When I walked out of my first prenatal with a homebirth midwife, I knew this was something to which everyone should have access. I wanted to find a way to make midwifery care more accessible to the Northern Neck of Virginia. It would be a big task, as the area presents special challenges. The only hospital on the Northern Neck closed its labor and delivery unit in 2004. A standalone birth center opened in 2010, but closed the next year due to financial challenges.

Listening to Michel Odent, Sarah Buckley and Pamela Hines-Powell, I think about the quiet midwife in the corner of a labor room. The one who’s knitting, attending to the laboring woman or older children, or simply sitting quietly.

“Previous to the delivery of the placenta, mothers need to be observed for changes in behavior and alertness and to judge blood loss. When everything is proceeding normally, it is best to wait and let the process happen naturally.”

Although many women experience coercive and traumatic hospital births, others fully trust their OB/GYN and prefer to birth in a clinical setting. Women must choose their allies in birth carefully while remaining mindful that castigating all OB care providers does a great disservice to those medical professionals who observe and respect human and childbirth rights.