Augustine Colebrook, MA, MCHS

Biography:

Augustine is an internationally recognized midwifery educator, experienced business executive, and veteran midwife with a heart focused on the underserved, marginalized, and under-resourced. She respects the importance of being empowered and undisturbed during labor, and balances this attention to the sacred with 20+ years experience attending births in hospitals, birth centers, and homes in rural, urban and suburban environments in the US and abroad. Augustine’s focus is finely attuned to the process of letting go and opening to the unknown in labor and in life. Additionally, Augustine has a master’s degree from Bastyr University in Seattle, WA where she majored in Maternal/Child Health Systems.

Her life's mission is to mainstream midwifery and deconstruct the culture of fear and misinformation that surrounds the maternity world globally. To that end, Augustine 'midwife's the midwife' through her many education programs, consulting services, product development, podcasts and video production, business site visits, and with private coaching services for midwives, students, maternity practice owners, & birth center administrators through her consulting firm, The Midwifery Wisdom Collective. It is her profound honor to illuminate the sacred path to joyful and sustainable midwifery practice. She lives and works in India.

Abstract: Ironing Out the Details: The Hidden Crisis of Iron Deficiency During Pregnancy

We exist on this planet because of the vital metals like sodium, potassium, magnesium, and calcium that easily dissolve in our body's water. Equally important are iron, zinc, and copper, found in nearly half of our proteins.

Iron plays a crucial role in our blood, with four iron atoms in hemoglobin storing and transporting oxygen. Inadequate iron in early childhood leads to reduced attention span, difficulty grasping concepts, irritability, social withdrawal, and delays in language and motor skills. Iron deficiency during pregnancy increases the risk of premature birth, low birth weight, birth asphyxia, maternal infections, pre-eclampsia, and hemorrhage.

Approximately two billion people or 25% of the global population lack sufficient dietary iron and iron stores. Anemia (the last stage of iron deficiency) caused 50 million years of healthy life lost due to disability in 2019 alone. This presentation aims to educate healthcare providers and birth workers on the magnitude of this epidemic and provide guidance on the essential laboratory assessments, symptoms and the new evidenced-based values for evaluating iron status in patients. It will also cover important aspects of proper treatment approaches.