Birth of a Midwife

The first human birth I attended was in 1981. I was nine months pregnant, planning to give birth in the free-standing birth center, The Birth Place, in Menlo Park, CA. I had recently made friends with a woman in my Bradley childbirth classes. She and her husband were planning to find temporary quarters during her due date window because they didn't want to expose their growing baby to the aerial spraying of malathion that was going on at the time.

There wasn't any spraying going on in our city, so my husband and I invited them to stay with us for a couple of weeks. During that time, she went into labor and left our home one night around midnight to head over to the birth center. I lay awake in bed excited and talking to my husband. He suggested I call her ask if I could come help out or be present for the labor/birth. Wow, I did, and she said yes she'd be honored if I came. I'll never forget the thrill of the honor.

It was a transformative experience for all of us, one that ultimate called me to the profession of midwifery. I still feel so utterly fortunate that my first exposure to birth was midwife attended, woman-centered, peaceful, fierce, and moving.

My friend expressed later that my words were appropriate in every moment, she'll never forget the warmth and energy of my hand on her shoulder. And in a moment when she felt lost and unsure, I spoke up in my youth and innocence and asked her if there was something she was afraid of . . . and bringing this awareness to the moment apparently helped her move through the next piece, pushing her baby out and into her arms.

Her little one was born just before sunrise on my birthday in 1981.

Service Area for planned homebirth

California Midwifery Service, Service Area:

San Mateo County including: Millbrae, Burlingame, Colma, Daly City, Hillsborough, San Bruno, San Mateo, San Carlos, Belmont, Foster City, Redwood City, Atherton, Portola Valley, Woodside, Menlo Park, East Palo Alto and unincorporated county areas

Santa Clara County including: Palo Alto, Los Altos, Los Altos Hills, Sunnyvale, Santa Clara, San Jose, Saratoga, Cupertino, Los Gatos, Campbell, and Milpitas

South Alameda County including: Fremont, Hayward, Newark and Union City