From the Desk of ... Karen Pestlin.

Director of Teacher Training

Whew! What a summer. Gardens, swimming, baseball, graduation, vacation, and a real treat.... A trip to the International DONA conference in Clearwater, FL. Here in Western New York, the trick is to pack as much punch as you can into the summer months, because once October rolls around, it's time for us to close the windows and fluff up the favorite reading chair.

Just in case you would like to curl up with a good birth book this winter, I'd like to share some of my favorite titles: A Wise Birth by Penny Armstrong CNM and Sheryl Feldman; A Midwife's Story (a novel by the same authors); and Education and Counseling for Childbirth by Sheila Kitzinger.

In addition, I have just read a book that has revolutionized my thinking on childbirth education. I hope you get a chance to read it. It is called Empowering Women: Teaching Active Birth in the 90s by Andrea Robertson (ACE Graphics, 1994).

For years I have longed for a book on childbirth education that digs deeper. A cutting edge type of book that would propel us out of the "relax and breathe" methodology of the 70s and 80s. A book that puts substance to the act of empowering women. Andrea Robertson of ACE Graphics has given birth to such a book, Empowering Women: Teaching Active Birth in the 90s. As an obviously gifted educator, Robertson provides us with history, expression of the need for change, theory basics, and a wealth of practical skill suggestions. It is an absolute "must read" for every childbirth educator, new and old.

In the past, we have taught women what to expect during labor, how to breathe, how to push, what labor will feel like, and how to avoid certain adversities. We have based the outcome of our teaching abilities on how "well" she performed these taught behaviors. Robertson gently challenges this concept by laying foundations that will help us to truly empower women and their families. She suggests that we have another agenda in addition to our responsibilities of meeting our own aims and objectives: assisting our clients to achieve their desired outcomes for birth and parenting.

According to the author, this is the primary purpose of our work, and this is where we can measure our success.

Using this agenda as a basis, she guides us through determining what our clients need and want, and from there gives guidelines on setting up aims and objectives for our classes. Throughout the book you will be delighted to find a treasure chest of suggestions for experiential teaching activities, in addition to an excellent segment on the theory of adult learning styles.

If you are in the training stages for childbirth education, this book is a foundational necessity for your bookshelf. If you have taught classes for any length of time, this book is a transforming necessity for you and your classes. It changed my classes, and I hope it does yours too.

ACE Graphics is based out of Australia, but this book can be purchased through the ICEA Bookstore by calling 1-800-624-4934.

p.s. I overheard my two youngest sons talking one day:

Kyle: I am always seeing mail from ALACE, what does ALACE stand for?

Ben: I don't know for sure, but I think it means "All Ladies Always Celebrating Everything."

Karen Pestlin Director of Teacher Training