Tomorrow is a big day for supporters of CPMs in Maryland. There is a rally in Annapolis in support of HB 1202- Certified Professional Midwife Pilot Program, the bill that would allow CPMs to practice legally in Maryland. Currently it is a felony for CPMs to practice midwifery in Maryland. Crazy.
I am pretty excited to be able to go support CPMs generally, and specifically two of my friends who are CPMs. One of them was a student midwife at the birth of my son, and she asked me if I would write a short speeches give at the rally. Here is my speech! Feedback welcome!
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Hello! My name is Jenny Corbett and I gave birth to both my children at home under the care of two wonderful Certified Nurse Midwives. I chose a midwife because, like most midwives, I believe in the power and wisdom of the human body. I believe that pregnancy and birth are normal, natural processes, not illnesses to be treated. We chose a home birth because - besides the evidence that indicates home birth is safe for healthy, low-risk mothers - we could think of no better place to bring a new life into our family than in our own home. I am so glad I did because my daughter's birth was long. Really long. I feel pretty sure that if I had been in the hospital it would have turned into if not a c-section, then a highly medicalized event, all because she was a little bit cock-eyed and taking her own sweet time. But I was fine and the baby was fine, so instead of interfering, since , my midwives allowed the process to unfold. My daughter was born safely and peacefully in our family room. At my son's (considerably quicker) birth, I was fortunate to have a student CPM attending me and I experienced first hand the caring expertise she can offer to all the women she serves.
One of my most vivid, and treasured, memories from the day my son was born happened while I was in transition. I know, not a lot of women have treasured memories from transition, but I can honestly say I do. With my permission, the student midwife had brought her three month old son with her to my birth. I was working my way through another seemingly endless, extremely challenging contraction, with my head low and my eyes closed. When it was over, I opened my eyes to see that she had put the baby in the bumbo seat right in front of the birth pool where I was laboring. There he was, smiling, cooing, shaking his little fists in the air as if to say "Way to go, Jenny! You can do it!" It gave me the extra motivation I needed to get through that last 45 minutes before I welcomed my own son. This is not the kind of birth you can have in the hospital.
I feel so lucky, and even blessed, to live in an area served by such dedicated, skilled and loving home birth professionals. But I am one of the lucky ones. In much of Maryland, there are no legal midwives attending home births so women who want to give birth at home are forced to use underground midwives or give birth unassisted. In our area, the home birth practices are full to bursting and these midwives are forced to turn away many more women than they can possibly serve each month. This is so unfortunate because home birth is not a trend. It is not a fad. Home birth is a legitimate, safe choice that EVERY women in Maryland should be able to make, not just the lucky few. The only way to make this a reality it to license Certified Professional Midwives and allow them to legally practice midwifery in our state. Maryland is a state that has proven time and again that it values and protects the basic rights of its citizens. Being able to choose where and with whom you give birth is a basic human right.
Please support the Certified Professional Midwife Pilot Program. Let's bring birth home.
Posted with Blogsy
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