In these perilous times, we need our sisterhood more than ever. Please enjoy the winter newsletter here.

Sisters, these are unsettling and uncertain times we find ourselves in. The NC Midwives Alliance and NCMERA wish each of you wellness and good health. May you have the resources you need to provide for yourself, your family, and your community.

It is with a sad heart that we have made the decision to postpone the NC Walk for Midwives, which was set for the first weekend in May in honor of International Day of the Midwife. We look forward to the day when we can once again gather and hug and show our support for one another.

Never forget, we are descendants of wise women, healers, and midwives who have endured despite the challenges since the beginning of time. We are resilient!

In Unity & Sisterhood, NCMA

The Spring Beach Retreat has become a tradition for us and we are so pleased that we can continue to offer this getaway to the hard working midwives & birthworkers of NC.

This year’s retreat is all about Community. 

As always, the beach is mere steps away from our front door, the schedule is loose, and the free time abundant. All of this to help you return to yourself and relax away from the responsibilities of call and family.

CAN’T STAY THE WEEKEND? COME JUST FOR THE DAY ON SATURDAY FOR THE NCMA MEETING WHICH BEGINS WITH A POTLUCK LUNCH AT 12:00. PLEASE ENJOY THE SPECIAL OFFERINGS OF THE DAY, GET SOME BEACH AND SISTERHOOD TIME, STAY FOR DINNER AND EVENING FESTIVITIES!

Spring Meeting Schedule

12pm Potluck lunch & networking

1pm Defensive Charting Workshop for Midwives & Assistants by Emily Joubert, CNM: We know we provide stellar care to our clients. Our documentation helps demonstrate what we did and why we did it. I’d venture to say like ALL of us, charting is not what called me to midwifery nor is it what keeps me passionate about my work. That being said, documentation is a critical midwifery skill, essential for communication and smooth transfer. Join me during our beach retreat to learn some important documentation pearls, particularly focused on transfer. This FREE workshop includes .2 ACNM CEUs

2:30 pm Presentation of the Systems Map initiated at the 2019 NC Community Birth Summit: Your participation and input are invaluable to carrying this work forward. Please join us and provide your perspective and feedback so that we may grow a map that is truly representative of NC. This map is a dynamic, ever-growing and changing, communication tool, come learn about it and add to it! Learn about the role of community liaison and the plans for the 2020 NC Community Birth Summit.

4:30 pm End of meeting. Beach time and sisterhood!!

Sunday March 15th CPR class (BLS for Healthcare Provider )/AHA guidelines

9:30am-12pm Get recertified at the beach house! Jamie Perkins is offering BLS this year. Cost is $68.00 + the book (ebook available). If interested, please contact Jamie Perkins, CPM 919-524-5345 (text is fine)

As of now the beach house is full for overnight guests, we welcome folks to come on down and stay nearby! Join us for evenings of games and laughter, and we hope to see you at the meeting!!

Thank you to all who attended the NCMA Winter Meeting in Garner yesterday, as always, it was wonderful to gather in sisterhood and laugh as midwives do. The Flower Essences Workshop for Midwives was absolutely spectacular! We look forward to offering this workshop and others with Chanelle of Moon by Moon Apothecary in the future, keep an eye towards Charlotte to catch this workshop in the upcoming months.

NC Midwifery Dates of Interest

Mark your calendars for these important events!

First, NCMERA is thrilled to announce that the systems map began at the NC Community Birth Summit is now ready to be presented for your feedback and participation!

Please plan to join us at one of the upcoming presentations of the map:

NCACPM will host an ONLINE meeting to familiarize you with the Mapping software and the initial MAP.  If you have never used the freeconferencecall application, you may need to do a quick download prior to being able to connect. 

• Go to www.freeconferencecall.com
• Click the Online Meetings Dropdown
• Join Meeting
• Meeting ID: merechristie
• You can either sync your phone audio to the desktop app by entering  #4764#
• Or you can use your computer audio with a headset (please).
• The Call-In # is: 712-770-5505 and the access # is: 729539

The Spring Meeting will be held during the 3rd annual NCMA Spring Beach retreat! In addition to presentation of the map, we are offering a Defensive charting for community birth midwives class, food, fun, and ocean time! All are welcome to join us for the weekend or the day!

April NC OBGYN Society annual meeting

We will present the map to our physician colleagues by having a table at this meeting. We look forward to using the map as a communication tool to engage with the NC Obstetric community, to add their perspectives to the growth of the map, and to increase physician participation in the NC Community Birth Summit 2020.

Mark your calendars for these upcoming events:

May 2 NC Walk for Midwives to celebrate the International Day of the Midwife

We look forward to making this year’s statewide Walk for Midwives even better than last year! This annual fundraiser is absolutely essential to making the work that NCMA and NCMERA do on a state level possible. Huge projects like the NC Community Birth Summit as well as the little things, webpages, newsletters, etc. We are counting on the membership and the NC birth community to come together once again in support of this work. We are in need of volunteers and coordinators for this year’s walk, please email if you are willing to help with this important fundraiser.

August 27-30 Carolina Birth Junkies Summer Island Retreat

Karen Strange will be back this year teaching her one of a kind Integrative Resuscitation of the Newborn! Along with many exciting speakers and fun times, this is an event not to be missed in Rock Hill, SC.

September 10-12 ACNM Tristate Conference

Sponsored by the NC Affiliate of the ACNM, the conference will be held at the Historical Durham Arts Council downtown. The theme this year is TRANSFORMING PRACTICE THROUGH HEALING TRADITIONS AND CULTURAL HUMILITY. All midwives, students, apprentices, doulas, birth workers and birth keepers are welcome and encouraged to attend this inclusive conference conveniently happening in the triangle! There will be vendor table opportunities at this event as well, please email if you are interested in having a table at Tristate.

November 6-8 NC Community Birth Summit 2020

We have just under a year to bring the systems map to as many communities as possible in NC in order to grow and create a map that is truly representative of our perinatal healthcare system in it’s entirety. From the rural mountain communities affected by the closing of small community hospitals, to inner city communities facing the impacts of racial inequities and increased perinatal mortality risk- we want to talk to EVERYONE.

In order to do this, we are going to need YOU. If you are interested in being more involved with the work of NCMERA and the Summit as a community liason, please contact us at information@ncmera.org.

Happy New Year Midwives! 2020 finally made her long awaited appearance and the NC Midwives Alliance is ready to usher in this year with community, sisterhood, and you!

We are so excited about the winter meeting that will be held

January 25th at 116 Alaverde Way, Garner, NC 27529 from 11am – 3pm

Please join us for a potluck lunch at 11am, a lot of networking and catching up, a little business, and stick around for some special continuing education offered by local herbalist, wise woman, and student midwife, Chanelle Bergeron of Moon by Moon Apothecary.

This 90 minute workshop, Gentle Power: A Midwife’s Introduction to Flower Essences starts at 1pm. We will explore the world of flower essences and their gentle, yet potent place in the midwife’s tool kit.

Flower essences are energetic remedies that support vibrational shifts in the Spirit, mind, & emotional bodies. They are extremely easy, intuitive, non-invasive, and accessible remedies to work with.

Together, we will sit in meditation with a single flower essence, brainstorm common issues that arise in a midwifery practice, and touch upon a few specific essences to work with during the prenatal, perinatal, and postpartum periods.

Each member will leave with ideas for integrating essences into their practice, a deepened understanding of energy medicine, and a small flower essence blend that they create on their own from my personal collection.  ~Chanelle

MEAC CEU approval is pending, $35 per person, and includes materials. 

You know what time it is! Beach time!

The 3rd Annual NCMA Spring Beach Retreat is

March 13-15, 2020 

REGISTRATION IS NOW OPEN!

The Spring Beach Retreat has become a tradition for us and we are so pleased that we can continue to offer this getaway to the hard working midwives & birthworkers of NC.

This year’s retreat is all about Community. 

As always, the beach is mere steps away from our front door, the schedule is loose, and the free time abundant. All of this to help you return to yourself and relax away from the responsibilities of call and family.

We have a good mix of continuing education and fun planned for you this year! Meredith is going to provide dye and help us make some magical tie-died treasures, be sure to bring tshirts, socks, pillow cases, whatever you’d like to make colorful! As always, we will have yoga on Saturday morning and midwives after-hours each night.

Saturday March 14th is the NCMA Spring meeting!

CAN’T STAY THE WEEKEND? COME JUST FOR THE DAY ON SATURDAY FOR THE NCMA MEETING WHICH BEGINS WITH A POTLUCK LUNCH AT 12:00. PLEASE ENJOY THE SPECIAL OFFERINGS OF THE DAY, GET SOME BEACH AND SISTERHOOD TIME, STAY FOR DINNER AND EVENING FESTIVITIES!

12pm Potluck lunch & networking

1pm Defensive Charting Workshop for Midwives & Assistants by Emily Joubert, CNM: We know we provide stellar care to our clients. Our documentation helps demonstrate what we did and why we did it. I’d venture to say like ALL of us, charting is not what called me to midwifery nor is it what keeps me passionate about my work. That being said, documentation is a critical midwifery skill, essential for communication and smooth transfer. Join me during our beach retreat to learn some important documentation pearls, particularly focused on transfer. *ACNM CEUs are pending for this workshop

2:30 pm Presentation of the Systems Map initiated at the 2019 NC Community Birth Summit: Your participation and input are invaluable to carrying this work forward. Please join us and provide your perspective and feedback so that we may grow a map that is truly representative of NC. This map is a dynamic, ever-growing and changing, communication tool, come learn about it and add to it! Learn about the role of community liaison and the plans for the 2020 NC Community Birth Summit.

4:30 pm End of meeting. Beach time and sisterhood!!

ACCOMMODATIONS

Check in is after 12pm on Friday 3/13 and check out is 2pm on Sunday 3/15

• Queen bed on 2nd floor (sleeps 2) $250 for weekend
• Queen bed on 2nd floor (sleeps 2) $250 for weekend
• Master bedroom with a king-sized bed and plenty of floor space (sleeps 2-4), has bath $275 for weekend

Rooms must be reserved for the weekend upfront. If you want to find someone to split a room with you, by all means, do so! To reserve a room, email Meredith at meredithbowden@hotmail.com

The NCMA Summer Newsletter is out!!! We are extra proud of this edition and beyond grateful that so many amazing womxn contributed ✊💖 looking forward to seeing everyone in September at our fall meeting!

The Fall meeting is set for September 7 in East Bend, NC at the lovely home of Amy Medwin. We start at 11am with a potluck lunch. Please join us! More info in the newsletter and on the facebook event page, click here. 

Please share widely! #unity #ncmidwivesalliance#sisterhoodissacred

For all the latest info about the NCMA Spring Beach Retreat, the NC Walk for Midwives, and other upcoming events for NC Midwives; access the newsletter here.

We are thrilled to announce that the Spring Beach Retreat is happening again this year! Meredith Christie has worked her magic and we will have the same beautiful house again this year, just a few steps away from the ocean!

This year’s theme is rejuvenation. 

The schedule is loose, the free time abundant, and we will have many restorative activities available to help you return to yourself and relax away from the responsibilities of call and family. 

We are so excited to offer:

• Smoothie/Juice Station – ingredients and recipes to blend your own healthy beverage (donations accepted)
• Dream Catcher Making – supplies and instructions for building you own dream catcher – walk the beach to find shells, feathers or other addition
• Vision Board/scrap booking – bring your magazines, all other supplies provided – take some time to reflect and open your heart to accept the abundance the world can offer.

On Saturday April 6th, the day of the NCMA Spring Meeting we will also be offering:

• YOGA – 9:30-10:30 – Heather Lilly will lead us in a restorative yoga class (donations encouraged)

• MASSAGE ~ 30 mins with Christy O’Quinn – reserve your session for $30

• REIKI/TAROT ~ 30 mins with Jolynn  – reserve your session for $45

Time slots will be dependent on the number of reservations made – preferences will be accommodated as best as possible.

Accomodations

Check in is after 12pm on Friday 4/5 and check out is 2pm on Sunday 4/7

Meals

Meals will be in the same team format as last year. An email has been sent out to those that have reserved rooms to set up meal sharing for the weekend.

Saturday lunch is potluck.

Pictures from last year’s retreat

Hope to see you there!!

Questions? 

email Belinda or Meredith

Please read the latest news-brief here to catch up on the latest happenings in the NC midwifery community. 

Please join us in Elon, NC on January 26th at 11:30 for a potluck lunch and a brief NCMA meeting. Topics covered will include: details and planning for the NCMA Spring Beach Retreat April 5-7, 2019; the NC Walk for Midwives May 5th, 2019; and a few other NC midwifery community issues.

Thank you to the lovely Angela Lugiano for hosting us again this year! Address is:
705 Central Drive
Elon NC 27244

The potluck and meeting will be followed by an advanced suturing workshop at 1pm. Taught by the very experienced Mary Carol Akers, CNM. We will learn complex labial and peri-urethral laceration repairs, deep second degree repairs, special stitches, and other advanced topics related to suturing.

Cost of the workshop is $60 and includes materials, however if you have your own suturing instruments, please bring them.

To register: email mare2raven@gmail.com, payment may be made the day of the event. Please join our facebook event page as well for last minute details or to make carpool arrangements. 

We hope you enjoy this quarterly newsletter from your North Carolina Midwifery Sisterhood Headquarters. Please join us for the Fall potluck next weekend, October 6th for a lovely afternoon with Lisa Goldstein, CNM, CPM, Unity, and nourishing food made with love by your sister midwives! See you there!

Access the newsletter here. 

Directions and information for the Fall Meeting October 6th can be accessed here and on our facebook page, here. 

Our gardens overflow with abundance, our homes echo the tiny footsteps of our brood, and cool water calls to us this time of year! We hope you will sit back with a refreshing beverage, put your feet up and enjoy this season’s NCMA newsletter!

Click here to catch up on the latest in NC midwifery news and events!

NC Midwives Alliance knows how to do a retreat! We relaxed, laughed, played games, walked the beach, stretched and restored during yoga, studied the pelvic floor with gusto, and renewed our CPR. Please enjoy the video created by Tristan Lashea, in love and gratitude to the many midwives in her life.

The best thing about the retreat beyond the beauty of being with a beautifully diverse group of sister midwives, was that it was simply expected that each woman would follow her own rhythms, resting and engaging as desired. Oh, and the food, THE. FOOD. Meals prepared with love were enjoyed by all.

Thank you to each and every person who attended for an hour or the whole weekend, your energy and presence was important and appreciated.

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A very heartfelt thank you to Meredith Christie for arranging such a perfect get-a-way for us. And to Caroline Keeler, PT, of Inside Out Physical Therapy in Wilmington, who taught us all the magically good things that physical therapy has to offer our clients (and ourselves!).

Next year’s retreat is gonna be EPIC!!!

Blessed Be the Midwives!

Hot off the presses! The Spring Newsletter is out! Lots of good info on upcoming events including our Spring meeting in Wrightsville Beach on April 7th. Hope to see each of you there! To access the newsletter online click here.

Retreat Weekend & Meeting Program

Friday April 6th:

Arrive anytime in the afternoon or evening, get settled, and enjoy the beach!

• Friday Dinner Team will feed you

Saturday April 7th:

• Saturday Breakfast Team will feed you

9:30 Yoga

12:00 Potluck lunch kicks off the Spring NCMA meeting!

1:00 Guest Speaker Caroline Keeler, PT will present on pelvic floor dysfunction and rehabilitation for pregnant and postpartum mothers

2:30 Meeting and announcements

4:30 End of meeting and beach~relaxation time!

• Saturday Dinner Team will feed you

Sunday April 8th:

• Sunday Breakfast Team will feed you

9:00-12:00 CPR for Healthcare Providers will be offered by Jamie Perkins, CPM, EMT, BLS  Instructor! Cost is $65, if you’re interested, please pre-register by texting or emailing Jamie at 919-524-5345, birthjourney@nc.rr.com 

If you’re CPR is up to date, feel free to relax, unwind, and soak up the sun on the beach! 

12:00 Lunch: we will finish off any left overs and start packing up to head out!

Check out time is 2pm on Sunday! 

Meredith Christie is hosting the spring meeting and went all out! This oceanview house has 6 bedrooms and sleeps 14. Here is a link to the house.

Oceanview at Wrightsville Beach!

Salt life!

The price breakdown is $125 a night for a bedroom. A few of the bedrooms have more than 1 bed so bring your tribe and split the cost! The bedrooms are listed below and are first come, first serve, so make your claim asap! We will email you an invoice for 1 or 2 nights depending on your preferences. Check in is Friday afternoon and final check out is Sunday by 2pm.

** As of March 16th, We have ONE room that’s still available for both nights:

• #6 , a bunkbed room upstairs, with plenty of floor space for pallets

Meals will be split up and provided by a “team” for those of us staying overnight, I’ll email out a sign up sheet as we get closer to the date and you will sign up for 1-2 meals and state what you will prepare. Lunch for the meeting on Saturday will be potluck, so that’s covered.

Want to come but can’t afford a bedroom? Olivia Marshburn lives nearby and she can sleep 4 at her place, so that shouldn’t hold you back!

Folks are also welcome to come down just for the day on Saturday and enjoy some ocean time around the meeting. The Meeting will begin with a potluck lunch at 12:00 on Saturday 4/7. *Yoga will be offered at 9:30am** Please see the program for the weekend above. 

The address is:

4 Sandpiper St. #B

Wrightsville Beach, NC 28480

PARKING INFO: 

For the day visitors: you may drop off things at the house and then:  find metered street or parking lot spaces for $2.50 per hour nearby OR park at Wrightsville Beach Park (Click on map here) for FREE and we can coordinate a ride back to the house for you, or  please feel free to enjoy the 1.5 mile walk.

Wrightsville Beach Park, 3 Bob Sawyer Dr, Wrightsville Beach, NC 28480

Email to register and/or join the facebook event page.