What does being a midwife mean to me? That sounds like the start of a high school English paper. “What does being a midwife mean to me”? But I think that’s a rather profound question to ask someone! Think about it…ask yourself, “What does being a mother mean to me?” “What does being a man mean to me?” “What does being a wife mean to me?” So what does being a midwife mean to me?
It means that this family that just hired me has chosen me, out of everyone in the world, to be a part of their memories forever. It means that I will be given the blessing of getting to know them in the most intimate of ways. I will be able to touch and connect with their baby as it grows inside their womb, feeling it grow and mature. This means that my touch is one of the very first experiences this baby will have as I place my hands on the mom’s swollen belly. I will witness this woman at her strongest, even though she will feel like she is at her weakest. I will witness this woman strip away all of society’s input, all of the ‘proper girl’ that she was raised with, all of her inhibitions…and I will see her in her rawest form, the basic animalistic instinctual woman that she is inside.
It means that they are trusting me –trusting me be able to walk the fine balance between being watchful for medical issues while not interfering and thus creating medical issues. They are trusting me to treat them with respect and honor this event for the monumentous occasion that it is. It means that she is trusting me to see her in that vulnerable true state of who she is at the core and won’t judge her for what or who I see her become. It means that they trust me with their very lives, to make decisions that are in their best interest rather than my own.
It means that I have been called to a profession that I feel is more of a lifestyle than a job. This is a time in their life that they will always remember in quite a bit of detail, and I am a part of that story. They will always remember me (and I will always remember them) –so we are connected forever through our shared experiences. I do believe that not only will they remember me, but that my actions have a great effect on the baby –in fact, on the entire family. Facilitating the emotional transition to motherhood is as important as overseeing the physical and medical process. Treasuring and guiding the babymoon period (first month postpartum) can help lay a foundation of breastfeeding and bonding and trust between the mother and baby that can last their entire lives. Even more than that, by giving this family the best start possible, it lays the example for the next generation. I do believe that by giving these families my heart and love, that it can make a difference when this baby grows up and has their own baby, thus making the event even bigger than a “lifetime”…it makes it "generations."
Being a midwife means that on a regular basis I get to take part in a miracle. I get to see the miraculous unfold before me, and witness the incredible. I get to watch as a man falls deeper in love with this woman than he ever thought possible, and the woman realize that she is worthy of that love. I get to see the man transform Into a father as he cradles his newborn in his arms, no longer afraid to cry or show the depth of his feelings as he realizes in that moment that it’s a strength rather than a weakness. I get to see the gift that this man gave to this woman emerge from her body –and I get to see a mother return that gift as she hands the baby over to the father. I get to see as older siblings learn how to give birth, how to become a mother or a father, as they watch their youngest sibling come out. It means that I get to bear (what I believe is) one of the most enormous responsibilities a human can bear…assisting this family through the creation of life. And I’m lucky and blessed to do so.
In short, it means I’m one of the luckiest people on Earth.
Loved and credited to Nurturing Hearts Birth Services
Saturday, July 23, 2011
Wednesday, July 6, 2011
Inspirational Quotes for Natural Childbirth
I couldn't choose just one so I put up a few of my favorites. Enjoy.
Birth is not only about making babies. Birth is about making mothers ~ strong, competent, capable mothers who trust themselves and know their inner strength. ~ Barbara Katz Rothmann
There is no way out of the experience except through it, because it is not really your experience at all but the baby's. Your body is the child's instrument of birth. ~ Penelope Leach
Natural childbirth has evolved [was designed] to suit the species, and if mankind chooses to ignore her advice and interfere with her workings we must not complain about the consequences. We have only ourselves to blame. ~ Margaret Jowitt
The parallels between making love and giving birth are clear, not only in terms of passion and love, but also because we need essentially the same conditions for both experiences: privacy and saftey. -Sarah Buckley
The wisdom and compassion a woman can intuitively experience in childbirth can make her a source of healing and understanding for other women. ~ Stephen Gaskin
We have a secret in our culture, it's not that birth is painful, it's that women are strong. ~ Laura Stavoe Harm
The knowledge of how to give birth without outside interventions lies deep within each woman. Successful childbirth depends on an acceptance of the process. ~ Anonymous
"Having a highly trained obstetrical surgeon attend a normal birth is analogous to having a pediatric surgeon babysit a healthy 2-year-old. "~ Marsden Wagner
"Midwives see birth as a miracle and only mess with it if there's a problem; doctors see birth as a problem and if they don't mess with it, it's a miracle!" Barbara Harper
"Treating normal labors as though they were complicated can become a self-fulfilling prophecy." Rooks
"Attending births is like growing roses. You have to marvel at the ones that just open up and bloom at the first kiss of the sun but you wouldn't dream of pulling open the petals of the tightly closed buds and forcing them to blossom to your time line." Gloria Lemay
"Unfortunately, the role of obstetrics has never been to help women give birth. There is a big difference between the medical discipline we call "obstetrics' and something completely different, the art of midwifery. If we want to find safe alternatives to obstetrics, we must rediscover midwifery. To rediscover midwifery is the same as giving back childbirth to women. And imagine the future if surgical teams were at the service of the midwives and the women instead of controlling them." Michel Odent, MD
"There is power that comes to women when they give birth. They don't ask for it, it simply invades them. Accumulates like clouds on the horizon and passes through, carrying the child with it." Sheryl Feldman
"Just as a woman's heart knows how and when to pump, her lungs to inhale, and her hand to pull back from fire, so she knows when and how to give birth." Virginia Di Orio
"300,000 women will be giving birth with you today. Relax and breathe and do nothing else. Labor is hard work, it hurts and you can do it." Unknown
"We are made to do this work and its not easy...I would say that pain is part of th glory, or the tremendous mystery of life. And that if anything, it's a kind of privilege to stand so close to such an incredible miracle." Simone in Klasson 2001
"Anything I’ve ever done that ultimately was worthwhile…initially scared me to death." Betty Bender
"What's done to children, they will do to society." Karl Menninger
"My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness" 2 Corinthians 12:9
Birth is not only about making babies. Birth is about making mothers ~ strong, competent, capable mothers who trust themselves and know their inner strength. ~ Barbara Katz Rothmann
There is no way out of the experience except through it, because it is not really your experience at all but the baby's. Your body is the child's instrument of birth. ~ Penelope Leach
Natural childbirth has evolved [was designed] to suit the species, and if mankind chooses to ignore her advice and interfere with her workings we must not complain about the consequences. We have only ourselves to blame. ~ Margaret Jowitt
The parallels between making love and giving birth are clear, not only in terms of passion and love, but also because we need essentially the same conditions for both experiences: privacy and saftey. -Sarah Buckley
The wisdom and compassion a woman can intuitively experience in childbirth can make her a source of healing and understanding for other women. ~ Stephen Gaskin
We have a secret in our culture, it's not that birth is painful, it's that women are strong. ~ Laura Stavoe Harm
The knowledge of how to give birth without outside interventions lies deep within each woman. Successful childbirth depends on an acceptance of the process. ~ Anonymous
"Having a highly trained obstetrical surgeon attend a normal birth is analogous to having a pediatric surgeon babysit a healthy 2-year-old. "~ Marsden Wagner
"Midwives see birth as a miracle and only mess with it if there's a problem; doctors see birth as a problem and if they don't mess with it, it's a miracle!" Barbara Harper
"Treating normal labors as though they were complicated can become a self-fulfilling prophecy." Rooks
"Attending births is like growing roses. You have to marvel at the ones that just open up and bloom at the first kiss of the sun but you wouldn't dream of pulling open the petals of the tightly closed buds and forcing them to blossom to your time line." Gloria Lemay
"Unfortunately, the role of obstetrics has never been to help women give birth. There is a big difference between the medical discipline we call "obstetrics' and something completely different, the art of midwifery. If we want to find safe alternatives to obstetrics, we must rediscover midwifery. To rediscover midwifery is the same as giving back childbirth to women. And imagine the future if surgical teams were at the service of the midwives and the women instead of controlling them." Michel Odent, MD
"There is power that comes to women when they give birth. They don't ask for it, it simply invades them. Accumulates like clouds on the horizon and passes through, carrying the child with it." Sheryl Feldman
"Just as a woman's heart knows how and when to pump, her lungs to inhale, and her hand to pull back from fire, so she knows when and how to give birth." Virginia Di Orio
"300,000 women will be giving birth with you today. Relax and breathe and do nothing else. Labor is hard work, it hurts and you can do it." Unknown
"We are made to do this work and its not easy...I would say that pain is part of th glory, or the tremendous mystery of life. And that if anything, it's a kind of privilege to stand so close to such an incredible miracle." Simone in Klasson 2001
"Anything I’ve ever done that ultimately was worthwhile…initially scared me to death." Betty Bender
"What's done to children, they will do to society." Karl Menninger
"My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness" 2 Corinthians 12:9
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