Month 1: Our time together begins with a session that is aimed at remembering who we are as humans focusing on the effects of survival instincts on our lives today.  How our hormone cycles flow through our lifespan, influencing our thinking and behavior will be thoroughly discussed.  Shifting power dynamics to create healthier relationships and communities will set the stage for understanding the foundational concepts of sovereignty. 

Month 2: We know that the best way to take care of the baby is to take care of the mother. We’ll take a deep dive into the key ingredients for vitality, how to implement each one in an individual and holistic way, beginning with the first prenatal visit and continuing throughout the pregnancy, labor, birth, and postpartum.  

Month 3: What is our work prenatally?  We’ll walk through the routine tests that are available – why, when, and why not to use them. What do the results mean?  Is it Gestational DM? What do we do about that?  Is it preeclampsia or HELLP?  Can we prevent it?  What about preterm birth? 

Month 4:  Herbs and homeopathic remedies are traditional tools.  What are the basics of identifying, harvesting, and preparing common herbs used in pregnancy and childbirth? The basics of making and using infusions, poultices, tinctures, oils, and salves.  How and why does homeopathy work?  What do you need to know to carry and use basic remedies in your birth bag? 

Month 5: What is labor and how do we avoid maternal exhaustion?  How do the uterus and brain communicate to keep birth safe?  How does the baby participate in the dance?  We’ll go deeper into the normal physiology of birth to understand why it works the way it does, recognizing it as a “manifestation of the spirit through a physical act”. And, of course, we’ll talk about placentas. 

Month 6: Transitioning from pregnancy to postpartum – the importance of the golden hour for bonding, lactation and long-term health.  What to expect as the uterus returns to the pelvis and how to support optimal healing.  Recognizing the wisdom of the newborn, following its lead, and learning its language.  What is normal and what isn’t? 

Month 7: A review of the cardiac and pulmonary transition a newborn experiences as it becomes an air breather will take us deeper into understanding what the newborn’s priorities are and how we can best support them.  When do we intervene and why?  What happens when resuscitation doesn’t work? What does neonatal transport look like?

Month 8: How about those breeches?  What do they feel like to the mother? To our hands? We’ll look at normal vaginal breech physiology and ways to help when needed.  And what about twins?  What are the different combinations? What is important? How do we prepare to help with those births? How do we support recovery? 

Month 9: Given the high rate of people who experience at least one surgical birth in our population, combined often with a lack of institutional support for VBAC, the choice of VBAC at home becomes a natural outcome.  We will talk about how to prepare for success prenatally; what to think about; warning signs; and creating empowering cesareans when they become the option. 

Month 10: A review of the fetal skull and how it can fit into and through the maternal pelvis will help us as we look at variations of this process, including posterior, asynclitic, and face presentations.  How can we recognize these?  How do we support them? We’ll take a deep breath and accept the reality that true emergencies can happen, often unpredictably. We’ll leave with an essential understanding of how to recognize and respond to two time-sensitive emergencies – shoulder dystocia and umbilical cord prolapse. 

Month 11: Postpartum bleeding…how much is too much?  How can we prevent hemorrhage? Can we predict it?  This session will give us a clear path to determining the cause of postpartum hemorrhage to make our tools for stopping it more useful and efficient.  How do we support postpartum recovery after a hemorrhage?  When is maternal transport appropriate and what does that look like? 

Month 12: With a focus on understanding pelvic anatomy, we’ll look at how to improve our ability to assess perineal and labial lacerations. What needs repaired? We’ll talk about the various ways to repair those lacerations, including the basics of suturing and seaweed repair. What about the ones that don’t get repaired? The importance of supporting healing with an aim towards minimizing pelvic weakness in future pregnancies and in older age will be priorities.