Welcome to Birthworker Inclusivity!
I'm super excited to work with your group for a private series of Birthworker Inclusivity Trainings. This page should contain everything all the information you need to get started. If you have other questions, feel free to use the contact form at the bottom of this page. I'll get back to you as quickly as I can!
|
Scroll down to learn more about the following:
Session Dates Session Details Cost What's Included How to Participate Getting Registered Session DatesSaturday, September 8 - Typical sexual response and pleasure in the childbearing year
Saturday, September 15th - LGBTQ Inclusivity Saturday, September 22nd - Working with non-traditional family structures: Non-monogamous and kinky parents Saturday, September 29th - Compassionate care for survivors of sexual trauma Saturday, October 6th - Consent in the Childbearing year + A look at sex work Saturday, October 13th - Brainstorming inclusivity: Putting it all together |
What people are saying:
Informative and empowering! As a birth worker and CPM student the info was relevant and helpful to me, and, perhaps even more importantly, I believe it will be useful to families I work with. In the short period since attending the training, I have found myself more aware and sensitive to issues pertaining to sexual health and function as discussed in BITS. This has begun to translate into more space and attention to these topics in my work with families. I feel confident that my paperwork is more inclusive than before I attended B.I.T.S. I now feel like it is important to educate myself more broadly about sex and sexuality in order to best serve my doula clients. I am confident the material in the training will be helpful in deepening my understanding and ability to effectively support families. |
Session Details
Session One: Typical sexual response and pleasure in the childbearing year
Among healthcare providers in our society, attitudes about sexual pleasure often range from dismissive at best to disgusted at worst. Because of this, many people utilizing healthcare choose to keep details about their sexuality to themselves, even when some intervention may be helpful. Our first session will explore sexuality during the childbearing year through two different lenses. We’ll talk about the anatomical and hormonal changes that take place throughout those 12-ish months. We’ll also discuss cultural norms and assumptions that new and expecting parents have to confront in their communities and within themselves. This session will also briefly discuss sexual dysfunction, some solutions, and when to refer for more extensive care.
Session Two: LGBTQ Inclusivity
The United States saw a decade where LGBT rights were dramatically expanded, and public opinion swung to openly support those rights. However, since the last presidential election, the political tide is turning the other way, and LGBT people are once again growing more hesitant to reveal much about their orientations and identities in healthcare settings. Historically, queer folks would often delay or reject appropriate medical treatment in an effort to avoid discrimination. And unfortunately, many mainstream health care providers have never become comfortable working with non-heterosexual folks.
Our second session will provide a thorough look at what it means to navigate our health care system as a queer or gender variant person, focusing specifically on the childbearing cycle. We'll discuss the full spectrum of queer and trans* folks, and how build respect for people of all genders and orientations into your practice. There will be a robust discussion of terminology, looking at common words and phrases to describe both LGBT people and their anatomy. And finally, we'll leave plenty of time for your questions and concerns.
Session Three: Working with non-traditional family structures: Non-monogamous and kinky parents
In my work as sexuality educator, I learned that there is a large community of folks who incorporate kink into their romantic and sexual relationships. In our area, there is also a growing population of folks who practice ethical non-monogamy at varying levels throughout their lifespan. Not surprisingly, there is some overlap between these two populations. Though our culture has very narrow definitions of “love” and “relationship,” the reality is that there are many ways to experience both of those things. There is no single right way to be sexual or to experience love and affection.
Whether you’re aware of it or not, at some point in your birthwork, you will undoubtedly encounter someone who is a member or one (or both!) of these communities. If you are open and accepting, your clients will be able to turn to you for information and support during a time when they need it most. Our third session will include information about the spectrum of ethical non-monogamy and how it may play out within various families. We will also talk about kink: What it is, what it isn’t, and how people can still play safely during pregnancy.
Session Four: Compassionate care for survivors of sexual trauma
When a person is subjected to sexual violence, there can be repercussions throughout their lifetime. If there was physical trauma, especially if it wasn’t properly treated at the time, there can be residual health issues. Even without physical trauma, the very real emotional damage can also come up again years later. Because pregnancy is often a time for reflection and getting in touch with our bodies, survivors of sexual violence may have physical or emotional issues arise any time during the childbearing year.
In our fourth session, we’ll discuss some of the ways sexual trauma can directly and indirectly impact expectant parents. Additionally, we’ll talk about how to sensitively screen for previous sexual trauma, how to help your client process unexpected feelings, and how to recognize when to refer a client for additional care. It’s important to have tools to use in the moment if a client is negatively impacted during the birth itself, so we’ll go over some common coping strategies.
Session Five: Consent in the Childbearing year + A look at sex work
Our fifth session will cover two different topics. Our primary focus will be to review the role of consent in the healthcare setting. We’ll look at how to ensure that your client gets complete information about any potential intervention, and then gives full consent to any care provided by the healthcare team. It’s also vitally important that both doulas and midwives remember to obtain consent before we provide any support or care. Because we know ourselves to be compassionate and well-intentioned, it sometimes happens that we offer comfort measures or care techniques without verbal consent. Usually, our instincts in these situations are spot on, but occasionally, each of us will miss the mark. We’ll practice several different scenarios in pairs and small groups to get comfortable with the language of advocacy and consent.
During this session, we’ll also spend a little time discussing sex work and its impact on pregnancy and birth. As a birthworker and sexuality educator who is a supporter of sex worker rights, I have spent time researching the ways that sex work and family life intersect. It’s imperative to remember that all people are deserving of quality care and respect from their healthcare team. We’ll spend a few minutes unpacking cultural beliefs about sex work, and looking at what risks to pregnancy may occur as a result of occupational hazard. We’ll also discuss how to effectively advocate for a client who is also a sex worker when discrimination is encountered in a healthcare setting.
Session Six: Brainstorming inclusivity: Putting it all together
After six weeks of thinking about inclusivity and examining our own practice, it’s time to put it all together. There will a short review of all of the topics we’ve discussed, with any applicable updates that may have arisen. We will have grown individually, and as a group. But of course, we’ll all still have more growing to do in the future. We’ll spend our sixth and final session discussing the things that challenged us the most, and whether or not those things have now “clicked” for us. Each person will have the opportunity to share ways they’ve integrated the things they’ve learned into their lives and their professional work. We will brainstorm more ways to be inclusive in the future, and potential topics for further research and discovery.
Among healthcare providers in our society, attitudes about sexual pleasure often range from dismissive at best to disgusted at worst. Because of this, many people utilizing healthcare choose to keep details about their sexuality to themselves, even when some intervention may be helpful. Our first session will explore sexuality during the childbearing year through two different lenses. We’ll talk about the anatomical and hormonal changes that take place throughout those 12-ish months. We’ll also discuss cultural norms and assumptions that new and expecting parents have to confront in their communities and within themselves. This session will also briefly discuss sexual dysfunction, some solutions, and when to refer for more extensive care.
Session Two: LGBTQ Inclusivity
The United States saw a decade where LGBT rights were dramatically expanded, and public opinion swung to openly support those rights. However, since the last presidential election, the political tide is turning the other way, and LGBT people are once again growing more hesitant to reveal much about their orientations and identities in healthcare settings. Historically, queer folks would often delay or reject appropriate medical treatment in an effort to avoid discrimination. And unfortunately, many mainstream health care providers have never become comfortable working with non-heterosexual folks.
Our second session will provide a thorough look at what it means to navigate our health care system as a queer or gender variant person, focusing specifically on the childbearing cycle. We'll discuss the full spectrum of queer and trans* folks, and how build respect for people of all genders and orientations into your practice. There will be a robust discussion of terminology, looking at common words and phrases to describe both LGBT people and their anatomy. And finally, we'll leave plenty of time for your questions and concerns.
Session Three: Working with non-traditional family structures: Non-monogamous and kinky parents
In my work as sexuality educator, I learned that there is a large community of folks who incorporate kink into their romantic and sexual relationships. In our area, there is also a growing population of folks who practice ethical non-monogamy at varying levels throughout their lifespan. Not surprisingly, there is some overlap between these two populations. Though our culture has very narrow definitions of “love” and “relationship,” the reality is that there are many ways to experience both of those things. There is no single right way to be sexual or to experience love and affection.
Whether you’re aware of it or not, at some point in your birthwork, you will undoubtedly encounter someone who is a member or one (or both!) of these communities. If you are open and accepting, your clients will be able to turn to you for information and support during a time when they need it most. Our third session will include information about the spectrum of ethical non-monogamy and how it may play out within various families. We will also talk about kink: What it is, what it isn’t, and how people can still play safely during pregnancy.
Session Four: Compassionate care for survivors of sexual trauma
When a person is subjected to sexual violence, there can be repercussions throughout their lifetime. If there was physical trauma, especially if it wasn’t properly treated at the time, there can be residual health issues. Even without physical trauma, the very real emotional damage can also come up again years later. Because pregnancy is often a time for reflection and getting in touch with our bodies, survivors of sexual violence may have physical or emotional issues arise any time during the childbearing year.
In our fourth session, we’ll discuss some of the ways sexual trauma can directly and indirectly impact expectant parents. Additionally, we’ll talk about how to sensitively screen for previous sexual trauma, how to help your client process unexpected feelings, and how to recognize when to refer a client for additional care. It’s important to have tools to use in the moment if a client is negatively impacted during the birth itself, so we’ll go over some common coping strategies.
Session Five: Consent in the Childbearing year + A look at sex work
Our fifth session will cover two different topics. Our primary focus will be to review the role of consent in the healthcare setting. We’ll look at how to ensure that your client gets complete information about any potential intervention, and then gives full consent to any care provided by the healthcare team. It’s also vitally important that both doulas and midwives remember to obtain consent before we provide any support or care. Because we know ourselves to be compassionate and well-intentioned, it sometimes happens that we offer comfort measures or care techniques without verbal consent. Usually, our instincts in these situations are spot on, but occasionally, each of us will miss the mark. We’ll practice several different scenarios in pairs and small groups to get comfortable with the language of advocacy and consent.
During this session, we’ll also spend a little time discussing sex work and its impact on pregnancy and birth. As a birthworker and sexuality educator who is a supporter of sex worker rights, I have spent time researching the ways that sex work and family life intersect. It’s imperative to remember that all people are deserving of quality care and respect from their healthcare team. We’ll spend a few minutes unpacking cultural beliefs about sex work, and looking at what risks to pregnancy may occur as a result of occupational hazard. We’ll also discuss how to effectively advocate for a client who is also a sex worker when discrimination is encountered in a healthcare setting.
Session Six: Brainstorming inclusivity: Putting it all together
After six weeks of thinking about inclusivity and examining our own practice, it’s time to put it all together. There will a short review of all of the topics we’ve discussed, with any applicable updates that may have arisen. We will have grown individually, and as a group. But of course, we’ll all still have more growing to do in the future. We’ll spend our sixth and final session discussing the things that challenged us the most, and whether or not those things have now “clicked” for us. Each person will have the opportunity to share ways they’ve integrated the things they’ve learned into their lives and their professional work. We will brainstorm more ways to be inclusive in the future, and potential topics for further research and discovery.
Cost |
What's Included? |
|
$150 per person
$75 for students (In this case, a student is a person who is not seeking certification in their field and has been doing birthwork for less than a year, or, a person who is currently working towards certification or licensure in their field, regardless of how long they've been active.) |
|
How to Participate
This series will be presented live via a video conferencing platform called Zoom. You can access Zoom on a laptop or desktop computer, or on your mobile device through their app. The interface is very user-friendly. It will allow all attendees to see each other's faces, and to participate. Whether you are on a computer or mobile device, you'll need to have working camera, microphone and speakers. Most computers and devices have these built in, but double check your own before we get started on the first day.
If you miss a session for any reason, you'll be able to watch the video later. Each session will be recorded as it happens, and the videos only shared with members of this group.
If you miss a session for any reason, you'll be able to watch the video later. Each session will be recorded as it happens, and the videos only shared with members of this group.
About Your Presenter
|
Lucky Tomaszek is a sexuality educator living with her three kids in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. In addition to her current role as education coordinator at The Tool Shed, Cream City's education-based, mission-driven sex toy store, she has a long background as a birth worker and parenting columnist. She is the author of the semi-monthly column "MKE SEX", published by Milwaukee Record, and is a contributor to The Ultimate Guide to Sex Through Pregnancy and Motherhood by Madison Young. Most mornings you can find her balancing her cat and her keyboard in her lap, doggedly trying to make the world a smarter, safer place for people of all genders, orientations and relationship groupings.
What people are saying:
After attending the B.I.T.S. training, I know feel like trauma-awareness is an imperative, and that having an aware birthworker on your team can be a critical aspect of recovering from previous traumas. This series was wonderful, educational, informative, and lots of fun! I came into this class thinking I would know all that was covered but actually felt I learned quite a bit of new information even after having attended human sexuality courses in college. This really helped me to have more empathy for friends, clients and others going through difficult seasons and experiences. And to communicate empathy in a way that can be received. |
Getting Registered Send me a message using the contact form at the bottom of this page. Please include:
I'll get back to you with your payment amount and a PayPal address. As soon as you've made your payment, you are registered for the class. I'll send out information to the whole group about our first session before we meet. |
