When you are pregnant and on your way to becoming a mother there can be so many worries and wonders you have about what is going to happen to you—what is happening to you—and your family. Some of those worries are physical, but they can be mental, emotional, and spiritual as well. And who can you turn to to help you explore all those things you are facing as you enter this new chapter in your life?
It often seems like in our society, we are all anticipation of the baby and its health that we forget the impact the experience is having on the mother, the father, and even siblings and grandparents. In my experience, midwives can step into the breech.
We talked to Barri Malek and Kristen Leonard, the home birth midwives who helped Lizzie through her pregnancies with her 3rd and 4th babies about why maternity care matters for everyone—in hospitals, at home, for mothers and fathers, and for our society as a whole.
Yes! Yes! Yes! I loved how you said you wanted to bottle up your midwives and share them with the world. I had my third baby eight months ago with a home birth midwife that I love and adore and I miss meeting with her. I miss her wisdom and her deep care for me. She allowed birth to be a beautiful experience for me.
I hear you Brittany. I wish I had a reason to sit and chat with my midwives even when I’m not pregnant. And I wish I was able to show others that deep care that I get from them as well.
Thanks for sharing this beautiful podcast. I have worked alongside Kristen and have utmost respect and admiration for her. The degree of her support is amazing. I also heard such great stories of Barri. These pillars in the birth community have a perspective and voice that I’m happy is being heard. Love and appreciation!
Thank you for listening Myla. We are grateful to have been able to talk to Kristen and Barri and to share a little bit of them with a broader audience.
The spiritual side of birth is something that is not talked about enough…I really appreciate the time that went into this podcast. I had Barri for my third birth (before she was partnered with Kristen), and I am so thankful that she was woven into my own spiritual journey. Meeting her and learning from her wisdom, and honestly just soaking up her energy and perspective is one of the greatest gifts that has pointed me more toward my path in life.
We are all here for each other…to learn from one another…even our unborn babies are pointing us to where we are going. Having a midwife who operates from this perspective is hugely impactful for families. Pregnancy, birth, and newborn care is not just a medical situation, nor just a physical process to get through. It is multidimentional and can be used as a compass for so much.
Thanks for sharing Tricia. I love your comment about how even our unborn babies guide us on our journey. Having a care provider who recognizes that is an amazing gift that I wish every woman was able to have.
And thanks so much for listening. We really try to put our hearts into the work we do.