To Be or Not To Be a Midwife
Posted by doularama | Filed under Uncategorized
Often, after attending a homebirth, I want to become a midwife. I am fortunate to be able to attend them as often as I do. Recently, I made my final decision, for now. I will do some self study work in case, when my children are older, I really want to delve in. Still, I can’t imagine that I would want to do it more than part-time and I would only attend homebirths.
It has struck me lately how I can easily predict how progressed a woman’s labor is and have always been right, but only when she is laboring at home. In the hospital, I am always wrong, every single time. In the hospital, my clients are always struggling, despite the fabulous support I provide, a little more a little earlier on. They’ve left their comfortable homes, taken off their familiar clothes, limited their mobility and often agreed to even more invasive procedures than those. I really should give myself a break. It’s no wonder they seem to be in hot and heavy labor when things are just beginning.
I realized that I do not want to be a midwife because, even at a homebirth, some time I may have to actually deliver a baby. I don’t want to deliver babies. I just want to catch them. I just want to be there with the woman throughout her prenatal journey and watch her as she labors in her uninhibited, instinctual mammalian glory. I don’t want to have to use sutures or syringes afterward either.
Oh, here’s a big one: I don’t drive. Have you seen how much stuff homebirth midwives lug around? It looks like they’re moving to Europe. Most of it doesn’t get used, but if you need it, you want it to be there. I think that many people picture homebirths happening with a long-haired woman who walks in wearing Birkenstocks and carrying a satchel of herbs. I would probably be wearing more fashionable footwear and would need my driver to bring the luggage in for me. Sounds good, actually.
Still, I want to soak in lots of information. I am a midwife at heart and would like to be a midwife in head. Being a midwife in practice isn’t really necessary. That’s my decision right now and I look forward to going back and forth on that one.
Tags: home birth, Homebirth, midwife, midwifery
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