Hi Y’all! 👋
It’s me – Jennifer – your fearless leader of the Pittsburgh Midwife & Co. team.
It’s been a while since I introduced myself and with our rebrand underway, I felt like this was the perfect time.
As a mother of 3 incredible children, I experienced first-hand the overwhelming fear, loss of dignity, loss of autonomy, and loss of the sanctity of birth that frequently occurs with routine obstetric care for a healthy, low-risk mother and baby. Each of my pregnancies furthered my understanding of this lack of choice and helped me to grow and learn.
It did not take long to see exactly how each piece of my 20 years of experience as a nurse was preparing me for my transition into midwifery, and specifically home birth.
I have ALWAYS felt people were best cared for in their homes whenever possible and that healthcare decisions were best made by the fully informed individual, and birth would not be an exception.
With my decision made, I set out to fulfill that goal.
To be able to practice legally in Pennsylvania and attend home births, I quickly learned that traditional midwifery was the best route to pursue to provide me with intimate knowledge of the genuine ART of midwifery.
Thankfully, many years ago, I had the opportunity to train locally with a well-seasoned, senior midwife who patiently took the time to pour into my heart, hands & mind so I could gain not only the skills required to safely and competently serve women and babies, but also the reverence for the sanctity of being able to hold space for those we serve.
As you continue to make your decision for the care you’d like to receive during your pregnancy, I’ll leave you with these parting definitions.
OBSTETRICIAN
The word “obstetrician” means “to stand in front of.”
MIDWIFE
The word “midwife” means “with woman.”
One gives a picture of leadership, and the other gives a picture of partnership.
You decide which is best for your needs.