Lucas Adcock
Staff Writer
Living in Appalachia has both its perks and challenges, especially for a family having children. This being, of course, the birthing process. From Pocahontas County, most pregnant women need to travel to Davis Medical Center in Elkins, St. Joseph’s in Buckhannon, Greenbrier Valley Medical Center in Fairlea (which is eradicating their labor and delivery department come April of this year) or to Beckley. Even all the way to Charleston for some. The Greenbrier Valley Medical Center, though their labor and delivery department will no longer be available for services come April, will still offer prenatal care and obstetric services – check-ups, prenatal visits and gynecological care. And though these services are still available at a more local convenience than having to travel to Beckley or Charleston once or twice a week for prenatal appointments, it provides most women with a greater peace of mind to have someone who will be there across the entire journey of the pregnancy. Enter the Midwife.
Hillsboro resident Vanessa Mothes has always had an interest in home births and supporting women from a nursing role. These interests solidified her love for the specialty that is Midwifery. This specialized form of care views pregnancy and birth as a physiological process rather than a medical event, focusing more on women-led care and shared decision making.
“It’s holistic in the fact that in West Virginia midwives are full scope autonomous providers providing gynecological care and newborn care for the first 28 days of life. Essentially, I can provide care to women from menses to menopause with every delivery in between,” Mothes said.
Now, while Midwifery may sound similar to various roles of other prenatal providers, it’s unique in the fact that it encompasses all of it; it’s a provider role, like an obstetrician, but with a nursing aspect of compassion and care, and the training for this is an on-going process. Still in the process of achieving her license, Mothes is well on her way, explaining certain aspects of her training that she has to complete.
“We have simulations where we take on the role of the provider and must manage a situation. When I’m on campus they bring in theater students from the University of Kentucky to play the part of the laboring mother, so I’m excited about that,” she said, also praising the holistic experiences during training, saying that she loves, “witnessing women in their raw power during labor, doing whatever it takes to bring their baby to their arms. Whether that’s roaring or swaying, singing or praying. That may be on hands and knees, in a squatting position or laying on their side. I’m also just enthralled by all that I learn with Frontier and love the way the program is set up.”
When asked what sparked the inspiration and eventual love for the practice, it was a clear answer: a blissful personal experience.
“I had a Midwife with my first pregnancy, and it was blissful. She came to my little cabin in the woods, and I just reveled in the beauty of being loved, seen and truly cared for. Our appointments were personal and the education I was provided made me feel liberated and certain. I didn’t get my planned home birth that time, nor the next as that Midwife was unavailable. Assisting with home births and welcoming my third son in the comfort of my home made me realize I had to offer that to other women. While completing my master’s degree I have been so fascinated by what I’m learning, and it gets me excited to provide care to my community. I’m reminded almost daily of why this is my calling.”
Having an interest in something and understanding that it’s your true calling evokes a powerful motive. Especially when it comes to Midwifery. It’s this feeling of purpose that drives her motivation through the laborious training times. Mothes began her last didactic term of nurse-Midwifery school at the beginning of January, and she’ll return to campus for a week for what’s called “Clinical bound” before she begins her clinical hours which will consist of 750 hours with 40 births, alongside hundreds of various clinic appointments including preconception, antepartum, postpartum and gyne- clogical, while also doing newborn and lactation appointments during that time. When asked how she balances training with family life, she stated, “I study in small bits throughout the day all the time. While I’m cooking breakfast I’ll listen to a part of lecture, while the boys play with Legos I’ll read over a study guide, any time I’m commuting for work I am listening to a lecture.
“My husband is truly my rock, and I couldn’t pursue this dream without him, really, I couldn’t. I also love bubble baths, though I’m usually listening to lectures during them, does that count? I hike with my children and get outside as much as possible. I also read nonfiction books to break up all the study material.”
Through the process, Mothes says that one of the most challenging parts of it all is having to unlearn all that she’s known. Seeing so many things in the standard hospital setting didn’t rest easily with her, and now these doubts on the standard system are solidified through Midwifery school which also backs them with evidence. And it’s not just family life that needs balancing amidst the training, but emotional health.
“Some days I handle it well and other days I cry, a lot. I cry happy tears with my clients and heartbroken tears alone in my car when I’ve labored with a woman for many hours to have our care plan annihilated after a change of hands. That is another reason I want to be the provider, I will be the person from beginning to end, I will be able to give the care I truly believe in and never risk having to “hand” my patient over to someone who doesn’t practice the way I do,” Mothes stated.
Alongside the emotional impact come the misconceptions that most people (men and women) have surrounding Midwifery care. At one point in time, Midwives attended all births and still do in many countries and cultures. In the late 19th and early 20th centuries, however, a smear campaign was set in place to actively discredit Midwifery, especially in Black and traditional midwives. Doctors labeled midwives as “unscientific” or a “hindrance to progress” justifying laws that pushed childbirth into hospitals and out of homes. By the 1940s midwives were largely eradicated from mainstream U.S. maternity care despite the evidence that well-trained midwives offered excellent outcomes. This historic campaign wasn’t a single PR stunt, but a coordinated professional and legal push to reshape childbirth in America, with “professionals” in obstetrics slandering midwives with rhetoric like, “if dirty and unintelligent women could do their job, they [obstetricians] wouldn’t have one, right?”
Mothes said, “Education is power and the more we educate, the weaker the misconceptions become.” One misconception being that the wealthy give birth in hospitals and the poor give birth at home… Just as the smear campaign painted the idea that formula was the better option for the high class, while the lowly had to breastfeed their infant. “Insanity,” Mothes said. And it was.
But the times are changing. Midwifery is here and women like Vanessa Mothes who practice this unique form of care are the true professionals. The ones whose passion it is to take care of women during arguably one of the most sacred experiences of their life – not to make a quick dollar. “I think the relationship is of top priority and if you don’t have a good relationship with your Midwife or Doctor, find another one. Not to mention the birthing person is extremely influenced during the vulnerable time of labor and can be easily coerced by someone who doesn’t have the mother’s best interest at heart,” Mothes explained.
Looking ahead to the moment she becomes a Midwife, one of the things Mothes is most looking forward to is healing through her clients and pouring her love into the women who trust her for their care. Daydreams of taking fresh flowers and nourishing food to her clients linger in her mind, accompanied by ideas like partnering with massage therapists, good cooks, herbalists and photographers to give her clients a tailored experience that they’ll cherish forever.
“I’m excited to offer choices and build a relationship with the community – ” she said, encouraging anyone who is interested in becoming a Midwife to do it, “let’s take birth back.”
Lucas Adcock may be contacted at lucasadcock@pocahontastimes.com
