Miscellany
And a mixed bag at that.
Four year olds suck. Thank the Goddess he's going to kindergarten in September (if I don't kill him between now and then). At least for a few hours every day it will be someone else's responsibility to manage the kid's discipline. Call me a bad mother but NOTHING I do or say recently does ANYTHING to improve my relationship with my eldest. Don't fret, he hates me too. I almost called my mother to complain about it. But then realized that she'd likely get waaaay too much of a kick out of it. So I didn't.
It's rediculously beautiful in northwestern WA at this time of year. The leaves are back on the trees, mexican blokes arrive to mow the lawn once a week (at landlord's expense), the kids play in the sandbox and at least 3 times out of 5 the dog comes when I call him. He still poos in the house two to three times a day. That's a bummer but it's still not 40lb bull terrier poo, so I remain grateful and move on.
I found a babysitter. Her name is Rachel. Her mother is a Midwife. She TOTALLY gets my life.
This is a miracle. Bigger miracle? She's still in school and therefore around and therefore affordable, and therefore I have my afterschool care thing solved. Told ya the universe would provide.
I have a preceptor. Or very nearly. She lives an hour away which makes for a hellish commute, but she has a nice, gentle practice (1-3 births a month) and clinic 1.5 days a week. I can do this!! Guaranteed though, the first client I meet I'll probably not be able to string cogent sentences together I'll be so nervous. Equally awesome, and equally terrifying I may have a gyn site lined up at a local Health Department, where I will hone my well women gyn exams and contraceptive counseling skills.
Husband found a few extra tax deductions. Tax bill will no longer break us. We might just financially survive the year of UberNanny who we couldn't, quite afford, really. Details right??
New quarter at school. Cool stuff. Professional Issues. Reminds me of all the politics and women's studies I did at uni the first time around. Lots of writing intelligent stuff. Also Pharmacology 2. Homeopathy and herbs and accupuncture and stuff. On the skills front I will learn to rescusitate babies. Actually, I'll be doing that next week. Intimidating stuff. Stuff I want to make sure I know how to do VERY, VERY well.
I will also learn to start IV's, administer drugs and suture things like small children's head lacerations (only my own) and pretend perineums made of foam and rump roasts. The required text is quirky though. Bloggie Navelgazing Midwife loves this text, and like me, has issues with Anne Frye's descision to refer to the vagina as the Yoni. Yoni is a nice word, I suppose, but I like vagina. Really, how seriously do you think the medical world takes a bunch of women who cast the vagina as a mythical creature worthy of a name like "yoni'. I have to state, for the record that while I will use this book to learn how to perform stellar perineal repair, I will never, ever refer to a vagina as a yoni.
Four year olds suck. Thank the Goddess he's going to kindergarten in September (if I don't kill him between now and then). At least for a few hours every day it will be someone else's responsibility to manage the kid's discipline. Call me a bad mother but NOTHING I do or say recently does ANYTHING to improve my relationship with my eldest. Don't fret, he hates me too. I almost called my mother to complain about it. But then realized that she'd likely get waaaay too much of a kick out of it. So I didn't.
It's rediculously beautiful in northwestern WA at this time of year. The leaves are back on the trees, mexican blokes arrive to mow the lawn once a week (at landlord's expense), the kids play in the sandbox and at least 3 times out of 5 the dog comes when I call him. He still poos in the house two to three times a day. That's a bummer but it's still not 40lb bull terrier poo, so I remain grateful and move on.
I found a babysitter. Her name is Rachel. Her mother is a Midwife. She TOTALLY gets my life.
This is a miracle. Bigger miracle? She's still in school and therefore around and therefore affordable, and therefore I have my afterschool care thing solved. Told ya the universe would provide.
I have a preceptor. Or very nearly. She lives an hour away which makes for a hellish commute, but she has a nice, gentle practice (1-3 births a month) and clinic 1.5 days a week. I can do this!! Guaranteed though, the first client I meet I'll probably not be able to string cogent sentences together I'll be so nervous. Equally awesome, and equally terrifying I may have a gyn site lined up at a local Health Department, where I will hone my well women gyn exams and contraceptive counseling skills.
Husband found a few extra tax deductions. Tax bill will no longer break us. We might just financially survive the year of UberNanny who we couldn't, quite afford, really. Details right??
New quarter at school. Cool stuff. Professional Issues. Reminds me of all the politics and women's studies I did at uni the first time around. Lots of writing intelligent stuff. Also Pharmacology 2. Homeopathy and herbs and accupuncture and stuff. On the skills front I will learn to rescusitate babies. Actually, I'll be doing that next week. Intimidating stuff. Stuff I want to make sure I know how to do VERY, VERY well.
I will also learn to start IV's, administer drugs and suture things like small children's head lacerations (only my own) and pretend perineums made of foam and rump roasts. The required text is quirky though. Bloggie Navelgazing Midwife loves this text, and like me, has issues with Anne Frye's descision to refer to the vagina as the Yoni. Yoni is a nice word, I suppose, but I like vagina. Really, how seriously do you think the medical world takes a bunch of women who cast the vagina as a mythical creature worthy of a name like "yoni'. I have to state, for the record that while I will use this book to learn how to perform stellar perineal repair, I will never, ever refer to a vagina as a yoni.
posted by Louisa at 2:08 PM
7 Comments:
It's so fun to read your blog and keep up with what I WOULD be doing...what I WILL be doing next year. I miss y'all. And I don't call it a Yoni, either. I'll leave that to my daughter and my hippie friends.
Wait until you get to "clitorectomy", ie episiotomy. My eyes are involuntarily rolling as I write that.
I don't like yoni either. I get why people object to referring to the woman's part as a "sheath," but reeally. Get over it.
(and yes. 4 year olds suck. I look forward to and enjoy 5+)
Looks like I'm all alone in my useage of the word Yoni. Mine's a Yoni for sure, and several of my friends have Yoni's too. I have read and understand Navelgazing Midwife's objection to it... I suppose I agree to the useage in a text sounding a little, well, fluffy. But I don't think the fear of fitting in with the medical community, or what they think of us should dictate our language usage. I have yet to see them change their language for things like incompetent cervix. Anyway, if the use of the word Yoni is the worst thing they can complain about, I guess we're doing pretty darn well!
But, you see, it isn't the worst they complain about. It's one item in a LONG list of things they smirk about when they talk about midwives. We look stupid to them when they see our texts say "Yoni." We look absolutely ignorant when our educational material changes the word for episiotomy into "clitorotomy." How can anyone who has to deal with medical people not see that? Oh, is it that you *don't* have to deal with medical people at all? Is *that* why you don't think it makes a difference? You leave the backlash to those of us who *do* have face-to-face interactions with doctors and nurses as back-up and educators?
You who call your vaginas "yonis" can keep them to yourselves. When in public, please do ALL of us a favor - call your body parts by their PROPER names.
NgM
I'm chuckling NgM. I can see you feel very strongly about this subject. I don't disagree with your point, necessarily.
I guess it's fair to point out that indeed I *don't* deal with medical personel daily, since I'm not a midwife myself, just a Mom. (Although I have worked in the medical field in years past, although not directly with Yonis)
I guess my point is that it is extremely childish to laugh and poke fun at a term such as Yoni. Not that they are alone in their schoolyard taunts, the midwifery community also taunts in some situations. It just doesn't bother me personally, and I'll continue to refer to Yonis where appropriate, and I'll continue to breastfeed in public, and I'll continue to co-sleep, because the more exposure to us they get, the more seriously they'll have to take us.
I guess my perspective may come from feeling like an employer (I hire my medical care providers) rather than feeling like a struggling fringe caregiver who just needs to be taken seriously.
With respect, Cherrie
There's a lecturer around these parts who changed her name to Yoni. And most of the student midwives I've told this to didn't even realise what the word meant.
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