Musings from the Threshold

Monthly Archives: May 2013

Happy International Day of the Midwife!

FacebookIDoM_squareMy life has been immeasurably enriched and blessed by an amazing number of wonderful midwives.  I want to take a bit of time to express my thankfulness for them on this special day.

The midwives who helped birth our babies…
Michelle Ruebke, our first midwife, laid a firm foundation of belief in the God-designed process of birth throughout the pregnancies and births of our first four Blessings. Cynthia Bernard helped make our hospital vaginal frank breech possible (and we couldn’t forget Barb Hueffmeier’s fantastic help with that one!).  Kathy Brace and her team assisted in the births of Blessings #6&7 (for which we traveled from MO to KS). And dear Mary Walsh came to bat for the birth of Blessing #8 – at last, a home birth in Missouri, with a team that included several precious friends.

The families who support the midwives…
Our time in Missouri included years of involvement with Friends of Missouri Midwives, a consumer advocacy group that was on the front lines with the Missouri Midwives Association in efforts to legalize independent midwifery in Missouri.  My experience with this diverse-yet-united group of folks was a time of growth and enrichment. These friends, their families, and their stories strengthened my appreciation for the beauty of the birth process and the value of midwives.

The midwives who are helping to birth the midwife…
Along the way in my own birth journey, I realized that I wanted to bless other women by serving them as my midwives had served me.  That dream was conceived around 2001, and so many midwives have invested in it, many without knowing it.  The midwives of the MMA opened my eyes to the sisterhood of midwives, the value of unity and consensus, and so much more.  Midwives I’ve never met have also inspired and encouraged me.
After we moved back to Kansas a couple years ago, I began apprenticing with two wonderful midwife friends, Bethany and Heidi.  I am learning so much from and with them.  I am also learning from and being encouraged by other midwives here in Kansas, and value their investment in me.  In the last few months, I have been blessed to begin studying under Debbie, one of my hero midwives, and a dear friend.

So, to all of these amazing folks – my thanks, love, and admiration.  Happy Midwives Day!

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