Bradley Classes

Yesterday evening I was suppose to start a new birthing class, however, it was cancelled. The class is scheduled to start next Tuesday evening and I'm very excited. The new class I'm taking is on the Bradley method. Bradley teaches natural childbirth and views birth as a natural process. The Bradley method is system of natural labor techniques in which a woman and her husband (coach) play an active part. Bradley's goal is to increase self-awareness and to teach a woman to deal with the stress of labor by tuning into her body. The Bradley method teaches women about natural breathing, relaxation, nutrition, and exercise. During this class I will have a better insight at all of this while being able to interact closely with expectant mothers and a doula.

Prepared Childbirth Class

I recently completed a prepared childbirth class at Kaiser Permanente. During the last two sessions of the class we covered the pushing stage of labor and what to do. It was taught and demonstrated to put your chin down, legs up, take deep breaths, and push as long as you can hold your breath in. Another thing that was covered was back labor and candle blowing to ease the pain and relax. What would happen immediately after birth was also discussed in detail. Breastfeeding was taught for the new moms and all other women who needed a review because not many women know how to properly do it. Lastly, the class was ended by having an actual labor rehearsal. That was very cool because I was able to get an image of what a real labor looks like. Taking this class enabled me to interact closely with women that are pregnant. This class provided me with knowledge and experience that I would have not gained from simply attending mentorship.

Blog 10: EQ

1. I reviewed the rule of three for writing an EQ.
2. a) This meets the rule of three because it isn't a yes/ no question. It would also allow the person to make an argument as to what they feel is the most important factor in healthy weight loss based off all the research they have gathered.
b) This doesn't meet the rule of three because I feel that it doesn't call for depth of research and it isn't specific or worded correctly.
c) This doesn't meet the rule of three because I feel that the answer to this would be a list of answers and facts. It wouldn't allow for an argument to be made based off their research.
d) This meets the rule of three because its short and straight forward it isn't confused. It allows you to research in depth to be able to make argument. Its short but it isn't a question that can be answered with a yes or no.
3. Draft EQ: What does a midwife need to do in order to provide their patients with all the assistance they need during and after pregnancy?

Blog 9: Lesson 1 Reflection

1. I am most proud of the way that I incorporated my props into the content I was teaching. I think it was different because most people presented their props until the end of their presentation and I think it kept the audience engaged. I think doing this also gave my audience a better idea of what the props were and how they work because my topic is rather different and new to them.

2. a) I would give myself a P because I did everything required to earn a P. I think I could have possibly earned an AE or even an AE- had I not been so nervous. I think I had a lot of very good information and good props but you could tell in my tone that I was nervous and I think that took away from my presentation. It really bummed me out but I don't know why I just got extremely nervous when I was up there. I think that I was just so used to presenting to my old house so I got kind of shaky but aside from that I think I deserve a P.

b) I believe I deserve a P because I turned in my rough draft and final draft in on time, my materials were prepared on time, my introduction engaged the audience because I made them think, I had three props, I met the 8 minute minimum time requirement, and I cleaned up afterward. I think my volume and enunciation were very good too I didn't speak too low and everyone in the room was able to hear me. I kept good eye contact with my audience and spoke clearly and simple to get them to understand midwifery. I constantly mentioned my articles and had all three printed out so I can reference to all of them as I spoke about them. Lastly, I did reference my interview and mentorship as I spoke about different aspects of midwifery.

3. I think what worked for me was that I had practiced previously so I wasn't worried about not making time or going over time.

4. What didn't work for me was that I got extremely nervous and wasn't breathing slowly to try and calm myself down so it was evident in my tone of voice that I was nervous. Despite that I think my presentation was wonderful and I hope everyone enjoyed it and learned something new!

Independent Component 1

For my independent component I will be taking a series of birthing classes to fulfill the 30 hour requirement. I just began on Tuesday with my first class, its a prepared childbirth class. During the first class we discussed the anatomy an physiology of childbirth, normal pregnancy changes and common discomforts, nutrition in pregnancy, labor and delivery, signs and symptoms of early labor, and true vs false labor. We also practice different techniques that are meant to help women relax and ease their pain. We learned an exercise known as the pelvic tilt which is when you are on your hands and knees and you push your face towards your pelvis to help with back pain. We also practiced other exercises such as the double hip squeeze and  slow paced breathing. I really enjoyed attending this class because I was able to learn more about pregnancy and actually interact with women that are pregnant. I was also able to try out the exercises and got to observe the couples while they practiced their breathing exercises in each others arms. I can't lie it made me get a little emotional! Taking this class and others will be such a great and lovely experience that I will cherish in the years to come!

This is a photograph of the couples in the class practicing the pelvic tilt

Blog 8: Research and Working EQ

1. What is a midwife expected to know/ do in order to give their patient all the assistance they need before, during, and after pregnancy?

2. In order for a midwife to give their patient all the assistance they need, they need to be able to draw from past experiences, must be personable, supportive, and empathetic. They must be someone a women feels she can fully trust with her life and her baby's life.

3. An important source that has helped me come to this answer are two pieces of research. One of them is titled, "Professional Midwifery," and the other one is titled, "The Art of Midwifery." These pieces have helped me because they talk about practice administration, quality improvement, leadership skills, and professional development within a midwife.

4. My mentor is Deborah Nakielski who is a CNM at Kaiser Permanente. The work I do with Debbie relates to my working EQ because she gives me an insight on what a midwife should be doing to fully assist their patients. Working with her highly increases my knowledge of midwifery as a whole and gives me a hands on approach to learning.

Blog 7: Independent Component 1 Approval

1. For my 30 hours required for independent component I plan to attend a serious of birthing classes such as a lamaze class, a bradley class, a hypnobirth class, a prenatal yoga class, etc.

2. To show evidence of my 30 hours I will record sessions during classes, take multiple photographs, and if possible bring props from the classes.

3. Attending these different classes will help me explore my topic more in depth because often times midwives are the ones who teach those sort of classes. This will give me another look at what full scope midwives do outside of the hospital. Attending these classes will also give me a better insight at the other things midwives do besides labor and delivery, such as counseling.

My Definite Mentor

             I finally have a mentor for senior project that is willing to help me the entire year. Her name is Deborah Nakielski and she is a certified nurse-midwife for Kaiser Permanente. She is also a clinical preceptor at Georgetown University and Cal State Fullerton University. I found Debbie through an iPoly alumni who happened to be her son. After finding out that she worked at Kaiser in Baldwin Park I went to kaiser to request to speak to her but she wasn't there that day so I had to leave her a written message. Debbie was nice enough to get in touch with me within two days and agreed to be my mentor. Her son had just graduated so she was very familiar with the senior project and its functions. I was relieved to have found a midwife who was willing to be my mentor and already had so much knowledge on the project.
           I recently met with Debbie this saturday for the first time in person to discuss what we would be doing throughout the year. When she spoke about midwifery, she spoke in a very passionate and enthusiastic matter that made me excited about my project. I like to think of Debbie as a representation of me in the future because I too want to be a midwife. I am very happy that I will be able to work with her throughout the year because it will benefit both my senior project and career decisions.

Blog 6- Interview Preparation

1. My mentor is Deborah Nakielski and she is a certified nurse-midwife at Kaiser Permanente in Baldwin Park, Ca.

2. Five questions I plan on asking my mentor:

• Where did you attend school and how long did it take you to become a certified nurse-midwife?
• How has this field/ position evolved over the years and/or ever since you began working in it?
• Why did you chose to work at a bigger hospital such as Kaiser? What do you enjoy most about working in a hospital such as kaiser rather than at a smaller clinic or birth center?
• What does a typical day at work look like for you? What attributes does someone need to have in order to be successful in this career? 

Blog 5- Mentorship Reflection

1. My mentor is Deborah Nakielski, I  found my mentor through a previous iPoly student, his mom happens to be Debbie who is a midwife and recommended that she be my mentor. It was really hard to get a hold of this student because he would never respond to me or when he did he would just say to me, "Ok let me try and look for her email," and then would never respond. It wasn't until I spoke to Seanna that she told me that I could probably get a hold of her by going to Kaiser and trying to speak her in person. I finally went to Kaiser and I was able to find her office but she happened to be out that day so I left her a note explaining my situation and asked if she could be my mentor. Fortunately, she texted me two days later and agreed to be my mentor. I've been working with her since then.

2. The most important article I have read so far is, "The primacy of the good midwife in midwifery services: an evolving theory of professionalism in midwifery."Its been very important because this article talks about what makes a good midwife. It explains that a midwives professionalism is what empowers a women through their pregnancy. This piece of information is really important because it addresses my essential question (What is a midwife expected to know/ do in order to give their patient all the assistance they need before, during, and after pregnancy?).

Title: Research Check & Library Experience

Going to the library really benefited me because I have a difficult topic. When I did google searches I was unable to find any really good articles on many topic, most of what I found were just blog posts made by random people on the internet. After going to the library yesterday and learning how to properly look up what I need in the Cal Poly Library, I was able to find thousands of great articles from reliable sources on my topic. Having the librarian there helped a lot too because he was able to come over to me and give me one on one help. Using the library to search up articles and books will really help me for my research check.

Blog 4: Interview Preparation

1. I plan on interviewing Simona Istrate because she is a very well known nurse-midwife and has been in the field for over 20 years. She is accredited by the American College of Nurse-Midwives and is licensed by the California Board of Registered Nursing. Simona is also a Registered Nurse First Assist certified by UCLA, and is the Senior Vice President and Director of Midwifery Services for University Physicians Medical Group. She is also the founder and CEO of the Natural Birth Center and Women's Wellness. I think that interviewing her would really benefit my research because she is a professional who has a wide knowledge on midwifery and can provide me with accurate information.  

2. Questions I plan to ask:

• How, when, and why did you decide that you were going to be a midwife?
• How did you decide what school you wanted to go to and how long did you have to be in school to be a CNM?
• Why did you choose to open your own birth center instead of working for hospitals or any other birth center?
• What do you feel you have to do in order to give your patients a good overall experience with you from before birth to postpartum?
•  How many births have you attended and how do you feel every time you bring a new child into this world?

Blog 3: Topic Choice and Working EQ

1. Midwifery

2. EQ: What is a midwife expected to know/ do in order to give their patient all the assistance they need before, during, and after pregnancy?

Summer Mentorship Component

1. Summer Mentorship Log

2.  Natural Birth Center and Women's Wellness
     Simona Istrate, CEO and Certified Nurse-Midwife
     Phone number: (562)696-2313 or (562)282-6364

3.  Questions that raised up:

• Do I still want to attend San Diego State University or should I take a look at the pathways the midwives at the birth center took?
• Is this a career that I truly want to pursue because midwives have no work schedule they are on call 24/7?
• Would I enjoy being a midwife at big hospital or would I want to start my own office like Simona?
• Would I enjoy focusing on hospital births or water/ at home births?
• Do I want to be a midwife or a doula?

4. The most important thing I gained from the mentorship at the birth center was the first hand insight. I was able to see how the working enviroment for midwives is and the different things they do. I was able to get a better understanding of how things work in the women's wellness department.

5. My senior topic is going to be Midwifery. Doing my summer mentorship at the birth center helped me determine this because I has able to work closely with midwives and learn more about what a midwife is and does. The birth center helped me by giving me the first hand experience and I really enjoyed it.

2-hour Presentations Reflection

1. What presentations did you see?

• Pharmacy- Dilan Desai
• Cosmetology- Emily Vysma
• Occupational Therapy- Ashley Dalan
• Neonatal Nursing Intensive Care- Michelle Ortega
• Teaching 1st Grade- Xena Perez
• Bikram Yoga- Jessica Hartlein
• Woman's Nutrition- Jackie Gaeta
• Photography Studio- Angel Flores
• Physical Therapy- Daniel Song
• Bakery- Beladona Ontiveros
• Pharmaceutical- Ralph Hernandez
• Linguistics- Lara McConnaughey
• Hip Hop Dance Choreography- Mark Patena
• Nursing- Allyana Salud
• Physical Therapy- Jazmin Castro
• Counseling- Stephanie Salas

2. What questions do you have that haven't been answered about the senior project? This can be about the senior project in general, any components or about a presentation topic you saw or what they said.

• How long do you have to talk for because all throughout the presentations I would hear seniors say "Oh, no she still needs ___ minutes to make time"?
• Is there a specified time requirement you need to meet for your activity?
• Do you need to do one or two activities?
• How many components make up the senior project because throughout presentations I would hear people refer to their first, second, and third component?

3. What is the most important part of the senior project based what you are seeing in the 2-hour presentations?

• I think the most important part of the senior project is the research you are required to do and your mentorship because these two things are what help you become knowledgeable  and an expert on your topic. I found that the people that were more knowledgeable were more confident, spoke well, and delivered a great presentation in comparison to those who didn't know much of their topic.

4. What topic are you considering doing and why?

• I am considering in doing Midwifery for my senior project because this is a career I possibly want to pursue. I am hoping that doing my project on this will help me make a final decision on whether I want to pursue this career or not.

5. What are you doing for your summer mentorship?

• For my summer mentorship I am going to be mentoring with a certified nurse midwife at Kaiser Permanent. She is going to start showing me what working as a midwife is through a hands on approach.