Who Cares for the Midwives?
Midwifery can be very lonely. Midwifery is very much a calling and something that those who choose to walk this path, do because they want to ensure a safe and holy passage for mother and baby. Midwives believe in the sanctity of birth and know that protecting the mother during pregnancy and through the birthing process will ensure that the mother bonds with her baby and will make her a better mother. Midwives believe in women’s ability to birth and it is the midwife that is that solid rock during labour when the mother feels she can no longer do it. Midwives encourage. Midwives listen. Midwives trust. Midwives are there for the mother. Midwives are there for the father. Midwives are there for the baby. But who is there for the midwife? Who cares for the midwife? Who can she turn to when she has had a scary experience? Who rallies around her? Midwifery can be very lonely. When a midwife is called out to a birth at three in the morning and cold rain is ripping at the windscreen of her car, it can be very lonely. As the clock ticks and the world is asleep and no one else is awake, it can be very lonely. When a midwife writes up her notes and heads home to her bed it can be very lonely. When a midwife has to deal with an emergency, she has to think quickly on her feet and act to save a life, or two, it can be very lonely. When a midwife has to transfer to hospital and stay strong for the mother, all the while feeling worried herself, it can be lonely. So why do midwives do it? Why do they keep doing it? What drives them? Because it is a calling. There is a pull, something unstoppable. Because it is beautiful. The soft sigh of a woman finding her rhythm as she labours. The gentle splash as she moves about the birth pool. Because it is awe inspiring. To be a witness, a guardian, of the birth of a new life. Not only the birth of the baby, but also the birth of a mother. Because it is empowering. There is something incredible about a woman in labour tapping into her own innate instincts. Because it is...
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