Philosophy

Introduction

Becoming a parent is perhaps the most transformative step that an individual may take in his or her lifetime. It is an honor to work with families as they grow through the profound experiences of pregnancy, birth and newborn care. Midwifery care is a gift that women and their families provide for themselves, for it is a holistic care model that is unmatched in the medical community. The essential physical caring of the pregnant woman, attending her birth and assisting her with newborn and postpartum care would be incomplete without attention to the cognitive, emotional, social and spiritual aspects of becoming a parent.

The midwife's role through pregnancy is to assess, inform and support her client in the process of becoming a parent to a new child. We achieve this in our practice through partnership with our clients. Essentially, we are co-providers for her care. We rely upon the processes of continuity of care, individualized care, education and an emphasis on health and well-being. The Birthing from Within (1998) philosophy of England and Horowitz resonates with us, as do the theories of Dr. Michael Odent and Ina May Gaskin. We avoid interventions, especially invasive ones. We incorporate natural remedies that treat systemic concerns when appropriate, and assist the family in their adjustments to parenthood.

Our philosophy of care honors the whole person.

Our undergraduate and graduate training in psychology, education, nursing, women's health and Mayan abdominal massage have enhanced our understanding of human development within a holistic, ecological context. Pregnancy and birth are life events that enhance the mind-body connection, making holistic care modalities especially potent.

Continuity of care is an important component of our practice.

Our personal experiences with obstetric and midwifery care illustrate the importance of continuity of care.

Illysa: "In my first pregnancy, my physician spent such little time with me that I hardly knew her philosophy of care. This became very apparent at the birth when the natural birth plan was shunned, and personal requests to avoid episiotomy and drugs were dismissed for nothing more than the hospital's convenience. (Upon my insistence, my daughter was permitted to breastfeed immediately after the birth, and for this I will always be grateful. Those moments of awe and bonding will forever be treasured). I never saw my physician again after leaving the hospital, as her partner was in the office for my six-week postpartum appointment. In contrast, my midwife in my second pregnancy spent an hour with us at each appointment. Birthing at home gave us ownership of the birth experience, and my child never left my side. My midwife came to visit me at home for the first week, and I continued to see her a few more times before the final postpartum appointment. Continuity of care deepens the relationship between the midwife and client, increasing trust and aiding in individualizing care."

Christy: "Although I had been studying midwifery for many years, the births of my children, Jonah in May of 1998 and Laurel in November of 2001, proved to be the best learning experiences. My pregnancy and birth with Jonah were both very difficult for me. I was sick and had low energy for much of my pregnancy. When the time of the birth arrived, many difficulties arose and although we stayed home for several hours, my husband and I decided to go to the hospital. Jonah was eventually birthed by Cesarean Section. I was overjoyed and in love with my precious little baby, and at the same time terribly disappointed in how he was born. These were confusing feelings for me. It was not until becoming pregnant with my second baby that I was able to work through the difficulties of Jonah's birth. Things went quite differently with Laurel's birth, and after a short labor and a very long pushing stage, she was born at home. Her birth was incredibly powerful for me. Because of my experiences, I am very committed to helping women feel empowered in birthing their babies and caring for their families in whatever situations arise."

Individualized care is another pillar of our practice.

We never approach a client's pregnancy or birth as a script to follow. Rather, we embrace the individuality of each woman and her family, encouraging her to determine the path of care she needs or desires. However, we have protocols and utilize our skills to maintain a nurturing environment and evidence-based practice.

Health and well-being are emphasized in my practice to assist the woman in having an optimal pregnancy, birth and postpartum period.

Nutrition and exercise are essential aspects of a healthy pregnancy and post-partum healing. Pregnancy provides preparation for becoming a parent. In fact, parenting begins during the prenatal life of the child. What the mother consumes, the child consumes; her emotions are intertwined with the hormones that bathe her child in utero.

Nutritional counseling is a cornerstone of a healthy pregnancy, and we assist the mother in finding whole food diet sources. We have both been studying nutrition and eating a whole foods diet ourselves for twenty years, and have come to understand the great potential for healing through nutrition. Christy studied macrobiotic diet and healing. She makes goat cheese for her family's consumption and grows free-range meat and eggs. Vegetarian clients benefit from Illysa's experience as a vegetarian.

Similarly, exercise is essential to maternal well-being, and thus, her child's. Her emotional state is uplifted through exercise and superb nutrition. Illysa has studied yoga for twenty years, and has worked as a fitness instructor. She draws upon this knowledge to assist clients with their exercise plans. Christy models a healthy lifestyle with her daily running practice.

This holistic care of the client promotes personal growth in the unfolding of motherhood, especially for the first- time mother. But experienced moms also need holistic care to support them in creating room in their lives for a new child, deserving in attention and love.

We respect the woman's birthing process as being that of her own.

We do not approach every birth as the same. When women are given the space and respect to tune into their bodies, they often find optimal labor positions to assist the birth of their babies. Couples caress and soften their labors through love and related hormones. We have observed practitioners who interfere in this natural process unnecessarily. There are times when a midwife's skills are useful and times when a midwife should allow a woman to birth without interference. We strive to learn from each woman whom we serve to achieve a balance of non-interference with non-invasive skills, relying on interventions only when indicated.

We use non-invasive skills to assist a woman's birth.

We rely upon other skills, such as abdominal palpation, fetoscope, rebozo, acupressure, homeopathy, herbs, Mayan abdominal massage and guided imagery when invasive procedures can be avoided. Many women don't want to give birth on their back, have vaginal exams every hour, or experience the pain of an invasive manual procedure without consent. We respect these women's choices and strive to support them in having the birth experience they want.

Natural remedies are employed in my practice to improve systemic health.

We provide our clients with natural remedies for common discomforts of pregnancy, birth and post-partum care. Many of these we've learned through the years, but we continue to educate ourselves about homeopathy, herbs and other natural health care modalities. We consult with a local herbalist, who lovingly prepares the herbal remedies in our birth kit. Herbal teas, tinctures, and infusions have proven to be quite effective at healing most of the discomforts of maternity. Certain situations, especially in birth, are efficiently treated by homeopathy, and we carry homeopathic remedies to every birth. Traditional healing techniques from Chinese Medicine and Mexican American Folk Medicine compliment my practice. One technique that we've used with great efficacy is the rebozo technique for optimal fetal positioning. This has shortened the labor of women and assisted them in having a smoother birthing experience. We continue to seek training by traveling to Belize for massage therapy training, attending conferences where traditional healers are featured, and reading articles and books written by traditional midwives. Likewise, we encourage mothers to educate themselves about holistic alternatives to healing.

Education is a focus of our practice.

We recognize the central importance of client education. Through education comes empowerment, and birth should be an empowering experience for women. From nutritional, parenting, and childbirth education, women can become empowered to make good decisions about their health care and that of their families. They can experience the benefits of seeking out information, thinking about it critically, and exercising decisions that resonate with their personal values. The transformation can be inspiring. A woman who has been well prepared for the birth experience will have less fear in childbirth because she has tools at her disposal for comfort and reassurance. She knows her own power. She can become an amazing mother.

Collaboration and referral are another important characteristic of competent midwifery care.

One of the most important purposes of midwifery education is to train midwives to screen clients for illnesses that are out of the scope of practice of the midwife. It is the responsibility of the midwife to refer clients to other health care professionals when appropriate. This may mean collaborating care with a licensed acupuncturist, chiropractor, naturopath, psychotherapist or physician. At times, care for a client can be co-managed with an obstetrician, and some women will need to be under the primary care of a physician if complications arise during her pregnancy or birth. The safety and well-being of clients, mothers and their babies, is our primary goal. We strive to work in harmony with other professionals, both allopathic and non-allopathic healers. We have deep respect for each of these professions, and value their contribution to maternity care.