Study, Study, Study...

I've mailed off my check to the National Midwifery Institute for their handbook and application! When that arrives, I will be applying to midwifery school :)

My Textbook of Neonatal Resuscitation arrived in the mail today. I'm all signed up for Karen Strange's class in New York City on May 7th and am looking forward to it.

This morning, I actually managed to get some studying done. I took the kids to the North Y here in Syracuse and put them in the playroom from 10am-12pm. During that time I:

- did pages 1-7 in The Anatomy Coloring Book
- reread p. 1-14 and did page 60 in the Birthsong Midwifery Workbook
- read the Introduction and p. 3-12 in Orgasmic Birth
- talked to Doula Chris Herrera from the CNY Doula Connection

The goal for tonight will be to get started on studying my new Neonatal Resuscitation book.

I am looking for doula clients who are due this summer to help with my midwifery school fund. If you know anyone in or near Syracuse who is due this summer, please give them my number: 443-690-6212.

- Doula Liz Baer

Home/Mom-schooling Week

Despite how tired I've been with working nights, I've still managed to get the kids out of the house. Last week, on Monday, we went to this great pond with our friend Donna and her son, followed by ice cream at Gannon's Isle. Gannon's is a local ice cream place here in Syracuse that makes their own ice cream.

http://www.gannonicecream.com/

Here are the pics of the kids at the pond:

This Monday, we went to the bouncy place at Driver's Village with some other doulas from the Doula Connection and their kids. It was fun for the kids, but incredibly loud and really hard to keep track of everyone.

We managed to make it to the library both this Friday and last. Patrick has been getting into reading the "Goosebumps" books.

Patrick and Delilah have both done most of their homeschooling the past two weeks on http://www.time4learning.com/ I have plans that include writing a review of their program. What I can say about it right now is that it makes me feel like we aren't completely neglecting the homeschooling while I'm spending lots of time working and sleeping weird hours.

This week, I signed up for Karen Strange's Neonatal Resusciation class being held in New York City on May 7th. I ordered the book from amazon and bought my bus ticket. I'm pretty excited about taking another class with Karen (loved her workshop for doulas in Rochester last year). One of the special things about Karen's class is that is focuses on resuscitation for out of hospital providers (i.e.- homebirth midwives).

http://www.newbornbreath.com/

Tomorrow, I'm mailing off my request for a school handbook from the National Midwifery Institute :)

Time for Working Mother Magazine

After the first half of this week, I think I'm ready to admit to being a "working mom." We're still homeschooling (of course) and I do handle the child-educating, house-cleaning when I'm home, but I'm not here with them all day, every day anymore. Luckily, Tim is a great, hands-on dad and we also have an amazing babysitter for when my work overlaps with his (no, you can't have her number).

I haven't announced it here on the Internet, but last week I started working overnights at Walmart to save up money for midwifery school and also to pad our family savings a little bit.

My week has looked like this so far:

- Sunday night- worked 10pm-7am at Walmart

- Monday- Took James to speech at the school at 9:30am. Ran errands with kids. Went to the Y and worked out a little bit. Did schoolwork with the kids. Slept from about 5-9pm. Worked 10pm-2am at Walmart.

- Tuesday- Went to the Wise Symposium from 9am-6pm. http://www.wisecenter.org/ Met lots of people from woman-owned and operated businesses. Networked. Came home and slept for about 2 1/2 hours. Went to work at Walmart at 10pm.

- Wednesday- Got home from work at 7am. Showered, dressed, checked email. Babysitter got here at 9am and I went to Crouse Hospital to interview the Nurse Manager of their L&D unit for my neglected BirthWorks CBE Certification project. Left there around noon. Hung out with the kids and had a friend over to visit until about 3:30. Put on a movie for the kids at 3:45 and went to sleep. Mama in labor called me at 5:10pm and I headed back to Crouse for her beautiful, amazing (and quick) birth. Got to Walmart in time for work at 10pm.

- Thursday- Got home from work at 7am. Just about literally slept the day away. The kids played and watched TV until 3pm when I finally got up because their friends were knocking on the door asking to play. I spent about an hour cleaning the house and we're now about to head out to get ready for tonight's Doula Connection parents' meeting.

Hopefully this weekend will be a quiet one. I have one meeting with a client Saturday evening and one mama due in a couple of weeks who I don't think will have a baby this weekend (but who knows?). I'm looking forward to having some family time and actually seeing my husband.

Bestest Vacation Ever

Gail Hart and Jan Tritteden speaking.



Maryl Smith leading us in the song "Renegade Midwives"



The amazing Eugene Saturday market street performers.

"The Wide Sisters" performing!

Sing it with us!





Books :)

My conference stash

Hillarious sign that I kept seeing in Oregon

Best parts (hard not to write an essay here):

- Staying up until 2am talking almost every night

- The mom who said "I felt the power of the universe in my uterus."

- Going to the Eugene Saturday market

- Realizing in the sessions that so much of what is being taught should be common sense

- Ladies' dance night!

- Meeting someone who gave birth to breech twins at home

- Morning Glory, the Pizza Research Institute, Red Agave... all of the tasty food

- The sense of community with people you'd never met before

- Buying myself lots of books; Orgasmic Birth, Survivor Moms, Holistic Midwifery Vol. 1 (Frye), Let Birth Be Born Again

- Meeting a Mennonite sociologist who studies grassroots movements, particularly midwifery

- The "Tricks of the Trade" session where everyone shared their knowledge

- Listening to Gail Hart talk

- Sitting with Elizabeth Davis on the plane from Eugene to San Francisco

Now, of course, I'm already looking forward to next year's conference!