Celebrating Childbirth Educators: An Interview With Amy Nevland
International Childbirth Education Week is January 25th through January 31st. ICEA is proud to celebrate so many hardworking Childbirth Educators throughout this week. To recognize the amazing work worldwide, we interviewed Amy Nevland TLCD ICCE, an ICEA-Certified Childbirth Educator and current Director of Education at ICEA.
How Long Have You Been A Childbirth Educator?
12 years.
Why Did You Want To Become A Childbirth Educator?
A woman’s body is amazing! The process of birth really is a never-ending discovery of fun, fine-tuned details that make me in awe of newborns and mothers with every new thing I learn. Why wouldn’t I want to share this! Also, I love being a small part of the new family’s journey into parenthood, helping them to discover how wonder-filled it really can be, and, at the same time, helping
to normalize the crazy parts.
Why Are Childbirth Educators Important?
Ultimately, I believe that “well-informed patients working with health care professionals can result in the best outcome for all parties.” Prenatal Classes are a small part of the puzzle in helping to improve perinatal outcomes by empowering parents with a knowledge of what’s normal, putting tools in their hands for how to recognize what is abnormal, and creating confidence through knowledge and practice of comfort techniques. This practice of comfort techniques prenatally has been shown to lower the percentage of parents who choose a medicated labor and who experience medical interventions.
Resources Provided by Amy:
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6265608/
https://www.ajog.org/article/S0002-9378(17)32057-4/fulltext
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1804311/
Why Did You Join ICEA?
I joined ICEA because it not only was recognized and respected by my hospital system as being a long-standing and verified certifying body, but also it is internationally recognized. Besides that, I actually had good friends that certified through ICEA and the spoke very highly of it. I found the process of certification very well thought out and easy to do.
How Does ICEA Stand Out From Other Organizations?
ICEA is one of the most longest standing, most highly respected and recognized certifying bodies in the medical community. They have decades of experience which leads to their legitimacy, unlike other newer certifying bodies.
How Can People Recognize Childbirth Educators?
Pay it forward. A person’s testimony is the strongest form of recognition, in my opinion. That’s why yelp is so popular. People want to hear other people’s stories. So, if someone (mother or partner) has found any part of their prenatal education helpful in any way, share the love! Let your friends know by leaving a review, posting a review on your social media, or telling your friends face-to-face how much your class meant to you. Also, all educators love little thank you notes. 🙂 And coffee. And maybe some chocolate.
