Guest Post: Welcoming Anna and her last year of midwifery school!

Anna is a midwifery student and this is her last year of school. She has joined the birth center and we are so happy to welcome her as part of our team. Read her guest blog post on her first week and join us in welcoming her to our community! 

“So here we are, in our rare and precious lives, surrounded by gorgeous moments begging to be noticed and celebrated.”

                                    -SARK

Officially in my final year of midwifery school, I found myself at a crossroads. And in what can truly be appreciated by a student of midwifery, I made the decision to take the proverbial leap and...change preceptor sites.

So with my devoted partner, beloved village, and sassy chickens in my rear view mirror, I drove towards this new horizon with a tear in my eye that contained one last bit of lament and all the joy and anticipation for what was to come.

Enter: Rosemary Birthing Home (RBH).

I, as I am sure many before me, amble into Rosemary Court and take a minute to sit in gratitude and absorb all its lush splendor and refreshing charm. Then I notice the front door as I walk up the cobbled steps- a poster with a silhouetted, triumphant woman holding a trophy above her head. She has two blue ribbons, placed apropos of the theme. It's World Breastfeeding Week, of course! And in a friendly competition geared towards raising awareness, I later learned, RBH won the Golden Nipple Award for Best Overall. What's not to like?

As I walk past the festive poster and enter RBH, I cannot help but feel like I am coming home. No one greets me at the door, but I feel welcome even so. The interior is buzzing with the energy of life. I suppose I could have expected no less, considering when I was here for my interview, my nerves and excitement were met with something similar to “so we're working on the fall call schedule. Put your name down where you want!” Ahem... so about that interview? It wouldn't take me long to discern this apparent flippancy for what it really was- a strong conviction for facilitating a climate of growth, support, enrichment, and upholding (with commendable effort) the midwives model of care.

My first day of clinic as the newest member of the Rosemary team unfolds into a whirlwind of learning the intricacies of both clinical and clerical life at RBH. I sit quietly through prenatal visits, wishing more than anything I had my trusty notepad to scribble down all of the invaluable information and resources that are being shared with clients. It quickly becomes evident to me that I am working with highly skilled, learned, and compassionate women, whose every interaction and conversation is driven by informed choice (aka: arming your clients with the most current, evidence-based information so that they may make their own decisions about their care). During a rare moment of quiet, I found myself chuckling as I recalled my first days of midwifery school –  wide-eyed with wonder – unable to ignore the parallels between then and this new chapter of my journey. Before I know it, my first day turns into my first week. The whirlwind is dizzying and I can't get enough.

One of the benefits of midwifery that is so appealing and fascinating to me is the synergy that is integrated into the very core of our model of care. In fact, one could argue that it is a deliberate result. As midwives, we inspire a sense of agency in our clients; we guide them through their childbearing year, and we do so by walking alongside them. I wholly appreciate and take pride in knowing that we encourage women to take an active role in their health and well-being, among other things, and how that correlates directly with positive outcomes (read, birth experiences). I have been fortunate to witness – and participate in – the manifestation of this very tenet at RBH. I am inspired by the RBH team's dedication to their craft, their abilities, and their collective wisdom. These women are birth mavens, y'all, and the positive outcomes and steady stream of repeat clients are a testament to the community they have forged.

I am overcome with gratitude as I reflect on my journey to and through midwifery, no doubt with its fair share of struggles and triumphs. Yet through it all, I am honored to be a participant in this amazing work, and I am wholeheartedly looking forward to growing into the best midwife that I can be, here, in exceptional company. Onward and upward to embrace what dreams may come. Cheers.