It is never easy to pindown an on-call home birth midwife but this month we managed to interview Sandy Standish, an independent midwife practicing in Cape Town. How long have you been offering home birth services for? I had my first own home birth in 1987 which sparked the passion. I started private midwifery in 1993 with Joy McPherson. What are the reasons mothers come to you (or other midwives) for a home birth? Mothers come to me mostly to experience a natural birth with as little intervention as possible. They want to have medical support without being disempowered. Home births also allow the privacy to birth however you feel works for you whether it is dancing wildly or meditating quietly, the space is yours to do what you like with. So birth is a much more private affair and is unique to each mother’s own expression of it.. What are the challenges you face as a midwife offering home birth? The challenges as a home birth midwife is, always, about the backup and attitudes towards home birth. There is a degree of risk involved due to the limitations around medical support in an out of a hospital setting. Therefore, there is resistance and concern around obstetric backup. It is also the responsibility of the midwife to be aware of her limitations and move sooner rather than later if there is a concern around outcomes. How did you get involved in home birth? Can you tell us about the first home birth you attended? What stood out for you? Joy had only worked in hospital and she had the first home birth client and was stressed out so wanted me to be there as support and that is how we started having 2 midwives at a birth as was not the norm before that. I remember it was a typical cape winter night with rain and all.But we were happily ensconced in a warm home and praying we didn’t have to go anywhere. The birth went well. For more info on Sandy and the services she offers (which include placenta encapsulation, childbirth preparation classes as well as private midwifery services) visit her website Birthing Naturally....
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This month we chatted to Vanessa Hartman. She is a doula, a yoga teacher, antenatal educator, a soul connection facilitator and co-founder of Honoured Birth. Tell us about yourself and the birth work that you do. My name is Vanessa and I am a natural birth passionista. I am a doula, a yoga teacher, an antenatal educator and a soul connection facilitator. In January 2015, together with my friend and colleague, I opened a little studio in Noordhoek called “Honoured Birth,” a space where women can celebrate their pregnancies and where expecting parents are invited to ask questions and obtain necessary information in order make informed decisions. It is a place to meet like-minded people and to find support and nurturing on all levels. What drives you to do this work? The look on a mother and father’s face when they are holding their baby for the first time, the overflowing love that radiates from each and every cell of their bodies is nothing other than true and divine bliss. It takes my breath away and fills my heart with immense honour and gratitude. It does not matter how or where they gave birth, at home, at hospital or through a c/s, it is that moment that again and again reminds me that the birth of a baby will always be a miracle. How do you feel about home birth? I believe that if the pregnancy has been without complications the best place to give birth is where the mother (and the father) feel the safest. For me personally that would always be at home. Many people don’t know enough about home birth and the safety of giving birth at home with a midwife so we need to help parents learn about this possibility so that it may become an option for them. Are there any misperceptions about home birth that you would like to dispel? Oh there are many. One of the main ones that I hear a lot is when people talking about their feelings on home birth say: “I am just not that ‘airy-fairy-hippi-type‘!“ Sometimes it frustrates me so much that, largely as a result of the media, birth is perceived a fearful and medical event that needs to be controlled so that those who choose home birth are easily labeled as “airy-fairy”. But birth can be the most beautiful and empowering moment of a woman’s (and a man’s) life that will unfold in its own unique and wonderful way. To me there is nothing airy-fairy-hippie-typeish about that. What is it about home birth that you enjoy? I love the calm and warm atmosphere, the loving, undivided attention...
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