Midwife of the Week

Midwife of the Week: Shafia Monroe

Friends of Michigan Midwives

shafia monroeShafia Monroe is a midwife based in Portland, Oregon and holder of a master’s degree in Public Health. She believes the two fields are intrinsically intertwined and views midwives and other birth professionals as community health workers. Shafia founded the International Center for Traditional Childbearing (ICTC), whose mission is to “promote the health of the family by preserving the traditional role of the community midwife.” ICTC’s programs focus on infant mortality reduction, pregnancy support, and midwifery within the African-American community and beyond. Shafiya is CEO of SistaMidwife International, an organization that promotes networking among midwives of color. SistaMidwife International provides a national directory (available by email request), outreach and recruitment, culturally sensitive curricula for midwifery schools, and cultural competency trainings for health professionals. In this interview, Shafiya discusses the healer within us all: http://www.examiner.com/article/birthing-the-healer-you-an-interview-with-shafia-m-monroe-midwife-ictc-president.

Midwife of the Week posts, written by Sirene-Rose Lipschutz, originate on FoMM’s Facebook page and are archived here on our website for your continued enjoyment!

 

Midwife of the Week: Mary Breckinridge

Friends of Michigan Midwives

breckinridge1After losing her two children to early death, Mary Breckinridge channeled her energies into nursing in hopes of raising “the status of childhood everywhere.” She served as a nurse in France during WWI and believed the model of midwifery she found there could greatly assist the women of her home state of Kentucky, many of whom birthed with no access to health care, and only the help of their neighbors and families. In 1925 she founded the Frontier Nursing Service, a program centered in Eastern Kentucky with outposts throughout the state.

breckinridge2FNS now houses the Frontier Nursing University, which provides nurse-midwifery education focused on serving its students’ communities. FNS also houses the Courier Program, established by Breckinridge in 1928. Originally, women in this program provided safe transport for patients from remote areas to birthing centers and clinics. Though they’ve traded their horses for cars, the interns in this program continue to facilitate services between these clinics and the patients they serve. Current couriers share their experiences at http://www.khakiandwhite.blogspot.com/

Midwife of the Week posts, written by Sirene-Rose Lipschutz, originate on FoMM’s Facebook page and are archived here on our website for your continued enjoyment!

 

Midwife of the Week: Katsi Cook

Friends of Michigan Midwives

Woman is the first environment. In pregnancy our bodies sustain life. At the breast of women, the generations are nourished. From the bodies of women flows the relationship of those generations both to society and the natural world.

katsi cookDriven to serve her community, Katsi Cook, a member of the Mohawk Nation at the Akwesasne reservation, trained as a midwife at Ina May Gaskin’s famous birth center, the Farm. As reflected in the preceding quote, Cook sees the importance in the connection between body and earth, and her work draws a thread between the two, while helping to strengthen and safeguard cultural traditions. She is well-known for having launched a pivotal study on PCB (polychlorinated biphenyl) levels in the breast milk of Great Lakes Indian women, is the co-founder of the Konon:kwe Council, a women-led organization to end violence in the Mohawk community, founder of the Akwesasne Freedom School, an alternative to state run education for Mohawk students, and founder of the Six Nations Birthing Centre, which helps “Aboriginal families give birth to happy babies.” I would encourage everyone to read more about Katsi; a great place to start is this beautiful article by and about Katsi: http://www.yesmagazine.org/issues/new-stories/325.

Midwife of the Week posts, written by Sirene-Rose Lipschutz, originate on FoMM’s Facebook page and are archived here on our website for your continued enjoyment!

 

Midwife of the Week: Gail Tully

Friends of Michigan Midwives

gail tullyGail Tully is a Minneapolis based CPM, doula, and doula trainer. As the creator of Spinning Babies, she has become a household name for many birth professionals across the globe. The workshops that Gail and other trained “baby spinners” hold advance the philosophy that in pregnancy and birth, mother and baby are a team that can work together toward achieving spontaneous birth. In over 30 years of practice, Gail has created several doula and childbirth education programs to support women and families, regardless of financial barriers. In all of her contributions to the birthing world, Gail has shown dedication to providing information and outreach to help decrease caesarian rates. Her very informative blog can be found here: http://spinningbabies.blogspot.com/

Midwife of the Week posts, written by Sirene-Rose Lipschutz, originate on FoMM’s Facebook page and are archived here on our website for your continued enjoyment!