And yet another fabulous question

Another Blog read asked "Are you a lay midwife or a CPM and where did you study"

I am a lay midwife. I did a traditional apprenticeship with a Senior midwife in my area. In the state in which I reside midwives are unregulated so the CPM certification is of no legal use. I have considered the NARM certification route but, decided to stick with what I believe in which is lay midwifery. Birth is not a medical event, it is a normal, natural, life experience that should be treated as such. It used to be that the grandmas, aunts, sisters and friends would gather around the laboring woman and lend her strength during her birth. These more experienced women would midwife for other women in their tribes or villages. It was an art and a duty for them. I want to bring back this feeling of sisterhood into birth. I am trying very hard to educate women about the normalcy of birth and do not see myself as an authority figure or a "professional". Rather, I see myself as a friend, a sister... an artist.

Answer to a comment

Dawn asked if I ever "Deliver" in a hospital. I have 2 answers to that question. First, no I do not work in a hospital. I am strictly a home birth midwife. I have entertained the thought of becoming a CNM but, after soul searching I finally decided that I would never be able to work in that environment with a clear conscious.

I want to address another part of your question which is the word "deliver". I want to make clear that I do not "deliver" babies, I catch them. Let us take a look at the definition of the word deliver (from the Merriam-Websters Dictionary) Deliver (verb) 1 : to set free. 2 a : to take and hand over to or leave for another: b. to hand over, surrender. To use this word would suggest that I am freeing the baby from it's mother or vise versa. I do not feel that I am doing anything but keeping the baby from hitting the floor. Also, to say a woman is delivering a baby suggests that she is being freed from some sort of bondage. I view birth as an empowering experience, not as a form of bondage from which a woman needs to be set free.

I am trying to embrace a new view of birth as an empowering and enjoyable experience therefore, I choose to change my words to be more respectful of my families and their births.

So, I catch babies not deliver them and a mother births a baby, she does not deliver a baby. Just say it a few times and you will see how profoundly it will change your perception. Thanks so much for your question! I love being given something to talk about. This blogging thing is a little hard for me.

Wonderful Summer Solstice Water Birth

Last Sunday S called at 9am to let me know that she had been having regular contractions since 8am and she thought this was the real thing. She was 9 days past her gestimated due date and was SO ready to see her baby. I can almost always tell when a woman is in true labor by the sound of her voice and by the tingling sensation I get on the back of my neck when I get the call. I know it sounds silly but, it is absolutely true. I feel like I have a real connection with my families and so I can just tell when something is happening. I think this is part of the joy of having a lay midwife attend your birth (but, that's a different post). Anyhoo, I give a resounding "woohoo!" and tell her that I will be in contact with her every hour unless I hear from her.

I called and checked on her every hour until about 1:30p when I called to let her know that I was going to lay down and take a nap to prepare for this evenings excitement. I was awoken by a phone call at about 3:30p from S saying she was thinking we should head out. So, I got my things and swung by to pick up Mona (my lovely, wonderful and amazing partner, again another post). We had a 45 minute drive ahead of us so we were sure to move swiftly. We arrived at the families house at about 4:30p. When I went in Dad was setting up the pool and pointed me toward the bathroom to check on Mom. S was sitting on the toilet and contracting really well. I could tell by the look on her face and the vibe of the room that she was in transition and coming very close to birth. She was glowing and looked beautiful! Just then Mona came around the corner and I went to go prepare my equipment. We had the pool ready about 5 minutes later and S got in...you could see the relief on her face when she got into the water. I checked heart tones and then let her be for a few minutes. When I came back in to the room with towels, at 5:10p, S had a nice contraction and her water broke. There was light mec staining but, nothing to be too worried about. I got my gloves and prepared for the birth. A few minutes later S said she felt the urge to push. I said to her, "that's great. Let your uterus do the work and your baby will come gently into this world". S was so present and in control, it was just amazing! Slowly we saw the baby emerge and I said," we can see your baby's head, reach down and touch her, it's really neat." S did and a big smile came over her. Soon we saw the baby crown and then her whole head came. I reached to check for cord and found 1 loop around her neck. I held her close to mom as she gave one small push to birth the baby's body. I unwrapped the cord from around the baby's neck gently underwater and handed her to her mom. We all welcomed baby Lillith into the world at 5:15pm. What a glorious and empowering birth!

Lillith weighed 9lbs. 2oz.

Thoughts on unhindered birth

So, I had a birth this weekend (which was wonderful). I'll post the story soon.

After the Mom gave birth she was all happy and blissful. She looked at me with an amazed look and said, "I just gave birth and you didn't put your hand in my vagina once!". I smiled and said, "yep. Amazing how that works, huh?"

I really feel like the vagina is a sacred place. A place of power and it deserves to be treated as such. I do not take vaginal exams lightly and I do not touch a woman's vagina unless she asks me too. I really don't think that a woman needs to be told when it's ok to push, she knows when she needs to push. So, I don't routinely do vaginal exams to check for full dilation either. Often, when a woman says she has the urge to push I will tell her to listen to her body and to let her uterus do the work. This helps the baby come out gently and I have seen that woman are much more present when they just let birth happen rather than trying to "push push push!"

I am totally convinced that routine vaginal exams are unnecessary. How many other things do we do that we really don't NEED to do? And by doing these unnecessary things are we unconsciously taking power and control away from the mother?

I aim to empower women not to dehumanize them through intervention. As a midwife I want to continue to explore how little I can do!

Up and running

One of my friends just got done working on Kitty and she is running for now. It really is a mantra to keep a bus running. I have been considering buying an air cooled VW because I could learn to work on it myself. But, for now we have to keep Kitty going. So, thanks for all the good thoughts that have been sent in my direction for Kitty's healing!

Very very tired

Well, I haven't posted in a while because I have been very busy and extremely tired. I got a job baking at a coffee house in the early early mornings. I love the job but, getting adjusted to the new hours has been pretty hard on me. I am naturally a night owl...

I have a Mama due tomorrow with her second baby. I am hoping she will give birth before next weekend so that I can go to the Community Peace Festival. I am desperate for a swim in the river! And a rockin drum circle!

My VW bus is sick. She is over heating and we are crossing our fingers that the head is not cracked. We already know that a piece that connects the radiator hoses busted. But, it is possible that the head cracked while I tried to hurry home with it overheating. It makes me very sad to think that she could need a new engine. So, please keep my sweet bus Kitty in your prayers :)

Well, hope to see you at the river this weekend with another wonderful birth story!

My sisters, My friends

I love the families I serve.
I really truly do.
It is a sisterly love, it is a sweet love.
It is a love that completes me in a way that I can not put into words.
But, it is there strong and bright and I find it spilling over at times unable to contain it.

I feel honored by your trust and your kindness.
I feel honored to be with you.
To share in the struggles of your labor and the joy of your birth.
To lay my hands on your womb and feel your child move fills me with wonder and excitement.
It is an honor that I can not put into words.

I feel lucky.
So very lucky to watch your children grow.
To hold them in my arms and kiss their little cheeks.
To see them look at me and know who I am.
Their smiles bring tears to my eyes and joy to my heart.

So, I want to thank you.
All of you.
For allowing me into your lives with kindness and patience.
Thank you!