When I was pregnant, I thought I was fully equipped with all the information I needed to give birth and have a baby. I was so wrong. Nobody is really prepared for what will happen. Our bodies and our minds go through intense changes, especially mothers who just created a human with their bodies. Nobody in my surroundings including me was ready for the storm that we would get caught up in for some years to follow.
Slowly and with a lot of work I reemerged into the “real” world after battling severe postnatal depression. I started to gather information and friends who knew more about birthing and being pregnant. It occurred to me that with the right kind of knowledge and information some events can be less traumatizing for the mother and the family.
Knowledge is power and power gives people the chance to make major life decisions easier and with confidence. Penny Simkin is a physical therapist who has specialized in childbirth and labor support since 1968. She will be holding a three-day workshop in Beijing from Aug 26-28 and a parenting class on the 29th. She will share the latest evidence based information with parents, healthcare providers, childbirth educators, doulas and other practitioners. Interpretation will be provided for the workshops.
Simkin has been informing woman, couples, and siblings in preparation for childbirth for a long time. With her Doula work, she has been part of over a hundred births, authored and co-authored many books, and has developed teaching materials for birth classes. To say she is a busy woman is an understatement, as her resume is very impressive, dedicating her life to childbirth and educating people around the world. The workshops in Beijing will be held at Gentle Planet, Peking University Third Hospital. Find more information here.
“Gentle Planet believes education brings changes. We work on publishing books and videos, holding workshops and conference, running self-media platform to promote natural birth and breastfeeding and to improve the childbirth environment in China. Our first book is Barbara Harper’s “Gentle Birth Choices”. “The Womanly Art of Breastfeeding” and “Sweet Sleep” will be coming soon. Gentle Planet also encourage women to trust their motherhood instinct and wisdom. The whole team of Gentle Planet devote itself to support more and more women to achieve their own aim in childbirth and breastfeeding.”
Penny Simkin workshop
When: August 26-28
Where: Peking University Third Hospital, No.49, Huayuan Road North, Haidian District, Beijing
How much: RMB 75
Parent class/demonstration
When: August 29
Where: Peking University Third Hospital, No.49, Huayuan Road North, Haidian District, Beijing
How much: RMB 1,000 per person for practitioner, RMB 300 per couple or pregnant parent
Picture Credit; birthful.com topfamousquotes.com motherrisingbirth.com mynovabirth.com
