As care providers for expectant, birthing, and new parents, we are called upon to be fully present as we attend to our clients’ needs with empathy and compassion, even in the midst of our own daily stresses. But the practice of mindfulness—moment-to-moment, nonjudgmental awareness—provides a way to cultivate in ourself the very resources we encourage in those we serve: inner strength, resilience, calm, and self-trust. Drawing on research and skills taught in Mindfulness-Based Childbirth and Parenting (MBCP) courses, we begin or deepen our mindfulness practice to manage stress and nourish our physical and mental health and well-being. Through meditation, yoga, and dialogue, we explore a variety of mindfulness meditation and movement practices, as well as the application of these skills for stress reduction in work and family life. We also gain skills to sustain and deepen a mindfulness meditation practice. No yoga or meditation experience necessary. This workshop is appropriate for medical and mental health professionals in obstetrics, midwifery, nursing, pediatrics, and clinical psychology. Doctors, nurses, midwives, doulas, childbirth educators, pre- and postnatal yoga instructors, psychologists, counselors, or anyone interested in family health and well-being are invited.
Upon completion of this workshop participants will be better able to:
- Practice mindfulness skills for stress reduction in their work and personal life
- Describe how mindfulness practice is being applied to the particular needs of pregnant women and their partners
- Teach patients to use mindfulness skills
- Utilize skills learned to increase ability to provide quality care to expectant and new parents and their babies
This workshop begins at 7:00 p.m. on Friday. Suggested reading: Kabat-Zinn: Full Catastrophe Living; and an article on MBCP:
greatergood.berkeley.edu/article/item/mindful_birth.
Nancy Bardacke, RN, CNM, MA, is a midwife, mindfulness teacher, and founding director of the Mindfulness-Based Childbirth and Parenting (MBCP) Program, which she currently leads at the University of California at San Francisco Osher Center for Integrative Medicine. mindfulbirthing.org Christiane Wolf, MD, PhD, is an obstetrician, gynecologist, mindfulness teacher, and senior Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction (MBSR) teacher certified through the Center for Mindfulness at the University of Massachusetts Medical School. She is director of mindfulness programs at InsightLA in Los Angeles. insightla.org |
