In This Issue

Midwives
     Pioneers of Faith
Our Charis Family
     Allison Brunett
Charis Cuisine
      The Simple Miracle of Red Cabbage
 About Birth
    No Need to Fast During Labor
 Tidbits from Ebony
     Staying with A Pushpin Family

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Our address

Charis Childbirth, Inc.
P.O. Box 6900
North Port, FL 34290

It's been over a year since Charis headquarters moved to Florida.  If you use our old Virginia Beach address, your mail will not reach us as the post office is no longer forwarding mail.  Be sure to mail your yearly membership fees to the Florida address!

Our Director's Heart

It takes Strength and Courage

"It wasn't long before I could see that there was a lot more to being a midwife than doing deliveries." ~Gladys Milton

Throughout history, ruling powers have sought to control midwives as a means to control people.  For example, during the time when the Israelites were in captivity in Egypt, the Hebrew midwives were ordered by the king of Egypt, who was concerned that the Israelites were becoming overpopulated, to kill all the boy babies that were born to the Hebrew women.  The midwives, being God-fearing women, however, did not obey the king’s order and let the Hebrew baby boys live.  We see this sort of thing over and over again in different countries at different times in history, and while the details differ from situation to situation, the same root exists in every circumstance: desire for power or control.

We are quick to assume that only hideous things such as ordering midwives to kill babies would only happen in some evil place in the distant past. As we look at our history, however, we are embarrassed to find that the “powers that be” have sought to control midwives, and therefore the people, in recent history even in the United States of America.

I am appalled at how, in the early 1900’s, new regulations on midwives were introduced under the guise of improving birth outcomes in order to control the growth of the Native American and African American population.  In Virginia at that time, for instance, interracial marriage had become illegal and forced sterilizations were commonplace for people of mixed race or who were deemed “unfit”, most of whom were of African descent.  How did the state find out about interracial marriage and people of mixed race? They put in place new regulations on midwives; forcing them to fill out registration forms for every baby they delivered that included information about the race of the parents. These mandatory forms put the midwives in a very difficult position. If they filled out the forms truthfully, they were putting their clients in danger of forced sterilization or worse—especially African Americans. If they did not fill out the forms truthfully or if they refused to fill them out at all, the midwives faced imprisonment. Even under this great weight, midwives continued to selflessly care for expectant families.

In addition to the attempt to control the growth of the minority races in America, there was also an attempt to control the midwifery profession and ultimately to eliminate it altogether as the white male dominated medical profession began to grow and organize in the early 1900’s. (All midwives were women and a huge many of them were black.)  In Virginia, there were an estimated 9,000 midwives practicing in 1900.  By the end of the century, Adella Scott Wilson was the only legally practicing direct entry midwife left in the Commonwealth of Virginia.  Direct entry midwifery might have ended when she retired shortly after the turn of the century if there hadn’t been a group of underground midwives and devoted home-birthing families who were willing to fight long and hard to change the laws in that state.   Many other states and countries are still fighting similar battles today to secure their access to direct entry midwives.

What is next?  What are the new, emerging midwives today going to face during their time of service to the community?  Are we ready to fight for what is right as hard as our foremothers fought under the weight of morally or ethically objectionable regulations or severe persecution? We know that “history repeats itself”, so we must be ready.

As I learn about the individual midwives throughout history, their strength and courage, and their commitment to those they served, I am impressed by the quality of woman it takes to be a midwife.   If it had not been for the fortitude of midwives like Gladys Milton, midwifery may very well have become extinct in the United States.  (Read about Gladys Milton in her book, Why Not Me?) I am extremely grateful to those strong, courageous midwives who have gone before us, who have fought to keep midwifery alive, who have selflessly cared for moms and babies, and who have proven that with perseverance and support from the community we can overcome whatever obstacles arise.

Now it is our turn. It is our job to ensure that our daughters’ and granddaughters’ access to midwives is secure. It still requires strength and courage to be a midwife and to support midwives.

Let us not forget the women who paved the way for our midwives and let us be diligent in our prayers for this new generation of midwives who have their own set of obstacles they must face.

Seeking God for His strength and courage to be the most excellent midwife I can be,

~Kristin Schuchmann

Executive Director, Charis Childbirth, Inc.  
 

The information in this newsletter is for educational purposes only and is not intended to take the place of medical care and advice from your health care provider.