An abundance of home-based birthing experience! I read textbooks voraciously as a student, but birth is the real teacher. Every mama, baby, and birth has taught me something new about birth and left me with a sense of awe at the strength of women and the absolute miracle of nurturing and birthing another human being. And I continue to stay absolutely up-to-date by reading books and articles about birth and breastfeeding as well as by attending workshops and conferences about midwifery care.