Here is a letter from one of my awesome students in Canada who wanted to share her story:

“Hi Lainna – Well, it’s a long time coming but i have a lot to say about your DVDs and your class. I’m just going to tell you a story b/c i really want to share this with you.

Yesterday i attended a beautiful, gentle homebirth. We had a pool set-up which was used for labour, then mama decided to birth on land. I was there as a doula but have almost completed the MDWF144 class. (OK – those last to essays really are coming soon – i promise.) Thanks to your DVDs and class, i knew how to help keep the pool clean and the importance of the various set-ups. No one had to ask me to use the little fish-net or be careful of the oxygen tank, or not put my stuff on the supply table etc. I helped keep the dog away from the vital stuff and didn’t add extra work for the midwives to navigate around me or my stuff. This was the first homebirth i’ve attended since doing your class and what a world of difference in my perspective. I was thinking it certainly could benefit midwives to work with a doula who had this basic knowledge of homebirth set-up, rather than one who hasn’t. (i love all doulas and think they’re an important part of any birth even if they know nothing except how to arrive open-hearted, give mom a rub and say kind words.) I knew this course would be a huge benefit as a midwifery student or assistant but was surprised to learn how beneficial it was for me as a doula. OK – that was my thought even before the birth was complete…. (start playing ominous music here…)

Everything was wonderful and normal for the first 1/2 hr after birth. Then baby started to go downhill. NRP was started, EMT called, and suddenly there was so much to do. Get mom ready for transport, make a clearing for EMT, pass equipment to the midwives, manage the dog, give grandma a job, run to the car for more gear, gather docs and stay calm. Anyway, thanks to your excellent class i was a very big help and knew exactly what to do, and how to listen very carefully to directions from the midwife. After they all rushed out, leaving chaos behind, I stayed behind with grandma to clean-up. The new parents will come home to a clean house and the midwives returned to the house free to just collect their belongings and leave. All their equipment was clean and neatly assembled in 2 piles – one for the primary and one for the back-up – so they could simply put things back in their place and quickly get out. They had no clean-up at all to do. Their instruments were soaking so they didn’t have to deal with dried blood (i couldn’t find a scrubby to properly clean them, but the midwives sure appreciated that the instruments were taken care of in the best way possible). It occurred to me as i was cleaning up with grandma that there’s even a proper way to clean up after a homebirth. For example, all needles and sharps were properly disposed of in the sharps container. The average person has no idea about this stuff. Nor did i until the past year in taking your class.

Lainna – i swear you were with me in spirit there. While working quickly i was hearing/seeing you and your helpers in these hours of DVDs. I’m so thankful that you made them, and that i’d payed close attention. There was no way i would have been nearly as prepared as i was if i’d simply read about this stuff in a book. It was a bit like autopilot. The interesting thing in hindsite is that this was the first time i had to use any of those skills, and although i only watched each section once, i felt totally confident in my abilities to help out and do the right thing. My “recall” was astounding to me (i’ve been recovering from a mild brain injury the past few years) and i’m certain it was due to the multi-media learning. The experience of being a doula was helpful too, but no matter how many doula-hospital births i attended it didn’t prepare me for all that other stuff. Having attended births probably made it easier for me to really “get” what was covered in the DVDs. Thank-goodness for NRP and that section of your DVD is well-done too. It was an excellent adjunct and review after doing the NRP class.

Anyway, the ripple effect of your class helped make a scary situation better for a new family and easier for the midwives involved. And by the way, you know what’s happening with MCU and some unwarranted bad opinions about this school with some of our Canadian midwives. Well, i must say i think i was a pretty good ambassador for MCU last night!

A billion thank-yous for all your good work Lainna!
Hugs, Angie”

It does my heart good to know that all the the effort, work and commitment to teaching the art of midwifery has such meaningful benefits. Thanks for sharing Angie!