Ok, I realize that I am a little late. That is one of my problems. I get caught up in everyday activities and don’t take time to do some of the things that I want to do and know that I should do. For instance, reading my childbirth education journals. My new copy of the Journal of Perinatal Education arrived in the mail last week. I sat down and “let” myself take the time to read it. I was reminded of how valuable it is to take advantage of this excellent resource. Each issue features a birth story and “Naomi’s Birth,” written by a nurse, is wonderful. Kathleen Kendall-Tacket’s guest editorial on the relationship between postpartum depression and breastfeeding is thought-provoking and has important implications for childbirth educators. In other articles, practitioners share strategies for increasing teaching about postpartum depression in the hospital and for increasing breastfeeding rates. There is more, including Amy Romano’s always excellent column; in this issue, on the importance of data.
On a roll, I went online and also read the latest edition of the ICEA Journal, The International Journal of Childbirth Education. I loved Kim James’s article on teaching what is possible versus what is probable . (Are you a “Dorothy,” a “Paula,” or a “Sarah?”) Nancy Mohrbacher helps us to look critically at swaddling and Robin Weiss provides valuable advice for setting up a Website. There is more, including another wonderful birth story and a book review of the new edition of Pregnancy, Childbirth, and The Newborn.
So I promptly made sure that both my memberships are current and resolved for 2011 to read the journals as they come out, not just when I’m researching a specific topic. I hope that you too are part of an international childbirth education organization such as Lamaze International and/or ICEA and that you too will resolve to take the time to read their journals and newsletters as they come out.