Dystocia Online Course(s) & Continuing Education
Access the latest clinical skills and research for Dystocia for PREGNANCY, LABOUR & CHILDBIRTH professional training. These Dystocia online courses provide practice-changing skills and valuable perspectives from leading global experts. This Dystocia education has been accredited for a variety of CEUs / CERPs and can be accessed on-demand, at your own pace.


Dr. Jeanne Ohm is. Co-owner and practicing DC in a family, wellness based practice since 1981.
She is a sought out, international lecturer on the topic "Chiropractic Care in Pregnancy and Infancy" to practicing Chiropractors and affiliated care providers and is a post graduate instructor for numerous chiropractic colleges. She has written numerous articles on pregnancy, birth, children and chiropractic and is co-author of multiple research papers published in major journals.
Dr. Ohm is the founder of Makin' Miracles...Connecting Kid's n' Chiropractic, community outreach programs and resources to educate children and adults about the life saving benefits of chiropractic. www.makinmiracles.com She is also producer of the educational video, "Birth Trauma: A Modern Epidemic"
Her professional positions include: CEO for the International Chiropractic Pediatric Association: www.icpa4kids.com Executive Publisher and Editor of Pathways to Family Wellness Magazine: www.pathwaystofamilywellness.org ICPA developer and instructor of the Webster Certification. Co-developer of the ICVPA/ PBRN Research program. She is an active Board member of: The Academy of Chiropractic Family Practice: chiropracticfamilypractice.org, Life Chiropractic College West: bhttp://lifewest.edu/, Holistic Pediatric Alliance: hpakids.org and the Foundation for Vertebral Subluxation: vertebralsubluxation.health.officelive.com
Dr. Ohm's professional mission is to provide birth care providers with the skills to care for more pregnant mothers and children. She is committed to educating other practitioners with the information to support natural birthing in their practices. It is her understanding that birth trauma is a public health concern, and therefore it has become her goal to eliminate its damaging effects on the newborn. She intends to accomplish this by:
• adequately training DC's in specific chiropractic techniques and care for pregnancy, birth & infancy for the promotion of natural birthing.
• forming national alliances for chiropractors with like-minded birth practitioners and attendants
• empowering mothers to make informed choices in pregnancy and birth
• offering patient educational tools which address this issue
Dr. Ohm is married to Dr. Thomas Ohm, Chiropractor. They have six children and eight grandchildren who have all received chiropractic care since conception. They were all born at home and are living the chiropractic family wellness lifestyle.
In pregnancy, a woman’s body experiences numerous musculoskeletal adaptations and physiological changes. These changes often have an adverse effect on her neuro-biomechanics adversely affecting quality of life, birth outcome and the future well-being of her baby.
The doctor of chiropractic plays a vital role correcting spinal misalignments (subluxations). By restoring nerve system function with these specific spinal adjustments, the mother’s neuro-biomechanical function is improved. This results in an improved quality of life throughout pregnancy, and a body more equipped for optimal physiological function in birth.
This paper will discuss addressing the neuro-biomechanics in pregnancy, the causes of dystocia and the integrative care of birth providers to lead to a safer, easier birth for mothers and babies.

Shoulder Dystocia: Prediction, Prevention, and Appropriate Response

Renowned expert Elizabeth Davis has been a midwife, reproductive health care specialist, educator and consultant for over 40 years. She is internationally active in promoting physiologic, undisturbed birth and is widely sought after for her expertise in midwifery education, legislation, and organizational development. She is the author six widely translated books on birth, sexuality, and female psychology, including “Orgasmic Birth: Your Guide to a Safe, Satisfying, and Pleasurable Birth Experience,” “The Rhythms of Women’s Desire: How Female Sexuality Unfolds at Every Stage of Life,” and the textbook “Heart & Hands: A Midwife’s Guide to Pregnancy and Birth,” now in an updated 2019 5th edition (see https://elizabethdavis.com for details). She served as Regional Representative and Education Committee Chair for the Midwives Alliance of North America (MANA), as President of Midwifery Education Accreditation Council (MEAC), and as midwife consultant to the State of California’s Alternative Birthing Methods Study. She is the recipient of the California Association of Midwives’ Brazen Woman Award, and Midwifery Today’s Lifetime Achievement Award. She is Co-founder of the MEAC accredited National Midwifery Institute, and author/instructor of Heart & Hands Coursework.
Shoulder dystocia is considered one of the most dangerous complications of birth, as corroborated by the high number of malpractice claims resulting from it. Despite this, experts cannot agree on what defines it, what causes it, or whether or not it is possible to predict it. As for treatment, the HELPERR mnemonic is standard of care, but is this truly the best response with fully mobile clients, or does it reflect the limitations of hospital birth with epidural anesthesia?
In this presentation, the physiology of undisturbed birth, including cardinal movements the baby must accomplish to minimize the likelihood of shoulder dystocia developing, will be explained, with an examination of how common hospital practices, such as the use of Pitocin during labor or maternal positioning in second stage, can undermine these. Because this complication carries a high degree of urgency, time-efficient techniques will be presented for both anterior shoulder dystocia and bilateral shoulder dystocia, with indications for follow up for the birthing person and the newborn.


Dr. Kotaska is an Obstetrician & Gynecologist in Yellowknife, Northwest Territories, where he lives with his wife and two boys. He received his medical degree from U.B.C. in 1992 and worked as a GP-surgeon in northern British Columbia before returning to complete a residency in Obstetrics and Gynecology in 2006. He has academic appointments with the Universities of British Columbia, Manitoba, and Toronto. He is regularly active in midwifery and obstetrical education. Dr. Kotaska’s academic interests centre on preserving physiological birth while avoiding unnecessary obstetrical intervention; the overestimation of risk in obstetrics; and the ethics of informed consent and refusal. His latest research interests focus on safe vaginal breech birth, the effect of epidural analgesia on labour, spontaneous two-step delivery, and the shortcomings of guidelines.
Topic: Two-Step Delivery And The Prevention Of Shoulder Dystocia - [View Abstract]
A belief that prolonged head-to-body delivery interval endangers the newborn underpins the common obstetrical practice of delivering the baby’s trunk immediately after the head is born. Without intervention, however, birth typically occurs in two steps: once the fetal head is delivered there is usually a pause, and the rest of the infant is born with the next contraction. Dr. Kotaska will discuss evidence showing that a two-step delivery does not increase the risk of fetal harm, may lower the incidence of shoulder dystocia, and should be considered physiologically normal, with implications for the definition of shoulder dystocia.