A midwife speaks on the growing trend of home births

Home birth is a growing trend that is spreading throughout the nation as increasing numbers of women and their partners seek a more natural birth-giving experience. We have prenatal yoga at Yoga Roots Racine and a number of doulas -- women who have training to support women during pregnancy and giving birth -- and now Racine has a midwife specializing in home births who is based at Lake House Health & Learning Center, 932 Lake Ave., Racine.

Kimberly McGuinness-Rook is a licensed and certified professional midwife and the owner of InnerBirth Midwifery. She sees women and their spouses for pre-natal visits in her office and attends to home births, in water tubs, at the their homes. Her fourth child, Reid Phoenix Rook, was born at her home in Raymond in October.

She has been in practice in Racine for just more than one year and is initiating a monthly Racine Meetup group on home births. The first meeting, with the title of Home Birth 101, is scheduled for 6 p.m. Wednesday, March 6, at Lake House Health & Learning Center, 932 Lake Ave., Racine. The program is free, and snacks and tea will be provided.

Kimberly also has several ideas for future Meetup topics; since we share space at Lake House Health & Learning Center, I've already been asked to present a program about addressing emotions and stress during pregnancy. (And I will.)

InnerBirth offers holistic family-centered midwifery care, specializing in out-of-hospital birth, water birth, with most insurance accepted. Kimberly is currently working on developing a free-standing birth center in southeast Wisconsin and accessible to a wide range of families from Milwaukee to Chicago. Kimberly agreed to answer questions about home birth, midwifery and the concept of spiritual midwifery.

What is spiritual midwifery?

The term "spiritual midwifery" was made popular by midwife extraordinaire, Ina May Gaskin. Ina May published her first book, titled Spiritual Midwifery, in 1977. This book served as a guide at the time to those seeking to reclaim the art of midwifery and to parents that were choosing a more "untraditional" path to childbirth.

This particular book happened to be the book that transformed my life and served as an aid in helping me to realize the type of midwife I desired to be.

To me the term "spiritual midwifery" encompasses the very essence of my calling into this sacred work of birth. I am on path with what I feel I'm on this planet to do, My heart is lead to this work. As a midwife I'm surrounded by miracles everyday. Every belly I lay my hands on and every child I witness making their entrance into our world is a miracle...For me this is spiritual midwifery.

How did you decide to become a midwife?

Even as a child I was fascinated with babies and the process of pregnancy and birth. Every friend I had who had a cat expecting kittens I requested to be "on call" for the big day. As I grew older, I dabbled with the idea of becoming an obstetrician. I never heard of midwives growing up, and so I had no idea that there was such a profession.

I was in my early twenties when I first discovered midwives, and I knew instantly that I was called more to midwifery than to obstetrics. Shortly after that I stumbled upon the above-mentioned book. It resonated deeply within me and I could not put it down! It was one of those books for me that I even read as I walked. I was captivated. It was gentle and empowering women-friendly care that I ached to provide. I was on my way to making it happen.

What kind of training do you have?

My training is pretty well rounded. I'm a nationally certified professional midwife and Wisconsin state-licensed midwife, also holding my degree in Midwifery.

The training that I have is mostly in the out-of-hospital setting. I went through a three-year apprenticeship in addition to working at a high-volume birth center in Texas and completing an internship at a busy hospital located in Embangweni, Malawi, Africa.

Most midwives only work with women that are considered to be low risk, I also have additional experience and training in delivering low risk twin pregnancies, breech deliveries and VBACS (vaginal birth after Caesarean). In addition to my training as a midwife, I have also trained as a Reiki practitioner and recently embarked upon breathwork training.

How is spiritual midwifery different?

I'd rather share with you a bit about the care that I offer and allow readers to see the difference. Typical prenatal visits with me run approximately 45 minutes to one hour.

Much of what I do as a provider is relationship building. In addition to the normal routine clinical portion of every visit, I really enjoy spending time getting to know the families I'm working with. I believe that getting to know the mother, partner and their baby is as important as anything else we do clinically during visits.

Prenatal visits are filled with time in educating families, discussing nutrition, helping them to prepare for their upcoming arrival, answering questions they may have and discussing what's happening in their lives at home and at work.

I have a strong personal interest in pre-natal and perinatal psychology and love sharing information on the awareness of the developing fetus and how the mother’s experiences while pregnant can impact her baby. There is complete continuity of care, the same midwives at your visits are at your birth and postpartum. It truly is well-rounded holistic care.

What kind of women tend to be attracted to your practice?

I'm fortunate to work with all types of women. The one commonality that they all share is they are educated women who want to be active participants in their health care. They're women who are seeking a different type of birth experience – one that empowers them and gives them the freedom to create the experience they wish to have.

I've worked with doctors, scientists, stay-at-home mothers, students, you name it! They are women that demand and know they deserve a more personalized experiene for themselves and their baby.

You were pregnant during some of the hottest months of 2012. How did you handle the hot months?

Ah, yes, It sure was a hot one this year! I'll never forget those swollen ankles I had. I mostly made sure I stayed hydrated by drinking lots of water. I am guilty of staying inside where it was nice, cool and air conditioned on many of those dreadful days! Pregnant women and super hot heat just don't mix well.

At some point, I recall you were eating almonds to address a pregnancy issue. How have you used your own knowledge and training to care for yourself in the past nine months?

That's right, I did! Almonds are fantastic for heartburn relief as is sipping on almond milk and chewing papaya enzymes. These are all natural alternatives to some of the over-the-counter medications that are typically used.

I used much of what I know as a midwife to care for myself during my pregnancy. I even made myself do diet sheets a few times, which is something I like my patients to do several times throughout their pregnancies. It helps you become more aware of what you're consuming and gives you the opportunity to make more healthful changes if needed.

I did everything I recommend to others and expect the women I work with to do for themselves because I truly believe all these things will help create a wonderfully healthy mother and baby!

On your web site, you have a wonderful quote about birth – that birth is not only making babies it is also about “making mothers.” How do you see this happening?

I love that quote! It really resonated with me and reflects part of the reason why the name of my practice is "InnerBirth." Birth changes who we are as women. Whether it’s your first child or your eighth child, each time we go through the process of expanding our hearts to allow the love of a child to enter we as women transform.

Much like a snake sheds its old skin, we become a new person each time and an inner birth happens from within.

What is your advice to women who want to become pregnant?

Don't wait till you're pregnant to start learning about your options. Begin your search now! No matter what your ideal birth experience looks like -- medicated, un-medicated, home, hospital or birth center -- it would be wise to explore all of this as soon as you start thinking about conceiving.

Interview with different providers and chose one that you feel most comfortable with. It's helpful to write your questions down and bring them along when consulting with different providers.

To prepare physically, mentally and emotionally, I recommend trying to reduce the amount of current stress in your life. Go for a daily walk, exercise, yoga, etc. Select a good, preferably food-based, prenatal vitamin and begin trying to implement more healthy food choices into your diet now. All of these things will get you off to a great start!

Find Kimberly''s Facebook page here for more information about her practice generally or the Meetup; her web site is here.