In her book "Diary of a Midwife: The Power of Positive Childbearing", van Olphen-Fehr talks about her experiences as an L & D nurse in the hospital system, as well as her experiences as a midwife. The stories that she tells and the insights that she gives are amazing to those pursuing careers in childbirth professions, and even to women every where. I am not quite finished with the book yet, but would like to highlight a few things that she mentioned in her book that really spoke to me and confimred that I am on the right path, career wise.

  • "All mothers rememebr the births of their children. A memory, concious or not, stays with them for the rest of their lives".
  • The common and often unnecessary use of forceps and cesarean sections give the mother one message: 'you are inadequate'. With the sweep of a hand or the brush of a word a physician can cause a mother a lifetime of feelings of failure.
  • "Women's fears cause them to demand the technology and they become captive consumers of an obstetric system that is virtually their only choice for care in America".
  • "Mothers who take care of themselves have healthier babies".
  • "...technological birthing practices used in this country, forceps, vacuum extractions, pain medications, cesarean sections and epidurals. All of these interventions are hallmarks of what medical professionals claimed to be necessary to ensure a safe and healthy delivery...unnecessary medical interventions could not only disrupt the natural processes of birth but also could cause damage to mother and baby".

More to come so stay tuned!