For as long as I can remember, I've been in awe of the
power of women to nurture life within and then bring
forth this life into our world. So, long before my husband
and I decided to take the plunge and conceive, I took it
upon myself to become as educated as possible about
pregnancy, birth, newborns and parenting. I spent hours
on the internet and a fortune in books and magazines.
My husband was on board with all of my choices except birthing at home.
Naturally, he was concerned about safety and “the pain”. After looking into
the different options available and the pros and cons of each, he also
decided a home birth was the right choice for us. We experienced our first
home waterbirth in 1999 with the arrival of our first daughter. In 2001, our
son was born (another home waterbirth). In January 2004, our third child
(another daughter) was born at home (not a waterbirth).
***Note: Although we chose to birth at home, I fully support those
couples who choose to birth in birth centers or hospitals. In fact, the
majority of my students are hospital birthers.
In addition to countless hours of my own research on the topics of pregnancy, birth, newborns
and parenting (which I began in earnest in 1998), I attended and successfully completed the
1999 Bradley Teacher Training when my first daughter was only 8 weeks old. I taught Bradley
for over 5 years before ending my affiliation with that organization.
In 2003, as a prerequisite to midwifery school, I attended Seattle Midwifery School’s Labor
Support Course for Birth Doulas. I had the privilege to study under Penny Simkin, P.T., CD
(DONA), one of the founders of Doulas Of North America (DONA), author of several birth
related books, and a legend in the birthing community. I was so inspired by the course that I
continued my doula training and became a DONA certified doula.
In 2004, I became certified as a La Leche League Breastfeeding Peer Counselor through
the Pasadena Public Health Department.
In 2005, I attended a wonderful workshop teaching Acupressure and Jin Shin Jyutzu
for pregnancy and birth. I have enjoyed incorporating these new skills into my doula practice.
Also in 2005, I became a Certified Lactation Educator through CAPPA; I received my first
certification in Neonatal Resuscitation and also my first certification in Basic Life Support
for Healthcare Providers. In June 2005, I began attending home births as a Midwife
Assistant at Birthing Women's Health in Pasadena.
In 2008, I began my formal studies to become a Certified Professional Midwife (CPM). I am
doing my didactic work through the Midwives College of Utah (MCU) and my clinical work as a
Student Midwife is done under the supervision of Margo Kennedy, CNM of Birthing Women's
Health. Also in 2008, I earned Continuing Education Units (CEUs) by completing workshops on:
* Helping Women after a Traumatic or Negative Birth,
* Supporting Women through Perinatal Loss,
* Supporting Survivors of Abuse,
* Aromatherapy, and
* Use of TENS During Labor
In 2009, I continued my didactic and clinical work. I became a Community Leader for MCU's
Bulletin Boards. I also participated in a 7-week internship at a high volume birth center. At the
birth center, I was able to polish my clinical skills in a relatively short period of time. I attended
many births and had the honor of being the Primary Midwife (under supervision) for 10 of
them.
In 2010, I completed my clinical requirements for graduation! In January 2010, I began
accepting my own midwifery clients under supervision. In addition to my regular clinical work, I
attended a Suturing workshop taught by Alyson Kuntz-Butler, LM, CPM of Advancing Arts in
Midwifery. I also attended the Advanced Skills Workshop at MCU's June Conference in Salt
Lake City, Utah. I was asked to become a Sister Circle Leader at MCU and gladly accepted. I
was also offered, and accepted, a position on the Student Council and began presenting the
Prospective Student Orientation to newly accepted MCU students. But without a doubt, my
biggest honor in 2010 was being chosen as MCU's 2010 Student of the Year!
In 2011, I am continuing to teach childbirth classes to expecting couples, attend births as a
doula, and of course, continue my midwifery quest! I am still accepting homebirth clients (under
supervision) and working on finishing up my didactic work to become a CPM. I plan to sit for
the North American Registry of Midwives (NARM) exam in February of 2012.
My dream is to one day own and operate my own freestanding birth center serving families as
a Certified Professional Midwife (CPM) both at the birth center and at home births.
Midwifery Services • Complete Childbirth Classes • Doula Services sherry@birthingbaby.com Los Angeles, California (818) 4•My•Baby Copyright © 2004 Sherry S. Rumsey All rights reserved.
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