Birth Complications Online Course(s) & Continuing Education
Access the latest clinical skills and research for Birth Complications for PREGNANCY, LABOUR & CHILDBIRTH professional training. These Birth Complications online courses provide practice-changing skills and valuable perspectives from leading global experts. This Birth Complications education has been accredited for a variety of CEUs / CERPs and can be accessed on-demand, at your own pace.
Nichole's professional career in midwifery has spanned almost two decades and includes health education consultancy, full-scope midwifery services in private, public and military facilities, and clinical faculty advisory.
Nichole earned her bachelor’s and master’s degrees in nursing from the Medical University of South Carolina, completing her studies in 2005 and received her Docterate in Nursing Practice from Old Dominion University in 2022. She is currently working on her psych mental health nurse practioner certification. Her desire to listen to women was the motivation that led her to midwifery, a specialty she has practiced since 2005.
Seeing herself as a partner in her patients' health care, Nichole is passionate about working with women, individuals, and families to ensure safe and informed care. Her areas of expertise include sexually transmitted disease education/prevention and teen pregnancy, with a special interest in transgender care and perinatal mood disorders. Her passion for her community inspired her to open a home birth practice, Jamii Birth and Wellness Services, to be able to serve her community and work towards creating spaces for clients that want out of hospital birth.
Originally from Brooklyn, New York, Nichole loves coastal living. She is the mother of two daughters and has one fur baby as well. In her free time, she enjoys traveling, knitting and exploring different cultures.
Umbilical cord complications are significant factors in obstetric and perinatal outcomes, often leading to increased morbidity and mortality rates. These complications include conditions such as nuchal cord, umbilical cord prolapse, true knots, velamentous cord insertion, and single umbilical artery. Each of these conditions can impede the normal blood flow and oxygen delivery to the fetus, resulting in potential fetal distress, growth restrictions, or stillbirth. In this talk we will discuss management strategies for umbilical cord complications typically focus on early detection through routine prenatal ultrasounds and vigilant monitoring during labor and delivery. For instance, nuchal cords, while often benign, can sometimes necessitate careful intrapartum monitoring or elective cesarean delivery if fetal distress is detected. Umbilical cord prolapse requires immediate medical intervention, usually an emergency cesarean section, to prevent fetal hypoxia. Preventative measures and training for healthcare providers are critical in managing these complications. Effective management protocols, including the timely decision for cesarean sections and interventions like manual reduction or bladder filling for umbilical cord prolapse, have been shown to improve neonatal outcomes. This presentation will allow for a better understanding of the pathophysiology and clinical presentations of these complications to allow for better prenatal counseling and targeted management strategies, ultimately aiming to reduce the risks of adverse perinatal outcomes.
Fetal Rotation, Fascia, and the Nervous System: Rethinking Labour Dystocia
Anna Maria Rossetti earned her Bachelor's degree in Midwifery from the University of Milan (UNIMI), Italy, in 2004. In 2009, she completed a two-year program in Continuity of Care and Salutogenesis under Verena Schmid at SEAO in Florence, Italy. She further advanced her education by earning a Master’s degree in Posturology and Manual Therapies from the University of Bologna (UNIBO), Italy, in 2016.Additionally, she is an accredited Spinning Babies® Instructor.
Anna Maria has extensive experience as a midwife, having worked at Hospital Savini, THO, in Milan, Italy, and at Princess Elizabeth Hospital in Guernsey, UK. In 2010, she took on the role of Head Midwife at a maternity hospital run by the NGO Emergency in Anabah, Afghanistan. Since 2013, she has been practicing as an independent midwife.
Currently, Anna Maria serves as the Director of the postgraduate school of Midwifery, ART SEAO, in Florence, Italy. She is also the Director of the Editorial Board of SEAO Edizioni and the Founder and Director of ARCHIMETRA, an international journal dedicated to Salutogenesis in Midwifery Care, published by SEAO Edizioni. As a highly sought-after speaker and educator, Anna Maria lectures on Psychoneuroendocrine Physiology at universities in Italy, Portugal, Brazil, the UK, Israel, and Russia. She is also a frequent presenter at conferences in the United States.
Topic: Fetal Rotation, Fascia, and the Nervous System: Rethinking Labour Dystocia - [View Abstract]
Labour dystocia due to lack of fetal internal rotation is a leading cause of interventions and cesarean births. This session explores how maternal tissues—particularly fascia—respond to emotional and environmental cues through the autonomic nervous system, influencing labour progression. We’ll also examine how the fetal nervous system contributes to rotation and descent. Integrating fascial biomechanics with PsychoNeuroEndocrinology, this presentation offers practical, evidence-informed strategies to support optimal fetal positioning and reduce birth interventions.
Silke has practiced as a midwife in a range of birth environments for many years. She is also a midwifery educator, working with undergraduate and postgraduate midwives. She originally hails from Yorkshire, UK, but has lived and worked for many years in Marlborough, New Zealand, and more recently has 'crossed the ditch' to Tasmania, Australia.
This presentation is developed from the findings of a structured review of evidence, entitled 'How effective is the presence of meconium-stained amniotic fluid as a predictor of neonatal morbidity and mortality?' undertaken as a Master of Midwifery dissertation at the University of Leeds, UK, back in 2005. A discussion of her findings – 'Holy Meconium' - was published in Essentially MIDIRS in 2013 and she has since presented at conferences. She continues to keep abreast of theories, research findings and practice implications relating to meconium.
In 1903, Whitridge Williams declared “A characteristic sign of impending asphyxia is the escape of meconium”. It’s unlikely this statement was founded on robust, peer-reviewed research, though there has since been research a-plenty based on the underlying inference that in-utero meconium passage is associated with poorer outcomes. Had researchers instead begun with questioning if meconium is indeed an independent marker for those poorer outcomes, then we may nowadays have a better understanding of why most infants with a poor outcome do not pass meconium in labour (Greenwood et al 2003) and most babies exposed to meconium liquor are born in good condition.
Using the findings from an extensive review of the literature, this presentation will begin by exploring the theories of meconium passage. It will review the research that is currently shaping our meconium guidelines (meconium as pathological) and analyse the data that supports the concept of meconium passage as a physiological, i.e., ‘normal’, event. Then, using the evidence, it will critique the current assessment and management practices of meconium labours and infants born through meconium.
Does meconium deserve its reputation as an omen for poor outcomes? Or have we been unjustly scared meconiumless??
Avril is the founder of the Midwife Method - a midwife-led, supportive and educational online program dedicated to empowering all birthing people who want to experience a conscientious and connected pregnancy, birth and transition into parenthood. Who want to learn to thrive in body, mind and spirit and not only feel prepared and informed every step of the way...but loved, supported and guided throughout. This incredible resource is available for busy midwives to count on, to provide for all the educational needs of their clients to have a healthy, joyful and empowering pregnancy, birth and smooth transition into parenthood.
For the past four years, she has loved being an instructor and office manager with Birth Emergency Skills Training® (B.E.S.T.), as well as co-developer of the Online and Hybrid programs. B.E.S.T. is dedicated to improving maternal and fetal outcomes by helping midwives effectively, efficiently, competently and confidently manage emergencies when they arise.
She has been intimately woven into the fabric of serving birthing families since 1998 working at home and in birth centers. Together with her partner, she has home-birthed, home-schooled and raised 3 incredible human beings (18, 24 and 26)!
With an unquenchable thirst for knowledge and desire to support a broader population in attaining their health goals, she returned to school, completing a Bachelor of Science in nursing in 2016, then pursued a Family Nurse Practitioner degree at Georgetown University which she was unable to complete due to unforeseen circumstances.
Topic: STOP Postpartum Hemorrhage in its TRACs - [View Abstract]
Despite the many advances in medical treatment, postpartum hemorrhage (PPH) remains one of the leading causes of maternal mortality around the world. Excessive bleeding plays a role in 25-35% of maternal deaths, and the United States (US) is no exception. In the US, postpartum hemorrhage was responsible for 12% of maternal deaths in 2016 and that figure is rising.
STOP postpartum hemorrhage in its TRACs offers a clear, up-to-date overview of postpartum hemorrhage using the mnemonic TRAC as a guide. TRAC stands for the 4 primary etiologies of PPH - Trauma - Retained Placenta - Atony - Coagulopathy. In this lecture, we present the physiology behind each etiology, prevention, early recognition and responsive, effective management from the least invasive to the most invasive stabilization techniques including anti-hemorrhagic medications, treatment for shock, the use of Non-pneumatic Antishock Garment (NASG) and a host of other life saving options. Treatments are adapted for out of hospital practice including low resource global applications.
Come join us and learn to effectively, efficiently and calmly manage PPH, alleviate fear, increase your confidence and improve maternal outcomes.
The Remarkable Transition From Liquid to Air at Birth: The Implications for Neonatal Resuscitation
Karen H. Strange is a Certified Professional Midwife (1996), American Academy of Pediatrics/Neonatal Resuscitation Program Instructor (1992).
She is founder of the Integrative Resuscitation of the Newborn workshop, which includes the physiology of newborn transition. She teaches the “when, why and how” of helping newborns that are either not breathing or not breathing well, with incredible clarity. She helps the provider have a sense of what the baby is experiencing which leads to a more appropriate response to newborns in need. Karen has done over 1,000 hours of debrief/case reviews regarding resuscitation. She is an international speaker and has taught over 14,000 people worldwide. There are many neonatal resuscitation instructors but Karen teaches practical neonatal resuscitation, regardless of the place of birth. And her teachings instill a strong sense of confidence and competence in providers, so they can respond in the least traumatic way.
Topic: The Remarkable Transition From Liquid to Air at Birth: The Implications for Neonatal Resuscitation - [View Abstract]
Topic: When You Know Better, Do Better - [View Abstract]
Topic: When, Why and How to Breathe for Baby at Birth: More than Neonatal Resuscitation and the Failures in Resuscitation - [View Abstract]
Karen Strange delves into the subject that she knows best: neonatal resuscitation! Karen has accumulated over 1000+ hours of case reviews from birth professionals across the globe. From these debriefs, she’s identified exactly what gets missed, typical misunderstandings and the role that fear and panic play when delivering skills. In this presentation, Karen clearly explains and defines the when, why and how to respond to a newborn either not breathing or not breathing well, while providing trauma-free care regardless of where the baby might be born. At a fully equipped hospital, in a developing country or at home. You’ll leave her presentation with a new sense of clarity and deeper understanding as you confidently respond to babies who need your help.
