OH MAN! The tears were pricking and the pride was swelling! To even think that I belong to the same species as someone THAT amazing just made me happy.
And then there's my midwife... She sent me an email today and at the end of her email she has some favorite quotes. The one that struck me today was
"Those who say it cannot be done
should not interrupt the person doing it." -Chinese Proverb
Then there's Rep Holly Richardson of American Fork, Utah. I may or may not agree with her politically...that is to say, sometimes I do and sometimes I don't. But she is ONE amazing woman: midwife, political activist, mother to 24 kids--most of them adopted from around the world--many of them with varying physical and emotional disabilities, several of them having passed on from this life. And now she is a Representative for the state of Utah. She is exactly the kind of person we need in government--someone who is selfless and caring and willing to stick there neck out there for things they believe in.
I like to hope that in my own little way I can grab on to something I believe in and love, and run with it until I help as many people as humanly possible. I know I'll never be one of the Harriet Tubmans...but I can do everything I can to try.
I {heart} midwives
Midwives are some of those people who are giving and caring and sacrifice for the well being of others. Their care is patient-choice oriented, in that they will make sure the patient is educated and allows them to make the choice. They give, give an extra dose of love, caring, time and listening to each of their patients. Their clients are happier, their births have better outcomes, they are sued less, they cost less money, they more or less will let YOU as the consumer, have the birth you want (within reason and the law). Oh I love doctors too, and they also have their place in our medical system. But I believe that for low-risk, healthy mamas and babies midwives are best.
That's why on May 5, International Day of the Midwife, I went to the Oregon State Capitol for a Midwife Rally.
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| some of Oregon's many midwives |
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| capitol building |
The birth of my first baby was so amazing and incredibly empowering, I immediately felt a calling to become a midwife. I already had a B.S. in health and nutrition, so I started back to school the year after Joshua was born to get my nursing degree, with the thought of joining the Certified Nurse Midwife program in a few years. But during my first semester in nursing school I just wasn't feeling right about it. And so I dropped out, a decision I do not regret. Over the last 9 years I have contemplated if and when I want to go back. The world needs more midwives. I often ask myself if I have that within myself to give.
I'll leave you with this great video clip that I saw on facebook today:
What do YOU have to give to the world?
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