'... Birthspirit belongs to all women and families. She manifests that which has been unsaid, expressing her self in the language of women. Knowing her fills the void that exists from the loss of story telling in our families and our communities. She enables us to see the depths - and to see the simplicity.' more About Birthspirit
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Education

Birthspirit's Midwifery Skills for Emergencies Intensives

This is the 10th successive year of Midwifery Skills for Emergencies Intensives. The practice issues covered in the Intensive support the development and/or maintenance of the midwifery skills necessary to deal with emergencies at home or in other low tech settings. Issues include cord prolapse, undiagnosed breech presentation, shoulder dystocia, postpartum haemorrhage, intravenous cannulation, perineal repair (including suturing) and neonatal resuscitation.

These Intensives are centered on scenario discussions and support evidence-informed practice, with demonstration of relevant midwifery skills with ample time allowed for ‘hands on’ practice. The Intensives are live-in workshops giving opportunities to meet and network with other midwives working in a variety of midwifery environments throughout (mainly) New Zealand and Australia.

The Intensives are endorsed by Midwifery Council of New Zealand and the Australian College of Midwives.

See Intensives dates and registration and further information.

Other elective education courses will also be held throughout New Zealand as Maggie’s practice, research and writing commitments allow.

Feel free to contact Maggie at maggiebanks@birthspirit.co.nz or Ph (64) 07 856 4612.

Education: 2012 - 2013 Calendar

In recognition of continuity of midwifery care as a cornerstone of maternity in New Zealand,  we have added a new workshop to our eduction programme - Self-employed Beginnings. This will support those midwives contemplating or commencing self-employed practice.


PDF Catalogue

Date(s) Venue Workshops and Intensives
23-24 Feb 2012 Birthspirit Cottage, Tamahere, NZ Self-employed Beginnings Workshop
7-9 Mar 2012 Birthspirit Cottage, Tamahere, NZ Midwifery Skills for Emergencies Intensive FULL
15-16 Mar 2012 Birthspirit Cottage, Tamahere, NZ Self-employed Beginnings Workshop
22 Mar 2012 Birthspirit Cottage, Tamahere, NZ Waiting, Waiting, Waiting ! A Post-dates Workshop
27 Mar 2012 Birthspirit Cottage, Tamahere, NZ Waterbirth - The Rising Tide Workshop FULL
29 Mar 2012 Birthspirit Cottage, Tamahere, NZ The Spirit of Birth - Nature, Nuture & the Evidence
3-4 Apr 2012 Birthspirit Cottage, Tamahere, NZ Self-employed Beginnings Workshop
29 May 2012 Birthspirit Cottage, Tamahere, NZ Waiting, Waiting, Waiting ! A Post-dates Workshop
31 May 2012 Birthspirit Cottage, Tamahere, NZ REARING TO GO! A Breech Birth Workshop
14 Sept 2012 Birthspirit Cottage, Tamahere, NZ Waterbirth - The Rising Tide Workshop
17-19 Oct 2012 Birthspirit Cottage, Tamahere, NZ Midwifery Skills for Emergencies Intensive
7-9 Nov 2012 Birthspirit Cottage, Tamahere, NZ Midwifery Skills for Emergencies Intensive
28-30 Nov 2012 Birthspirit Cottage, Tamahere, NZ Midwifery Skills for Emergencies Intensive
13-19 Jan 2013 Birthspirit Cottage, Tamahere, NZ Mind, Body and Spirit Midwifery Workshop
Education

WAITING, WAITING, WAITING! - A Post-dates Workshop - 2012

In 1985, in order to stem the tide of increasing medical intervention during childbirth, the World Health Organisation (WHO) determined (amongst other things) that no geographical region should have an induction of labour rate of more than ten percent. To exceed this rate would reflect the inappropriate use of technology ...The aims of this workshop are firstly, to enable midwives to develop or enhance an evidence-informed position on post-dates issues and, secondly, to explore strategies to providing safe and effective midwifery care for the woman (and her unborn baby) during a ‘longer’ pregnancy ... further information on the workshop

Waterbirth - The Rising Tide Workshop - 2012

Oral history suggests that the use of water during labour, and birth under water, were probably known among people as diverse as the ancient Egyptians, the Indians in Panama, some Pacific Islanders and, perhaps, the Maoris of New Zealand. ... In ancient Greece Aphrodite, the goddess of love, was born from the foam of water, while in Cyprus the goddess of love was born on the beach at Paphos. Jessica Johnson & Michel Odent, We are all waterbabies, 1995

Wherever you practice, this Workshop offers you a safe forum to explore and share the ‘hows, whens, whys and what ifs’ of waterbirthing ... further information on the workshop

Wise Woman Archives Trust (WWAT)

Birthspirit is delighted to support the Wise Woman Archives Trust (WWAT), which is incorporated under the provisions of the Charitable Trusts Act 1957. WWAT is a new initiative with the purpose of collecting, preserving and making available for research and learning purposes historical materials relating to maternity services in Aotearoa New Zealand.

The Trust’s first major acquisition is the secretarial archive of the Domiciliary Midwives Society (Incorporated) – the contents of which can be viewed on the webpage Domiciliary Midwives Society of New Zealand (Incorporated). The DMS, as the Society was known, was established in 1981 to enable practising domiciliary midwife members to communicate efficiently, speak out effectively as one body, and manage their own affairs; to oppose and correct misrepresentation and misunderstanding of the philosophy of home birth and the policies of domiciliary midwives; and, to protect the reputation and interests of all domiciliary midwives by seeking to obtain membership from all midwives providing home birth services. The DMS was very active from the 1980s with the Home Birth Associations and Home Birth Support Groups throughout New Zealand in securing the viability of the home birth option prior to 1990.

Wise Woman Archives Trust is interested in receiving donations of material from individual or groups – maternity consumer or professional - in particular, but not exclusively, of minutes of meetings, correspondence, submissions, newsletters and birth statistics. Archives are housed in Birthspirit Cottage and can be accessed by appointment by contacting WWAT (email: wwat@ihug.co.nz).

Article

Facilitating Breech Birth - Midwifery (and Women's) Business! by Maggie Banks. For full article go to Birthspirit's 'Articles' page or click here.
Birthspirit Midwifery Journal


Birthspirit Midwifery Journal focuses on the regeneration and furthering of knowledge that promotes, supports and protects the healthy (on all levels) continuum of pregnancy, labour and birth, breastfeeding and early mothering.

While we are continuing with our activities of providing midwifery education, publishing and selling midwifery books, and supporting Wise Woman Archives Trust, we have decided that we will not continue with Birthspirit Midwifery Journal. Issue 6 (October 2010) was, therefore, the last Issue to be published.

Past Issues of Birthspirit Midwifery Journal will remain available for purchase.
Birthspirit's Mind, Body & Spirit Workshop - January 2013

The 2012 week long, live-in midwifery Workshop which embraces the mind, body and spirit of midwifery is full. We now have a fifth one planned which will run from Sunday 13th January through until Saturday 19th January 2013. Throughout this time you are provided with onsite accommodation, nutritious meals and refreshments and a beautiful space to immerse yourself in the tradition of the wise-woman midwife ... read more

Wise Woman Archives Trust (WWAT)

Joan Donley (1916 - 2005)

Joan Donley was born and raised in Canada and immigrated to New Zealand in 1964 with her husband and five children. Joan, already a nurse from 1938, undertook midwifery training at St Helen’s Hospital in Auckland in 1972 at the age of 56. In 1974 Joan commenced domiciliary midwifery practice providing home birth services in Auckland.

Joan played a major leadership role throughout all aspects of midwifery in New Zealand by motivating midwives to take control of midwifery and supporting consumers to fight for the home birth option. She initiated founding of the Home Birth Association in Auckland in 1978, the Domiciliary Midwives Society (Inc.) and the New Zealand College of Midwives.

In her pivotal paper titled Midwives or moas? presented at the 1988 National Midwives and Obstetric Nurses Special Interest Section of New Zealand Nurses’ Association Conference in Auckland, Joan proposed that midwives form the Aotearoa College of Midwives “to promote midwifery in order to survive as a profession”. While it underwent a name change, this prompt would result in the founding of the New Zealand College of Midwives at that Conference. This paper along with The domiciliary midwife: her role and professional status in the community and The midwife as an independent practitioner begin the series of Joan’s papers written in the 1980s, many of them unpublished, which will be reproduced electronically by the Wise Woman Archives Trust, thanks to the kind permission of her daughter, Dee Pigneguy.

Midwifery wisdom

Joan Donley's Compendium

"There is no other book quite like this one and we have waited a long time for it.  It challenges conventional ways of thinking yet has been thoroughly researched, is based on evidence and makes good sense.

Written with her usual wit and humour, Joan provides a complete compendium of information to answer any question about having babies and keeping healthy. It will be a valuable resource for midwifes and is a must for all women wanting a healthy pregnancy and a healthy baby ... " (Go to Joan Donley's Compendium)

There is limited stock of this book left, and it will not be reprinted

News

Midwifery Council's competency requirements for practising midwives

All of the on-going competency requirements for practising midwives are set out in Midwifery Council's - Recertification Programme: Competence-based practising certificates for midwives. This and other informative documents are on their website at www.midwiferycouncil.org.nz

Website updated 26 January 2012
         


Birthspirit is the website of Birthspirit Ltd, 15 Te Awa Rd, RD 3, Hamilton, New Zealand
Email: maggiebanks@birthspirit.co.nz or tonybanks@birthspirit.co.nz Phone 64 7 856 4612 Fax 64 7 856 3070

Birthspirit and the 'B' styled symbol at the beginning of the name Birthspirit are registered trademarks belonging to Birthspirit Ltd. All intellectual property rights in that name and symbol, together with those relating to this website, belong to Birthspirit Ltd.

Webmasters: Tony Banks