Dr. Breedlove is a past president of the American College of Nurse-Midwives. In 2017 she formed a consulting company, Grow Midwives LLC, to educate Physicians and Hospitals and support Midwives in the design and scaling of best practices in collaborative care models. Prior to consulting she was on faculty 17 years as Professor of Nursing and Midwifery at Shenandoah University and University of Kansas School of Nursing. She co-founded the first free-standing birthing center in Topeka, Kansas in 1979, the first Midwife service in Kansas City, Missouri in 1994, and established the University of KS Midwifery program in 1999. In 2016 she co-founded March for Moms with Dr. Neel Shah and has served as President three years. March for Moms is a new non-profit organization working to align and coordinate the efforts of families, healthcare providers, policymakers and other partners acting to achieve the best possible health and well-being of all mothers. In 2019 over 40 stakeholders joined for the third national rally on the Washington DC Mall. In 2018 Dr. Breedlove edited and launched a book for first-time parents navigating the first six weeks of pregnancy titled, Nobody Told Me About That!
Expecting parents, particularly those anticipating first-time parenthood, are most ready to learn about pregnancy, labor and birth. Much focus and attention for expecting families center on these periods of uncertainty and often fear. Our natural tendency is to understand and gain knowledge of what impacts us most at times we experience an event. Consequently, for new parents, emphasis is placed on preparing for childbirth with little education or time dedicated to preparedness for parenting. Most families in the US experience birth in-hospital with discharge (following normal vaginal birth) by 48 hours. Speaking with numerous families, anecdotal evidence shows the typical US family experience less than three hours of education on care for self and newborn prior to being home with their baby. The initial weeks of parenthood are a time of universal vulnerability. And also bring one of the most challenging periods of transition from a confident adult to an inexperienced, first-time parent. Many parents express feeling lied to and being set up for the wildest shock of their life- being someone’s parent. Identifying gaps in preparedness in parenting will assist midwives, nurses and doulas in providing families with real information in real time.
Barriers to accessible, affordable and respectful midwifery practice exist in every country. These barriers inevitably reduce the ability for midwives to provide their full scope of care and can impact the scaling up or sustainability of the workforce. Barriers range from pay inequity to lack of recognition, to regulatory practice barriers and poor reimbursement for services. Regardless of the contributing barrier, there are fundamental steps that can be strategically planned to advance change. Although midwives may lead the call for change, purposeful planning is the focus of this presentation. Have you documented a current, compelling story about why – what is the issue and why is it important? What barriers are the most pressing, and, what can you bring forward as a proposed solution? Who are your supporters on the side that perhaps should be promoted as front and center advocates? Do you know how to organize an effective public advocacy movement? Are you skilled in the art of negotiation – getting everyone to YES? This presentation aims to guide midwives to critically evaluate the process of self-preparedness in order to scale up and sustain the profession. Information to "midwife the midwife" beyond clinical expertise toward a voice and champion for change.
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