Birth & Midwifery - Eva Varga

For the past few years, my kiddos have been interested in the birth process due in part to the fact that one of my best friends, Aubrey Anselmo, is a Birth Doula and Midwife Apprentice.  Whenever we get together, the conversation at some point always turns to birth and pregnancy.  I love to listen to her share the stories of the home births she has had an opportunity to take part. 

When I was pregnant with my first, I wanted an at home, water birth.  My husband, on the other hand, was adamantly opposed.  He is a healthcare professional … so it comes as no surprise.  Unfortunately, at the time, I didn’t know a doula or midwife … had not known anyone who had had a home birth … and was thereby unable to persuade him otherwise. 

I won’t go into detail here with my birth story, but I will say that it was traumatic and life threatening to both me and my child.  I feel very strongly that had I had a doula or midwife by my side … particularly as this was my first – the problems that arose would not have.  My husband feels the same.  There were so many miscommunications … so many errors on the part of the hospital staff.  As a result of this experience – I have longed for closure.  For healing.  I think that is why I am so keen to listen to the stories that Aubrey shares.

 As she talks, my munchkins inevitably always have questions and I’ve come to discover – due to my own childbirth experiences – my daughter, specifically, has developed a sense of fear.  “I don’t want to have kids, Mom.  I’m scared; I know it will hurt!”    I thereby knew some education was in order … and if my kiddos were interested, so too, were others.

Thus …. yesterday afternoon, I opened up my home to my Aubrey and Tiffany Sutphin of Beautiful Blessings Midwifery and the families of my Roots & Shoots club.  My goal simply to allow the children an opportunity to ask questions in the hope that their fears and misconceptions would diminish.   Aubrey and Tiffany opened up the discussion by first playing a video for us …