Midwifery Self-Study

Not surprisingly, given the topic (s) of this blog, I have a driving aspiration to one day assist women as a homebirth midwife. I've thought about what this means quite a LOT in the past years. Over three years now to be more exact.

When I first realized that perhaps a calling of mine might be midwifery, I was consumed by quantity. I couldn't imagine saying no to possible clients; picking and choosing among them for those that most desired my services from those that perhaps thought that they might like to utilize my midwifery skills. I wanted only to be at as many births as possible, and attend as many prenatal appointments as I could squeeze inbetween family life and that busy schedule of nightly births.

Which, in my mind, meant training as a CNM (certified Nurse Midwife). I'd be able to work in hospitals, large OBGYN practices, birth centers, and/or even my own practice.

A year or so down the line, and I began to waver. I had learned a lot more about the various distinctions between a CNM, CPM (certified professional midwife), and DEM (direct entry midwife), and I had had the opportunity to serve as the primary birth doula at three drastically different births. That experience alone clarified, for me, that the only births I was interested in regularly attending were those that took place at the woman's home, and that I was actually very interested in screening future clients.

So, I planned on training as a CPM through either a traditonal midwifery school, or directed self-study course along with an apprenticeship. Following either of those two courses of training, I intended on sitting for the NARM (North American Registry of Midwives) exam, and turning in mountains of paperwork in order to 'prove' to this overseeing body of registered midwives, that I was properly trained.

Now, I've reached some new epiphany. I still want to acquire the knowledge and skills necessary to safely and skillfully assist women with their pregnancies and births. I still want to apprentice, but suddenly, the distinction between legal and illegal, for me, holds no meaning. I plan on apprenticing when the time is right. And, again when the time is right, I plan on opening my own homebirth practice without seeking registration or licensure through NARM.

If I am a 'good' midwife, then women will come to me. It's just that simple. And, if I work without care for the expense of licensing and then maintaining said licensure, or the rules/restrictions that govern such licensing, then I will be more able to assist the women who come to me in achieving the births every one of them deserves.

I think it's important here to mention that I absolutely 100% agree that some small minority of births should/must take place in the hospital or some other place where there is a supervising surgeon or doctor. However, I also believe that birth is not an illness. It is something that most women can undergo with little to no assistance and a whole lot of support.


So, certifying myself in such a way where I am then restricted via liabilities and regulations as to who I may attend, how I may assist them, and where I may attend them does not make sense with my personal take on birth. I do still want to assist as many women as desire my services. I also want to do the best I personally (and safely) can to maintain their birth as a natural affair that takes place within the privacy and sanctuary of their chosen place of birth. Which means, I simply cannot be concerned with the overwhelming practical liabilities that come with national regulations of midwifery.

So, DEM it is!

Having made this final decision on what path I will follow, I still have to wait on a more appropriate timing before attaining an apprenticeship. My partner and I are travelers at heart although perhaps that's been more a characteristic of our youth than our innate personalities as my desire for a stable, "Home" is increasing with the passing of time. There's not yet a standing promise of staying in one place for the length of time I'd prefer for an apprenticeship, so that may yet wait for a better time. However, I've begun a personal course of self-study based loosely on the NARM syllabus found in the Candidate Information Bulletin.

Yes, self-study. It sounds ludicrous at first, I know, but remember, there are textbooks, workbooks, a wealth of valid research to be found both online and in countless 'birth' books. There are midwives to talk to, forums filled with debates upon the appropriate course of action for literally thousands of specific instances, more blogs, and personal accounts of midwives all around the world than could ever be read, and even online midwifery classes with such infamous midwives as Gloria Lemay!

For both myself, and any future midwife I seek an apprenticeship with, I am trying to keep very physical documentation of my studies. Lots of notes, well-ordered binders, notecards, physical copies of the books I am using, and copies of any research or articles I find useful throughout my studies.

It's exhilarating to finally feel as though I am settled in my future path, and to also feel as though I am making real headway in making it one day happen.