Midwife Love may sound silly or cliché, but it is the best description of how I feel right now. I am in love with my midwife-sisters! We are such a diverse and beautiful group of people. Through midwifery, I have had the opportunity to meet women that I otherwise never would have. And many of these women are now dear friends. This weekend, I am a town across the state and had the opportunity to visit one such friend who has recently opened a free standing birth center. She did a portion of her clinicals with us and I am so proud to have played a part in her growth as a midwife. The women and babies here are blessed to have her and her center. I can't wait to hear about their growth and success.
In particular, I am eternally grateful for my midwife-sisters at the birth center. They are a source of strength, humor, support and knowledge. Don't get me wrong, we can also disagree and challenge each other....but what is love without a little challenge. Being able to disagree and then come to a mutual understanding is a hallmark of love; we don't change each other but make each other stronger. We don't mimic each other or think that we all have to make the same choices. There is great power in our differences.
Recently, I had an experience that really hit this home for me. It was early morning, I was at the center to be in the clinic. I was in the kitchen making my (very necessary and much loved) cup of coffee. The on call midwife was there for a Mama in labor and the midwife who had been on call the day before was at the hospital as she had had to transfer another Mama. The previous midwife had had "one of those shifts"; long and tough, she had been up for 24 hours before the transfer. She returned from the hospital (after the birth and a healthy MotherBaby outcome) and was exhausted. The first thing that happened when she walked in was a lovely and much needed group hug. The three of us just put our arms around each other and took some breaths, it was simple and took only a few moments but was powerful. These seemingly small moments are among the ones that keep us going in the hard moments. And for these moments, I am eternally grateful.
