Midwifery for the People

In this episode of Midwifery for the People I have a quick chat with doula Elisha Anderson about her experience trying to accept state medical care funds for her doula services in Oregon. She had reached out to me about midwifery school and shared a little about her experience, and I invited to come on and share more fully on the podcast because I think this topic is SO IMPORTANT. I am not professing to have the answers, but I do know that inviting the government into birth (through licensing or insurance) is not going to ultimately help women reclaim their power and sovereignty in birth. Find Elisha at https://medicinalmom.company.site/

In this episode of ‘Midwifery for the People,’ host Margo Blackstone shares deeply personal experiences exploring her evolving relationship with death, both in her personal life and professional work as a midwife. She reflects on the profound impact of attending a birth where a baby unexpectedly died, which contributed to her first panic attack and a journey into understanding her fears related to death and leaving her children behind. Margo discusses the importance of confronting and understanding one’s relationship with death for birth workers and society at large. She emphasizes the need for a regulated nervous system in the birth work environment, acknowledging the inherent risks of childbirth.

In this candid episode, Margo discusses her spiritual journey and how it intersects with her work at Indie Birth. She discusses her shift away from conventional religion towards a more earth-based spirituality that embraces elements from different practices such as earth prayers, shamanic journeying, and tarot. These approaches provide a crucial context for understanding the spiritual dimensions of birth and womanhood, challenging the mainstream, evidence-based, and black-and-white paradigms dominating midwifery. Margo also talks about how incorporating these spiritual practices into her everyday life enhances her personal and professional growth. She encourages aspiring midwives and doulas to explore their spiritual dimensions and integrate them into their practices to provide holistic and deeply connected care.

Listen in on a recent conversation I had with midwives Jessica and Bethel! We talked about the difficulties of educating midwives, why we should focus on educating more awesome birth assistants then, how mandatory MEAC education is crippling Alaskan midwifery, and how Alaskan regulation is restricting women’s access to midwifery care. These two midwives are really lovely, passionate women and I had so much fun chatting with them. I think you’ll enjoy listening in on the conversation – tell me what you think! Maybe I’ll create more midwife shop talk episodes LINKS AND TRANSCRIPT Indie Birth Midwifery School Pacific Birth Institute

Listen in on this coaching and consulting session where Margo answers questions and talks all things preceptorship with a lovely Greek midwife. She had trained in the UK where the apprenticeship/hands on learning looks quite different than the model we teach. One of our students reached out to her about the potential to apprentice and she wanted to pick my brain about how that might look. It was a pleasure to connect and we think you will enjoy this different format! LINKS, SHOW NOTES AND TRANSCRIPT IBMS Networking and Preceptors Contact info for Sophia: FB page: https://www.facebook.com/Holistic-Midwifery-Ολιστική-Μαιευτική-107671367451554/ Instagram: holistic_midwifery Website: https://www.birthincorfu.com/ TRANSCRIPTION: Offering Support to Midwifery Preceptors:A Mentoring Session with a Greek Midwife!

I’ve been talking to some really cool midwives lately, and this episode is no exception. Jessica, affectionately known as the Combat Midwife, tells us about her origin story, her work teaching birth skills to military medics, and midwifing in a refugee camp. Her energy is contagious! I was so excited to explore some unique ways that being a midwife can look in the world, and Jessica did not disappoint. We need more smart midwives in the world doing their thing and bringing this wisdom to all different parts of our culture in order to make a change. I hope that Jessica inspires you to do that. LINKS, SHOW NOTES AND TRANSCRIPT Emergency and Mobile Medicine Learning Network Midwifery Apprenticeship 101 TRANSCRIPTION: “Birth Isn’t That Big of a Deal”: A Fun and Inspiring Convo with the Combat Midwife

Jennifer graciously shares her origin story with us, including her own birth experiences (2 midwife attended and one freebirth), her journey of learning about birth from Gloria Lemay, Jeannine Parvati Baker, Whapio and Michel Odent, two birth center apprenticeship experiences, and the multiple initiations and reckonings she has experienced that have brought her to a more nuanced place around birth and birth work. Lots of questions and beautiful visions for a grounded, authentic, shamanic midwifery are shared. We talk about the need for a deeper understanding of the mystery of birth and it’s counterpart, death, and for a complete cultural shift so that this type of midwifery can even be received. To learn more about Jennifer’s work and check out her offerings, you can visit her website at www.midwiferyforthesoul.com LINKS, SHOW NOTES AND TRANSCRIPT Duluth Midwife website 13 Moons: Epic Education for the Birthing Year Birth Warrior Project: 120 Day Doula Training and Transformation Indie Birth Midwifery School TRANSCRIPT: Another Conversation with Jennifer Summerfeldt: Her Origin Story and Eschewing Even the Radical Rules Around Birth

Join this conversation with Day Schildkret, an absolutely lovely guest, where he shares about the importance of ritual in marking life’s transitions and thresholds. Here at Indie Birth we love infusing our work with the sacred, and ceremony, and are always looking for more ways to offer this in an authentic and heart-centered way. Day’s new book Hello,Goodbye: 75 Rituals for Times of Loss, Celebration and Change is a manual that will help wherever you are at in your life and on your path into using ritual. The easy to follow and inspired rituals he lays out are a real treat. In the episode he shares a beautiful bath ritual for after birth, and a ritual to help honor an older child who is becoming a big brother or sister. I may tear up a little. This conversation left me with lots of ideas of how I will incorporate more ritual into my work as a midwife and into my life as a woman. I hope you are similarly inspired. Learn more about at Morning Altars and dayschildkret.com Learn about his teacher training at here Get his book everywhere his books are sold- Day’s Website, Amazon, and Barnes & Noble. LINKS, SHOW NOTES AND TRANSCRIPT Duluth Midwife Follow Day’s work on Instagram 13 Moons: Epic Education for The Birthing Year Birth Warrior Project: 120 Day Doula Training and Transformation Indie Birth Midwifery School TRANSCRIPTION: Ritual as a Tool for Meaning Making In Birth and Beyond with Day Schildkret