Goals 2013 - Here We Go Again!

2012 was a really hard year.  Really really really hard.  Sickness and injury.  Homeschooling a child who doesn't like any form of school.  My father died in October.  My grandfather (his father) dying just 52 days later.  Helping my mom with all death-related issues.  I am happy to see 2012 gone.

The one nice glimmer was the 6 weeks we spent going quickly through FL, GA, and SC to visit family.  Saw midwifery friends as well as a friend from 1st grade. It was wonderful to dip my toes in the Atlantic Ocean!

I did manage to accomplish a lot of midwifery related things though... other than keep up with this blog!

Here were my goals for 2012:
Every semester – submit AAMI midwifery studies assignments
Every day – study for the NARM exam
February - submit final NARM application
June/July – visiting the USA and hopefully lugging along one textbook to finish a project
September – fly to CA for the NARM exam and attend the MANA conference that same weekend
December – finish the breastfeeding counselor certification
All year – lots of births (and they will count towards me precepting other students)

The number one thing that prevented me from accomplishing submissions for midwifery school has been homeschooling.  Never enough quiet hours in a row to finish anything.  Instead I just read a lot, finished a few projects.

I did finish up my apprenticeship in January.  I didn't need births at that point but it was piles of paperwork!

And I DID submit my NARM application in the spring!  And I was audited.  And audited again.  And audited yet again!  After 5 months of me sending more and more paperwork, they were finally happy with the application.  They really do not like international students!  Because of the long time auditing, I will be sitting for the NARM exam in February.

I recertified in neonatal resuscitation (in FL) and then CPR for the Professional Rescuer (in NC) this summer.

I also attended many births this year.  Missed a couple births... super fast births combined with a big city/transportation!  Helped many women with breastfeeding support, including twins, which I of course have tons of breastfeeding knowledge for twins... my own twins finally self-weaned in February at the age of 4.5 years!  A lot of time has also been spent working with some refugee families... teaching English, pregnancy/birth/breastfeeding Hmong twins, using Google Translate to muddle through it all.  A lot of wonderful families that I have been blessed to serve.

Here are my goals for 2013:
Every semester – submit AAMI midwifery studies assignments
Every day – study for the NARM exam up until the 2nd week of Feb
February - fly to the US for 2 weeks, sit for the NARM exam and then enjoy some time with my mom
March/April - wait nervously for the NARM results
May - work on starting an ICAN of Thailand (Cesarean awareness chapter)
September – fly to Sydney, Australia for the Trust Birth Conference
December – finish the breastfeeding counselor certification (time to stop dragging my heels on this one!)
All year – not so many births.  Mostly repeat moms.  I'm taking time to study and then slow down a bit.  It's been a crazy 5 years of studying and births!

Let me just stop right here and say please please please pray for me that I can pass the NARM exam in one try.  So many fail.  And it is a big expensive trip for me to fly to the USA to do this exam.  I am nervous.  My apprenticeship was in Indonesia, and the test is for American midwifery practice.  I live and serve in Thailand, and the test is for American midwifery.  I am studying hard but the way I was trained is so different.  Pray that I have discernment in the books, topics, etc that I choose when sitting down to study, and that I am really good with time management.

Longterm Goals
Fall 2014 - graduate from AAMI.  This has been pushed back because I've lost basically a year of full-time study due to homeschooling.  That child will be back in regular school next August, so realistically I could finish AAMI a year later.
Spring 2015 - Begin legal process and final language study to be the first licensed foreign/Western midwife in Thailand
2015 and Beyond - I can dream about opening a birth clinic here.
2016 - I am seriously considering going beyond my Masters in Midwifery.  Naturopath Doctor is next.