Who Speaks for the Babies?

When anyone finds out I am training to be a midwife, usually one of the first questions I get is "What training do you need to do that?" So, in a nutshell, I'm enrolled in National Midwifery College (in Vermont bc there isnt one in CA) and through that college I am required to do a certain amount of learning and work before I can take the NARM (north american registry of midwives, its the board exam to get my license.) NMI requires that I take a series of 10+ weeks of classes called Heart and Hands with a midwife named Elizabeth Davis. They were great hands on learning experiences that helped deepen and apply all that I was learning at the birth center. Also, I am required to do an apprenticeship. I needed to find a licensed midwife to train me in all the ways of midwifery, and luckily I've found one of the best! I have to do a certain amount of births and visits with her, first assisting, then taking on more of a main role.

Also, which is what inspired me to write this blog, I am required to do 52 modules of midwifery related book work. I am not very far along, I only started in September, but I am learning so much. Before I do, I just wanted to mention that even with all this training that I mentioned, becoming a midwife is a process of taking on responsibility and learning so many skills that sometimes cannot be learned, they have to be already in you. It has been an amazing journey, being involved in birth, and thats why I love it!