Many people may wonder WHY on EARTH I would choose to be a Certified Professional Midwife rather than a Certified Nurse-Midwife. After all, the benefits of being a CNM are great. You get a starting out salary of $90,000, it's easy to find work, you can write prescriptions and do hospital deliveries. So I'm going to discuss my decision with you.
In the last few months I have done a lot of networking on facebook with other people in the natural birth (global) community. One of the Midwives I have friended is Gloria Lemay. Most of you will not know who she is, but in the midwifery community she is quite acclaimed. She has probably the best midwifery blog out there and often writes for Midwifery Today magazine. It is from her that I get a lot of the articles that I re-post to my Butterfly Births page. In my autodidactical midwifery education I have read and seen many things, several of which were from Gloria, that convinced me that I did not want to be a CNM.
First of all, CNMs are not autonomous midwives. They can only be Registered in their state if they have a collaborating physician. It is possible, as in Donna's case, to fine a physician that will let you work autonomously while they sign the necessary papers and do the occasional referrals. But for the most part physicians are unaware that this is a possibility and they are concerned for liability. Most CNMs work as part of a Practice that is run by physicians. They must adhere to the guidelines of the practice. This means that if the Guidelines say that patients must be induced after 41 weeks, then the midwives must follow that standard. If a physician comes into the hospital and says to put the laboring woman on Continuous Fetal Monitoring, the Midwife must do that also. I want to be a Midwife so that women have the choice of a gentle and safe birth. I want to specifically get away from all of the trouble caused by the medical community and their interventions in labor and birth. This would be difficult, if not impossible, as a Certified Nurse-Midwife.
Also, CNM's must follow "Hospital Regulations." These vary from hospital to hospital, but I have encountered some that are truly atrocious in the Labor and Delivery ward. There is an Army hospital in Fayetteville, NC that requires CFM (continuous fetal monitoring). The hospital employs many CNMs but they practice more like physicians than midwives. CFM increases the rate of intervention and c-section drastically, without any improvement in outcome of mother or child. I would not like to be subject to such hospital regulations. Being a Doula in such an environment is hard enough.
Lastly, if you know me you know that I am not one to be subjected to the Man. I am free-thinking and opinionated. I will not forfeit my freedoms and will stand up for the rights of others. I believe that woman have the right to choose where and with whom they give birth. I believe that the modern American obstetrical system if greatly flawed. That is supported by the numbers. We rank lowest among developed nations in maternity care. We have the HIGHEST rate of maternal/newborn fatality in these nations. Croatia is a safer place to give birth that the U.S.!!! And this is due largely to our flawed medical system which is controlled by fear of litigation and drug companies. I could go on about this and other things that influence our horrid maternity care, but I wont. I just do not want to be a part of it! I want to make a difference and improve maternity care. I want my clients (not "patients") to have the best care for THEM, not the most convenient care for ME. I want to follow in the footsteps of The Netherlands; the homebirth capital of the world and one of the safest places to give birth due to their lack of unnecessary medical intervention.
Anyway, I hope you understand the logic and emotion behind my decision a little better. Comments are welcome.
Thursday, January 21, 2010
Sunday, January 17, 2010
Now or Later
I have been approached by a couple of people who suggest that instead of working and saving money for the Midwifery program I want to attend, I should just borrow the money so that my education will be complete much sooner. There are a few reasons that I am not in favor of this idea, and I'd like to explain them. If you have any further comments or suggestions about how I might improve my plans, feel free.
First, the cost of the program I mentioned was a modest estimate and only included the academic training. It would be around $3,000 for three months of training in Boise plus room and board. The trouble is that there will still be various expenses while I am there. I will have to pay for transportation to and from Boise, continue paying my cell phone bill, any group activities, etc. Also, I will have to complete my education with an internship. I did not mention this added cost in the previous post. The option I would like is interning at a Missionary Birth Center in the Philippines. This is $2,000 per month and takes approx. three months. Room and board is provided, but I will need some extra cash and will have to pay for my plane tickets, as well as any travel vaccinations I will need. I do not currently have health insurance and I will need about 5 vaccines.
My other reason, which is less related to money, is that once I become a Certified Professional Midwife I will most likely relocate. CPMs are not recognized in the state of Kentucky and practicing that kind of midwifery here will not pay the bills, especially for someone just starting out. I couldn't be a midwife while working another job, due to the unpredictable schedule of births. Waiting to go to midwifery school while I save money will allow me more time in Kentucky with family and friends. When I complete school and relocate, that will also have it's expenses since I will need to pay for a place to live, gas, phone, etc. When all of this is added together, it is far to much for me to borrow. Working at a job first may allow me to go to school for three months, then return to my previous job while saving up for the internship, then work again while saving up to move. Get the picture?
And last, but most importantly I feel that it is not God's plan for me to jump into this right away. I believe that I need to do some things in transition that will better prepare me for the road ahead. I would appreciate your prayers in the mean time and hope that I can get started on a job and saving money soon!
Here is a list of the states I will be able to move to and practice in when I am a Midwife: Alaska, Arkansas, Arizona, California, Colorado, Delaware, Florida, Idaho, Louisiana, Minnesota, Montana, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, Oregon, Rhode Island, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, Vermont, Virginia, Washington, Wisconsin.
First, the cost of the program I mentioned was a modest estimate and only included the academic training. It would be around $3,000 for three months of training in Boise plus room and board. The trouble is that there will still be various expenses while I am there. I will have to pay for transportation to and from Boise, continue paying my cell phone bill, any group activities, etc. Also, I will have to complete my education with an internship. I did not mention this added cost in the previous post. The option I would like is interning at a Missionary Birth Center in the Philippines. This is $2,000 per month and takes approx. three months. Room and board is provided, but I will need some extra cash and will have to pay for my plane tickets, as well as any travel vaccinations I will need. I do not currently have health insurance and I will need about 5 vaccines.
My other reason, which is less related to money, is that once I become a Certified Professional Midwife I will most likely relocate. CPMs are not recognized in the state of Kentucky and practicing that kind of midwifery here will not pay the bills, especially for someone just starting out. I couldn't be a midwife while working another job, due to the unpredictable schedule of births. Waiting to go to midwifery school while I save money will allow me more time in Kentucky with family and friends. When I complete school and relocate, that will also have it's expenses since I will need to pay for a place to live, gas, phone, etc. When all of this is added together, it is far to much for me to borrow. Working at a job first may allow me to go to school for three months, then return to my previous job while saving up for the internship, then work again while saving up to move. Get the picture?
And last, but most importantly I feel that it is not God's plan for me to jump into this right away. I believe that I need to do some things in transition that will better prepare me for the road ahead. I would appreciate your prayers in the mean time and hope that I can get started on a job and saving money soon!
Here is a list of the states I will be able to move to and practice in when I am a Midwife: Alaska, Arkansas, Arizona, California, Colorado, Delaware, Florida, Idaho, Louisiana, Minnesota, Montana, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, Oregon, Rhode Island, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, Vermont, Virginia, Washington, Wisconsin.
Thursday, January 14, 2010
Night Owl
In bible study this week we discussed our "life work." It was pointed out that we are often trained in the work we will do. An example of this was Moses' upbringing in the Egyptian palace. He was more educated and prepared to be a leader than any of the Hebrews, so naturally he was chosen to lead them. I have thought about this in terms of my own life and "life work" as a natural health advocate and Midwife. I am not a midwife yet, but I believe that is was I was born to be. God created and trained me to help women transition into new mothers naturally and safely.
My whole life I have been a night owl. It would tend to blame this on my lack of a strict bedtime when I was younger, but this really only applied to weekends. On school days I was in bed promptly at 8:30 and woke up at 6. But even on those nights, I would lie in bed restless for hours. This isn't normal for young children. As I've gotten older is has become more troubling. It makes me dread a normal 9-5 work schedule and morning classes. Grannie and Grandad frequently comment on my poor sleeping habits. I have seen it as something that needs to be corrected. But does it?
When I really reflect on my time at night, I realize that I treasure it. Everyone else is in bed, the house in quiet and I get to enjoy some real alone time. This is often the only time of day I turn the television on. I watch my favorite show, The Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson, and the humor allows me to relax and unwind. This is also the time that I am most likely to pray, do yoga or meditate. I like to have more space to move than that which is available in my room, so at night I can have the whole living room to myself. I also get more cleaning, organizing, and reading done late at night.
In my profession as a Doula and then Midwife, this "training" will come in handy. Birth professionals must be ready to keep any and all hours. I have been to births that started in the evening and lasted through the night more often than I have been to births that required me to wake up between 7 and 10am. So I will no longer take with me the burden of guilt and inadequacy for my abnormal sleeping schedule. I will, instead, embrace my differences and try to use my time wisely.
My whole life I have been a night owl. It would tend to blame this on my lack of a strict bedtime when I was younger, but this really only applied to weekends. On school days I was in bed promptly at 8:30 and woke up at 6. But even on those nights, I would lie in bed restless for hours. This isn't normal for young children. As I've gotten older is has become more troubling. It makes me dread a normal 9-5 work schedule and morning classes. Grannie and Grandad frequently comment on my poor sleeping habits. I have seen it as something that needs to be corrected. But does it?
When I really reflect on my time at night, I realize that I treasure it. Everyone else is in bed, the house in quiet and I get to enjoy some real alone time. This is often the only time of day I turn the television on. I watch my favorite show, The Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson, and the humor allows me to relax and unwind. This is also the time that I am most likely to pray, do yoga or meditate. I like to have more space to move than that which is available in my room, so at night I can have the whole living room to myself. I also get more cleaning, organizing, and reading done late at night.
In my profession as a Doula and then Midwife, this "training" will come in handy. Birth professionals must be ready to keep any and all hours. I have been to births that started in the evening and lasted through the night more often than I have been to births that required me to wake up between 7 and 10am. So I will no longer take with me the burden of guilt and inadequacy for my abnormal sleeping schedule. I will, instead, embrace my differences and try to use my time wisely.
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