Why I Became a Midwife
Midwives are health professionals who provide complete care to pregnant and postpartum clients in a community setting. The path to midwifery is not a simple one. It begins with the midwifery program, a very selective, immersive and often grueling four to six year post-secondary program. When working as midwives, we are on call 24 hours/7 days a week. We are there for our clients when in need of a 2 am labour assessment, we do 12 hour clinic days, we attend births with the potential to be awake for 24 hours at a time. We are present for that moment your baby takes its first breath. We are also available to clients when working through the grief of miscarriage. Midwives work with their hearts and hands. Our work is both physically and psychologically demanding, involving a range of emotions.
Knowing this, why did we choose to become midwives? The answer to this question lies in our lived experiences. To more clearly understand our path to midwifery, five of our midwives share their stories.
Kirsten Taylor
From a very young age I was fascinated with pregnant people. I would constantly make my dolls pregnant, stuffing the tiny clothes creating a soft ‘baby’ bump. I considered it some strange magic!
Growing up in Nova Scotia, Midwives seemed like lore, and it wasn’t until I was in my second year at University I revisited the definition of midwifery upon hearing it during a developmental psychology course. I immediate went back to my dorm and looked up everything I could find! Within minutes of realizing it was a recognized profession, I was convinced and decided that would be my career. I told my mother soon thereafter, clearly very excited.
I did a lot of volunteer work with marginalized families in Halifax, NS and was always amazed and encouraged by the strength and perseverance I found in within the dynamics of a newborn and its parent. I became a Midwife because I wanted to continue working with families, and population who would most benefit from this extra level of care and support. I started the Midwifery Education Programme at McMaster University in 2012, after completing my first degree. I am still thankful of my introduction to midwifery in that surprising way. Fun fact, Midwifery in Nova Scotia become legislated in 2009, which is the same year I rediscovered it!
Nabal Kanaan
I first encountered midwifery in a historical novel. I have always been an avid reader but as a 12 year old I was especially in love with historical fiction. In novels, authors always seemed to introduce a midwife at some point. I didn’t actually know all of a midwife’s responsibilities – from what I understood, they were present at births, they were usually a trusted confidante, they had a large role in the community. My current understanding of midwifery came years later.
I often feel my story is so different compared to other midwives. Despite my mother being a NICU nurse in Scarborough, I didn’t encounter birth at all when growing up, birth was very private (understandably so), it seemed like it always had to be in a hospital setting. This was my understanding of birth until I was 15 years old. In my 10th grade Careers class, a midwifery student came to my school to talk about the program. The first thing that drew me in was the idea of midwifery in Ontario today- I was starting to understand all that I had read in those historical novels years ago. I was immediately drawn to the role- I mean, who doesn’t want to have a job that involves babies?
When applying, I learned that the Ryerson midwifery program rarely takes students straight from high school and that they like for students to have some relevant life experience. I was quite naïve and inexperienced out of high school, to say the least. For that reason, I started to latch on to any opportunities to experience births. I initially got into the Ryerson Bachelors of Science in nursing program to get exposure in a healthcare field. The nursing program was quite eye-opening but it certainly did not prepare me for the hectic schedule, range of birth stories, rollercoaster of emotions that is becoming a midwife. It took nine more years from that 10th grade careers class for me to become a midwife and to really see that it is not just about playing with babies. I learned about midwifery’s emphasis on engaging in social justice and providing complete care for all. For this, I’m happy I stuck it through.
Simone Rosenberg
I was caught by midwives here in Toronto, so I suppose I was introduced to midwifery as early as one can be. My first vivid memories of midwifery are from when I was 7 years old. I remember the midwife coming to our home to assess my mother and my brand new baby brother. I remember how knowledgeable she was, and yet informal and caring in her approach; she felt like part of the family. I was raised with a sense that midwives should look after all normal pregnancies. In my household the midwife was a figure like the firefighter or teacher; a mainstay of the community and a role one might fulfill.
As a teenager I became interested in feminism, especially the struggle for reproductive rights. I was inspired by tales of women fighting to de-pathologize birth, reclaim choice of birthplace, and the right to non-medicated birth if they so chose. I was also moved by stories of midwives in the Southern United States and Indigenous midwives fighting to keep birth in their communities and providing safe care where it was otherwise unavailable.
When I was 19 I attended the home birth of my youngest brother and that was when I knew I wanted to be a midwife. The midwives were so calm, and my mother was clearly in charge of the event; it was powerful and moving. The midwives told me I too was very calm, and asked me if I had considered being a midwife. This was music to my ears. I decided to train as a doula and gain more birth experience. As a doula I found myself continuously awed by the process of labour and the birthing body. I saw how pregnancy and birth could be a transformative time for people and their families. Attending births also ignited my interest in clinical knowledge and care. I found myself craving more responsibility and more complete involvement in the birthing process. This is what finally led me to a career in midwifery.
Ness Dixon
I was born at home in to the hands of a midwife 35 years ago before midwifery was a recognized profession. My mother has always spoke of mine and my siblings births with fondness – as intense, intimate and powerful experiences. Since I was a child I’ve always been enchanted with the process of birth. I had an aunt who worked as a midwife and she used to take me with her to home visits sometimes – I loved every minute of it! The first essay I ever wrote – for my eighth grade English class was about birth and midwives.
Yet, although midwifery seemed like an obvious choice for me I took a winding path to get here. I earned a master’s degree, taught yoga, worked in various research jobs and gave birth to my own daughter at home in 2009 before deciding to take the leap and apply to midwifery school. In retrospect, I suppose it took actually having a desk job to realize that wasn’t what I wanted.
Since then I have never looked back. I love that as a midwife, no two work days are alike. I love getting to know my clients and their families – I love watching those families grow as they welcome new babies (I love cuddling those babies!). I love the mix of science, humanity and social justice involved with my job and I’m still enchanted with the process of birth.
Sarah Davies
Before becoming a parent, in 2002 I studied Psychology at McGill university, worked in crisis support with survivors of recent and past sexual violence and, while living in British Columbia, I worked as a counsellor and family mediator for young people engaged in risky behaviours. Before entering Midwifery Education Program (MEP), I worked for a Toronto agency that provides supportive housing to a wide range of people at risk for homelessness. These experiences showed me the strength that lies within each one of us during even the most challenging life situations and the great value that comes from healthy, supportive relationships during these times.
It was the high quality, client-centred, well informed and confidence building care that I received from my own midwives that inspired me to become a midwife; to be with childbearing people and their families during one of life’s most challenging, joyful and potentially transformational times. I graduated with honours from Ryerson University MEP in 2013 and have been grateful ever since for the combination of science and support that a career in midwifery provides. I am always awed by the strength and wisdom of women and it is an honour to integrate my own passion for holistic health, wellness and autonomy into the personal care of each person who shares the experience of pregnancy, birth and early parenting with me.
Sarah Leslie
“I grew up with nurses and midwives in my immediate family and after attending several births of family members I knew I was hooked! It started when, at the age of 7, I went to my sister’s birth and witnessed the raw intimacy and the power of what a person’s body could do. As I grew up watching my mother become a midwife I saw her connecting with families, sharing information and being a witness to change and personal growth. She used to do clinic in my bedroom which I found annoying as a teenager, but now looking back, think it was pretty amazing.
I then went to a few births as a teenager where my aunt was giving birth. One snowy night, with the back up on her way, my mother and I delivered one of my cousins on our own. The rush of adrenaline and the sheer wonder of a new person being born was where I fell in love with the birthing process. The strength, resilience, and determination that my aunt had was awe inspiring and I wanted to be a part of the experience again! Over the next several years at university I kept taking classes in women’s studies and the social determinants of health. So when I graduated I felt that applying to midwifery school was the next logical step for me. It has been quite an amazing path to walk, trip and run down! Now that I have been a midwife for many years, the thing that keeps me coming back for more is the opportunity to work in my community. It is such a personally enriching experience to work with my clients over several births within their family.
The community feeling at Michael Garron Hospital is also so inspiring and I have felt so fortunate to have had the administration, nurses and doctors welcome us into this space. The newest community that is so very sweet is the Toronto Birth Centre where at any given time there can be three different midwives, from three different practices helping people give birth. The opportunity to ask each other questions, to help out with something challenging and to have a tea after our births at the kitchen table is so lovely and heartwarming.”