I missed a birth last week because of a family reunion I was traveling to. Ahhh...the so called "lazy" days of summer are not quite so lazy these days! I find myself wanting to do it all and be there for everyone and say yes to every new inquiry, but thankfully there is a little whisper of self preservation that calls out to me in these instances and helps to keep me balanced.
The call of duty is great and midwifery holds such a beautiful energy that envelopes your life when you are a part of it. The loveliness of the entire experience; attending births, talking to women and palpating swollen tummies is so addictive and tantalizing that even a few months of reprieve leave me wanting more. The richness that it brings to my life is unexplainable and having to be away from it more this year has been somewhat conflicting for me. I absolutely love teaching art to elementary school children and feel very passionate about doing so, but there is something even more magnetic to my soul than teaching and that is midwifery. If finances were out of the picture I would surely spend my days tending pregnant mamas and living out a midwife's life. There's nothing like that raw, beautiful experience that we call birth. The entire process is perfection and it is my privelege to be a part of it.
For today, I will hold my missed birth's baby in my arms and stay by the family's side as we walk through their postpartum days together. I will listen to that quiet inner wisdom when my phone rings and I feel overwhelmed by the weight of 'doing it all'. I hope that each of you are only doing what truly makes you happy and fulfilled, no matter what that entails. As women, we are the keepers of birth and we must strive to keep it pure and simple in our increasingly complex world. Thank you for reading and walking the path with me...I appreciate your collective support.
2 comments:
Hello,
I was googling for midwife blogs and stumbled upon yours. I scanned through some of your posts and noticed at one point you said you had some trouble getting pregnant but have 3 children. My husband and I have just begun the TTC process, but after stopping BCPs 8 months ago I still seem to be ovulating quite irregularly. A friend of mine suggested I start drinking raspberry leaf tea as it is supposed to help regulate the female hormone system. As a midwife I'm wondering, do you agree with this and do you have any other helpful hormone regulating herbs?
Thanks in advance!
Jesica Brennan
www.barnesbrennan.blogspot.com
Early on in my childbearing years I used Clomid to ovulate and then I achieved pregancy fairly easily. After that, I took a more natural approach and used an ovulation predictor kit. This helped me to know exactly when I was ovulating, along with the help of natural family planning temperature charting. My last pregnancy came from my awareness and knowledge of the way my body worked specifically and not what was "normal". I got pregnant easily and when I wanted to and felt like I had finally figured my cycle out. Red raspberry leaf tea is great...just make sure you drink it daily and use fresh herbs. Also, there are specific hormone regulating herb formulas you can take. Just look at a health food store and ask and get on a tincture daily. Taking an herbal based prenatal vitamin also helps because they are full of good female herbs. Good luck to you!
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