Some FM Favorites Over the Years
Did I mention that I'm putting together my first book?!? It's still scary to think about this new adventure, yet there is so much joy in re-reading all of my old writing. As I've gone through the years to compile the essay collection, I came across a few favorites, and wanted to share for today's #TBT. (Also, the picture above is from 2014 - remember prisma?!) Would love for you to share your favorites from over the years! Hope you are all well!
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14 Things You Never Knew About the Hymenal Ring (2013)
Brief excerpt: If a vagina-owner has a hymen, each is shaped differently, and thus, breaks differently. Variation of shapes are displayed in the picture below:
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She’s (Still) Going the Distance (2014)
(accompaniment while you read: 5-year old girl version of Cake’s The Distance)
Brief excerpt: And what of this inner voice? Is it the same voice telling me to stop running when I feel tired that tells me that a patient’s problem might be too much for me to handle? Is it that same voice that reminds me of my other obligations and talks me out of self-care? Is it the same voice that questions my abilities rather than reminds me of my strength? Our self-doubt really has a way of running the show, unless we promote our own self-confidence, especially in times of solitude. On those days when we are the only midwife in the clinic, the only runner on the road, the only woman making it happen. Give that voice a hip-check and get her out of there, because we all know that with a deep breath and a straightening of our shoulders, we got this. And by we, I mean I. But I really mean we. We got this.
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National Midwifery Week (2018) - FYI it’s in October every year, this year 10/4-10/10. Prepare to show some love to the midwives in your life this year, since it’s also the Year of the Nurse and Midwife!
First day of work photo, 2012.
Brief excerpt: Call it the fact that my daily act of being a midwife has felt unseen and unimportant the last few weeks. My clinic mornings start out with a review of the prior day’s unmet productivity, staring down the list of twenty-five scheduled patients, feeling like there’s never enough time or emotional space to truly care for someone, and always being behind in appointment times, lab follow-up, writing charts, and being present for student learning. Labor shifts can feel like opportunities to catch-up on all of those things or actually sleep after a long week, rather than connect with coworkers or enjoy a labor and birth or revel in small moments of midwifery bliss. This week, stepping in to help physicians with a birth on a busy night shift felt momentarily great, tamped down when the attending poked their head in to the room, looked past me to critique the intern, and then claimed billing rights.