Aspiring Midwives

Last year, I started hosting a free monthly support group for aspiring midwives. One year later, our group is still going strong!

We had a meeting last night and we have two new members, bringing the total to about 20 now. Each month, we share lots of food while talking about our experiences with midwifery training. At the end of the meeting, they get to pick through a bunch of free stuff (old textbooks, notes, supplies, magazines, etc) that I have either cleaned out of my own office or picked up from other midwives in the community.

The group is specifically open to any woman who wants to become a midwife, regardless of whether that is a nurse-midwife or a licensed midwife, making it the only group of its kind in the whole area. Some women in the group are already apprenticing or are enrolled in the CNM program, others are just starting to study, and quite a few are still trying to figure out which type of midwife they want to be. I love meeting brand new aspiring midwives, because I like having the opportunity to be honest with them about how there is no one "right" kind of midwife to be. I try to be as generous and un-jaded with them as I can. Sometimes T stops by and she helps me demonstrate how midwives can work cooperatively without drama or judgements. She and I laugh at ourselves or each other in front of the group to remind them to keep a sense of humor about the whole process. We encourage making buddies with other aspiring midwives and we pass on tips about how to find affordable books and supplies, how to research programs, and how to connect with other midwives and resources. A good time is had by all.

I originally advertised that the group would have an emphasis on encouraging and supporting women of color as they started training to become midwives. Sometimes I wonder how, exactly, I'm accomplishing this, but then I remember that I am (hopefully) a positive example of a woman of color who successfully became a midwife. There are so few examples that exist, even in the Bay Area, that I sometimes forget just how big a deal this is. I remember the first time I ever met a Mexican-American MD and I was blown away by his very existence ("It IS possible!!"). Interestingly enough, the women of color in the group are the ones who consistently show up each month. I'm especially exciting about having an Arabic-speaking aspiring midwife in the group. The world needs more midwives!

I have gotten so much positive feedback from the women who come to the group, and it makes me feel like I'm actually contributing something to the community, as the next generation comes up. The group is my "pay it forward" attempt to honor the awesome mentors who made me the midwife I am. Each one teach one.