A Distinction You and I Can Always Be Sure Of

Advanced Midwifery Studies was just titled The Midwifery Home Study Course when we started as Apprentice Academics in 1981.  We were the very first distance academic program. One of our most important distinctions is the fact that we offered the original course and nothing we offered then, or now, is patterned after anything else.  It is as  important to me to maintain that distinction as it was in October 1980 when I started working on the curriculum and March 1981 when I started publicizing it.  There was no other curriculum to look at then, and I do not look at other curriculums now.  In fact have never laid eyes on any midwifery curriculum that has come after ours.  I have seen my curriculum with someone else's name on it and my copyright whited out.  And I have had people who offer other programs admit to me that they "patterned" their program after ours or that they just condensed what we did.  As amazed at I am at the lack of integrity in this matter, I have still never been tempted to look at anyone else's curriculum. I am careful not to compromise my integrity in this area.  I will never borrow someone else's hard work intentionally.....NEVER.

When Carolyn Steiger heard I was writing a book for beginning midwives at the same time she was also writing a book on the topic, she made the first call and we became fast friends.  Her book was published just before a MANA conference in October.  Mine was not published until the next June.  I was thrilled that she gave me one of the very first copies but I glanced through it quickly, in her presence,  and never opened it again until my book was DONE.  In the interim,  Carolyn asked many times for me to read her book.  She was anxious for my opinion. My response was always that I would read it the night I got back from the printer.  She assured me that she trusted me and begged me to read it!  As wonderful as knowing how much faith seh had it me, it was not enough to cause me to take that chance.  I did not want to ever wonder if I had inadvertently changed something or added something to improve upon what Carolyn had already done.  If I deposited my book at the printer before I read her book, I would always know, without a doubt, that I had never leveraged anything from her hard work or claimed something as my own that was really hers. As it turns out, our books were quite different and actually very  complementary.  We are still very good friends.  By the way, Becoming a Midwife has been out of print for some time.  You may hear a rumor that she has given her permission for it to be photocopied or reprinted but I assure you that is not the case. Contact me if you know of any copyright abuse concerning Becoming A Midwife.

I will end here, coming round to my original point.  We have always been original, and will always be original.  If you choose AAMI, you can be sure that you are not getting a reworked version of any other course. That is an important distinction.

What is Authentic Midwifery?

My definition of authentic midwife is one who truly practices "with woman" midwifery...one who trusts birth, one who knows her job is to serve women, not save them. 

Kathy Reid on her AAMI enrollment

I am so honored to be a part of AAMI. I spent over a year researching midwifery schools around the country. I examined every web page and read almost every forum thread online that had anything to do with midwifery schools. So many of them seemed so strict and rigid. I'm 39 and I've done college. I didn't want that coldness and disconnection between my passion in learning and an education that was structured for people that are great at test taking and learn in a linear style. So, when I came across AAMI my eyes popped out of my head. It was perfect for me. I learn in an environment where I can really dive deep into the things that are presenting themselves to me today, not two semesters from now. The curriculum is arranged so that you can follow it in a linear style if that suits you best, or even better, study the parts that are speaking to you right now. So, if you have the chance to apprentice with a local midwife, you can be doing research and learning about the things that are also presenting themselves to you right now. You are always moving ahead in your studies and your curriculum, as you see fit. And yet, the curriculum is there to guide you and to make sure that nothing is left unnoticed. It is the most comprehensive program I have found.

It is so perfect for me as I unschool (education through life-learning) my 12 year old son. So, he and I are both unschooling now. We study what we feel moved to study. The materials are very well organized and always offer much more in the form of learning than what is on the page in front of your eyes. The staff are unbelievable and very supportive. The things you don't see in the fine print that you will receive with your enrollment, are access to conference calls with Carla and other staff members, participation in many different yahoo groups, connection with other AAMI students, and direct access to learning all about how to TRUST BIRTH. Carla produced the Trust Birth Conference last March and it was incredible.

I consider this course to be 3D. Most studies involve a question and a correct answer that you memorize. Carla's course is designed to give you an experience with multiple dimensions on every topic. You study from a place of relatedness and wholeness, not from a place of isolated factoids. This makes for such a rich experience and one that you will remember to the depths of your soul. This is where you need to keep all of your learning, so that when you really need it, it is there for you to call upon.

I think one of the most amazing parts of AAMI is learning from Carla. She trusts birth to her deepest core. And to get to that place, you have to really know your stuff. Her course is designed to teach you everything you need to know about birth and also how to be a life learner for the rest of your life. This is good not only for you, but for every mama and baby that will be touched by you in the future.

I'm available by email or phone if you want to talk more.

Love, Kathy Reid
801-878-7196 Home

sacredbirthing@gmail.com