Each of the 25 midwives in Into These Hands, Wisdom From Midwives was chosen because I considered her to be a Sage Femme—a Wise Woman. Who are these women?
“The midwives in this anthology are all over 50 years of age and each has been a midwife for more than 25 years, some for as many as 40 years or more. Collectively, they have more than 800 years of experience and have assisted at approximately 35,000 births. They are not only pioneers but accomplish professionals.” —Into These Hands, Wisdom from Midwives
I intentionally chose a diverse chorus of midwife voices so as to shine a light on the complexity of midwifery practice and the myriad ways in which American midwives contribute to maternity care and public health in the U.S.
“They come from all across the United States, from California to New Jersey, Arkansas to Florida. They are racially and ethnically diverse—American Indians, Latina, African American, South Asian America, and European America. They come from diverse ideological and training backgrounds. They are self-taught, apprentice-trained, attended midwifery schools, and/or received a university education. They practice in a variety of settings—homes, clinics, birth centers, hospitals, tribes and global villages and some work in other arenas such as education, research, public health and policy. ” —Into These Hands, Wisdom from Midwives
When they began catching babies in the ‘60s and ‘70s most of them had no idea they would become part of an astonishing social movement that would influence and shape the discourse about reproductive rights and content of maternity care in America.
These stories—full of grace and guts, challenges and successes, passion and humor—give the reader an unprecedented opportunity to visit the interior lives of well seasoned midwives and glean their special brand of hard-won wisdom.
Wisdom from Midwives 