Midwife Connection

by Cassie Moore, ACNM Writer and Editor

I regularly skim articles on Babble to see if they have any information mentioning midwives. Last week, I read Jana Llewellyn’s ultimately uplifting article, My VBAC Success Story.

In the story, Jana chronicles her search for a medical provider who will help her get the VBAC (vaginal birth after cesarean) delivery she’s looking for. Spoiler alert—she ends up delivering her baby with the assistance of a midwife when her other medical providers push her to have a second cesarean birth.

One paragraph in the middle of the article caught my eye:

I never thought I’d choose a midwife. I didn’t know they existed beyond history books and the birth center a few miles from my home. But from the first minute I talked to Ronni, I knew I was in good hands. She was willing to meet with me for a consultation so she could answer all of my questions. She explained the slight differences of treating a VBAC patient and a regular patient. She was honest with me, and she fully supported my decision without ever skirting around the reality of the risks involved.

Jana probably doesn’t know it, but she pointed out what is probably our biggest challenge at ACNM. Many women, just like Jana, don’t understand that midwives are modern-day, highly educated and trained medical providers who practice not only in birthing centers and homes, but also hospitals.

But Jana also points out one of our greatest strengths: from the first minute she met her midwife, she knew she would be in good hands. Ronni took the time to listen to Jana and address her concerns. We hear this constantly from our members— “The people who know about us and work with us LOVE us. The problem is, not enough people know about us!”

We know midwifery clients have overwhelmingly positive experiences all the time, and we’re working hard to get that message out to the public. You might say that midwives are this country’s “best kept secret” in health care. But we don’t want to keep it a secret! So for National Midwifery Week, we’ve been thinking about how midwives in the United States can communicate their excellent care to the general public.

We’ve come up with a few ideas listed below, but we’re always happy to hear feedback from you! Please leave a comment with your ideas on this topic.

• Join Team Midwife and encourage your clients, friends, and family to do so, too. Team Midwife is ACNM’s public awareness campaign aimed at communicating the value of midwifery care to women, hospital administrators, legislators, and more.
  
  

• Follow Team Midwife on Facebook and Twitter and share articles and stories about what makes midwives so great. 
  
  

• Send your clients an e-mail we’ve written just for you letting them know about Team Midwife and how they can help.
  
  

• Develop an exhibit, contact your local media, and send out a news release to reach people in your community and let them know who their local midwives are and how you help women.
  
  

• Talk to members of the public and educate them about midwifery whenever possible.