- Month 1: Our time together begins with a session that is aimed at remembering who we are as humans, focusing on the effects of survival instincts on our lives today; our thinking and behavior will be thoroughly discussed as we look at how our hormone cycles flow throughout our lifespan.  Shifting power dynamics create healthier relationships and communities setting the stage to understand the foundational concepts of midwifery.

- Month 2: We know that the best way to take care of the baby is to take care of the mother. We’ll take a deep dive into the key ingredients for vitality, how to implement each one in an individual and holistic way, beginning with the first prenatal visit and continuing throughout the childbearing year.

- Month 3: What is our work prenatally?  We’ll walk through the routine tests that are available – Why, when, and alternatives. What do the results mean?  Is it GDM? What do we do about that?  Is it Pre-eclampsia or HELLP?  Can we prevent it?  What about preterm birth? 

- Month 4:  Herbs and homeopathy are covered here: what are the basics of identifying, harvesting, and preparing common herbs used in pregnancy and childbirth? The basics of making and using infusions, poultices, tinctures, oils, and salves.  How and why does homeopathy work?  What do you need to know to carry and use these remedies in your birth bag? 

- Month 5: Labor mechanics and how do we avoid maternal exhaustion?  How do the uterus and brain communicate?  How does the baby participate? We’ll go deeper into the normal physiology of birth to understand why it works the way it does, recognizing it as a “manifestation of the spirit through a physical act”. And, of course, we’ll talk about placentas. 

- Month 6: Transitioning from pregnancy to postpartum – the importance of the golden hour for bonding, lactation and long-term health. Recognizing the wisdom of the newborn, following its lead, and learning its language.

- Month 7: A review of the cardiac and pulmonary transition newborns experience as they become an air breather, taking us deeper into understanding what the newborn’s priorities are and how we can best support them.  When do we intervene and why?  What happens when resuscitation doesn’t work? What does neonatal transport look like?

- Month 8: Insight into the complexities of fetal presentation, including posterior, asynclitic, breech and face presentations, or twins. How do we recognize and support these variations? What do they feel like to the mother? To our hands? We’ll look at normal vaginal breech physiology and how to help when needed. What are the different combinations? What is important? How do we prepare to help with those births and support recovery? 

- Month 9: Given the high rate of people who experience one surgical birth in our population, talking about the choice of VBAC at home becomes a natural outcome.  We’ll take a walk through the world of surgical birth with an eye towards understanding options and risks, looking at the data we have on VBAC and how to prepare for VBAC success prenatally. What to think about, warning signs, and steps to creating family centered cesareans. 

- Month 10: True emergencies can happen, often unpredictably. Let's gain an essential understanding of how a well-oiled team can recognize and respond to time-sensitive emergencies, including fetal distress, shoulder dystocia and umbilical cord prolapse. 

- Month 11: Postpartum bleeding…how much is too much?  Can we prevent or predict it?  This session will give us a clear path to determining the cause, making our responses more useful and effective. How do we support postpartum recovery?  When is maternal transport appropriate and what does that look like? 

- Month 12: Our focus on understanding pelvic anatomy improves our ability to assess perineal and labial lacerations. We’ll discuss the risks, benefits and alternatives of repair; including the basics of suturing and using seaweed, emphasizing the importance of minimizing pelvic weakness in future pregnancies and beyond.