The idea of Love is so big and so overwhelming some times: Where does it come from? Where does it goes? Would life be worth living without it? How can we love a second child, or a third, or a fourth? It is merely chemicals, like oxytocin and endorphins, in a lovely soupy mix? While I can ponder the Big Things with the best of them, for me, love is in the little things.
As a child (and especially as a melancholy pre-teen), October always seemed the saddest month. Now, as an adult and a professional midwife, October holds many tales.
Several years ago, I started blogging on Albany.com. When my website was overhauled, I moved my Midwifery, Mothering and Me blog to this site. Some of my favorite posts are still on the Albany.com site. In honor of National Midwifery Week, here is an oldie but goodie. Hope you enjoy this short post.
People ask me all kinds of questions about home birth, midwifery, my background, my equipment, my personal philosophy, my experience... But to this day, no one has ever asked how my surgical instruments are cleaned and sterilized.
This is a recipe that I developed this summer simply because there were a lot of Anaheim peppers in our Denison Farms CSA box. Kevin took one bite and said, "This is a new staple!" And we have had these Mexican stuffed peppers almost every week since.
My last blog post, Waiting For Babies, was written when many babies, my Blizzard Babies, were due. Now, a week later, I have.....
Nine months ago, I was moving into this house and winter storms followed. Snow fall keeps a midwife busy twice, once with shoveling, once with catching. Nine months ago, I was shoveling. Now, I am ready for those blizzard conceived babies to be born into my waiting hands.
Why in the world would I ever even consider writing a blog post entitled 'How to Report a Midwife in NY'? Because I care about women, babies, and midwives.
On August 3, 2009, I opened the door to Local Care Midwifery. Five years and 145 LCM Babies later, we are still here.
In 1999, my family and I moved to New York from Carbondale, Colorado. We moved here for my first job as a midwife. We moved here with my job contract, a lot of hope, and more than just a few prayers. We drove a U-Haul filled with all our belongings and a station wagon filled with our three kids. We drove across mountains, plains and the great Mississippi. Our finances were tight (our budget could handle an occasional treat at Friendly's, not gallons of organic milk). This move was a stretch for all of us, a leap of faith as a family to support my dream of being a midwife.
