I’ve now returned from the breech conference in Canada where I had a fantastic time. Even though I lugged my laptop around with me I didn’t have much joy at connecting it to the internet, so I had an almost technology free time. Apparently I could have twittered by txt, but I only discovered that when I got home.  Anyway, here is a photo intensive summary of my trip.

I started in Vancouver with a study day about women birthing breech babies. It was well attended and the participants made the day lively and interactive, which is always more exciting than being talked to or at. The study was also attended by my friend Julie Pratt who flew in on her way to Calgary. I shared a bed with her for a few nights, it was just like a sleep over at Glo’s house.

Part of my talk, which I was able to try out in Vancouver before moving to Ottawa was on care provider confidence. Skill with breech birth is a heavily pushed must. I think that it is really important to understand the mechanism of normal birth and where to step in but there is no way that skill is the main thing we take to birth. No matter how skilled you may feel you have, if you are afraid of having to step in you will not bring confidence to birth. Care provider confidence is the single most important skill we have. Not confidence in ourselves but confidence in the woman and her ability to birth. The research they did in the power of prayer (really this is the thoughts of many together) proved that people did better as lots of thoughts create mass. This is also what aboriginal cultures use as a basis to their beliefs on many things.

I find it an interesting concept that care providers don’t attend head down births feeling that they wouldn’t have the correct skills at hand. I also find it worrying to think that research proving thoughts create mass give us a whole new way of viewing the hospital. Walking head long into a place of mass fear surrounding birth is a very scary thought. I used a video of a kitten being born (breech) with a great commentary from my husband to illustrate this point.

Before moving on to Ottawa I managed to catch up with a woman and client of mine from Adeliade who had a fantastic twin bomebirth. She has moved to Whistler, which is about 2 hours from Vancouver, and she came into the city to have lunch with us. I was so pleased to see her again.

After a few days I moved on to Ottawa and the main breech conference. I arrived late on Wednesday to no lift and no luggage having no idea where Betty Anne with whom I was staying lived. I noticed Rixa’s blog Stand and deliver mentioned my mishap in addition to summerising the whole 2 days of the conference. So I had to speak in the clothes I’d slept in due everything going to Toronto. It just meant I had a way more unusual look than I meant to have on the day. It certainly was me uncut!!!

My session was full with no standing room left and after being asked to continue through the break and after, I think it was successful. It was on physiological breech the mechanism, care provider confidence and was also about genetics and epigenetics. We didn’t really get to the last part as lots of questions from the floor led the conversation. I’m a bit sad but it means it was for another day. The organic movement of a talk creates much more interest for everyone.

Jane Evans gave a talk on the full mechanism of leaning forward breech and Frank and Anke, Obstetricians from Germany talked on the same thing. They were wowed to realised that midwives already were birthing with women like this and not on their back. They thought they had an amazing discovery. It was however a revolution. This means it wasn’t original thought but one that is coming around again. Of course women have been birthing like this throughout time. It was Obs who put women on their back in the first place.

They discovered that 40% of women on their back needed the mechanism of breech to be hands on with manoeuvres but from 300 births on their hand and knees only 2 women needed hands on to assist the mechanism of birth. How fantastic that Obs finally are hearing this stuff.

Jane has been trying for years to get things published and although it’s maddening to know that only now Obs are taking it on that people are looking more seriously at the outcomes,

I’m glad that they are finally taking notice. women have always known this stuff.

The play Birth was performed on the first night. This was fantastic and I won a private auction for a copy of the book which is the play. Anyone can put this play on if they give the proceeds to a birth cause. There was an Ob from Tel Aviv who gave a critique of the Hannah trial. He was a little confronted by the play. He couldn’t understand why Obs had been painted the bad guy!! We have such a long way to go!

Frank and Ankes Talk was filled with interesting footage of breech in upright position and he was the most enthusiastic speaker (apart from me) of the conference. Anke followed with information on MRI, I wasn’t a convert but it was interesting.

I was lucky enough to meet Andrew Bisits from the John Hunter Hospital, He didn’t present anything but it was interesting to speak with him and for him to be able to take extra information back home.

Ina May did a story telling section at the end of the second day which was, as ever, engaging and funny. We all went for supper at the end of the conference which was great. There were interviews conducted over the conference by Betty Anne Davies and we all participated.

Highlights for me were, meeting Lareen Hudson, what an inspirational woman she is. I was upset to miss her session as it was the same time as mine. Meeting Rixa Freeze, I wanted more time with her but I’m sure we will meet again. Going to lunch with some fantastic Quebec midwives, I had an awesome time with them over lunch. Seeing Jane Evans and hanging out with her just so I could feel as important as she is.

But the best of all was a very special supper I shared with Genia, a midwife I had no knowledge of before the breech conference but who put herself out to make me feel welcome and who shared some of the most intimate moments of her life with me. A new life long friend in the making. Thanks Genia.

I flew back to Vancouver extremely tired and looking forward to California in March where I will meet lots of these people again.

Back in Vancouver I spent one more day with Gloria. We chatted about so many things.

During all this time I have been making a rug. It started out small but Gloria took me to a wool shop where most things were hand spun and dyed. It is now one of the most expensive rugs in the word. I just have to finish it off and it’s my Canada rug. I got some moccasins made by the Huron Indians and they are like gloves. I also saw a magnificent steam clock and rode the sky train.

I was so pleased to be part of such and international push to recognise women’s ability to birth breech babies. We have lots of work to do but we can’t give up trying to keep normal birth alive in all it’s variations.

You can view all my Canada shots here

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