Why become a midwife? These passionate students share why midwifery is, without a doubt, their professional calling.
Five years have passed since I…first heard the word “midwife.” Now, I am two months away from completing the nurse-midwifery program at Georgetown University. I am a midwife because I care about women and their health…I care about empowering women to educate themselves about their bodies so they can make informed decisions… I am a midwife because I am concerned about more than just the physical health of the woman. I care about her family, her work life, her home life, and what keeps her awake at night. I give her a hug and tell her that I am proud of her – perhaps the gentlest touch and kindest words she has heard in months. I am a midwife because I want to make a difference.
-Allison Stitsworth, RN, BSN, SNM, Georgetown University
I have often been asked why I didn’t choose to become a physician. My answer is simply that I want to be a midwife. Midwifery encourages me to truly be a partner with the women under my care…it provides an opportunity to offer real service to fulfill a specific health or wellness need—whatever is most important to the woman I serve. As a student midwife, a mere three months away from graduation, I can honestly and confidently say that I chose the right path….To anyone contemplating a similar journey I say: jump in with both feet and give it all you have.
-Janelle Green, SNM, Georgetown University
Is midwifery calling you? Find out at Become a Midwife.
Showing posts with label real midwifery. Show all posts
Showing posts with label real midwifery. Show all posts
Thursday, October 8, 2009
Wednesday, October 7, 2009
How Do You Practice Real Midwifery?
by Leslie Ludka, CNM, MSN
Editor’s Note: In honor of National Midwifery Week, we asked Leslie Ludka to write an encore post based on her article “Are You Practicing Real Midwifery?” (click on the article for a sneak peak at Quickening, ACNM’s members-only newsletter!). Leslie is a regular columnist for Quickening and is Director of Midwifery at Cambridge Hospital and Birth Center in Cambridge, MA.
Whenever I think about midwifery as a career, I remember Sister Angela Murdaugh’s words: “Midwifery is a calling. If you do not believe that you were called, you should get out of midwifery.”
But, how do we know if we were called? Does it have to manifest in a specific type of job in a specific type of setting? Is it only a calling if we can’t wait to get up every morning and rush to work? Does being financially successful make it a calling?
I’m not sure about you, but for most of us, midwifery is neither easy nor lucrative. In fact, there are times when midwifery is the hardest job in the world—just ask any midwife to tell you the story of that case that haunts her memories. We all have one. In fact, there are times when our work is so difficult that no amount of money would attract most rational people.
So, why would anyone choose midwifery? I believe that Sister Angela has it right. Midwifery is not a choice; it is a calling. We do not choose midwifery; midwifery chooses us. When I went to midwifery school, I never asked if there would be a job for me when I finished. I didn’t wonder how much money I would make. I know it sounds crazy, but the truth is, it didn’t matter. Midwifery is my calling.
A calling fulfills your personal mission in life. It feeds your spirit by using your unique gifts and abilities to satisfy your deep inner purpose. Following your calling means staying on the path of that which you feel most passionate about, even when it is difficult. A calling is about truly loving what you do.
As we celebrate National Midwifery Week, let’s honor the diversity of this amazing calling of midwifery by sharing with each other and our supporters. Tell us, how has midwifery called you: clinical practice, education, administration, or something else? How do you live your calling?
Editor’s Note: In honor of National Midwifery Week, we asked Leslie Ludka to write an encore post based on her article “Are You Practicing Real Midwifery?” (click on the article for a sneak peak at Quickening, ACNM’s members-only newsletter!). Leslie is a regular columnist for Quickening and is Director of Midwifery at Cambridge Hospital and Birth Center in Cambridge, MA.
Whenever I think about midwifery as a career, I remember Sister Angela Murdaugh’s words: “Midwifery is a calling. If you do not believe that you were called, you should get out of midwifery.”
But, how do we know if we were called? Does it have to manifest in a specific type of job in a specific type of setting? Is it only a calling if we can’t wait to get up every morning and rush to work? Does being financially successful make it a calling?
I’m not sure about you, but for most of us, midwifery is neither easy nor lucrative. In fact, there are times when midwifery is the hardest job in the world—just ask any midwife to tell you the story of that case that haunts her memories. We all have one. In fact, there are times when our work is so difficult that no amount of money would attract most rational people.
So, why would anyone choose midwifery? I believe that Sister Angela has it right. Midwifery is not a choice; it is a calling. We do not choose midwifery; midwifery chooses us. When I went to midwifery school, I never asked if there would be a job for me when I finished. I didn’t wonder how much money I would make. I know it sounds crazy, but the truth is, it didn’t matter. Midwifery is my calling.
A calling fulfills your personal mission in life. It feeds your spirit by using your unique gifts and abilities to satisfy your deep inner purpose. Following your calling means staying on the path of that which you feel most passionate about, even when it is difficult. A calling is about truly loving what you do.
As we celebrate National Midwifery Week, let’s honor the diversity of this amazing calling of midwifery by sharing with each other and our supporters. Tell us, how has midwifery called you: clinical practice, education, administration, or something else? How do you live your calling?
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