Traditionally, this time of year ushers in a season centered around thoughts of peace, love, joy and gratitude. We would like to honor this season by offering you a gift: Kate is opening up her December days for women to savor a few quiet moments to tune into their body and baby (or babies). 

Come listen, with a fetoscope, to your little one's heartbeat and relax into a belly massage - with or without the addition of our handmade balm. You do not need to be a client of Southern Minnesota Midwifery to receive this offering, just call ahead -- (612) 414-7311 -- to make sure we are not in the midst of enjoying some one-on-one time with a client.

(For some extra self-care, come in for some belly-baby love after an adjustment from Stacy at Vitality Chiropractic or one of Blooma's yummy yoga sessions.)

​CONCEPTION
 
A woman enters, holding my chart and the report I’ve written. Though small in stature, this woman’s presence fills the entire corridor. She looks into my eyes, searching.
 
“You’re angry,” she says to me. I like this woman.
 
I am 25 years old, nine months pregnant and holding a 16-month-old on my hip.
 
“I’m going to be taking care of you from now on,” the woman says.
 
Her name is Captain Helen Smith. She runs the obstetrical unit at the naval hospital where I’ve been receiving prenatal care. For the first time during my pregnancy, I am looked at in the face and addressed by my actual name. The authority I have over my own body and baby is recognized, acknowledged and submitted to. I am treated with respect, kindness and as an equal partner in my own healthcare.
 
Captain Smith is amazing. She has this presence. When she enters the room, the corpsmen smile, the nurses visibly relax and parents sink into a welcome sense of security.
 
Helen Smith is a midwife.
 
For the first time in months, I feel like I can breathe. It’s astonishing, what the simple courtesy of genuine respect can do.
 
I feel light and relieved. I feel good.  Within me, a need awakens — the need to pass this goodness on to others.
 
I want to be Captain Helen Smith when I grow up! I want to be a midwife.
 
Over the next several years, I learn everything I can about midwifery and caring for other humans.
 
Already intrinsic in my character are compassion and the desire to nurture, which are crucial — it seems — to a career in midwifery. What I lack, temporarily, are the practical skills necessary to support women as they navigate childbirth.
 
I begin collecting caregiving skills in hospice care, where I learn the importance of a loving, human touch. I also discover the subtle art of “holding space,” which refers to being present as a grounding force, without interfering in the natural flow of life.
 
I later serve as a birth and postpartum doula, as well as a childbirth educator. In these roles, I cross paths with many different parents, all with unique perspectives and needs.
 
I learn how to teach and how to listen. I learn how to comprehend exactly what is happening in labor, using nothing but my eyes and ears. I learn many different ways to provide physical comfort. Intuitively, I learn how to reassure a woman — lost in doubt — with one meaningful, wordless look.
 
I am accepted into midwifery school, where I read books and figure out how to incorporate theoretical knowledge into real life application.
 
I work, for several years, in a top-notch urban NICU, where I devour every bit of wisdom others are willing to pass on to me — babies, nurses, doctors and respiratory therapists, all generous in their teaching and patient with my constant probing for more information.
 
I am invited to assist at births with a variety of our community’s treasured home birth midwives and I am offered several opportunities to work as a student in a long-term role.
 
Eventually, I am given the gift of partnership with my final mentor. This partnership allows me to grow out of the role of apprentice and into the role of Midwife in a safe and familiar space, supported by a woman who possesses a completely unique skill set and the deepest trust in birth I have ever known.
 
The young mom with one baby on her hip and one in her belly seems like a million lifetimes ago, before the evolution of a million different versions of me. Those babies are now teenagers, and my role in their lives is changing. Such is life!
 
My role as a midwife is changing, too. I have come into my fullness and I have come full circle.
 
It is my turn, at long last, to be Captain Smith — to look into a woman’s eyes and search, to let her know that I recognize, acknowledge and submit to the authority she has over her own body and baby. And someday — perhaps even someday soon — I will be ready to pass on the wisdom and the goodness that so many, so generously, have passed on to me.

 
 

A doula is an invaluable blessing to have by your side at birth. Doulas and midwives have distinct roles- your midwife (while continuing to guard your heart and your feelings) pours the best of her energy and skill into guarding the physical safety of you and baby(ies). A doula is free to place the best parts of her energy into supporting you emotionally. We love doulas so much that postpartum doula support is included in your care package!

Here is a sampling of what doulas can do to help you during labor and birth:

Doulas can help a partner remember how to physically support mama. 
Doulas can provide comfort items at just the right moment (cool cloths, sips of water, bites of food, etc).
Doulas know just the right spot to hold and massage and press.
Doulas can take photographs.
Doulas can give a partner a few minutes to eat or rest.
Doulas can snuggle older siblings who are present at birth.
Doulas can draw a bath, for sweet relief during or after birth.

Doulas can do many, many wonderful things.


To find out more, here are our favorite birth doulas serving families in SE Minnesota:

Midwest Doulas 
Amanda Steele
Sixth Day Doula Care
KatieAnn McKey 507-990-9892, [email protected]
​
For an extensive list of doulas serving in the Twin Cities Metro, look at The Childbirth Collective!

The Short

All families at Southern Minnesota Midwifery receive a placenta tincture after the birth of their baby- it is included in your care. If you are interested in capsules as well, encapsulation services are offered for a small fee (this fee covers supplies needed for encapsulation and the time involved for whomever is doing the encapsulating). Potential benefits of ingesting your placenta after birth:

• Increased energy
• Quicker involution of the uterus
• Quicker cessation of postpartum bleeding
• Increased milk supply
• Mood stabilization

Thoughts

When I first began my midwifery program, I was required to attend a workshop on Placenta Medicine at Midwives College of Utah. The description of placenta medicine- it's process, creation to consumption- made me squeamish (as did the hands-on, interactive demonstration of creating the medicine itself). The explanation of the medicine's purpose however, peaked my interest. Here is what I was taught:

Sometime near the beginning of the second trimester of pregnancy, the placenta becomes our body's primary producer of hormones and our endocrine system goes into a sort of "stand-by mode". After birth, when the placenta is gone from our body, our hormones (their secretion and regulation) go through a process of change- our bodies begin to make milk and our endocrine system, once again, takes over full production of our hormones. Placenta medicine acts like a kind of "hormonal crutch", as our bodies acclimate to a non-pregnant and lactating state.

A doula at the time, I went where I always go for more information: Moms. A handful of veterans (women who have had at least one baby) were willing to experiment and agreed to allow me to encapsulate their placentas in exchange for their brutally honest feedback. The information they gave about their experience was fun and surprising- no one could believe how different they felt after taking their placenta capsules. The mamas reported more energy than with their previous postpartum experiences, less severe mood swings and just a general and overall sense of well-being. All four of us were convinced: "Ick Factor" aside, ingesting one's placenta appears to be beneficial.

In Closing


At some point in your prenatal care, I will ask about your plans for your placenta. Feel free to ask as many questions as you'd like, and consider reaching out to other families to see what their experiences have been.




Further Reading 

Website: http://placentabenefits.info/medicinal.asp
Blog Post: http://bloomablog.com/straight-talk-placentas-encapsulate/
Print: Placenta: The Gift of Life http://www.midwiferytoday.com/books/placenta.asp
MN Encapsulators: http://www.minnesotaplacenta.com/find-a-provider.html



FAQ
I am often asked if I am willing to encapsulate placentas of women who are not in my care. The answer is "yes", but I do require a copy of your lab work, from your pregnancy care provider.