My Call to Birthwork

My calling to birthwork has spanned over many years and began long before the births of my own children. I first heard the calling to work with birth when I was 20 years old and training to volunteer at a domestic violence shelter in my hometown of Ann Arbor, Michigan. During the training I encountered the concept of a “midwife” for the first time, and although I barely knew what it was, I was instantly intrigued. I imagined a midwife as a compassionate and empowering presence who walked alongside birthing people as they traversed the unknown path of labor and birth, and I had the immediate though that I was meant to be one. It seemed to be a calling that embraced my head, my heart, my hands, and my spirit. Ten years later, after working in urban farming and spending time traveling, I finally took steps toward this goal, attended a doula training, and began attending births.