Honoring Traditional Midwifery Apprentices - My Daughters
by Casey Makela
How fortunate a midwife I truly am! I have had the blessed privilege to apprentice some of my very own daughters. Three of my daughters have apprenticed with me throughout my midwifery career. How did it begin?
Well, lets face it, children of midwives have a huge opportunity for birth exposure and my children were no exception.
For them, the natural life cycle of procreation and birth was never some foreign concept they could only sneak-a-peek at with embarrassed giggles in health class. Birth was an expected part of daily life. For one thing, we live on a farm. Life cycles are learned and accepted at a very young age here. But, they also lived with the ongoing need of midwifery services, issues, and general PR projects I was always in the middle of, plus, my older girls attended the births of their younger siblings. That was a great foot up!
Actually, my eldest girls were often hired as "mothers helpers" long before the term "Doula" came back into fashion. It has always been a standard part of my practice to ensure that mothers have all of the help they need at home after the birth of their babies. I don't think a midwife's job is done after the catch and clean-up. Mothers need ongoing support long after their births, though many don't even realize it!
Though I have had several apprentices from outside of my family, I have always enjoyed and found it easiest to work with my own daughters. When cultivated, there is a true link that exists between mothers and daughters with a clear pure path of intuitive communication that can be relied on often without words. A communication link further complemented by quick "knowing" actions that create efficiency in the birth place.
I tested my theory about the mother-daughter bond once with my own mother. She attended me at one of my births and though otherwise we had our differences and relationship difficulties, she became my most dependable energy source and comfort. She "knew" and we were both intensely aware of it. I drew strength from her that I couldn't draw from anyone else.
Interestingly, I've encouraged daughters that have broken relationships with their own mothers to invite those mothers to be a part of their births. I have seen absolutely amazing moments of healing occur between them in these situations usually at the pivotal point of transition. They are often so intense, I find myself backing out of their space (and taking everyone else with me) until the moment has ripened completely.
The youngest daughter who ever attended a birth with me is my Hannah when she was only 11 years old. She was personally asked by the family to be a part of their experience because she had endeared herself to them during months of prenatals! She assisted me for many years afterward.
My youngest daughter, Marion, whom I always refer to as "my rose in bloom", is my current apprentice. She is truly my comfort and my joy. Marion attended her first birth when she was 12, again invited by the family. But the really unique thing about her first birth attendance was the once in a lifetime atmosphere of the night we drove for an hour and a half to get to that birthing family.
As we drove in the black of night on country roads with no invasive street lights, the sky was so clear you felt absorbed by the countless bright shining stars. In front of us was the celestial phenomenon of the century. The comet Hale-Bop blazing its path across the sky. At the same time, another incredible celestial display was occurring to the southeast (I think)...a staggeringly vivid lunar eclipse that steadily turned the friendly white face of the moon dark, warning red. Wow, wow...I didn't know if I should drive, take pictures or phone home! My attention was split right down the middle of two major life events; one for a family ahead expecting their new miracle of life and one playing out with unearthly glory for us in the sky above. We did stop, I just had to.
Turning of the car and its lights, Marion and I stood there and absorbed a few moments, the likes of which we will never experience together again in our lifetimes. No traffic, no wind, no noise, no houses, no lights. Just us and the universe spending a little quality time together! It doesn't get any better than that!
The birth went beautifully (we did get there in plenty of time!) and a few months later Marion received a thank-you card from the family addressing her as a "little-midwife". She won't decide on her life path for a few more years but unless I miss my guess, her calling was pretty loud and clear...she just has to hear it!
Marion has also done some pretty unique work for her very young age, in the field of teen-pregnancy education. For the last 2 years, she has been part of MSTM's (Michigan School of Traditional Midwifery's) workshop program with her own presentation, "Teens, Sexuality & Unplanned Pregnancies." She has made quite an impact. You can read about that program and the over-all midwifery skills weekend workshop highlights on MSTM's web-page under the heading "Workshops".
For a midwife to apprentice and teach the craft to one of her own daughters is to take part in a time honored and historical method of midwifery preservation. I am so eternally grateful to my daughters that they allowed me to share this part of my life with them. Their diligent attention and respect for the work of midwifery will be an honor to me for the rest of my life.
My hope is to someday pass on the work I do in midwifery to one or more of my daughters. Perhaps I will even get the chance to share it with one of the next generation, a granddaughter!
Casey Makela is a Certified Traditional Midwife and Unassisted Birth Advocate, who lives with her family in northern Michigan where she has had a homebirth practice for over 20 years. She is an author, artist, and founder and Director of Michigan School of Traditional Midwifery (traditionalmidwife.org ), the first licensed school in North America to ever offer a vocational diploma
in Traditional Midwifery studies. Founder and director of the American College of Traditional Midwives, she is currently working towards a Masters Degree in Divinity.
Published in Midwifery Today Winter 2000 Number 56
Return to American College of Traditional Midwives Resources ~ Inspiration & Empowerment
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