It made me think of all the nurse midwives that have helped shape me through the years. Whether it was a pearl of wisdom, a scolding, or just a word of encouragement when I felt down, each of them has helped transform me into what I am today. While I was ruminating, I remembered another poem that hit a chord with me:
One of my current partners had shared this at a birth blessing we all got together for. I like to read it from time to time to remind me just how magical midwives are. We are strong, we are passionate, and consider ourselves advocates for women, their babies, and their birth experiences. I had three births with a physician before I finally saw the light. I was in midwifery school and realized that there was a better way to birth. We were in Salt Lake City at the time, so I found a birth center I liked, a nurse midwife I trusted, and did a 180 degree turn around from the three induced births I had previously had. It was a profound experience, it cemented my beliefs about birth and the power of my own body, and I was hooked! That was 12 years ago! That out of hospital water birth was my Lily and here we are today:
One of my current partners had shared this at a birth blessing we all got together for. I like to read it from time to time to remind me just how magical midwives are. We are strong, we are passionate, and consider ourselves advocates for women, their babies, and their birth experiences. I had three births with a physician before I finally saw the light. I was in midwifery school and realized that there was a better way to birth. We were in Salt Lake City at the time, so I found a birth center I liked, a nurse midwife I trusted, and did a 180 degree turn around from the three induced births I had previously had. It was a profound experience, it cemented my beliefs about birth and the power of my own body, and I was hooked! That was 12 years ago! That out of hospital water birth was my Lily and here we are today:
I felt sentimental so I sent an email to Rebecca Williams, the nurse midwife that ushered Lily into the world. I wished her a happy midwifery week and thanked her for the way she changed my life. It was sappy but I don't care. It's important for our stories to be told and midwifery is so often a very stressful and thankless job, that it's a ray of sunshine when a patient is grateful for you and takes the time to tell you so.
My last baby was Bubba. I ended up delivering her with my partners Helene Reusser and Karen Owens when I still worked in Rexburg. That was a precious experience too. I love and trust both of those women and was so grateful they were with my for my last birth. I hardly ever remember to thank them on midwifery week, but every year on Bub's birthday, I send out a selfie with the two of us and remind Karen, Helene, and my friends, Tina and Laken (who both tagged along to watch) just how many years have passed. It's just my way to mark another day that was profound because of midwifery care. Here's this year's selfie:
To all the OB doctors out there: I'm grateful for you, especially the ones that work with midwives! We need you for the sick ladies, the surgeries, and for help deciding what to do when things are complicated. However, you really shouldn't be doing the low risk births (just in case you didn't know). Leave those to the midwives. We know what we are doing and the women we care for know it too. Our mark is deep and important and the impact we leave behind on the women we care for cannot be duplicated.
If you know a midwife, send her a note and thank her for being around. If you had a midwife deliver a baby for you, hug that baby a little tighter and be grateful for your experience. And if you know how to find the midwife that was there, send her a note; tell her about your birth and how it changed you. I can guarantee you will make her day and give her a little more fuel to keep plugging onward when times seem hard or stressful. Happy Midwifery Week everyone! Even if I am a few days late...
My last baby was Bubba. I ended up delivering her with my partners Helene Reusser and Karen Owens when I still worked in Rexburg. That was a precious experience too. I love and trust both of those women and was so grateful they were with my for my last birth. I hardly ever remember to thank them on midwifery week, but every year on Bub's birthday, I send out a selfie with the two of us and remind Karen, Helene, and my friends, Tina and Laken (who both tagged along to watch) just how many years have passed. It's just my way to mark another day that was profound because of midwifery care. Here's this year's selfie:
To all the OB doctors out there: I'm grateful for you, especially the ones that work with midwives! We need you for the sick ladies, the surgeries, and for help deciding what to do when things are complicated. However, you really shouldn't be doing the low risk births (just in case you didn't know). Leave those to the midwives. We know what we are doing and the women we care for know it too. Our mark is deep and important and the impact we leave behind on the women we care for cannot be duplicated.
If you know a midwife, send her a note and thank her for being around. If you had a midwife deliver a baby for you, hug that baby a little tighter and be grateful for your experience. And if you know how to find the midwife that was there, send her a note; tell her about your birth and how it changed you. I can guarantee you will make her day and give her a little more fuel to keep plugging onward when times seem hard or stressful. Happy Midwifery Week everyone! Even if I am a few days late...
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