Wendy Blumfield:

I am president and one of the founders  of the Israel Childbirth Education Centre.  I started my first career in publishing in London, I continue to write articles and poetrty and have published two books.

When I gave birth to my own four children in England I became interested in child psychology and support for the childbearing year.  I studied for a Diploma in Social Psychology and then trained with the National Childbirth Trust (UK) to be a childbirth educator and breastfeeding counselor.

Soon after our aliyah we spent one year at Kibbutz Ayelet Hashahar where I taught prenatal courses and worked in the babies house.

When we made aliyah, conditions in the maternity wards were many years behind the UK and USA, not in medical knowledge but in attitudes to womens rights in the birthplace and her role in participating in decision-making.  Women could not bring their partner or other support person to the labour ward; after the birth there was no encouragement to hold the baby and breastfeed and sometimes a day or two passed before the new mother began to know her baby.  Childbirth preparation courses were mostly physical exercise for women only and there was little help for women who had breastfeeding problems.

I began to teach in Haifa, made contacts with the staff in the local hospitals and when Rambam Hospital decided to admit partners to the maternity ward I co-ordinated the first couples courses there as well as in my own home.  From those first courses I started mother-and-baby groups and it was these mothers together with a few other counselors who had made aliyah who helped me to found the Israel Childbirth Education Centre in 1981.

After all the hospitals in Haifa and the north accepted partners at the birth (and later other support persons and doulas) I worked independently keeping up communications with the staff of all these health centres.

Apart from the regular childbirth preparation courses and breastfeeding support meetings, there were many requests to train new counselors.  I returned to England for intensive study and received a Tutors Diploma which qualified me to co-ordinate teacher-training.

Up to 2006, I was academic co-ordinator of the organization, responsible for the training programmes and I still train new tutors so that they can continue this work.

My Publications:

Life After Birth: Everywomans Experiences of the First Year of Motherhood (published by Element and only available now from the author)

Despues des Nacers – a translation of the above book, published by Gedisa. Available from Amazon

The Soldiers Mother and Other Life Experiences: an anthology of poems and essays published by Bibliobooks (Available from the author, Bibliobooks and Amazon)

Articles on family and social issues in the Jerusalem Post Weekend Upront Magazine and Metro section

www.jpost.com

Journal of the International Childbirth Education Association.

Childbirth Education USA

New Generation NCT UK

Royal Journal of Health.

4th Prize in the 2007 Reuben Rose International Poetry Competition.

Poems published in the annual anthology of Voices English Poetry in Israel.

www.poetry-voices8m.com

Conference papers and lectures:

I have given lectures and workshops at numerous conferences in Israel and overseas on parenting and feminist and womens health issues.

Co-ordinated  birthday conferences of the Israel Childbirth Education Centre.

Memberships:

National Childbirth Trust, UK

PSI Postpartum Support International

Israel Childbirth Education Centre

 Voices Israel Poets in English

British Society of Authors

My family:

Husband David is a retired computer systems analyst.

Eldest son Jonathan is an electrician, advises on and fixes  all household problems. He lives with his wife Sigal, a social worker, in Atlit with their children,  Itamar, Abigail  and Michael

Second son Daniel, architect  and his wife Galit, a travel agent,  live in Haifa with their children Mayan  and Yam.

Third son Anthony, systems analyst, and his wife Einat, assistant professor in pediatric radiology, live in New York with their sons Amit  and Aviv.

Daughter Sara, a teacher and her husband Eran, business manager, live in Ramat Gan with.their daughters Shahar,  Oren  and Shaqed.

Being a grandmother is a wonderful experience.