A Circle of Midwives

by Jan Tritten

© 2004 Midwifery Today, Inc. All rights reserved.

[Editor's Note: This editorial originally appeared in Midwifery Today, Issue 72, Winter 2004.]

As midwives, we are called to serve many kinds of women and families. These may include those with whom we do not resonate for one reason or another. You could be asked to serve a member of an ethnic group that is traditionally hostile to yours, a woman with widely divergent beliefs, or one from a radically different social and economic group. You are the one who must protect and care for the birthing woman. You can make or break the most important day in this woman's life. You are called by God to help with a miracle—birth. Imagine this woman is your own daughter. The scripture "Do unto others as you would have them do unto you" couldn't be more appropriate.

One of our foremost callings as midwives and for us at Midwifery Today is to fight oppression of pregnant, birthing and postpartum women. We do this in spite of political borders, male domination and religion, which do, indeed, play a major role in the oppression of women everywhere in all stages of life. Therefore, it is with great sadness that we see racial and cultural prejudices turn woman against woman, especially in birth. At Midwifery Today we provide a forum and a voice for midwives and birthing women. To do this, we must explore various facets of an issue, even if some of our friends do not like certain letters or articles. Midwifery Today is written mostly by her dedicated readers. Obviously, we all see each issue, technique, idea or protocol from a different vantage point, based on our own experiences, temperament, culture, heritage, spiritual faith and heart. It is this grand tapestry of midwives, doulas, moms and educators that make up this fantastic fabric that is Midwifery Today.

My midwife friends recently reminded me of the Native American medicine wheel. We are all arrayed around the circumference of a great wheel. An object in the center of the wheel is viewed from a different vantage point by each member of the circle.

Experience, pain, culture, history, personality and spirituality constitute our various vantage points and the resulting differences in our views. This incredible tapestry of abilities and views makes for a rich community of midwives.

When we work together we create an unstoppable force. When we work against each other, all of our energy and powerful efforts shoot out the hole we create by our fighting, prejudice and dissension. With the devastating shape birth is in, we who are called cannot afford to let these negative forces influence our work. We who know and understand birth have a more important calling than ever before in herstory. We are seeing the near destruction of pregnancy and birth as God designed it. The abuse of women at the hands of medicine is incomprehensible and incomparable to anything the world has ever known. We need you to fight for childbearing women, even those who have been completely brainwashed. We cannot give up on our sister women, even if they have given up on themselves. Every woman who has ever had a bad birth carries that with her the rest of her life. The experience may be buried, but as with war veterans, it may resurface in strange ways. It deeply affects women's lives and their mothering.

None of us is free from prejudices. Let's each look at them honestly and deal with them, so we can serve all women in pregnancy and birth. If you cannot rid yourself of a prejudice against certain women, try not to be the care provider for such women. If your situation does not give you this option, make every effort to treat each woman as if she were your daughter. She deserves someone who can love and serve her. The world in its destructive state needs every woman to be loved and nourished in her birth year. Please serve her to the best of your ability so we can change the world one birth, one motherbaby at a time. This is one of the most challenging times for midwives. Check your beliefs about people and adjust to love and service mode.

Note: Midwifery Today has always defined "midwife" as one who lovingly helps women in birth, not just studied members of the profession.

Toward Better Birth,
 jan

Jan Tritten Jan Tritten is the founder and editor of Midwifery Today. She became a midwife in 1976 after the wonderful homebirth of one of her daughters. Her mission is to make loving midwifery care the norm for birthing women and their babies in this country and around the world. Meet Jan at our conferences around the world! [ PHOTO BY ANDREA NOLL ]   >  Editorials  Click here to read some of Jan's Midwifery Today editorials.   >  Curriculum Vitae  1947 Born in Los Angeles, California. 1965 Graduated from Placer High School in Auburn, California. 1966 Trained for one year as a psychiatric technician. Courses included basic nursing, pharmacology, microbiology, anatomy and physiology, psychology. 1966–1971 Worked at DeWitt State Hospital in Auburn, California as a psychiatric technician. 1968 Graduated from Sierra College with an Associate of Arts degree. 1970 Graduated with honors from Sacramento State College with a Bachelor of Arts degree in Social Science. 1971 Earned Lifetime California teaching credential with fifth-year program from Sacramento State College. 1972 First daughter born in a hospital. It changed my life forever. It was an unsatisfactory birth experience, but I had a wonderful postpartum experience with 2-1/2 years of breastfeeding. 1976 Second daughter born. She was born at home with a doctor who talked me into a homebirth. The difference between the two births sent me on a path to do something to help women have positive birth experiences. 1976 Began training as a midwife. Because I was raising young children and running a business, and because there were no CNM schools in my area, becoming a CNM was not within my reach. 1977 Began attending births with the Birth Co-op in Eugene while organizing courses in our community taught by CNMs, physicians, nutritionists, etc. 1978 Began a midwifery practice, New Life Care, with a partner, Chris Howard, and apprentice Monika Dunsmore. 1979 Son born at home. 1980 Did a one-year program with Marion Toepke McLean, CNM. Four of us completed the program, which was modeled after CNM curriculum at that time. She took a year off from her practice to teach us and to go to our births with us. 1982 First group of midwives certified by the Oregon Midwives Council. Our board was composed of CNMs and physicians. 1986 Slowed down practice and started Midwifery Today magazine.

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