Birth Matters!
My WIC nutritionist might have thought me a little extreme to decline to answer where I was receiving prenatal care. I told her I didn't want to get my midwife in trouble since midwives cannot legally attend a homebirth in the state of NC. She replied, "I had no idea it was illegal!" Yep, heard that one... I rarely find someone who DOES know that.
My pediatrician probably thought I was a little weird when she asked who my midwife was and I declined saying that I didn't want to give out her name. "It's illegal for midwives to attend homebirths in NC." I said, "So you can see why I wouldn't want her name out there." I would never ever give my midwife's name to anyone unless they were honestly seeking a homebirth attendant.
I think people are a little surprised to find out the trouble I've had to go to to find a midwife willing to attend my homebirth in NC. After all, most states allow midwives to attend homebirths. Trying to find a midwife in NC is akin to trying to locate someone who sells illegal merchandise on the black market. You have to know someone who knows someone.... and so on. Once you're in and trusted, you can get the info you need, find a midwife willing to attend your birth, receive prenatal and postpartum care, etc. Since I've moved to NC and discovered the backwards system pertaining to midwives I have ultimate respect for the 20+ midwives that practice homebirth in NC at the risk of their licenses and thus their livelihoods. They could easily move to a state with a less ignorant government and population but they choose to practice here because they believe in giving women a choice... at almost any cost. I always appreciated that risk but I think I still took it somewhat for granted.
Today I got a phone call from my midwife's apprentice to say that my midwife had been arrested for practicing midwifery illegally. You may be wondering how common it is for a midwife to be exposed in such a way that legal action would be taken. Well, it rarely happens. My midwife's arrest is apparently unprecedented in NC simply because usually midwives just don't get caught. Like I said, it's a very underground operation and women who choose to deliver at home are so grateful that they protect the identity of their midwives.
So today I am an angry mom. I literally cried when I got the phone call... which may be partly due to my overactive hormones but mostly I was so sad that this dear woman who attended the birth of my last child and has been practicing for over 20 years, who understands the need that so many women have to have the birth they want, has been betrayed by someone who should have protected her identity. Whoever the perpetrator is, they not only ruined this woman's lifetime love and career, but dashed the hopes of those of us left of her clients by forcing us to travel even farther to find a midwife to attend our births. Not to mention, this instance has surely scared off many apprentices and midwives who have been training and considering practicing homebirth in NC thus expanding the web of support and accessibility of reputable midwives. How dare they! I'm sure I'll never meet this person and I don't think I've often had the impulse to get violent with someone but I fear I might in this instance if given the opportunity. This is an ignorant and backwards state. Well... it's an ignorant and backwards country as far as birth is concerned in general, but truly, NC may be the most ignorant in the union. It really makes me want to pack up and move out. *sigh*
Well, there are about a million things I could rant about pertaining to birth and how it's viewed but I find myself just too angry to be rational. I know all the arguments... both sides. I've read and heard everything that anyone and everyone has to say. It's been a long time since I've heard a new argument from the pro-hospital and doctor side. More than anything, I just wish that more people cared to educate themselves about the sad state of birthing in the US. I wish there was something I could do to make people care more, to make them understand how much it matters. Birth matters. Your experience during birth matters much much more than people give it credit for. It's an experience that was once revered in a different light that it is today. Today it is a sickness that we treat in a hospital instead of a bodily process that's as natural as breathing. How we see birth matters so much to how we see ourselves as women. Birth matters!
http://www.ncfom.org/
My pediatrician probably thought I was a little weird when she asked who my midwife was and I declined saying that I didn't want to give out her name. "It's illegal for midwives to attend homebirths in NC." I said, "So you can see why I wouldn't want her name out there." I would never ever give my midwife's name to anyone unless they were honestly seeking a homebirth attendant.
I think people are a little surprised to find out the trouble I've had to go to to find a midwife willing to attend my homebirth in NC. After all, most states allow midwives to attend homebirths. Trying to find a midwife in NC is akin to trying to locate someone who sells illegal merchandise on the black market. You have to know someone who knows someone.... and so on. Once you're in and trusted, you can get the info you need, find a midwife willing to attend your birth, receive prenatal and postpartum care, etc. Since I've moved to NC and discovered the backwards system pertaining to midwives I have ultimate respect for the 20+ midwives that practice homebirth in NC at the risk of their licenses and thus their livelihoods. They could easily move to a state with a less ignorant government and population but they choose to practice here because they believe in giving women a choice... at almost any cost. I always appreciated that risk but I think I still took it somewhat for granted.
Today I got a phone call from my midwife's apprentice to say that my midwife had been arrested for practicing midwifery illegally. You may be wondering how common it is for a midwife to be exposed in such a way that legal action would be taken. Well, it rarely happens. My midwife's arrest is apparently unprecedented in NC simply because usually midwives just don't get caught. Like I said, it's a very underground operation and women who choose to deliver at home are so grateful that they protect the identity of their midwives.
So today I am an angry mom. I literally cried when I got the phone call... which may be partly due to my overactive hormones but mostly I was so sad that this dear woman who attended the birth of my last child and has been practicing for over 20 years, who understands the need that so many women have to have the birth they want, has been betrayed by someone who should have protected her identity. Whoever the perpetrator is, they not only ruined this woman's lifetime love and career, but dashed the hopes of those of us left of her clients by forcing us to travel even farther to find a midwife to attend our births. Not to mention, this instance has surely scared off many apprentices and midwives who have been training and considering practicing homebirth in NC thus expanding the web of support and accessibility of reputable midwives. How dare they! I'm sure I'll never meet this person and I don't think I've often had the impulse to get violent with someone but I fear I might in this instance if given the opportunity. This is an ignorant and backwards state. Well... it's an ignorant and backwards country as far as birth is concerned in general, but truly, NC may be the most ignorant in the union. It really makes me want to pack up and move out. *sigh*
Well, there are about a million things I could rant about pertaining to birth and how it's viewed but I find myself just too angry to be rational. I know all the arguments... both sides. I've read and heard everything that anyone and everyone has to say. It's been a long time since I've heard a new argument from the pro-hospital and doctor side. More than anything, I just wish that more people cared to educate themselves about the sad state of birthing in the US. I wish there was something I could do to make people care more, to make them understand how much it matters. Birth matters. Your experience during birth matters much much more than people give it credit for. It's an experience that was once revered in a different light that it is today. Today it is a sickness that we treat in a hospital instead of a bodily process that's as natural as breathing. How we see birth matters so much to how we see ourselves as women. Birth matters!
http://www.ncfom.org/
so what do you plan to do now?
ReplyDeleteRachel,
ReplyDeleteI was directed here by your friend Heather. I agree with your post, and it saddens me, too, even though I live all the way in Montana.
Have you read "Pushed" by Jennifer Block? It's what really opened my eyes to the US birthing industry's practices.