Thursday, Nov 14th, 2024. 1:00PM – 2:30PM PST
Please check your own timezone! 
Join us for the 2024 AGM and the Educational Session with Debra Betts and Kate Levett!
 Debra and Kate will be facilitating a session on the updated guidelines for managing back pain in labor.
 This is for OBAA members only, so there will be plenty of room to ask questions and discuss. We really hope to see you all there!!

As practitioners working with pregnancy and birth, it is important to remember that experiences in our healthcare systems often vary based on race, gender identity, and sexual/affectional orientation. To better serve our pregnant patients, it is important to understand and unpack our personal, and our healthcare systems biases, discriminatory policies and misconceptions.

Recording in the members section: hear from birth professionals working closely with Indigenous, Black, and Queer communities.
What should we know? How can we improve? What can we do to best support these communities?

Dates: February, 2024
Location: Edna Adan Hospital, Hargeisa, Somaliland
Details: On February 16, 2024, representing the Obstetrical Acupuncture Association and MIH Can, OBAA members Kate Levett and Emilie Salomons travelled to Hargeisa, Somaliland to train 46 midwives, nurses, doctors and final year midwifery students in the ’Acupressure and massage for Childbirth program’, with 6 attendees receiving additional training to become future trainers in the region. They also conducted research to assess implementation of up to 6 months following the training.

Dates: January, 2024
Location: Lunya Maya Birth Centre, Chiapas Mexico
Details: In January, a group of 4 members from the OBAA went to Chiapas Mexico and provided a Maternal Acupuncture training for a group of midwives, doulas and birth workers who had recently completed their basic acupuncture training through the Global Acupuncture Project. The members were, Zena Kocher, Michelle Hughes, Christine Guirguis, Courtney Morris.

(Replay available – members section)
Date: October 26, 2023
Time: 12:00 pm – 1:30pm PST
OBAA 2023 AGM followed by the Education Session, presented by Sarah Tewhey, L.Ac.

Sharon Weizenbaum will lead this OBAA Roundtable discussion on Thursday, April 13th at 12pm PST (3pm EST) – check your timezone!!

Here is the Zoom link – save it to your calendar, so it automatically converts to your timezone 👍

The 2022 OBAA AGM is scheduled for November 3rd at 12pm PST (please check your timezone) and the Education Session will be presented by Dr Laurena White, MD, OBGYN, L.Ac.: Identifying and treating rashes in pregnancy: annoying itch, or RED FLAG?

After a lot of interest in the OBAA Forum regarding the ARRIVE STUDY, we have planned a roundtable lecture and discussion to go over it and better understand how it will impact our patients.

There will be room for questions and discussion, so hope to see you all on Sunday, April 24th at 1pm Pacific Time (US and Canada).

We would like to welcome all members to the 2021 OBAA AGM on November 4th, at 11:30am PST. Following the AGM, there will be a FREE class on supporting Queer/Trans/Gender Non-Conforming Families in the Perinatal Period.

This 2h workshop examines various birth settings and models of care that have historically included/excluded queer birth. Our goal is to help you develop an understanding of (some of) the specific needs of queer + trans folks in the perinatal period and explore tools to provide support as a birth and/or postpartum professional.

Some of the topics included in this session are:

1. Terminologies/language to use when supporting queer/trans folks in birth and postpartum

2. Intersectionality and the impact of race, class, gender on the experiences of birth and postpartum for queer/trans families

3. Queer/trans family planning: modalities & costs

4. Second-parent adoption laws

5. Steps towards building queer inclusive practices. 

Morgane Richardson, M.A.

Morgane has been a doula and Perinatal Health Educator since 2012 and wears a variety of hats in this field including: Former Director of the NYC Doula Collective and Head of Practitioner Relations at Allbodies & Co-Founder of Woven Bodies.

Morgane is also a birth doula, childbirth educator, certified breastfeeding counselor, placenta encapsulation specialist and doula mentor. She facilitates workshops for birth professionals on supporting queer, trans & gender nonconforming families during the conception and perinatal periods.

Morgane holds a B.A. in Sociology/Anthropology and Art History from Middlebury College and an M.A. in Peace and Conflict Studies, with a focus on gender and peacebuilding, from the University for Peace.

Date: Wednesday April 21, 2021 
Time: 4:30 pm to 6:30 pm PDT
50% off if you want CEUs or Free to just listen for OBAA members!   

During COVID-19, longstanding efforts of many people are coming to fruition as we witness institutional changes and signs of potential systemic change, despite ongoing racism and white supremacy that prevail. While anti-racism and decolonial movements are not new, this time in history offers some potential for genuine, deep-seated change. In this talk, we will discuss the deleterious impacts of racism on mental and physical health and how to provide healthcare services to embrace ethno-cultural diversity. 

Speaker: Dr. Farah Shroff
Dr Farah Shroff is a public health researcher and educator who has worked towards better health for all for many years. Her anti-racism theoretical perspectives are grounded in research and work in communities all over Canada and the world. She is committed to the creation of a world in which racism is erased. She teaches at the University of British Columbia’s Faculty of Medicine and is the Founder and Lead of Maternal and Infant Health Canada (MIHCan), a global public health collaborative that strives to improve the lives and health of women and children through education, research, and innovation. MIHCan’s anti-racism work involves the support of integrative health practices, Traditional Medicines, and other mind-body practices that emanate from the Global South and Indigenous communities.

March 10: 8am PST 

Reducing health inequities for socially disadvantaged pregnant women and their infants and increasing access to affordable quality reproductive services is a pressing concern in many countries. This webinar reviews studies examining this problem and recommendations to address it, primarily focusing on high-income countries. Special attention will be given to the role of midwifery and community-based programs in reducing poor health outcomes among structurally-marginalized women facing multiple social inequities.”

Speaker: Dr. Cecilia Benoit https://healthyseminars.com/MIH-Canada

As most of you already know, three of the OBAA board members went to Mexico to teach maternal acupuncture, by request, to midwives working with Indigenous and marginalized communities. It was a profound and deeply touching experience and hopefully only the beginning of much more work by OBAA members, to help communities in need.

Here is a recap from our trip written by Shannon Larson. 

When my colleague Emilie first asked me to be apart of the obstetric acupuncture training team in Chiapas, Mexico I was skeptical. I wasn’t sure exactly how much our obstetric acupuncture skills were really sought after by the local midwives nor was I familiar with the maternal care conditions of the area.  What I have since learned about the Chiapas maternal care system and how valuable sharing our acupuncture skills could be to that community, was eye opening. 

In Chiapas the choices for birth are limited. The private care system is not a financial option for many. The public care system caters to those of lower economic standing which includes a high percentage of the indigenous population. Standard care for those birthing in the public hospitals can be dehumanizing. Women birth in a small, curtained off areas, one bed away from other birthing women. Oxytocin is standard to any labour whether it is progressing naturally or not. Pain medication, such as epidurals, are not available. Women are subjected to routine vaginal exams in short intervals for student doctors to practice their skills. Episiotomies are standard practice for every birth as well as routine manual revisions of the uterus post birth without any anesthesia. For those unfamiliar with birth, one of these treatments by themselves may be warranted under certain circumstances, but to have this be standard care is highly invasive, without any pain medication can be traumatising painful, and as you can imagine it can be dehumanising to the woman who has no control during one of the most intense and vulnerable life experiences.

The private, for profit, healthcare system for those of higher economic means, is also flawed. C-section rates range form 75%-95%. As you can imagine that feeds into the overall birth psyche that women are incapable of delivering a baby without major abdominal surgery and that natural birth is risky.

The midwives at Luna Maya are working to change that. They are dedicated to providing safe humanized births for the women of their community. For them any skill that can be useful to supporting natural physiological birth is welcome. The enthusiasm and dedication they brought to our 5 day training was inspiring. They already had basic acupuncture training and were grateful to now learn how to apply it effectively and safely in pregnancy. They talked about the challenges they faced and we went through different cases and scenarios showing how acupuncture or acupressure could be supportive. 

How the last day of training unfolded could not have been more special. Throughout the week a patient who was at 38 weeks had been coming in regularly to midwifery clinic. Her baby was breech. Inspite of the information given by the midwives on the risks of breech delivery and recommendations to consider a c-section, the mother was adamant that she didn’t want to have a c-section or go to the hospital. Delivering breech birth is not unheard of for these midwives but also not considered lightly. One of the midwives consulted with me how acupuncture could be supportive to help a straightforward birth, in this situation, should she go into labour. The morning of the last day, 4 midwives from the training were absent. They were all at the breech birth. That afternoon they returned smiling and full of excitement. After the water broke the baby wasn’t descending and the pelvis wasn’t relaxing. The midwives pulled out all the acupuncture and acupressure techniques we had talked about throughout the week and put them to use. The rest of the birth went beautifully. The little baby girl was called Luna.

I am grateful to have been apart of this experience. Knowing that the skills we shared already were having a positive impact is more than I could have imagined. I encourage you to learn more about Luna Maya and the amazing work they are doing for their community.

Thank you to all the donors, my fellow trainers, everyone at Luna Maya, and my friend and colleague Dr. Emilie Salomons for making it happen.

November 21, 2019Time: 12pm PST

The OBAA Claudia Citcovitz week has begun! OBAA advisor Claudia Citkotiz is currently in Ireland presenting a weekend seminar on Acupressure and acupuncture for perinatal care (also available on-line)
Next Thursday is our Roundtable which will include Claudia and  RMT/Osteopath Suzanne Schmidt as they discuss everything you need to know to support your patients leading up to and after c-section. 

Join our guest speakers and OBAA mentors, Elisabeth Rochat de la Valée, Genevieve Le Goff and OBAA senior member Alda Ngo as we discuss how we can better understand and treat Postpartum Depression and Anxiety from both a classical perspective and with modern applications.

Online Webinar
Thursday June 6, 2019 – 12:00pm to 1:00pm Pacific Standard Time PST/PDT (Vancouver BC, Los Angeles CA)

Goals and objectives:

• Understand PPD and PPA from western and classical Chinese medicine perspectives

• Learn diagnostic signs and symptoms to better identify how to treat appropriately

• Learn Acupuncture point combinations and Chinese formulas used for PPD and PPA

• Explore other modalities for supporting PPD and PPA

• Navigating the weaning of medications

• Foods for prevention and treatment in the postpartum period

November 27, 2018 OBAA Co-President, Dr. Emilie Salomons is joined by OBAA Board Advisor Sarah Budd, a midwife and acupuncturist in the UK and OBAA Research Advisor Dr Debra Betts a lecturer, researcher and author of the book “The Essential Guide to Acupuncture in Pregnancy & Childbirth”.

Together they will cover the important aspects of adverse events in pregnancy. Sarah focuses on stillbirth from the midwifery and acupuncture perspective, and Debra covers the miscarriage aspect.

The panel discussion looks at how acupuncture and TCM can play a role in the emotional support, as well as addressing any physical discomforts from the birth such as after pains, breast engorgement, etc which are all such cruel reminders that she is a parent without having a baby to show for it. The panel will also look at ways to help with the post-natal recovery.

Register here to join live

June 14, 2018

This OBAA Roundtable offers a chance to discuss ways to improve your success treating back pain in pregnancy. We will cover acupuncture points, cupping and contraindications with author and international speaker, Debra Betts, as well as discuss the causes of back pain from a structural perspective, as well as exercises and postural adjustments you can teach your patients.

Join OBAA CO-President Emilie Salomons, Debra Betts and Sarah Stranan for this roundtable discussion: Top tips for Acupuncturists treating back pain in pregnancy.

Sign up to watch for free and to be notified when the recording is released: https://www.healthyseminars.com/product/obaa-roundtable-top-tips-acupuncturists-treating-back-pain-pregnancy

February 8, 2018

Join OBAA CO-President Emilie Salomons, Jani White and Laura Erlich for this roundtable discussion: Turning Breech Babies with Acupuncture and Moxibustion – Delving Deeper Than Just BL67

Moxibustion on BL67 is very well known for helping breech presentation, but when is the ideal treatment window, how much, how often, with needles or without? Are there any special considerations for people who are also doing chiropractic or osteopathic treatment? What if the patient is carrying twins?

These questions and so many more will be answered in this edition of the OBAA’s Roundtable: Breech Presentation, with Jani White and Laura Erlich.

Sign up to watch for free and to be notified when the recording is released: https://www.healthyseminars.com/product/obaa-roundtable-turning-breech-babies-acupuncture-and-moxibustion-delving-deeper-just-bl-67

Live webinar with Debra Betts: Acupuncture for post-partum urinary incontinence.
January 22, 2018

Find the webinar here: https://www.healthyseminars.com/product/acupuncture-post-partum-urinary-incontinence

While traditional Chinese medicine emphasises the importance of preventive care following childbirth, many women only seek treatment if problems arise. Urinary incontinence is a common complication following childbirth. It is estimated to affect one third of women and can occur after a uneventful pregnancy and delivery. This can be bladder leakage under stress such as coughing or exercise, or urge related where there is a sudden urge to urinate and leakage before the women can reach a toilet. Although women are frequently reassured this will resolve within a year of delivery, one third to one half of women with post-partum incontinence report some degree of bladder leakage five years later, with up 20 percent reporting this as “socially bothersome.”

This one hour presentation uses a case history and the latest research to outline the potential for promoting acupuncture as a relevant treatment for post-partum urinary stress and urge incontinence. If promoted, it is likely that women would actively seek out treatment for this common complication, allowing practitioners to offer additional treatment and advice relevant to improving maternal health in this postpartum period.

OBAA international membership is now open! Check the video above with some FAQs and please feel free to get in touch with any questions.

October 6, 2017

Join Sharon Weizenbaum L.Ac and OBAA Advisor with Michelle Evans (RD) and OBAA Board Members Shannon Larson (Dr. TCM) and Emilie Salomons (Dr. TCM) for a roundtable discussion on clinical recommendations for working with clients with gestational diabetes.

Sign up to be notified when the recording is released here: http://www.medigogy.com/archives/obaa-roundtable-series-gestational-diabetes

The 4 W’s of Acupuncture Cervical Ripening, Birth Preparation and Labour Induction. Who, When, Why, and What You Need to do to with Emilie Salomons

June 20, 2017

Find the webinar here: http://www.medigogy.com/archives/4-ws-acupuncture-cervical-ripening-birth-preparation-and-labour-induction-who-when-why-and