Issue #22 • The Art of Midwifery: Supporting Safe and Empowered Births ✨

An eye-opening, in-depth Q&A with the midwives and founders of Home Birth Honey.

This newsletter was meant to be sent out this past Thursday, but since we’ve been back from Guatemala, life has been … very hectic. The good news is it’s in your inboxes now, and I’m SO excited about this one! Full disclosure: it’s long, but it’s so worth the read.

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One of the biggest reasons I made the switch from OB care to midwifery care is because this pregnancy has been such a spiritual experience for me. It felt counterintuitive to imagine going from such a divine and sacred journey only to culminate in a clinical process tainted by machines, fluorescent lights, and hospital beds. I suppose it’s a bit ironic for me, honestly, because I have a history of dealing with health anxiety (as many of you now know from my last newsletter). One would think it sensible to birth in a hospital if you’re already anxious about your health, right? This would give you peace of mind because you’re already in the hospital’s care should anything go awry.

“Birth is incredibly empowering when it happens on a woman's own terms. I want women to know this power because it translates into every other aspect of life.”

But after reading up on midwifery-led care and then speaking with the handful of midwives we interviewed in our process to find the right ones for us, one thing became crystal clear: giving birth in a hospital would likely exacerbate my anxiety, not assuage it. At 37 years old and pregnant with my first child, I’m considered a “geriatric” pregnancy. Many online resources will tell you that once you’re in that “geriatric” stage, a hospital birth is your safest option. That said, I hadn’t even considered a home birth as a possibility when I first became pregnant. But as I started to dig deeper, I realized that if you’re generally healthy with a low-risk pregnancy, perhaps age should carry less weight as a factor when considering your options. In speaking to local midwives, I was shocked to learn that the majority of their clients were/are 35 and above!

I was equally shocked to learn the polarizing stats surrounding vaginal births in hospitals versus vaginal births in home settings. If you’re wondering who the stats are in favor of, I’ll give you a hint: it’s not the hospitals, and the difference is significant. Just take a moment to soak in this excerpt from Ina May’s Guide to Childbirth where she discusses the cesarean rates at The Farm (the midwifery center she founded) versus the nationwide cesarean rates:

“Our cesarean rate up to the year 2016 was 1.7 percent; our forceps- and vacuum-extraction rate was 0.05 percent. The U.S. national cesarean rate for 2016 was 31.9 percent, with Alaska having the lowest rate [23 percent] and Mississippi the highest [38.2]. As of 2016, hospital cesarean rates in the United States vary from a high of nearly 70 percent to a low of 7 percent.”

That is a stark difference, and learning this alone was anxiety-inducing for me. It really makes you think about why those numbers are so antithetical, and it comes down to the fact that birth requires happy hormones for smooth progression, and midwifery-led care provides the level of support and empowerment we need to feel happy, comfortable, and safe. Furthermore, home births can be particularly successful without the need for medication or intervention because the familiar environment is wonderful for stimulating those happy hormones.

Maybe we sometimes feel as though we’re sacrificing clinical expertise if we elect for midwifery-led care instead of traditional OB care, but nothing is further from the truth. I’ve found that not only have I learned so much more about the technical side of things under the care of midwives, but they also provide extensive emotional support and imbue a deep wisdom and spiritual enlightenment. I feel empowered and respected under their care.

“Childbirth is the ultimate creative act! I love being witness to that creativity and to the profound surrender and vulnerability that are its prerequisites.”

I’m going to write an entire thought piece on why I made the switch and my experiences in the coming months as I’m further along into my care. But in the meantime, I’m thrilled to share this incredible interview with Meg Rodenbusch (midwife of 11 years) and Leonora Colen (midwife of 12 years), the founders of Home Birth Honey — whom we carefully and thoughtfully selected for own care — so that they could impart the same eye-opening wisdom that they shared with me, unto you.

Of course, choosing where and with whom to give birth is a deeply personal decision. Ultimately, there is no right way or place to give birth, and you have to pick what feels best for you based on your individual needs and preferences. But if you’re healthy with a low-risk pregnancy and considering your options for childbirth, don’t overlook the incredible benefits that midwifery care can offer. The art of midwifery is truly something special, and every birthing person deserves to experience it.