4 Types of Midwives that Attend Homebirths in Utah

There are a lot of misconceptions about the types of midwives who attend births in Utah including Southern Utah. Every woman has the right to know the credentials and skills of the midwife who may be attending her birth. Each type has it's positives and negatives.  This video is a basic break down of the 4 different types of midwives to help you make the best choice for your family.

A Siblings Memory of Birth 3 Years Later

 All three of my older children ages 6,4 and 2 were present at the birth of my last baby 3 years ago. I prepared them with easy discussion about birth and had them watch a few birth videos to be prepared for the fluids and sounds. When the time came I still wanted them there. As typical for my labor pattern he was born mid morning. I wondered what the long term memories would be for my children as they were so young when Oliver was born. I was pleasantly surprised by what memories she had.


This is what my daughter age 6 at the time remembers from the birth written in her own words.

     What I remember about my baby brother Oliver’s birth is waking up when it was still dark, that is very strange for me because I am usually a sleep in late. I crept up stairs to go cuddle with my mom. When I looked in her room she was not there so I went back to bed.

After a few hours I went back up the stairs to see where my parents where. I found them in the bathroom surrounded in people I knew as midwives and doulas such as Ms. Hopper, a friend of my mothers and a mother of one of my many friends who is also midwife and Ms. Janet, a friend of my mothers and a mother of one of my many friends who is also a doula. There was also someone there taking pictures.

     My mother was in the bathtub and she explained that the baby was coming out. She would close her eyes when she felt some pain and then would talk to me and everyone else in the room in between. I was just about as excited as a six year old could be without exploding! I had heard quite a few things about this baby. My third brother, finally coming although I didn't know he was a boy at the time! I mean what could be more exciting than that?!

     As always the birth took forever but I amused myself with drawing a picture of what I hoped my younger sibling would look like. I also came up with a list of names that I liked for the baby. While I did that my other two brothers where busy watching a movie upstairs. When it was actually time for the baby to come out my brothers ran into the room just in time to see my mom and dad catch my baby brother in the bath tub. I couldn't see much because he was born in the water. He cried and cried after they put him on my mom's chest. He was so cute.

Another thing I was excited about was the fact that my mother said I could snip the umbilical cord! After having two brothers I wanted a baby sister but that didn't happen.

     When Oliver finally came out of the tub out we wrapped him in a red towel. I sat on the bed with my mom holding my new brother and watched the midwife do an examination of the baby to make sure he was healthy. I loved watching him nurse he looked so happy.

So sweet and so perfect. I am so glad she got to be there for that special event.

How Many Hours to Become a Homebirth Midwife?

I came to my midwifery journey in a round about basis. I can't say that I always knew I would be a midwife but my life experiences have definitely helped bring me to this place. I looked into becoming a Certified Nurse Midwife briefly while on I was on the nursing track. After the birth of my second in 2005 I looked at different distance education options including Midwifery College of Utah and National College of Midwifery. My midwife for my second offered to be my preceptor if I went with a school she was familiar with. I also looked into finishing my nursing degree and then doing my CNM through Frontier School of Midwifery which would be relatively easy since I already had a Bachelors of Science Degree. In the end we moved away and I resolved myself not to do midwifery or other birth work. We moved to an area that had no CNM's or licensed midwives that did home births. I was very grossly misinformed regarding the education it took to become a traditional midwife and thought I would never want to train with any of the midwives locally.

I took a little over a year off. Few people even knew I had ever been involved with birth work and it was a much needed break. After the difficult birth of my third I knew that in order to be sure that quality midwifery care was offered in the area I would need to help by providing it myself so my midwifery journey began. I attended a few births of mutual friends with a local midwife I had been friends with for a few years. We hit it off and before I knew it I had transitioned from assistant to apprentice.

I still struggled about whether or not I needed a more traditional school. In the end it came down to a few things. 1- I had already done the traditional college route and done it well graduating with and A- average and learned and retained very little compared to the amount of time spent. 2- Money. We already have so much student loan debt for my husbands law degree that the thought of spending more money on my school for a career that wasn't a huge money maker just wasn't possible for my family. 3- I wanted to be able to tailor what I learned and avoid the busy work. I eventually developed my own curriculum and study system and passed the NARM exam on the first time with flying colors.

It took me a little over 3 1/2 years to complete all of the things needed to sit for the NARM (I had more than enough numbers and experience a year earlier but I had some documentation problems) and then an additional 6 months of waiting for the next exam. For those years of my life I spent time studying individually, studying and discussing with my preceptor, teaching childbirth classes, attending doula births, attending prenatals, births, and postpartum visits, doing skills classes, attending workshops, and forming and attending a local and several online study groups. 

In the end the time spent in my apprenticeship ended up looking something like this:

Time spent studying individually, reading, writing protocols etc.
8 hrs a week x 208 weeks =1664 hours

Time spent doing prenatals and postpartum visits
6 hrs a week x 208 = 1248 hours

Time spent in skills class (suturing practice, exams, etc.)
5 hrs a month x 48 months = 240 hours

Discussion, review and study with my preceptor
2 hrs a week x 208 = 416 hours

Birth attendance
2 births a month at an average of 8 hours per birth x 48 months = 768 hours

Additional workshops
24 hours total

Study Groups
2 hours a week x 52 weeks x 48 months = 416 hours

Childbirth classes and doula births
3 series a year at 18 hours per series plus another 20 hours a year doing doula births x 4 years =296

Total: 5072 hours of study and instruction

Approximate cost for books, workshops, gas, food, childcare and supplies $12,000

NARM the national midwifery association that provides the test for your Certified Professional Midwife required a minimum of 1350 hours.

Things I Want to do and Learn

Things I want to do and learn

People often say, "Wow midwifery takes up so much of your time!"

While they are right and much of my other time is filled with wife and motherhood duties I have and insatiable thirst for knowledge. Below you will find a list that shows you a little for the type of person I am and some of what I still have to accomplish in my life time.

•   Knitting- I want to make sweet little hats while I am waiting for spirits to enter the world.

• Quilting- The only quilts I have ever made have been for my babies and they took so much time and effort. I love looking at quilted art like this:
• Gardening- Yes I do this already but I don't do it well thank heavens my family does not need to survive on what little I am able to grow. I really want a green house.

• Chickens-  I LOVE CHICKENS!!  We have had over two dozen chickens in our time and they have all died. Mostly due to  racoons. :( 

• Cheese making- I love cheese!

• Bread making- I can make a decent loaf of 50% whole wheat bread but I need to get better.

• Sign language- I took a few semesters in college and I used sign with my babies but I would love to be fluent.

• Enjoying the arts-dance,music,plays- If I had my choice and unlimited money I would attend an art event every week. I am so fortunate to live near great venues such as Tuachan and the Shakespearean Festival.

• Playing guitar- I played in my youth but I have lost so much. I would love to work more on composing.

 

• Playing piano- My daughter is learning and I would love to learn as well. My parents made the mistake of only letting me take lessons from my Grandmother's as a child so I never got past reading top hand.

• Hiking- I still hike regularly but I would love to some some major hiking some day like walk the Appalacian Trail from start to finish.

• Camping- We do this as much as we can as a family. My goal is to ultimately camp in every National Park in the USA.

• Fishing- I love to fish and someday I want to go deep sea fishing.

• Archery- This has been on my to-do list far before anyone wrote about Katniss Everdeen. I have had a beautiful Mongolian Horse bow for a few years but I need someone to teach me how to use it.

• Service- I do this too but some day I hope to do service in other ways than only midwifery.

• Swimming- I did swim team in high school and I would love to get to the place where I swim regularly again. I really want one of those swim in place pools in my back yard buy my husband finds them silly.

• Reading classics- I would love to read every book on this list.

• History of names- I find the origin of names incredibly fascinating.

• Local government- Yes I yearn to serve in local government. I hope to find a position that can handle my on call life style. Mayor Dy has a good ring to it don't you think?

• Fencing- Yes the kind where you hit people with swords. My husband is pretty involved with the SCA

• Geocashing- My family does some of this but we would like to do it more. A lot of fun.

• Writing poems- Yep, I write poetry. I think I inherited it from my lovely Grandmother who writes a personalized poem for every birthday in each of her 6 children and 28 grandchildren's birthday card.

• Writing children's books- I have so many ideas for these it is ridiculous.

• Boxing- Yes I know it is gory but it is so much fun.

• Get my PHD- Because I love education and it would be fun to be a doctor who is also a midwife. 

Basic About Me

I am going to  begin my first post on my professional blog as a basic bio including how I got into birthwork as well as my training. I look forward to this adventure as I really enjoy writing and birth.

BIOGRAPHY

    My name is DyAnna Gordon. I was always drawn to the wonder of birth and was able to witness my first miracle at the age of 11. I am the mother of four children born at a hospital and at home. Their births have helped me to realize the potential of what I am capable and focus the importance of everything I believe. 

    While getting my Bachelors degree in Psychology I once again found myself drawn to the miracle of pregnancy and birth.  I focused my study on issues of pregnancy (prenatal and postpartum depression) and human and child development, and women's studies as well as completing all my pre-nursing requirements.  After the birth of my first child I trained and Certified with Doulas of North America (DONA) as a birth doula.  I soon became a Childbirth and Post Partum Association (CAPPA) and Bradley Method (AAHCC) certified childbirth educator.  I also began assisting midwives with births at home.  I am passionate about what I do.  My experience includes home, birth center and hospital births. Both medicated and unmedicated births.  As well as births attended by doctors and midwives.  I began my apprenticeship in midwifery officially in 2008. I worked with several midwives in the area as well as completed extensive study to complete my training as a traditional midwife. I have experience with both twin and breech births. I passed the NARM exam given by the North American Registry of Midwives giving me the title of Certified Professional Midwife (CPM). I am licensed with the state of Utah permitting me to carry anti-hemorrhage medication as well as other medications useful for birth.  I am currently taking midwifery clients as well as doula clients.

PHILOSOPHY

    I believe that a woman has an innate ability to birth her baby.  It is a normal physiological process not a medical event.  Women are often astounded by the options around them when they are nearing their time of birth. I believe that when women are given all their options, they will choose what is right for the health of their baby. I believe those present should trust the woman to know what is best for her and her baby. This leads to a sense of satisfaction and responsibility which follows them through the rest of their life. I believe in the value of women in service of other women.

There are many factors that play into a woman's choice for her birth.  Her emotional, physical, and psychological well being should be taken into account and her wishes supported.   Not fear, but understanding and intuition should be the motivating factors for her choices.  I believe all women have the right of loving support from her partner and if she desires a doula.  This is not a change she must undergo alone. 

My goal as a midwife, doula and educator is to provide women the skills and knowledge they need to have the birth they desire.  I believe birth is an amazing normal and natural experience and the birthing mother should be treated that way as well. I love working as a midwife in Southern Utah.

TRAINING and EDUCATION

Certified Nursing Assistant Training and Certification-1999-2004
Associate Degree General Studies From Salt Lake Community College-2001
Bachelors Degree in Psychology from Westminster College-2001                                    Applicable Classes taken: Anatomy, Physiology, Cell Biology, Nutrition, Statistics, Women Studies, Multiple Psychology courses, Sociology,Anthropology, Human and Child development, Prenatal Fitness,Yoga
DONA approved Doula Training - 2002
DONA International Doula Certification - 2002-2007
CAPPA Childbirth Educator Training-2003
CAPPA Certified Childbirth Educator -2003-2007
Bradley Method  of Husband Coached Childbirth Training-2005
Bradley Method or Husband Coached Childbirth Affiliated Instructor-2005-2007
Complete Beginnings Childbirth Classes 2007-current
Red Cross Certified Adult and Infant CPR-current
Neonatal Resuscitation-current
Numerous Advance courses through Colorado Doulas Association
Advanced Midwifery Courses including instruction in suturing, sterile water injections and obstetrical complications and from Midwifery College of Utah diagnostic tests and obstetrical pharmacology.
Midwifery Apprenticeship with Alternative Birth Services and Stork Services and Nature Works 2008-2011
Contributing author to Brio Birth Childbirth Education student workbook
Passed the North American Registry of Midwives (NARM)    exam granting me the title of  Certified Professional Midwife (CPM) 
Licensed with the state of Utah as a Licensed Direct Entry Midwife, LDEM
Regional Committee Member for the Utah Midwifery Association
Birth Emergency Skill Training (B.E.S.T.) Certified 
Prenatal and Postpartum Mental Health Class through The Healing Group
Volunteer Midwife at MamaBaby Haiti in Cap Haitian, Haiti July  2012
Volunteer Coordinator for MamaBaby Haiti
Academic Dean for Community School of Midwifery