Future midwives?

[mommymilkies]

Back in high school, I decided I wanted to be an OB or Midwife. I did pre-med but left with only 10 credits remaining to SAH. I have given up on medicine from my own medical burnout (as a patient and employee-CNA, EMT, phlebotomist & ART), but am set on continuing with Midwifery.

 

I live in an isolated area and it may be several years before we can move pending dh's job opportunities. But I am going to finish my BA online through Oregon State and then do either a Direct Entry RN program to get my RN, or complete my CPM through distance classes and apprenticeship, or find a distance accelerated MSN for my CNM. I can't really decide yet, and I'll probably decide more depending on what is available and where we move in a couple of years.

 

I still plan on homeschooling and SAH as much as possible and only following this in a part time capacity. My dh teaches, so he has plenty of time to help out. Whether he will is another discussion. :tongue_smilie:

 

Any other student or aspiring midwives? Current midwives?

[Guest Barefeets]

I'm a Canadian starting midwifery school in the fall. In Canada you don't need to do a nursing degree first. You take a four year Bachelor of Health Sciences and then write the exam to become a Registered Midwife (RM).

[LittleIzumi]

When the kidlets are older so I can be on-call, CPM, here I come!!!

[NicAnn]

I am! Well, I'm a homeschooling student midwife at the moment. :) I will be apprenticing (hopefully) next year. When Dd is older I'll be attending school.

 

I'm currently a doula and honestly, I love that so much, I won't be so disappointed if the midwife dream ne3ver happens.

[sassyscrapperinid]

I have been contemplating this for YEARS!! I am starting back to school this fall. I cant decide if I am going to just do the RN or go for my dream of being a midwife. I have looked into midwifery programs and found a distance program at Midwives College of Utah http://www.midwifery.edu Has anyone else heard of this school? I want to shoot for their bachelors program. I am about 14 credits away from being able to apply- 9 of which I will be taking this coming semester.

At one time, I was only short 2 births for doula certification. MCU requires doula certification to graduate so.... the only thing is that the credits obtained at MCU do not transfer. But anyways- its nice to see others with the same dream!

BTW- one of the reasons why I cant seem to make up my mind is this: I told my mom I was going back to school for midwifery and she said "where will you get a job doing that?" Followed by, "maybe in the back woods where you live they still use midwives." LOL So with that, and employment being what it is these days, I thought maybe I should do the RN and then get my BSM later. But the more thought I give it, I know that nursing is not where my heart is which might sound weird.

[Jane Elliot]

My dd and my dil are both CPM's. They graduated from this school and were certified through NARM. You might be interested to know that this school allows people who are working on their midwife degree to come in the summer between semesters so they can increase their number of births. Sounds like summer might be a good time for you since your dh is a teacher.

 

My dd's blog is http://www.siblingsunited.blogspot.com. Her new posts are all pictures of our grandson which she posts for me, but most of her older posts are all about her time at the school.

Edited July 28, 2011 by Luann in ID

[Scarymelon]

I am not a midwife, but an FNP, and am a graduate of Frontier http://frontierschool.edu/, which is the oldest school of midwifery in the country and a distance program designed for rural practice. I highly recommend it. You do have to be an RN to go, but it is very doable as a parent. I am so glad that I finished school.

[LittleIzumi]

I have been contemplating this for YEARS!! I am starting back to school this fall. I cant decide if I am going to just do the RN or go for my dream of being a midwife. I have looked into midwifery programs and found a distance program at Midwives College of Utah www.midwifery.edu Has anyone else heard of this school? I want to shoot for their bachelors program.

 

My midwife graduated from that school! She is FABULOUS. Always need more midwives!

[sassyscrapperinid]

I am not a midwife, but an FNP, and am a graduate of Frontier http://frontierschool.edu/, which is the oldest school of midwifery in the country and a distance program designed for rural practice. I highly recommend it. You do have to be an RN to go, but it is very doable as a parent. I am so glad that I finished school.

 

I have heard of frontier before and really wanted to do their program, but the RN requirement set me back on it. Maybe I will look at it again and change my mind. =)

[Heather in OK]

Current midwife here. :)

[misidawnrn]

I am finishing my Bachelors in nursing this coming December and I haven't made up my mind 100% but I started my BSN thinking I was going to do my CNM. Now I am not sure. Our community isn't very midwife friendly, so I might do my FNP?????

Here is one thing to think about for going for Certified Nurse Midwife. The AANC (makes the rules for nurses) is trying to push for all advanced practice nurses to have their doctorate as of Jan 1, 2015...3.5 short years from now. If you don't have at least an associate degree, it is impossible to have enought time to complete all the way to a doctorate by then. Trust me...I have crammed so many credits into the last 2 semesters I could vomit! 19 Spring sememster and 18 this Summer semester. All while working, homeschooling, taking care of the house, a toddler etc. I am drained! But I want to have enough time to get my Masters without having to do a doctorate. Keep that in mind. I don't want to discourage anyone but it is what it is.

[LNC]

What is a CPM? When we've talked about different medical fields for my daughter's future she mentioned "delivering babies". I read about certified nurse midwives. That requires a bsn and then a master's degree in CNM right? The CNM program in our state can be distance ed while working in an ob practice. I'm confused about these other options in the thread.

[Heather in OK]

Certified Professional Midwife

 

http://mana.org/definitions.html

[mommymilkies]

Stella- Me, too. I am looking at AAMI, Living Tree, and others and trying to decide. I have worked in healthcare and would want to do more than Nursing. Not that there's anything wrong with nursing, but I want to catch babies and I am not big on working in a hospital again. :)

 

Luann- That is wonderful. I will look into that college.

 

Nicoleandco- Do you mind if I ask how finding an apprenticeship went? That's one thing I worry about. I know we'll have to move which I am totally ok with (hate it here), but finding an apprenticeship and a job for dh might be difficult.

 

Heather- How is it homeschooling and being a midwife? Challenging? Fun? Any words of wisdom? :)

 

Melissa- That is definitely something to consider. Hmmm. Thanks for reminding me of that. That will definitely impact my decision, especially from a financial standpoint.

[Heather in OK]

finding an apprenticeship and a job for dh might be difficult

When it's the right time, things will fall into place. If the area you move to has a birth community, get involved. You'll make connections that way and will get to know the midwives in the area. IMO it's important to develop a relationship with a potential preceptor(s) which can then move into an apprenticeship. There is a trust that MUST be developed before you start attending births with other people. It also gives you a chance to kind of prove yourself. Midwives like potential apprentices who are motivated, know basic information before starting, etc.

 

Have you done any doula work? That's a great place to start too. I always recommend anyone interested in midwifery start there. You'll get used to life on-call, can attend births and learn from them, and get your name out in the community.

 

 

How is it homeschooling and being a midwife? Challenging? Fun? Any words of wisdom?

It's really not so bad. And in a way it makes it easier b/c I don't have to worry about getting kids to/from school. ;)

 

My situation right now is that my dh works from home. He does have some freelance work out of town at different times of the year but it's not an everyday thing and I have my ILs close and able to babysit. I think in five years I've had two clients need me while he was working out of town for the evening.

 

I plan out the week's lessons on Sunday evening so if I'm gone or catching up on sleep, they can get their individual work done. Any lessons we do together that we miss we just catch up the next day. They also have dh here to help if they need it. They know that it's still expected of them to get their school work done if I'm gone at a birth.

[mommymilkies]

Midwives College of Utah sounds perfect! Until I saw the tuition. Wow. I do not have that kind of money! Even paying monthly that would be almost $460 a month for 4 years and no financial aid is available. That's almost as much as my mortgage. :(

[Heather in OK]

You don't know yet where you are moving to, right? Where you move will dictate what type of path you'll need to take if you choose the CPM route. Even with a CNM there are some states where CNMs can't attend home births. Or they can but it's very hard to do so.

 

If you were interested in a course that will give you some good knowledge and is affordable, Midwife To Be is one I'd recommend. It's very self-directed, not a lot of feedback. But you would have great units to follow for reading and learning.

 

I'm hearing lots of great things about Via Vita too. http://www.viavitamidwiferyschool.org

 

If you'll be anywhere near Texas, they have an excellent program.

Edited July 29, 2011 by Heather in OK

[mommymilkies]

Thanks. I saw Bastyr and Birthingway, too. We're looking at either the Pacific NW, the Northeast, or TN right now. I'll check those out.

[bluechicken]

You don't know yet where you are moving to, right? Where you move will dictate what type of path you'll need to take if you choose the CPM route. Even with a CNM there are some states where CNMs can't attend home births. Or they can but it's very hard to do so.

 

If you were interested in a course that will give you some good knowledge and is affordable, Midwife To Be is one I'd recommend. It's very self-directed, not a lot of feedback. But you would have great units to follow for reading and learning.

 

I'm hearing lots of great things about Via Vita too. http://www.viavitamidwiferyschool.org

 

If you'll be anywhere near Texas, they have an excellent program.

 

 

Becoming a CPM through one of the above programs is one of the scariest paths you could possibly take. There are no regulating agency that oversees CPMs and their practices. Essentially anyone with a high school degree could become a CPM and be responsible for delivering babies. If midwifery is truly your calling you would become a CNM. It is hard work but when you are in the business of delivering babies, you should really know what you are doing. You certainly will not know what you are doing by reading the books that midwifetobe recommends for her program. What a joke.

[sassyscrapperinid]

Midwives College of Utah sounds perfect! Until I saw the tuition. Wow. I do not have that kind of money! Even paying monthly that would be almost $460 a month for 4 years and no financial aid is available. That's almost as much as my mortgage. :(

 

I know what you mean, but they have some scholarships. http://midwifery.edu/specialfunding.php I am also hoping that by the time I am ready, they will be able to receive financial aid.... even though the grants wont cover it all... anything would help. Ofcourse, if dh doesnt have a different job, it wont be possible anyways. Unless I get the scholarships.

[sassyscrapperinid]

Thanks. I saw Bastyr and Birthingway, too. We're looking at either the Pacific NW, the Northeast, or TN right now. I'll check those out.

 

A friend recommended Bastyr to me as well. I would have to move to make that work- unless they have a distance program?? Isnt there a school in Vermont run by an Elizabeth somebody?

[sassyscrapperinid]

I am finishing my Bachelors in nursing this coming December and I haven't made up my mind 100% but I started my BSN thinking I was going to do my CNM. Now I am not sure. Our community isn't very midwife friendly, so I might do my FNP?????

Here is one thing to think about for going for Certified Nurse Midwife. The AANC (makes the rules for nurses) is trying to push for all advanced practice nurses to have their doctorate as of Jan 1, 2015...3.5 short years from now. If you don't have at least an associate degree, it is impossible to have enought time to complete all the way to a doctorate by then. Trust me...I have crammed so many credits into the last 2 semesters I could vomit! 19 Spring sememster and 18 this Summer semester. All while working, homeschooling, taking care of the house, a toddler etc. I am drained! But I want to have enough time to get my Masters without having to do a doctorate. Keep that in mind. I don't want to discourage anyone but it is what it is.

 

Oh my gosh!! I feel really dumb- I had NO idea there was such a thing as the AANC. So I hope I dont sound too ignorant when I ask if that doctorate rule would apply to midwives? And how in the world are you managing? I am enrolled for 10 credits this semester and I am freaking out a little since I havent been in school for something like 14 years!! YIKES!! Where I live, if I decide to go the RN route, I have to have a CNA just to apply to the program. Which I plan to do next summer, but I just have a concern that I wont be able to manage it all. I also work 40 hours a week babysitting out of my home 4 days a week, and homeschool, and then do all the other wonderful womanly stuff. I was going to just take one class to ease back into school, but when I looked at my transcripts and realized that I am not that far from being able to apply to MCU, I decided to get a tiny bit more aggressive. :bigear:

[sassyscrapperinid]

Thanks. I saw Bastyr and Birthingway, too. We're looking at either the Pacific NW, the Northeast, or TN right now. I'll check those out.

 

This is in TN http://www.midwiferyworkshops.org/ I have always wanted to attend their midwife assistant seminar- and their herbology seminar- and they had a couple others I was interested in when I looked into it before. :001_smile:

[sassyscrapperinid]

I posted a link in a pp with the link. I know this is probably way out there as far as planning goes, but for me if I dont plan it, it wont happen. I was wondering if anyone here would be interested in going to this next summer? I think it would be fun to create a study group- there are books that have to be read prior to the workshop and then we ofcourse would meet there. Anyone think this is doable? I know for us, I would definitely have to start saving NOW considering the workshop is $925 and then there is the plane ticket and accomodations. Im not sure if I would want to stay on the farm but there is a little time to figure that out. At least the $925 includes most meals. So, what do ya think?

[Heather in OK]

Becoming a CPM through one of the above programs is one of the scariest paths you could possibly take. There are no regulating agency that oversees CPMs and their practices. Essentially anyone with a high school degree could become a CPM and be responsible for delivering babies. If midwifery is truly your calling you would become a CNM. It is hard work but when you are in the business of delivering babies, you should really know what you are doing. You certainly will not know what you are doing by reading the books that midwifetobe recommends for her program. What a joke.

 

I completely respect your opinion and respectfully disagree.

 

There are no regulating agency that oversees CPMs and their practices.

You must not know about NARM.

[mommymilkies]

Becoming a CPM through one of the above programs is one of the scariest paths you could possibly take. There are no regulating agency that oversees CPMs and their practices. Essentially anyone with a high school degree could become a CPM and be responsible for delivering babies. If midwifery is truly your calling you would become a CNM. It is hard work but when you are in the business of delivering babies, you should really know what you are doing. You certainly will not know what you are doing by reading the books that midwifetobe recommends for her program. What a joke.

 

That's extremely offensive, IMHO. There are many wonderful and qualified CPMs in this country. Would you say the same about other healthcare professionals? CPMs are certified through NARM and extensive testing and years of work and apprenticeship. I suggest you read up on The Farm and Ina May Gaskin, to begin with.

[bluechicken]

I completely respect your opinion and respectfully disagree.

 

 

You must not know about NARM.

 

We can respectfully disagree and actually I do know about NARM. NARM does nothing to help the senseless, tragic deaths of innocent babies at the hands of inexperienced and undereducated midwives. Do you know about MANA? Where is their data on the several thousand homebirths that they collected stats from? They won't release it unless you can prove beyond a shadow of a doubt that you will use the data to promote midwifery. American women should be able to access that data and sadly they can not. That in itself is a telling sign of the safety of CPM attended homebirths.

 

I will say that there are educated, competant CPMs in your profession and you may very well be one of them. The problem lies when you can't tell the difference between the negligent and the reasonable. It is a blanket title and every state has different regulations and different education standards. You could have attended a few births and passed a written test and call yourself a CPM. In those cases, your clients will never know and surely disaster will eventually strike. I am not anti-homebirth. I am pro making educated decisions and having competent care providers. I guarantee you will not be competant to deliver babies by going to a school such as midwifetobe.

[misidawnrn]

Oh my gosh!! I feel really dumb- I had NO idea there was such a thing as the AANC. So I hope I dont sound too ignorant when I ask if that doctorate rule would apply to midwives? And how in the world are you managing? I am enrolled for 10 credits this semester and I am freaking out a little since I havent been in school for something like 14 years!! YIKES!! Where I live, if I decide to go the RN route, I have to have a CNA just to apply to the program. Which I plan to do next summer, but I just have a concern that I wont be able to manage it all. I also work 40 hours a week babysitting out of my home 4 days a week, and homeschool, and then do all the other wonderful womanly stuff. I was going to just take one class to ease back into school, but when I looked at my transcripts and realized that I am not that far from being able to apply to MCU, I decided to get a tiny bit more aggressive. :bigear:

I plug along every day! I only work 24 hours a week, although I have worked full time during the summer for extra cash. Thankfully, DD is going into 2nd grade and her instructions and work are easy and she is a good student, not difficult to teach. I don't want to run out of time and I don't want to have to get a doctorate. It isn't into effect yet, but I know that many nursing schools are already starting to implement more doctorate type learning, etc. Yes, a Certified Nurse Midwife falls into that category. A nurse with a Masters that wants to be an instructor wouldn't fall into the category as advanced practice.

[sassyscrapperinid]

That's extremely offensive, IMHO. There are many wonderful and qualified CPMs in this country. Would you say the same about other healthcare professionals? CPMs are certified through NARM and extensive testing and years of work and apprenticeship. I suggest you read up on The Farm and Ina May Gaskin, to begin with.

 

I thought it was kind of harsh too....

[Sara R]

Here is a blog post I just read comparing the different standards (CNM versus CPM) in midwifery education, written by someone who was studying to become a CPM and recently switched to CNM out of a concern for the moms and babies she will eventually practice on. It really is a huge difference. That's not to say that there aren't qualified, safe CPMs out there. I chose one of the safety-conscious experienced CPMs for one of my kids, and thank heaven she insisted we transfer to the hospital when she did! But the minimum standard for a CPM does not assure a mom that she is getting a minimally qualified provider who will know what to do if things go south fast.

Edited August 15, 2011 by Sara R