In one model of midwifery as it’s presently being offered, the midwife is the mechanic.

Imagine a car that isn’t shifting into reverse very smoothly. What an inconvenience. Who do you call?

Likewise, some midwives have interpreted this role as one where things need a-fixin.

There are women often waiting in line to become clients of these midwives. Deep down, they probably believe they need a-fixin, or maybe they are just new to pregnancy and get steamrolled into thinking a degree of some kind (the CNM comes to mind!) means that a midwife is going to be “holistic”.

It sounds unbelievable to some, but there are midwives out there working to fix every birth. That doesn’t seem right to me, after attending hundreds myself. Some don’t go as planned, some women DO need extra tools or tricks, but if every birth needs some kind of “fix”…..there’s only one common denominator.

I forget this kind of stuff in my day to day lately, so I appreciate the reality check from our Indie Birth Midwifery School students! I was catching up with one of my favorite ladies who graduated from the program, and she shared some local stories with me in the spirit of learning.

Someone in her community, with credentials and a license, is a super mechanic.

Would you know that every birth this midwife attends features a woman who’s cervix JUST WON’T OPEN?!!

What a coincidence. When that happens, the mechanic knows just what to do. Crank her open, apply some pressure or tools, and get this thing going again!!

(And while I am enjoying my own wit here, please know that I also have a lot of compassion for these women that undergo actual abuse and endure trauma as a result of a midwife who uses her skills this way).

But our graduate knows better, as do I, and I hope you do too.

Women don’t need to be fixed. Birth doesn’t need to be fixed.

Perhaps midwifery does.

We’re moving towards a new reality where women/people will HAVE TO deal with their own traumas, issues, beliefs in order to make a new world.

And we’re still dealing with a huge percentage of midwifery education offerings (and licensing) being made for women out there that want to be mechanics of birth.

If you’d rather leave the mechanics to the guys at garages….you may be one of our future students.

We’re doing our part by creating our last round of amazing, intuitive, skilled, compassionate midwifery students who are willing to do their own inner work; rather than try to appear as a hero and act as a mechanic in the birth space.

The midwife is the guardian, the space holder, the mentor.

Learn more here.