2014 Schedule of Events

Events took place throughout the day at the Iowa City Public Library, Heartland Yoga, and the Conscious Living Center. All events were free and open to the public.

ICPL - Meeting Room A

10:00 - United State of Birth
With Mandi Hardy Hillman, PhD, LPC, CD (DONA), ICCE Board Member with ImprovingBirth.org, Co-Founder & Current President of Iowa Birth Organization, Owner of Gentle Beginnings Birth Services. A passionate advocate for human rights in childbirth, Mandi explores the history of birth from a feminist perspective, what the current state of maternity care is, and what's being done to improve it. Also a certified childbirth educator through ICEA, Mandy will share  the mission of the Iowa Birth Organization

11:00 - CBAC and Repeat Cesarean: The Myth of Choice
with Kelly Fischer, ICAN of Northeast Iowa. ICAN (International Cesarean Awareness Network) is a nonprofit organization whose mission is to improve maternal  child  health by preventing unnecessary cesareans through education, providing support for cesarean recovery, and promoting vaginal birth after  cesarean (VBAC). 

12:00 - Meet the Doulas: Speed Dating, hosted by Iowa City Doulas
Pregnant? Planning for a pregnancy? Come and mingle with other expectant families and meet the Iowa City Doulas in a speed-dating style mini-interview setting. Learn more about doulas, ask questions and find a match! Iowa City Doulas serve pregnant women in Iowa City, Coralville, North Liberty and surrounding areas. We are a group of doulas committed to providing women in our community with prenatal, postpartum, labor and birth support. www.icdoulas.com

1:30 - Acupuncture for the Childbearing Years 
with Alice Spitzner Claussen L.Ac., Dipl.O.M. of Twig & Needle Chinese Medicine, LLC.
There is more to Chinese Medicine (CM) than acupuncture, such as wellness counseling and herbal medicine. CM is about treating the whole person not just the disease. CM practitioners strive to help their patients target areas of imbalance in their body and/or life that may be creating disharmony.  Together, patient and practitioner formulate a treatment plan that may include nutritional changes, lifestyle changes, acupuncture, herbal medicine, and/or bodywork. This makes CM very helpful in navigating the many transitions of a woman's life: menses, conception, pregnancy, labor and delivery, postpartum, and perimenopause.

2:30 - The Wellness Pregnancy
Dr. Ron Robinson, DC, CACCP of Robinson Family Wellness will offer complimentary care information, discussing his specific, gentle techniques for proper alignment and preparation for natural birth as well as nutrition and postpartum care of the family. Dr. Ron Robinson maintains a certification from the ICPA as a Pediatric and Family Wellness Chiropractor (CACCP). He is the only Chiropractor in the Iowa City/Coralville area with this certification. He  also holds an additional certification for the Webster Technique. 

3:30 - Meet and Mingle with Homebirth Midwives and Families 
Hosted by the Iowa Midwives Association: Preserving traditional midwifery and homebirth in Iowa.

4:30 - Film Screening
MIDWIFE: the Documentary
A brief Q&A session with Melanie Moore, Certified Professional Midwife featured in the film, will follow.

ICPL - Meeting Room B

12:30 - Healing from Stillbirth and other Complications
With Dr. Tanya R. English, DC
Life is a journey with hills and valleys. What's important is that we walk through the valleys and not pitch a tent and live there. Dr. English will share her story of triumph after the stillbirth of her first son and show you how you can recover and have a fulfilling life despite experiencing tragedy. Healing is possible!

2:00 - Owning Your Birth Experience
With Rachel Cornett-Olsson, CPM, RN, CYPT
Have you ever wished for more time to ask questions about your birth? Inform yourself about all the things you didn't realize you didn't know about having a baby in the hospital. Beginning this January, Rachel Cornett-Olsson and Kristin Bergman lead a three part series of talks with expectant parents on a weekly rotating basis, held at Robinson Family Wellness in Coralville. Guest speakers will join us. Visit www.robinsonfamilywellness.com to enroll.

4:00 - Normal Physiologic Birth in the Hospital
with Lynne Himmelreich, ARNP, CNM, MPH, FACNM
Lynne has spent her 40 year career in maternity care listening to women and making hospitals family friendly. For the last 18 years as a midwife at the University of Iowa, she has promoted normal physiologic birth for women in a hospital setting and taught our future physicians to listen to women and have faith in normal birth.

5:30 - Essential Oils for Pregnancy, Delivery, and Health
With Teri Boman, Young Living Oils and Kelly Sprague, CD(DONA), BirthGuard Doula Services
We will discuss what essential oils are, which are safe to use during pregnancy, and the benefits of using essential oils during pregnancy and labor.  We will discuss options to naturally flip malpositioned babies, care for the umbilical cord, stop premature labor, assist stalling labors, treat birth trauma, relax during labor, soothe everyday back ache, prevent stretch marks, calm morning sickness, and so much more! We will also present information on boosting fertility and regulating hormones!

ICPL - Children's Room

10:00 - Storytime for Siblings
The library invites the public to the regular morning story time with a theme focusing on becoming a big sister or brother.

12:00 - Benefits of Movement and Mindfulness, Specifically Prenatal Yoga, During Pregnancy
with Dana Robinson of Sweet Feet Yoga and Robinson Family Wellness.
Prenatal yoga is a safe and healthy option for exercise and movement that helps the woman mentally and physically throughout her pregnancy and birth with breathing exercises that develop breath awareness, physical postures that strengthen the body, and visualizations that help the expectant mama learn to relax and reduce stress on her own body and her baby.

1:30 - Beloved Bonds Breastfeeding Support Group
Led by Kimberly Hendricks of Beloved Bonds Womb to World, this group provides breastfeeding support for new and experienced moms in the Iowa City area. Can't join us at the birth summit? Beloved Bonds Breastfeeding Group also meets twice a month at Virtue Medicine Studio.

2:30 - Iowa City Babywearers
Bring yourself, your loved ones, your friends, your kids, your questions, and your baby carriers (of course)!

ICPL - Teen Room

12:30 - Super Teen Mama Survival
with Shell Feijo, PhD
Open discussion with a former teen mom. What was it really like? How did she survive financially? Did she finish high school? Make it through college? What about the dad? Dating after baby? Bring your questions! This is an open, safe space for all of us.

ICPL - Meeting Room D

10:00 - The Recovery and Motherhood Journey: Embracing Pregnancy While Healing from an Eating Disorder
with Kellie Osler,  Birth and Postpartum Doula of Motherly TLC. For those who struggle with poor body image or eating disorders, pregnancy and parenthood can be difficult. This transition can stir up emotions and intensify maladaptive behaviors that pose additional risks to a growing baby and new mom. It can be an ideal, and very necessary, time for treatment. Kellie Osler will share her journey of recovery from a 12 year battle with bulimia while expecting her son. As a mother and birth doula, her goal is to shift our opinion of ourselves. We are not defined by a number on a scale or size of pants. We need to embrace our changing, life giving bodies that are capable of birth and anything else we choose to do.

11:00am Placenta Encapsulation and other Preparations
with Hannah Sandler, Birth and Postpartum Doula. Discover the many ways your placenta can help you heal and recover after birth. We will discuss both the traditional Chinese and raw methods of encapsulation, tinctures, uses for raw placenta and placenta art. Learn the benefits of consuming your placenta in many different forms. No actual placentas will be used during this talk although photos may be a part of the presentation.

12:30 - Healing Your Birth Stories Through Ritual
with Jai Westgard, RM/T, Intuitive Counselor. Q&A discussion of the power of story telling, ritual, and communal healing through Blessingways and Community Healing Ceremonies.

1:30 - Exercise and Babywearing for a Healthy, Pain-Free Birth and Beyond
with Kim Blackwell-Esch, PT, Progressive Rehabilitation Associates.
Kim graduated from the University of Iowa Physical Therapy program in 2004 and has been practicing at Progressive Rehabilitation Associates since that time. She treats orthopedic injuries and specializes in women's health, including pelvic pain, urinary incontinence, pregnancy, and postpartum issues.

2:30 - The Circumcision Decision
Intact Quad Cities will be hosting a panel discussion on the topic of infant circumcision. What is circumcision and why is it done? What is the foreskin and why is it there? When and why did circumcision become common in the USA? Are there any valid reasons to have a baby circumcised? Is circumcision still as common in the USA as it once was? Why don’t any other developed countries routinely circumcise newborns? Come with questions and leave with answers!

Heartland Yoga

12:30 - Preparing for Birth with Art
With Monica Basile, PhD, CPM, CD(DONA), CCE(BWI), Mindful Birthing instructor. Because giving birth is a creative act, birth art is a powerful tool for preparation and discovery. Experience a birth art exercise designed to help you connect more deeply to your own innate strengths and wisdom for birthing. Birth partners are welcome.

2:00 - Positioning and Movement During Labor and Birth
with Jenn Bowen, Labor and Postpartum Doula of Monarch Birth Services. Birthing couples or individuals can join us for this 60 minute class to learn optimal positioning and movement techniques for the various phases of labor. We will focus on positions for early labor, active labor and the various options for the 2nd stage of labor.  Please come dressed comfortably.

Conscious Living Center

7:00pm Healing Birth Stories Ritual
Jai Westgard RM/T, Intuitive Counselor will lead a ritual for healing intended for both before and after birth stories.

Snacks provided by:

Any questions about the event should be directed to:
Kristin Bergman, LMT, Doula: 319-621-0335