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They’re talking about Midwifery Today conferences…
“The powerful experience of being part of this conference is not easy to put into words. It was about being with midwives who are strong, wise women, who care about one another and about having those feelings awakened in us. We came into an awareness that some of the midwives who teach us at college and in practice share that strength and wisdom, and moments we had stored came back to us with new meaning.” [ FULL ARTICLE ] Eugene, Oregon—March 2009 This is the best conference in this field. What really stayed with me was Carol [Gautschi] discussing "Baby Communication." "Stay with me, Baby." Thank you so much for such a wonderful and inspirational conference. I loved all the sessions, and especially loved connection with the other women by dancing together Saturday night. [smiley face] [heart] SO MUCH FUN! Basically, this was very inspiring and rewarding! Well organized, well run—everything was done on time and moved well. Tons of fun and refreshing to meet so many wonderful women! I can’t wait for the next one and hope I can come. Thank you all so much for bringing us all together! As a younger birth worker, I feel so thankful to join this amazing lineage of women, and more importantly, I feel *held*, supported, included in this. I have my batteries recharged and am ready to bring new knowledge, hope and conviction back to the hospital! Beautiful conference, wonderful environment. Felt safe and inviting. Full of honesty without propagating fear. Beautiful, open women! Awesome. Copenhagen, Denmark—May 2009 Thank you for yet another brilliant conference. There was such a good atmosphere and a lot of people said they really felt closer to "the spirit of midwifery." There is such hope for the future and empowerment of the doulas and midwives in these gatherings, that everybody goes back to their work wherever that might be, with strength and inspiration to improve things, without having to feel alone. Philadelphia Area—March 2008 I really enjoyed the conference. I met the most amazing people, and hope to revamp our pregnancy massage here at the spa and set up a referring program to local midwives. Norway— 2007 Thank you so very much! I’m leaving here feeling much stronger and inspired and feeling part of a large beautiful movement of sisterhood
and brotherhood. I have never attended a Midwifery Today conference before and my heart is full of gratitude. You gave me some "back to basics" days that I really needed. And it was so good to feel so much love and warmth these days. Thank you! (smiley face) Thank you so much. I have waited for what seems an eternity to be part of such an experience. It was wonderful to have a sense of the
international birthwork community. Every workshop gave me something new and lots of new ideas and energy, of course. Costa Rica—May 2007 Thanks to all who worked to put together that conference!! I will never be the same! Eugene, Oregon—March 2007 This conference always grounds and inspires me at the same time. It [re]connects me with my passion for Birth, women, babies, and families and recharges me. Thanks, Midwifery Today! You rock! Jan rocks! Thank you, Jan, for all your efforts in organizing. This was a top-of-the-line conference by any standards but along with the subject
matter it was astounding. Bad Wildbad, Germany—October 2006 As always, the congress was a resounding success and grows in its multi-function every year. The inherent change these meetings bring about in the general consciousness of the individual and therefore in the group is far reaching, and therefore tends to global conscious development. Keep up the good work! MT has really helped me strive forward in my work for a better birth. Thanks for empowering and enhancing our trust in birth and for bringing together such wonderful people. Thank you so much. Philadelphia Area—March 2006 This was the most helpful conference I’ve ever been to—really enjoyed the classes and the speakers and the format. Midwifery Today sure does pack it in!! Not too expensive and you offer [plenty of] workshops, sessions, and general meetings. Nassau, Bahamas—September 2005 I was happy to see Robbie Davis-Floyd, Dr. Odent, Marina Alzugaray, and all the speakers and midwives sharing ideas and hopes for the future. I enjoyed the fellowship and the shared concern held by the midwives present at the conference. As midwives, in spite of our different cultures, we all have one common goal, to return the normal birthing of women to the midwife. This was a fantastic conference! Interesting and stimulating conference. Copenhagen, Denmark—May 2005 I absolutely loved the 5 days I’ve been here. I’ve genuinely learnt new things, reaffirmed things I knew to be true and absorbed so much inner knowledge. Thank you for making me a better midwife! This conference is a fantastic way to learn, get inspired and get motivated. It is the perfect combination of hardcore research evidence, feminist ranting (mostly by a man?!), spiritual nourishment, and international ideas that will really help midwifery practice. A holistic conference for a holistic profession! It is really one of the most inspiring moments in my life as a midwife. I’ve found the force coming up within me for women and to believe in their beautiful bodies. I’ve been extremely inspired and I’ll be going back to work with renewed energy. Every midwife should do this at least, at least, once a year. Thank you for all the inspiring energy!! I feel very privileged to have attended this conference. Thank you for a very inspiring time. I go from here thinking, "When is my next shift, when am I going to work again?" And it’s been a long time since I’ve been thinking that way. All the fantastic people from all over the world—both teachers and participants!! Hi! I attended the conference in Copenhagen last weekend. Thank you for a great conference! Incredibly inspiring and informing. Dear Midwifery Today, I really want to thank you for the congress in Denmark. It gives me a lot of inspiration, hope and force to change things in my little country. Eugene, Oregon—March 2005 Midwifery Today is such a blessing for us young ones coming up—it’s a place where we can plug into the source. Thank you for your big hearts and hard work. The conference blew me away! I am still in a space of awe and deep gratitude for the inspiration and knowledge I was gifted there! Thank you so much for nourishing my passion and first steps into the path of midwifery. The break-out sessions were wonderful small groups for discussion. Just being among all these strong, powerful women was uplifting/overwhelming. I really appreciate your time and efforts put into these conferences (this was my third!). It is a very important investment for our profession! It was inspiring. All the sessions I went to I gained much information and ideas. Networking was great, too. I’ll be back again. I am not a midwife yet, and this experience has had the greatest impact on me. I am so grateful. Keep up the good work. I was so, so happy to be here, my head is of full of ideas and joy and reasons to fight and not lose the faith and hope. Thank you so much for making this possible. Thank you, thank you, to all the planners of this conference and to those who worked tirelessly to make every session and every day so wonderful. I know it does not happen by accident. Thanks and gratitude—feelings that don’t have sufficient words to describe them. I have been filled and nourished by the people here this weekend. I had gotten so empty; I didn’t realize how much I needed it. But I am full now and have so much to share again. Thank you. I feel I have wasted the last 20 years! The conference opened my eyes to midwifery! It has given me lots to consider! It has given me space to think! Bad Wildbad, Germany—October 2004 I just want to tell you how wonderful it was to be with such rich, exciting and interesting people, full of faith and enthusiasm! Thank you for the work you are doing in organizing such conferences. Eugene, Oregon—2003 This conference gave me hope for healing and trust in a world so bent on hate and destruction. I needed this conference for renewal of not only birth energy and knowledge but also life energy and hope. The welcoming and loving atmosphere of this conference just overwhelmed me. It’s really inspiring and heartwarming to see so many women (and men) who truly line up to the calling to love, guide, teach and lift. What an affirming way to start my midwifery journey. Thank you all so much. All expectations met +++. I’ve been to a lot of Ritz/Carlton-style conferences, but I have to say this conference was the most well organized, interesting and compelling conference I’ve ever been to! This conference gave me what I needed—lots of reminders of why I became a midwife and love to practice midwifery; a great relief from burn-out. I am just speechless because every one I’ve heard speak so far is so knowledgable, open and wonderful. I laughed, I cried, I loved, I learned and I now know for sure that midwifery is in my blood and that midwives will save birth as a passage from losing its ancient roots. Miscellaneous Testimonials Dear Midwifery Today conference staff. The Paris (2001) conference was fantastic, I like to thank you for all the work that went into both preparation and while at the conference. Midwifery Today, Jan and every one deserves a great BIG THANK YOU HUG. Keep up the good
work. The conference in Eugene was outstanding. I have already had follow-up calls from a nurse-midwife in Seattle and a nurse-midwife in California. They both appreciated the conference and the way it is bringing together all the various kinds of midwives. Please do give
my congratulations to your entire staff. The Eugene conference was absolutely incredible! The speakers were great, inspirational, strengthening. I just had such a fantastic time, it’s hard to put it into words. I want to thank you and the Midwifery Today staff for taking me under your wing and making the Eugene conference one of the most extraordinary experiences of my life. I was so impressed by the kindness and competence of everyone with whom I came in contact. "Thank you so much! This was the very best midwifery conference I’ve ever attended: so supportive, so affirming and so educational. It was a special treat to meet Mabel Dzata and Harriette Hartigan. I was blessed through and through!" "At lunch, I sat with midwives from New York, California and Georgia. What a delight, these wise women! Our eager sharing of personal experiences like long-lost sisters, without regard to practice place or title, remains an outstanding gift unique to Midwifery Today’s Conferences." "I left the conference renewed and inspired in my own work. My vision for my future is clearer now. I hope CNMs and other midwives of different backgrounds can continue to grow and learn from each other in a powerful and productive way. These conferences are so important!" "I’m still feeling high from the wonderful Midwifery Today conference. I’m also feeling prepared, armed with the research and wisdom of Marsden Wagner and Henci Goer, to educate our practitioners regarding the latest research and how it conflicts with standard obstetric care." "So much great information and wisdom was shared by the likes of Michel Odent, Ina May Gaskin, Penny Simkin, Sr. Angela and so many other wonderful midwives. Just sitting in on the Tricks of the Trade circle was worth at least two weeks of academic learning!" "The conference renewed my faith in midwifery as a skill and knowledge-based profession, but also one where there is deep personal commitment. In one particular session we were asked, "What brought you into midwifery?" The answers were wide-ranging and diverse, but all concerned shared a common vision that there has to be a gentler way of bringing our children into this world." "I want to congratulate you on an outstanding job in New York (at the First Annual Midwifery Today East Coast Conference). All of your hard work, enthusiasm, dedication, and talents came together and blossomed into one of the most inspiring, reaffirming weekends of my life. The entire conference—the people I met, the ideas that were shared, the energy and enthusiasm—was such a needed ‘shot in the arm’ for me. Thank you for providing our area with such a rich experience." "Once again you pulled off a wonderful conference. I think folks got what they came for. My thanks to all your staff." "I must agree with everyone who attended and say that the 1995 Pacific Rim conference was one of the best I have ever attended. You did a wonderful job organizing things!" |