Hi I wasnt sure if parenting or the health would be the right place to post this but I figured it would be ok to post it here. For along time Ive been interested in natural birth... And for a whille Ive been contiplating if maybe I should persue midwifery. I dont know if I could be the actual midwife but I wouldnt mind being an assistant or somthing along those lines. I am not sure were to go from here... Does anyone have any advice on how I can persue an education... or were I can find out more about this? I really appreciate all of your help and advice Peace<3 Katy
There are midwifery schools. That would be the best place to start I would think. In some states I THINK you need to have a nursing degree to be a midwife but I'm not 100% sure on that. You could also be a doula. They are kind of like an assistant to the birthing mother. They get her whatever she needs, keep her comfortable, offer advice, and give encouragement. I've considered being a midwife and might do it once my kids are older.
It totally depends on what state you live and plan to practice in. The Farm in Tennessee has great classes for direct entry midwives. However, direct entry is illegal in many states. I would suggest that you talk to a midwife in your area. Kathi
Good place to start is http://www.mana.org/ and http://www.narm.org/ and http://www.midwife.org/ There are basically two kinds of midwives in the US, one is a Certified Nurse Midwife, (CNM) and requires a Masters Degree in Advanced Nursing, and a Direct Entry Midwife, (DEM) which requires no nursing background and focuses on midwifery. Depending on where you live and where you plan to practice, you will need to check the laws, in some states, licensing is required, in some, there is no laws prohibiting the practice of direct-entry midwifery, but no regulatory body, either. Which means you are free to practice, but if something goes wrong, you may be prosecuted. And in some states, it is a felony. All states have laws licensing CNMs, but where they practice (home, hospital, birth center) may be strictly regulated. Some midwifery schools offer birth assistant training, but honestly, because DEM is an apprenticeship model, it would be hard to find a midwife willing to pay an assistant when she usually will have a student midwife as an apprentice. I would suggest you look into becomeing a doula first, learn about birth, and especially experiencing what life "on-call" is like. http://www.dona.org/ http://www.acbe.com/doula.html Good luck exploring your options!
I definitly want to be a doula .... I live in Pa and I am not sure weree I want to practice... I am gonna do some more research and see what I can bring up Thank you guys sooo much for your information!!! If you have anything more to share please feel free to post !!! Thanks again all Peace<3 Katy P.s I love your pic brighid its really pretty
