What do you do?

When I meet new people it usually doesn’t take long for them to find out what I work as. Sometimes the person introducing me leads with this, other times the person I meet asks and at times I bring it up. There’s something about being a Midwife that excites people. I think part of it is that it’s a profession that most people have some level av understanding of what it means, it’s not an abstract profession.

I don’t always want to speak about what I do, it is a big part of who I am, but it isn’t all I am. But when people find out that I wam a Midwife it’s very common for women to start sharing their birth experience with me. Men do this too, but not as often as women. It’s like hearing the word “Midwife” brings them back to that period in their lives. When this happens, it reminds me how special birth really is. Whether you have a positive or a negative birth experience it stays with you; you remember it clearly. Sometimes the stories that are shared with me are clearly linked to the child they gave birth to, other times it’s almost like the memories of birth are separate from the child. I love hearing people’s birth stories and how their faces light up when they think back to that experience. But it’s also hard to carry their negative experiences and hold space for that when at a party or in a public place.

During one of the first days of Midwifery school our teachers told us “You are not just starting another education, you are getting a new identity.” I thought they were being dramatic, but I guess they are right. I am not only a Midwife to the people I care for during my work hours, I am a Midwife to everyone I meet.