Certified Nurse Midwife

I've figured it all out. My career that is!

I have always had a love of pregnancy and birth stories and a few months ago I expressed my interest in becoming a certified lactation consultant. Levi's uncle refereed me to his wife's midwife, and I have spent some time researching into midwifery since then.

There are two types of midwifes, Direct-Entry Midwifes and Certified Nurse Midwifes. The Direct Entry pathway does not require any nursing education and primarily works in out-of-the-hospital settings. A Certified Nurse Midwife are those educated in both nursing and midwifery and who can practice in hospitals, birth centers, and at home.

I cannot think of a better career for myself than working with women through pregnancy, labor, birth and during the postpartum period...all while promoting natural and healthy births!

I have found a midwifery program here in Alaska that works similar to a distance course, with an added apprenticeship program in the community. I have been in contact with the founder of the program and have been talking it over with Levi for a few days now. This program certifies in the non-nursing midwifery aspect, which is the only thing making me hesitant. But, I am absolutely in love with the curriculum! The entire course is broken down into 54 modules- all of which fascinate me. The first unit begins with the history and study of midwifery, ethics, law, etc. and then we would jump into antepartum: all about pregnancy, nutrition, herbology and then some! We would also have lessons on labor, birth complications, pharmacology, and all things postpartum. There would then be numerous units on newborn care, breastfeeding, skills, complications, neonatal resuscitation, etc. I know that I definitely want to go the advanced route since my nursing degree is finally within reach, but I think this could be a great start to my ultimate goals!

The school is reasonably priced and because you work at your own pace, I think that I could really incorporate this into my current studies. I would love to complete such a program by the time I graduate from nursing school...how ideal would that be?! But I guess the real question is "can I do this?" Can I really attend two colleges while doing daycare and raising my own two children?? Since I was a teenager I feel like I've always been testing my limits with work and school, but I truly feel that this is what I was meant to do! There is nothing else that better incorporates my love for science, babies, and pregnancy.

I really think I can do this! And just as importantly, so does Levi. He thinks this would be a wonderful career for me. Not only would I passionately enjoy what I do, but I would be contributing significantly to our household income. I think it's important to stay home and complete school while the children are young, but I definitely see myself jump starting this fantastic career once they are in school.

I can do this, I know I can.

Nursing...it's all about the babies!

As most of you already know, I have had a strong passion about working in healthcare since I was young. I am currently completing my final courses to be eligible for the bachelor program and will be submitting my office application to the School of Nursing in a few short months!! For a while there I had really begun to question my path, but I am proud to say that I am now back on track and happier than ever about my decision! I have ultimately decided that there isn’t a better place to start off my nursing career than in the Labor and Delivery department. Ever since I had my son I have been drawn to pregnancy, babies, and birth stories and I honestly feel a calling to help bring these little miracles into the world! I just hope that I don’t get too annoyed at these women…I’ve been there before myself and it’s not really that hard! Maybe I just had a wonderful experience, but I feel that the yelling isn’t really necessary and that having an all natural labor is ultimately the best way to go. I think that women are a lot tougher than they allow themselves to believe and that ultimately, you just need to have faith in yourself and your body’s natural abilities.

But more importantly, I have decided that a second form of nursing is in my future…breastfeeding. I am a firm believer in nursing babies and it is something that I am very passionate about. Not only it is a beautiful bonding opportunity for mother and baby, but it offers so many health benefits that cannot be manufactured. I am very proud to say that I nursed Lucas for an entire year and the only time he ever even touched a bottle was when I was in the ER. There is nothing more amazing than knowing your child depends solely on you for survival. I miss the countless hours of comforting Lucas and staring into his eyes as he leaned to me for support, nutrition, and love. I am currently researching what it takes to become a lactation consultant and would love to incorporate that into my nursing career! From the brief research that I have done, I have found that lactation consultants are subcontracted out by the hospitals and/or families, so I believe that will suit my needs perfectly! As I mentioned before, I wish to start in labor and delivery, but as my children reach school age I would like to transfer to becoming a school nurse (so that I will have a similar schedule to them.) My love for children goes hand-in-hand with my passion for healthcare and I honestly don’t see a better fit for myself. It is extremely important for me to find a career that allows me to be mommy first and I feel that both of these will give me the flexibility and freedom that I am looking for.

I am very happy about my decision and I know that it is something that I will genuinely enjoy doing. Breastfeeding is something that I am extremely passionate about and I would love to help other mothers see the benefits as well. My goal is to have the flexibility to offer in-home visits to mothers and their newborns in addition to a hospital based nursing career. I am so excited for my career to get going and if you can’t tell…I’m getting impatient! Nursing applications are due Oct. 1st so I will know by mid November which semester is reserved for me to begin. I was devastated to learn that ALL applicants must wait a mandatory 18-24mo waiting period, but I’m confident I will have lots to keep me busy until then. (I was told however that those with the best grades are likely to be bumped up...so fingers crossed!)I am currently 1/3 of the way completed with my psychology minor so I plan to utilize that gap to finish my remaining courses, work on becoming certified as a lactation consultant, and to enjoy everything that life throws my way! =)