I said goodbye to birthwork.

It was not an easy decision to discontinue my doula and birth photograpy career. I knew I had to in order to give my children the attention they needed for pursuing homeschooling. Letting go of being a part of making birth a better experience for other women was hard. I knew it was just "for now" and not "forever," but it weighed on me.

Fast forward to the end of the pregnancy with our fourth baby, our sweet beautiful girl. We found out she was breech late into the third trimester. I had never experienced a single baby positioning issue in all of my pregnancies up until this point. I was very shaken, and all of the birth knowledge I carry seemed to make the weight of the decision I had to make even more intense. Would we transfer out of our home birth care and plans, and give birth in the hospital after giving birth at home twice? So many questions and so much uncertainty flooded my brain.

We ended up deciding to give birth at home, and actually up until I was pushing, I thought she had flipped head down. Instead, a foot appeared first and let's just say that was my most difficult birth experience by a long shot. My midwife was excellent, a calm and precious presence. My birth story would have ended drastically differently if we had been in any other birth setting, I firmly believe.

I had a supernatural "prophetic" moment a few months after our daughter was born. Craig and I had been seriously talking about my desire to finally pursue midwifery like I had the underlying desire to do all through these years. I would joke, "I'll probably be a midwife one day." The prophetic moment happened when someone I barely knew approached me at a social gathering the very same week we were having serious conversations abotu this. She shared that in her dream someone was having a baby, and I was there helping her have the baby. Then she told the woman having the baby that she would have it for her instead and went on to have four babies in total as I helped her and it was the worst pain she’d ever experienced. We were also all somewhere in the mountains with big boulders/rocks while this went on.

I could not believe my ears. I had the chills listening to her share this dream with me, and she almost didn’t tell me because it was so random to her. In her dream, I was a midwife. She knew none of my history and this blew me away.

Looking back on my life one day, there’s nothing better I can think of to spend my life doing (besides raising my children alongside my husband) than supporting women like this in childbirth. This is my calling, and it's time to take a step towards it...

Saying hello again.

It's been four years since I said goodbye to birth work. We have since moved out of the suburbs outside of Hosuton onto a 3 acre homestead. We have established a relatively smooth homeschool rythym. The oldest boys are involved in learning more than one musical instrument with weekly classes at a phenomenal local music school. They also play baseball and when the weather isn't too hot, we spend time with our horse. The youngest two tag along to all of the things and spend their days eating nourishing food and playing. Together, Craig and I run a home-based market, connecting local farmers to our community.

The school that I have chosen, The National College of Midwifery, is self-paced and estimates each midwife finishes with their ASM within 2-2/12 years minumum. The school will provide me with a license that will be recognizable in most states in the US. They allow for up to 5 years to complete the program, with yearly renewal fees should someone go beyond 3 years. In addition to online school, I will be entering into a preceptor relationship with a midwife to learn from through required attendance at prenatals, births, and postpartum care visits to obtain my clinical hours. I will be required to have two preceptors, but only am required to have one lined up to begin.

The total cost of my schooling will be $13,500 (not including required text books, which can range between $2500-3500). The schooling prices will be increasing by the thousands in January of 2025, unless all of my blocks can be paid for before then. My goal is to have it paid for by November 30 of this year.

I will have the option to go on to obtain my Bachelors (BMS), should I choose to after obtaining my ASM. Once I have my ASM and pass NARM (North American Registry of Midwives) exam, I will be a licensed midwife.

In an effort to avoid further debt, I am asking anyone who would like to help fund this endevour to give what you can towards my education in becoming a licensed midwife. Your support will be furthering the future of midwifery and I am so grateful for your consideration. Your financial support means more than I could ever possibly express. Any amount is most appreciated.