Midwife Connection

by Cassie Moore, ACNM Writer and Editor

August is Midwifery Advocacy Month—right around the corner—and we hope midwives across the country will participate in calling their legislators, hosting fundraisers, and advocating for the MOMS 21 act.

However, it is important to advocate for midwifery throughout the year, at every chance. Members who attended the ACNM 57^th Annual Meeting in Long Beach were thrilled by International Confederation of Midwives President Frances Day-Stirk’s rousing call to “Talk midwife—walk midwife—be midwife!”

If you’re like me, when you think of an advocate, you think of an outspoken, confident, polished, cheerleadery type of person who always knows the right thing to say and when to say it—who never stumbles over his or her words—who doesn’t get intimidated by politicians or the media. While those types of personalities are enormously helpful for a cause, they are rare. For many of us, it is easier to advocate for midwifery in quieter, less obvious ways most of the time.

I recently was reading a blog that I regularly check. The writer was telling a story about how she had gone to her gynecologist and had had some type of conflict. In the comments section, I left a quick little note: “Did you know you can also see a midwife for your gynecologic needs? Try one—you might like the experience.” I didn’t write anything disparaging her gynecologist, but I did let the writer know that the midwifery option was available. She replied that she wasn’t aware that midwives see women for anything other than birth care. Who knows—maybe someday she will decide to see a midwife and blog about the experience, adding a little extra positive publicity to midwifery.

I am currently taking an online class in medical terminology. It’s very exciting and fascinating, especially now as we are learning about the female reproductive system. We have online discussions for this class and I try to use every little opportunity to inject midwifery or midwives’ philosophy into the discussion. For example, when discussing sexually transmitted infections (STIs), I wrote that a gynecologist or midwife can diagnose and prescribe treatment for STIs. It’s a little thing, but it’s something that my classmates may not know—and once they do know, they may decide to learn more about midwifery.

I’m not trying to pat myself on the back—after all, these are only tiny efforts! But what I am trying to say is that anyone can advocate in these little ways every day, and if a lot of people advocate just a little bit, then more women will learn about midwifery than would have otherwise. What are some small things you’ve done recently to advocate for midwifery?