The First Post

So, even though I may be the only person I know (besides Louis) who is not on MySpace, I am making the long-overdue leap to the "blogosphere" -- and I'm so excited! I had an epiphany this past week and after a long conversation with Louis (and a nice loan from my parents), I have decided to enroll in midwifery school! For the past few months, I had been coming up with excuses for why I should delay my enrollment, but none of the excuses seem all that valid anymore. The sooner I get moving, the sooner I finish, right?

In case you're confused, I was not already a student midwife. For the past two years, I have been working as a birth doula. Since most people are not familiar with this title, I sometimes referred to myself as a "midwife's assistant." Everyone seems to know what that means and it's just so much easier than having to explain the whole thing dozens of times. As a doula, I assist women in labor but I do not catch the baby as it is born. My goal is to learn to catch babies at home births, and in order to do that, I have to become a Certified Professional Midwife (CPM). Why don't I want to catch babies in the hospital? Please stay tuned...

To receive my title of CPM, I needed to enroll in a midwifery school that specializes in training home birth midwives. The school I chose is the National Midwifery Institute. It is a distance-learning program that requires you to complete assignments at your own pace. Once I enroll in the program, I will be sent 52 written assignments ("modules") in the mail. I complete each module and mail it back to the school's headquarters for a grade and feedback. There's a lot more to the school requirements than just the modules, but in the interest of keeping your interest, I'll explain all that later.

Since my school's system of teaching is different from anything I have done before, I really need to be organized and committed to finishing on time. I started this blog to help keep me focused and on track with my assignments. It's also a way for friends and family to see what a day in the life of a student midwife is all about. Of course, included with midwifery stories will be all the other things that keep me busy in-between births: going to doula interviews, prenatal and postpartum visits; running the East Bay Doula Circle; taking care of my mother-in-law; selling on eBay; packing up the house in preparation for our eventual move; attempting to learn how to cook; volunteering at OneChild; and spending quality time with family and friends.

From the age of about 10, I just knew I was meant to catch babies. Two of my great-grandmothers were midwives in the Southwest and caught many babies at home. I am open to the idea of eventually getting a nursing degree and becoming a Certified Nurse-Midwife (CNM) or even applying to med school to become an OB/GYN. For now, though, the CPM credential just feels right. I believe women were meant to give birth in the privacy and comfort of their own homes. It makes sense in so many ways and it is an experience I hope to have soon with my own children.

My family and friends have been so supportive of my choice to pursue such an intensely demanding career and I am forever grateful. I hope you enjoy accompanying me on this journey!