Contraction V: Self-care

On international day of the midwife we focus during our fifth contraction on caring for ourselves with student midwife Madyasa Vijber

Madyasa Vijber is doing her final internship in midwifery,She speaks out about our lack of resistance to the system in the form of self-care and raises awareness about mental health of midwives and midwifery students.  is a doula, and is regularly involved in feminist and anti-racist activism in the Netherlands.  

Madyasa Vijber is doing her final internship in midwifery, is a doula, and is regularly involved in feminist and anti-racist activism in the Netherlands.  

She speaks out about our lack of resistance to the system in the form of self-care and raises awareness about mental health of midwives and midwifery students. 

Further reading: 

Websites

Books

  •  Lorde, A. (2007). Sister Outsider. Crossing Press.- Beaumont, E., Durkin, M., 
  • Kirkham, M. (2000). The Midwife-mother Relationship. Macmillan Publishers.
  • Nagoski, E., & Nagoski, A. D. (2020). Burnout. Penguin Random House.
  • Brown, B. (2012). The Power of Vulnerability: Teachings on Authenticity, Connection and Courage (1ste ed.). Sounds True, Inc.

Articles:

  • Hollins Martin, C. J., & Carson, J. (2016). Compassion for others, self-compassion, quality of life and mental well-being measures and their association with compassion fatigue and burnout in student midwives: A quantitative survey. Midwifery, 34, 239–244. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.midw.2015.11.002
  • Durkin, M., Beaumont, E., Hollins Martin, C. J., & Carson, J. (2016). A pilot study exploring the relationship between self-compassion, self-judgement, self-kindness, compassion, professional quality of life and wellbeing among UK community nurses. Nurse Education Today, 46, 109–114. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.nedt.2016.08.030
  • Warmelink, J. C., Hoijtink, K., Noppers, M., Wiegers, T. A., de Cock, T. P., Klomp, T., & Hutton, E. K. (2015). An explorative study of factors contributing to the job satisfaction of primary care midwives. Midwifery, 31(4), 482–488. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.midw.2014.12.003
  • Fenwick, J., Sidebotham, M., Gamble, J., & Creedy, D. K. (2018). The emotional and professional wellbeing of Australian midwives: A comparison between those providing continuity of midwifery care and those not providing continuity. Women and Birth, 31(1), 38–43. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.wombi.2017.06.013

Contractions is produced by Rodante van der Waal and Vinny Taylor. Contact: Rodantevanderwaal@gmail.com

#2 Een videogesprek met Djanifa da Conceicao

In de tweede aflevering van de serie vroede vrouwen gaan we in gesprek met Djanifa da Conceicao. Djanifa studeerde in 2015 af aan de Verloskunde Academie Rotterdam Sinds 2017 werkt zij als vroedvrouw en praktijkhouder in een praktijk in Rotterdam Zuid. Daarnaast is zij bekend als de VerlosMoeder. Met een eigen youtube kanaal, instagram account en podcast bereikt ze zwangere vrouwen en jonge moeders in het hele land.

Contraction IV: Inequity with Bahareh Goodarzi

In our forth contraction, we talk with Bahareh Goodarzi about inequity in midwifery care.

Bahareh Goodarzi is a midwife, teacher and researcher at the Midwifery Science department of Amsterdam UMC, The Netherlands. The Netherlands. She has started two working groups on diversity, inclusivity and anti-discrimination, one at the AVAG Midwifery Academy Amsterdam Groningen, and one at the Royal Dutch organization of midwives (KNOV). Goodarzi’s research focusses on risk selection in maternal and newborn care, particularly on the risk of inequity in care outcomes. 

Bahareh Goodarzi is a midwife, teacher and researcher at the Midwifery Science department of Amsterdam UMC, The Netherlands. The Netherlands. She has started two working groups on diversity, inclusivity and anti-discrimination, one at the AVAG Midwifery Academy Amsterdam Groningen, and one at the Royal Dutch organization of midwives (KNOV). Goodarzi’s research focusses on risk selection in maternal and newborn care, particularly on the risk of inequity in care outcomes. 

Further reading: 

  • Burnett (2020) Dismantling racism in education: In 2020, the year of the nurse & midwife, “it’s time.”
  • Zanting (2020) The ‘exotic other’ in medical curricula: Rethinking cultural diversity in course manuals.
  • Zaidi (2021) From the “top-down” and the “bottom-up”: Centering Foucault’s notion of biopower and individual accountability within systemic racism
  • Lim (2021) Students’ perceptions on race in medical education and healthcare.
  • Vyas (2020) Hidden in Plain Sight — Reconsidering the Use
    of Race Correction in Clinical Algorithms.

Contraction III: Obstetric Violence with Michelle Sadler

In our third contraction Michelle Sadler argues for the importance of recognizing obstetric violence and calling it out as such.

Dr. Michelle Sadler is an anthropologist and one of the forefront academics and activists, globally fighting obstetric violence. Sadler fights for the recognition of obstetric violence as violence against women and for the importance to call it out as such. She is an associate researcher at the Adolfo University in Chile, and director of the Chilean Observatory of Obstetric Violence.

Dr. Michelle Sadler is an anthropologist and one of the forefront academics and activists, globally fighting obstetric violence. Sadler fights for the recognition of obstetric violence as violence against women and for the importance to call it out as such. She is an associate researcher at the Adolfo University in Chile, and director of the Chilean Observatory of Obstetric Violence.

We spoke at a philosophy of childbirth conference in Alcalá, Spain



    Contraction II: Crisis with Rebecca Ashley

    In our second contraction, midwife and researcher Rebecca Ashley labours through the connection between neoliberal financial crises and the crisis of midwifery work

    Rebecca Ashley is a midwife and researcher studying the connection between neoliberal financial crises and the crisis of midwifery work. She imagines what a socialist model of midwifery care could be. 

    Rebecca Ashley is a midwife and researcher studying the connection between neoliberal financial crises and the crisis of midwifery work. She imagines what a socialist model of midwifery care could be. 

     

    Further reading 

    Contraction I: Power/Knowledge with Elizabeth Newnham

    During our first contraction dr. Elizabeth Newnham focusses on the constellation of power and knowledge in midwifery and obstetrics.

    Dr. Elizabeth Newnham is a midwife, researcher and teacher at Griffith University, Australia. She studies the way in which power and knowledge function in obstetrics within a Foucauldian framework. She is the author of the book Towards the Huminisation of Birth: a Study of Epidural Analgesia and Hospital Birth Culture.

    Dr. Elizabeth Newnham is a midwife, researcher and teacher at Griffith University, Australia. She studies the way in which power and knowledge function in obstetrics within a Foucauldian framework. She is the author of the book Towards the Huminisation of Birth: a Study of Epidural Analgesia and Hospital Birth Culture.

     

    Further reading: 

    • Newnham (2015) Birth control: Power/knowledge in the politics of birth.
    • Newnham (2017) Paradox of the institution: findings from a hospital labour ward ethnography. 
    • Newnham (2017) ‘It’s your body, but…’ Mixed messages in childbirth education: Findings from a hospital ethnography. 

    EDIT: In the episode we’ve stated incorrectly that dr. Newnham works at Queensland University. This is not the case. She works at Griffith University, which is in Queensland, Australia.

    De stem van de Nederlandse vroedvrouw

    Het Vroede Geluid is een platform voor en door vroedvrouwen waarin we die stem willen herontdekken en samenbrengen. Ooit begeleidden alleen vroedvrouwen bevallingen, nu werken we samen met andere disciplines. Nog steeds zorgen wij voor de meeste zwangeren in Nederland.

    Samenwerken kan alleen als we altijd onze eigen stem weten te vinden.  Een platform waarin we gaan voor koor én dissonantie. Voor een klank die politieke gevoeligheid noch standpunt schuwt . Voor stemrecht.

    Maar ook voor bevragen en voor afstemmen: kennen we elkaar nog? of onze eigen identiteit? of de kern van ons vak? Hoe vinden wij, vroedvrouwen, dat we moeten zorgen voor zwangeren?  

    Hoe klinkt eigenlijk ons eígen geluid? ons tegengeluid? ons politieke geluid?  Of, alles in één adem: wat is ons vroede geluid?  

    Het Vroede Geluid is een virtueel platform dat een houten toeter wil zijn die de hartslag van collegae vangt, er geluid van maakt, en het laat resoneren op ons trommelvlies.  Het vroede geluid is een megafoon voor hen die al van de daken schreeuwen maar ook voor de zwoegende fluisteraars, de hardwerkende klagers, de roddelaars en binnensmondse vloekers die met de billen bloot willen én voor dirigenten die er een leven aan wijden anderen te laten zingen.   

    Het Vroede Geluid is een plek waar het gaat om vroede zorg. Het wil midwifery in nederland stem geven in interviews, podcasts, blogs, discussies, leesgroepen en wat er dan ook nodig is.  

    Wil jij je vroede geluid laten horen? 

    Wat we hebben besproken

    • Maecenas tempus, tellus eget condimentum rhoncus, sem quam semper libero, sit amet adipiscing sem neque sed ipsum.
    • Nam quam nunc, blandit vel, luctus pulvinar, hendrerit id, lorem.
    • Maecenas nec odio et ante tincidunt tempus.
    • Donec vitae sapien ut libero venenatis faucibus. Nullam quis ante. Etiam sit amet orci eget eros faucibus tincidunt.
    • Duis leo. Sed fringilla mauris sit amet nibh.
    • Donec sodales sagittis magna. Sed consequat, leo eget bibendum sodales, augue velit cursus nunc.

    Maecenas tempus, tellus eget condimentum rhoncus, sem quam semper libero, sit amet adipiscing sem neque sed ipsum. Nam quam nunc, blandit vel, luctus pulvinar, hendrerit id, lorem. Maecenas nec odio et ante tincidunt tempus. Donec vitae sapien ut libero venenatis faucibus. Nullam quis ante.

    Etiam sit amet orci eget eros faucibus tincidunt. Duis leo. Sed fringilla mauris sit amet nibh. Donec sodales sagittis magna. Sed consequat, leo eget bibendum sodales, augue velit cursus nunc, quis gravida magna mi a libero. Fusce vulputate eleifend sapien. Vestibulum purus quam, scelerisque ut, mollis sed, nonummy id, metus.

    Nullam accumsan lorem in dui. Cras ultricies mi eu turpis hendrerit fringilla. Vestibulum ante ipsum primis in faucibus orci luctus et ultrices posuere cubilia Curae; In ac dui quis mi consectetuer lacinia. Nam pretium turpis et arcu. Duis arcu tortor, suscipit eget, imperdiet nec, imperdiet iaculis, ipsum. Sed aliquam ultrices mauris.

    Integer ante arcu, accumsan a, consectetuer eget, posuere ut, mauris. Praesent adipiscing. Phasellus ullamcorper ipsum rutrum nunc. Nunc nonummy metus. Vestibulum volutpat pretium libero. Cras id dui. Aenean ut eros et nisl sagittis vestibulum. Nullam nulla eros, ultricies sit amet, nonummy id, imperdiet feugiat, pede. Sed lectus.

    Donec mollis hendrerit risus. Phasellus nec sem in justo pellentesque facilisis. Etiam imperdiet imperdiet orci. Nunc nec neque. Phasellus leo dolor, tempus non, auctor et, hendrerit quis, nisi. Curabitur ligula sapien, tincidunt non, euismod vitae, posuere imperdiet, leo. Maecenas malesuada. Praesent congue erat at massa. Sed cursus turpis vitae tortor. Donec posuere vulputate arcu. Phasellus accumsan cursus velit. Vestibulum ante ipsum primis in faucibus orci luctus et ultrices posuere cubilia Curae; Sed aliquam, nisi quis porttitor congue, elit erat euismod orci.

    This week’s guest

    Katie Blue is a designer and blogger and founder of Podcaster Studios. Maecenas tempus, tellus eget condimentum rhoncus, sem quam semper libero, sit amet adipiscing sem neque sed ipsum. Nam quam nunc, blandit vel, luctus pulvinar, hendrerit id, lorem. Maecenas nec odio et ante tincidunt tempus. Donec vitae sapien ut libero venenatis faucibus. Nullam quis ante.