Midwife Poetry

For my communications class I had to recite a piece of literature that was meaningful. I searched all over and finally went to my computer and typed in 'midwife poems'. I followed link after link and I stumbled upon this poem by Dana Quealy, CNM, MSN which is found at the beginning of Varney's Midwifery (4th edition). It is a beautiful and honest poem.
     Holy Births and Howling Babies
In my backyard there are nuns who live in a shaded brick building
next to the St. Stanislaus church and elementary school.
Together we rise before the sun is in the sky.
Behind the kitchen curtain, in the damp haze of morning,
I watch them walk in shades of blue robe.
They glide in white sneakers across the parking lot.
They are cool, calm, brisk. Some day, I’ll go see them
I’ll ask for some lesson on prayer.
Because the thing is…I pray now.
Not Dear God Almighty!Just low, easy, quiet thoughts.
I pray when my patience is worn.Why my shoulders ache.
When my own voice becomes tiring to my ears.
I pray when my heart sits heavy with stories and faces of women.
A prayer for the 32 week babe.
A prayer for the lady with the skinny, squawking twins.
A prayer for the woman without a mother, or a lover, or a friend.
I pray when my cold hands run across a pregnant belly
and I feel a kick from inside.
I pray for all my babies, Be good to your mama.
I pray for all my mothers, Be strong, be good to this baby.
I pray secretly and I pray slowly.
I pray for us, the midwives and almost-midwives.
I pray that we make the right decisions.
And I pray for those of us who make bad decisions. 
Decicions we regret with outcomes we can’t change.
I pray that we learn from our mistakes.
That with ages comes wisdom.
I pray deeply and I pray completely.
For all of the hands and all of the bellies.
I pray for holy births and howling babies

decisions

"It all comes back to 'pick your battleground'; only you can decide where you are most suited to struggle, for if you intend to practice true midwifery, struggle you must."
- "Heart & Hands" by Elizabeth Davis

CNM or Direct Entry Midwifery, that is the question.
My entire being is saying Direct Entry Midwifery. My passion is in homebirth and I must choose the best path.

persevere

" If there's a book you really want to read, but it hasn't been written yet, then you must write it."
Toni Morrison

...just a thought.

My Asprition to be a Midwife

       God has a beautiful way of allowing a person to see all the things that interest her but still leave a longing for the perfect thing that fulfills her. As time has gone by my aspirations have changed and dreams that I once had turned into fleeting desires. I have aspired to be many things in my life, to pursue many careers, but there is now only one that I desire. For the first time in my life there is no lingering question nor doubt in my mind about my choice. My aspiration to be an obstetrician paved the way for my ultimate goal to be a midwife.
         The healing that you practice in the science of medicine with compassion is a human experience beyond the boundaries of every culture and society. An obstetrician is an amazing field and helps women with their pregnancy and birth, especially those with complications. I knew that much and I left it at that. I thought that if I was an obstetrician I would be able to help women who had complicated pregnancies. I would be the doctor to give the mother and child a better chance for survival if anything went wrong. I would be the one to save everything. As I looked more upon the field of obstetrics I realized that it was not what I wanted, I still had a lingering feeling for something more. I am not to be the one that takes the credit for the birth, it is the mother and I am only to be an aid. I want to be there to help mother-baby and aid women in their full empowerment.
      An obstetrician is an amazing medical field, do not get me wrong, but it is not something that I want for my life. An OB is the person who is turned to when births become drastic or complicated. I realize that research does a great deal to the mind and a person, which seems like common sense but in reality, I have only just realized this. Although an obstetrician specializes in challenging births with complications, there is never really any time to have a family or to see the patient and her family grow. I have had the aspiration to be an obstetrician but there was always a wanting and a question that could not be ignored. I realized I want something more than a career, I want a fulfilling life that I wake up to everyday thanking God for all that he has bestowed upon me.
         A midwife is my answer and I am not only content but confident and striving towards my goal of becoming a midwife.

Reading List

This is in the order I will read them; the first three I have read and I am waiting on edge for the fourth in the mail :) I cannot wait to start it :)
This is just the beginning of my reading and I cannot wait to add many more to the list : )

1. Birth by Tina Cassidy
2. Baby Catcher by Peggy Vincent
3. Lady's Hand's, Lion's Heart: A Midwife's Saga by Carol Leonard
4. Heart and Hands: A Midwife's Guide to Pregnancy and Birth by Elizabeth Davis
5. Spiritual Midwifery by Ina May Gaskin
6. Arms Wide Open: A midwife's Journey by   Patricia Harman
7. Blue Cotton Gown by Patricia Harman

      and then there are the amazing medical books I will read and use as a reference for years to come:
1. Anatomy and Physiology for Midwives by Jane Coad EIHMS 
2. Holistic Midwifery: A Comprehensive Textbook for Midwives in Homebirth Practice, Vol. 2: Care of the Mother and Baby from the Onset of Labor Through the First Hours After Birth by Anne Frye 
3. Nurse-Midwifery Handbook: A Practical Guide to Prenatal and Postpartum Care by Linda Wheeler
4. Varney's Midwifery, Fourth Edition by Helen Varney, Jan M. Kriebs and Carolyn L. Gegor