Second I went into the OB clinic to see my CNM every 6-8 weeks or so where I could get any lab tests I wanted, sonogram, etc. (most of which I declined.) At the office I waited in the waiting room for 20-60 minutes, my CNM had a reputation for being slow which meant I usually got to talk to her for 20 minutes or so–maybe 30. I always felt respected, listened to, at ease, even unhurried, and I really liked all the people there. I knew that if I ended up needing to go the hospital I would be in good hands with a person I trusted.

That said, I left the clinic feeling like I’d been through a whirlwind and inevitably remembered questions I’d meant to ask after the fact. I much preferred the unhurried, detailed, talk as much as I needed to visits at home with my CPM. It’s a real shame more women can’t get that kind of real personal, unhurried care. As a patient, I know when a health care practitioner wants me to get to the point–even when they’re always willing to listen and answer questions, there’s a part of their brain hoping that this is the last one.

The best ones hide it better and work on giving off a sense of “I have all the time in the world.” I wish you all the best luck if you stay in a hurried, tight, clinical setting. And yes, listening to women is what midwifery is all about.

Midwifery serves many different purposes and roles. For many midwives, this means private practice and offering a vibrant, viable birth alternative to women, which is indeed one of the great things about midwifery, and one of the reasons many women seek out midwifery care. But in New York, many of the midwifery positions available are in large clinics in hospital settings (although of course birth centers and private practice and homebirth exists here too). In the hospitals, midwives serve a different role: not so much to offer a viable birth alternative to women who specifically seek out midwifery care (although that sort of happens, just by virtue of having midwives there), but to give excellent, low-risk care to many of the low risk, underserved, immigrant populations which exist in this city. None of the women in this population really seek out midwives specifically, they’re not really looking for alternative birth practices, but for many of them, midwifery care makes a lot of sense, and for many of them, they’re very accepting of midwifery care because they come from countries where midwifery care (and natural birth!) is the norm. Almost all of our clients are on medicaid, very few of them speak English, and I’m sure many of them are not here legally, but I think midwifery serves a very good, appropriate and needed role for them, and they do get excellent (if rushed) care (and I think they certainly get more time and better care from the midwives than from many of the other clinic options which might be available to them).

The only drawback to this, of course, is that it’s clinic care: high volume, and fast visits.

Sounds like you’ve got some lovely midwives in B.C. Enjoy your delicious hour long visits! I hope that I too, someday, might be able to spend that much time to spend with my clients.