I conducted an interview with Eileen Denomme, a local homebirth midwife, to get an idea of what midwifery is all about. Here is what she had to say:
Me: What led you to midwifery?
Eileen: I think it was a combination of having 4 children born at home, and noticing the huge contrast between those and the hospital births my friends and family members were having. Eventually, people were asking me to attend their home births, and after 3 years of observing the senior midwife’s role during prenatals and home births, putting in my college studies and reading midwifery text books, I learned enough to pass my certification exam.
M: What does being a midwife mean to you?
E: A (midwife is a) gatekeeper for normal birth. If friends and family members were having horrible, unsatisfied births with unnecessary procedures done to them and to their babies while in the hospital, and in contrast, had wonderful, pleasant, uncomplicated births at home, then I feel I should tell everyone I know about the home birth option. Home birth or midwifery care supports the normal, natural processes that occur during labor and delivery. When supported and not inhibited or interfered with, nature does what it was designed to do. And so, babies are born healthy and happy and mothers are satisfied with their births.
M: What do you perceive your role to be during a woman’s labor?
E: I consider myself an enabler (grins). I help the woman’s mothering instincts to mature and I encourage her to follow those instincts during her pregnancy and birth and then she’s ready for parenting and caring for that infant. Empowering a woman with the knowledge that she needs in order to release her fears and enabling or allowing her labor to unfold or progress as needed by refraining from unnecessary interference is the hallmark of a midwife’s role during labor.
M: What incidences would lead you to transfer a woman to the hospital? Do you stay with a transfer patient until she delivers?
E: Since we carefully monitor the baby’s reaction to the labor contractions, we can tell if baby is doing fine or needing some TLC in the hospital setting. If we think the baby isn’t doing well with labor, we transport the woman to the hospital so her doctor can evaluate the baby’s needs. Our goal is a healthy mom and a healthy baby. We stay with the mother until she has delivered and offer labor support as her doula. Not every mom or baby has a straightforward, uncomplicated delivery at home and not every mom or baby would be safe to deliver at home. Women and babies are carefully screened and must stay low-risk and within normalcy to deliver at home. Normalcy can mean a long labor but not always means a long pushing stage.
M: How do you treat high-risk women? Do you take on clients that have been diagnosed with GD, GBS or other pregnancy complications? Why or why not?
E: Home birth is essentially for low-risk women who do not have gestational diabetes or high blood pressure or blood clotting problems. These are medical conditions best managed by a medical doctor. Group B Strep can be a life-threatening illness for mom or baby. People with medical conditions need options in order to make informed decisions regarding their health care. There are many ways to treat symptoms of illness, but even more ways to stay healthy and avoid illness altogether.
M: How do you feel about delivering multiples at home? What about breech or other variations of normal positioning?
E: In the medical model of care, multiples and breeches are considered high risk. In the midwifery model of care, it is seen as a variation of normal UNLESS the pregnancy or vaginal delivery can be life-threatening to mother or fetuses in any way.
M: In what other ways do you seek to improve childbirth for women?
E: I am active as a chapter leader for birthNETWORK, International. We have monthly meetings to teach women about all their options during this childbearing year. birthNETWORK also has yearly “Resource Birth Fairs” for information, education and networking with families and providers. We bring teachers, authors and educators to our Resource Fair to introduce strategies for improving maternity care in our community. Mothers to-be gain insight (from these fairs) and develop skills to use in their relationship with their health care providers.
M: Lastly, how do you feel homebirth can affect the children that are born that way?
E: Children who are born at home are typically not separated from their mother for at least one hour. Because of this, I feel the olfactory, taste and auditory senses in addition to hormonal, respiratory and nervous system functions (of the infant) are intensely stimulated. They are alive in every way! Uninterrupted breastfeeding, skin to skin contact, and a painless or trauma-free environment can support the newborn’s ability to observe its environment instead of going into a ‘self-preservation/shut-down’ mode of trying to adapt to its environment. I feel that the homebirth environment can positively affect children that are born there. More importantly, I feel that all children deserve the birth that will stimulate the instinctive ability to love, to feel nurtured, and to feel safe.
Eileen Denomme is a Certified Midwife in Michigan, and offers various prenatal, birth, and postpartum services for women. View her website here: www.michiganmidwife.com
If you are planning on interviewing a midwife, the above are great questions to ask when trying to get to know him or her. See Let’s Talk About Interviewing a Homebirth Midwife for more questions to consider.
If you’ve already hired a midwife, consider getting her a gift for after your delivery. Get some tips in Let’s Talk About Finding a Gift for Your Midwife.