Update from Leafy Corner (and beyond)

So yes, months and months have gone by it seems and I have been unable to drag words out of myself sufficient to deposit them here...

• I have instead made much milk and grown a fat, lovely baby. He has two shiny, sharp new bottom teeth, much stronger opinions about things, and threatens to crawl.
  
• Attended an extra 6 births pursuant to stupid school requirement, took baby with. He lolled about as mother after mother pushed their babies into the world. Invariably he watched as if to find out what 'kind' of baby it was, then sighed deeply and promptly slept through the busy-ness of postpartum, newborn exam and cleanup. Without exception those births were lovely.
• Officially graduated from SMS (for real, this time, even have the transcripts and diploma now)
• Studied, traveled to California to sit the NARM exam, before attending the 2009 MANA conference where I finally got to meet Ina May. Briefly contemplated racing around snapping pictures to make a "Midwife All-Stars" trading card pack... Lots of cool people there, Ina May of course, but also Anne Frye, Saraswathi Vedam, Carol Leonard among others. MANAmania is indeed, just that. Much singing, and dancing, and telling of stories. I thoroughly enjoyed and was moved to tears hearing from Florida midwife Jennie Joseph. Want to eliminate racial disparity in preterm birth and associated morbidity/mortality? Check her method out. It's fantastically simple, and yet our mainstream maternity care system seems to be incapable of replicating it. Also caught up again with lovely Sherry of the Labor Payne Epistles.
• The MANA/ACNM Bridge Club was an epiphany. Many hurt CNM's and CM's (not to mention the CPM's) who had a LOT to say to the ACNM's reps who seemed to show up to stand in the fire. The ACNM is facing real challenges with nurse-midwives losing their jobs all over, their fickle physician allies are rumored to be training PA's to do births to "solve the midwife problem", while the MAMA campaign is forging ahead, making some pretty significant strides in furthering the CPM credential federally. Homebirth numbers nationally are still small, but homebirth is usually the domain of the CPM, with fewer and fewer nurse midwives practicing at home. My feeling is still that we must be midwives together, and if not, then the ACNM needs to step aside and get out of the way. Homebirth and CPM's will eventually overcome, and the option will inevitably be preserved. Midwives are perhaps the most stubborn people in the world.
  
• Passed the NARM (can call myself CPM now!!)
• Reaquainted myself with my family who had been without me (for all intents and purposes) for about 18 months
• Wrote and built phase one of my practice website (Well. I tortured Husband until he did that)
• Much practice start-up planning, negotiations and discussions with collaborating midwife.
• On a family level we've implemented brutally ascetic new financial regime in preparation for evil student loans coming due in January. It's not been terrible.
  

The rains and chilliness have come again to leafy corner. The fire is invariably in the grate. The pace of my life has diminished measurably aided in part by the hefty doses of oxytocin flowing as freely as the milk. I am discovering, as my train of thought is oft derailed, that milk coma is a shared motherbaby phenomenon.

I have between 3 and 6 births a month on the books for the next 6 to 8 months or so. Most of these as a birth assistant, but some will inevitably see me on first call and assuming the mantle of primary midwife for real. I'm really enjoying watching the growth of the new student in the practice as she gains confidence and skill. It's not my turn to teach, as I have so much yet to learn, but I am really looking forward to it when the time comes.

I continue working towards a series of meetings with our local hospitals with the mission of improving home-hospital transports. At the brilliant suggestion of a super cool OB from Canada who is using this technique in his mission to enhance communications betwixt midwife and physician in Canada, I'm contemplating pursuing some training in Compassionate Listening. Figure it can't hurt, might help.