I am an American citizen although my accent is a little
British as well
as American. In 1974, I moved to England and married a British
"subject".
As a child, I had a fascination for pregnancy and
childbirth but knew I never wanted to be a doctor. I loved chemistry
and biology in school but could think of no profession I wanted where
these could be used. Then in my first year in Britain I met a midwife
and realized that midwifery was the only career for me. The training
came many years later.
I had my 3 children in hospital (that hospital was more like a birthing center than a hospital here) and was
cared for by midwives. The midwife who was in charge of my care with my
first labor was so cold and unfriendly that i was determined to be a
better sort of midwife. My philosophy regarding midwifery is one of
care, friendship, understanding, honesty, education and co-operation. I
feel that a close rapport with my clients can help bring about a good
outcome for both sides.
In 1991 I commenced training as a midwife
and began practicing in Ipswich Hospital immediately on completion of
my training. During my training and employment I was present at
hundreds of births, However, I personally took care of over 120 normal
labors and deliveries and assisted at many more. Daily I cared for
pre-natal and post-natal mothers and took care of 1-2 laboring
women. I was often required to teach medical students and some
qualified doctors to perform normal deliveries. I taught all midwifery
skills to student midwives. In my final year there I was required to be
Midwife-In-Charge with all the responsibilities that called for.
I
also worked in Neonatal Intensive Care for six months in order to
acquire additional skills and experience. This enabled me to build on my
confidence in the care of the new-born. I worked with premature and
sick babies with a variety of infections and conditions. This gave me a
much greater understanding of the 'normal baby' and the 'sick baby'.
In
March 1997, I moved back to Texas with my British family to be near my
American family who I have been away from for 23 years. I contacted one
of Texas' busiest midwives on arrival and she allowed me to follow her
practice in order to 'learn the ropes' in a private midwifery practice
in Texas. She was good enough to allow me to practice with her in
order to gain the home birth experience I needed to become licensed in
the sate of Texas.
Since observing and participating in
midwifery care here in Texas, I have witnessed that the out-of-hospital
environment is by far superior for the course of a normal pregnancy and
labor. In fact, for the family unit as a whole, out-of-hospital birth is far superior. Having been on 'both sides of the fence', I am now
totally committed to the out-of-hospital, midwifery led care for normal
pregnancies, deliveries, and the postpartum period.
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