimester Intricacies - preterm, labor, placenta previa and abruption
- Childbirth and Lactation - The Wisdom of The Uterus; The Instincts of The Baby - stages of labor, fetal monitoring, cord care, placenta birth, immediate postpartum, breech, twins, distress, exhaustion, cord prolapse, shoulder dystocia, hemorrhage, surgical birth, perineal assessment, and repair, neonatal resuscitation, successful lactation…
- Neoplasms and Infections - Facing Our Fears - cysts, Vaginal infections, STIs, PID, fibroids, cancers…
- Lab work – extended view
- Prepping for transport
- Placenta removal
- Handling loss
- Handling Gastroschises, spina bifida, other innards on the outside…
- Suturing Alternatives…
- And other options are available, depending on what your community is needing
foundational concepts for midwives offers a new way to look at what you think you already know
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