emh29

jacq- it's up to each individual trainer, but ours told me that she'd like to have at least 5 women to hold the 2-day lactation educator training, since she was coming down from Mass. for the weekend. If you're interested, contact Kathleen Todd-Seymour through the CAPPA site. She's the trainer for Mass. but can work in CT, too. She is really sweet and will guide you in the right direction. Our seminar was great and she gave us so many business ideas, in case we wanted to go that direction with the certification. Let me know if you have any other questions! :) Congrats on your new job!!

I think the only way that you can host it is if there isn't a trainer in your area (because if they live there, they're familiar with facilities and can find local women on their own). So it sounds like that might work for you. I live in CT and the closest trainer was in Mass. I contacted her through the CAPPA site and asked her about the possibility of coming down to CT for a workshop and I could "host" it and she was very willing to do that if I could find enough women to sign up. They have to give a certain number of workshops per year, so it was helping her out as well. The online course would have worked, too, but it's more expensive and I enjoyed the workshop, anyway

Like some previous posters have said, there are a lot of male OBs, so I'm sure that many women wouldn't mind. On the other hand, there are women who specifically choose a female midwife and prefer to be surrounded by women during that time (myself included), so there will times that it might be an issue. But as long as you don't take it to heart, I'm sure you will be fine :)

I am pre-nursing right now, but plan to be a L&D RN (and maybe eventually a midwife?). I am finishing up the CAPPA CLE certification right now and I think it would be very useful for you. I enjoyed the training and there was a lot to learn, even for someone who has already breastfed two babies :) I couldn't afford it either, so I hosted a program in the area and got to take it for free, just by setting up the arrangements and finding enough women to take the course. I would recommend doing that, if you can. There are still some other costs, but they're minimal. I think it's great that you're a doula! I would love to become a doula, but my daughter is only 17 mos. and still breastfeeding at night, so I couldn't be on call for births right now. Maybe eventually..

I am pre-nursing right now. I have been taking it a little bit at a time because I also have two little ones (4 and 17 mos.). I am a SAHM mom right now, so I've been working on the pre-reqs and will start nursing school (ADN) when they are a bit older. I also had a change of career; I had completed a little over 3 years of bachelor's degree in English. I had been planning to teach (same thing, I thought that would be a great schedule with little ones) but then I got a part time job as a paraprofessional in an elementary school and saw that I could never do that long-term. My heart is in birth, babies, breastfeeding, so I'm on the right path, I think :) I plan to be a L&D RN for a few years and then become a CNM.

Ignore them :) A nurse is so very different from a MA. It sounds like she might feel a little self conscious about the fact that she is a MA and you will be a nurse. But that is her problem; you shouldn't have to worry about it!

Thanks for sharing that link. I can relate with the artist's emotions.. I, too, had a c/s (that, in retrospect, I realize was very likely unnecessary) and felt violated in a way that I cannot even describe. It is difficult for anyone else to understand, unless they have been there personally. There is a great support group for women, called the International Cesarean Awareness Network (ICAN). Some of the stories there would just shock you. I hope that artist is able to let go of some of that pain.. I switched to a midwife with my second pregnancy and it was just wonderful. I had a wonderful VBAC with a very large baby and it was.. amazing. I could go on forever (don't worry, I won't ) but it is a subject very near and dear to my heart.

I would definitely take that as a good sign! I'm still waiting to find out.. although I'm not too optimistic. But I'm happy for you!