Midwives/Doulas seminar at ISU March 29th

See article here or read below.  If anyone is interested in attending with me, let me know.  There are a couple of us planning to go out to lunch around 11:30 and then head to the seminar at 1.

Midwives and doulas will be the subject of the McDowell Stafford Lectureship Series in Child and Family Health presented by Mennonite College of Nursing at Illinois State University on Tuesday, March 29.


Birthing Options in the 21st Century – Midwives and Doulas will be the topic of a presentation by certified doula, Janet Tolley, and certified nurse midwives, Jolene Hamann and Laura Lawson, beginning at 1 p.m. in the Bone Student Center Old Main Room. This presentation will examine the labor process when facilitated by a doula and/or midwife, and recognize alternative birthing options available and the impact this can have on the nurse’s role in labor.

At 7 p.m., What Do Doulas and Midwives Bring to the Birthing Experience will be presented by Tolley, Hamann, Lawson and Dionne Otto in the Bone Student Center, Old Main Room. Participants will learn about various birthing options available, especially involving certified doulas and certified nurse midwives and their scope of practice in labor and delivery. A reception will follow this lecture.

Both programs are free, however advance registration is requested due to limited space. For more information or to register contact Amy Irving at (309) 438-7418, or visit www.IllinoisState.edu/nursing.

Tolley is a registered nurse certified as a labor and postpartum doula through the Doulas of North America (DONA). She is also an International Board Certified lactation counselor. She is the Lactation and Doula Programs facilitator at the Birth Center at St. John's Hospital in Springfield, and is a labor and postpartum doula for Gentle Touch Doulas.

Hamann began her nursing career in the Air Force. After working as an RN in labor and delivery at Methodist Medical Center in Peoria and becoming a certified doula, Hamann began the Midwifery and Women’s Health Nurse Practitioner program at University of Illinois at Chicago. She went on to practice at Broome OB/GYN, a private practice in Binghamton, N. Y. In 2009 Hamann returned to Bloomington–Normal, joining Obstetrics and Gynecology II, Ltd, delivering at Advocate Bromenn Medical Center and St. Joseph’s Medical Center.

Lawson received her M.S.N. from the University of Illinois-Chicago, specializing in midwifery and women’s health. She is a Certified Nurse Midwife and Women’s Health Nurse Practitioner with Dr. Nona Fulk in Normal. She is a member of American Certified Nurse Midwife Organization and Association of Women’s Health, Obstetric and Neonatal Nurses.

Otto received a bachelor’s degree in child development and family relationships from Illinois State University. She began exploring options for helping women during the childbearing years and went to a DONA-approved training. She is also a Lamaze Certified Childbirth Educator, Certified Lactation Consultant, and Certified Happiest Baby on the Block Educator. She co-operates Wise Women Birth Services in McLean County, which provides doula services to women who are pregnant through the postpartum period. She also offers education on lactation and parenting to women in the early childbearing years.

These events are funded in part by grants from the Alice and Fannie Fell Trust and the Marion McDowell Stafford Charitable Trust Grant Program.