1 00:00:19,840 --> 00:00:23,520 Speaker 1: That's not one day. 2 00:00:24,239 --> 00:00:26,320 Speaker 2: Welcome back to the mom's bad Choices. 3 00:00:26,440 --> 00:00:30,640 Speaker 3: I'm Neela and I'm Erica and take her out. 4 00:00:30,800 --> 00:00:35,840 Speaker 2: What's up at Happy Wednesday? How about your week so far? 5 00:00:36,320 --> 00:00:36,560 Speaker 1: Good? 6 00:00:36,720 --> 00:00:44,160 Speaker 2: Busy, usual? What did you do? Work parent, hang out 7 00:00:44,159 --> 00:00:49,279 Speaker 2: with fellow podcasters, drink with fellow podcasters, learn a lot 8 00:00:49,280 --> 00:00:51,720 Speaker 2: of things from fellow podcasters. Oh, we really did. We 9 00:00:51,760 --> 00:00:54,720 Speaker 2: had a really good A lot of times we do well. 10 00:00:54,760 --> 00:00:57,160 Speaker 3: Not to shade anybody, but we do podcasts with other 11 00:00:57,200 --> 00:00:59,720 Speaker 3: podcasters and sometimes they're not as like lit as. 12 00:00:59,640 --> 00:01:03,200 Speaker 2: Us and this podcasts are also not as like don't 13 00:01:03,200 --> 00:01:07,840 Speaker 2: want to share their there's there's secret podcast secrets, you know. 14 00:01:08,120 --> 00:01:12,039 Speaker 2: And they were really awesome. Yeah, so we did that, 15 00:01:12,840 --> 00:01:17,360 Speaker 2: and uh, I don't know. I had funeralizations this week 16 00:01:17,600 --> 00:01:21,240 Speaker 2: this week that I've already known, but they were just 17 00:01:21,240 --> 00:01:25,720 Speaker 2: confirmed again for me. Uh yeah, that's it pretty much, 18 00:01:26,240 --> 00:01:31,080 Speaker 2: you know, I'm sure different mindesday. I agree. I don't know. 19 00:01:31,120 --> 00:01:33,520 Speaker 3: It's feeling rather like hazy this week. I think I 20 00:01:33,560 --> 00:01:35,039 Speaker 3: called you like, I just feel like I'm in a cloud. 21 00:01:35,040 --> 00:01:35,920 Speaker 3: I don't know what's happening. 22 00:01:35,920 --> 00:01:36,479 Speaker 2: What's today? 23 00:01:37,560 --> 00:01:40,959 Speaker 3: Yeah, I think there's realizations and just shifting happening of energy, 24 00:01:41,000 --> 00:01:42,680 Speaker 3: and I'm feeling it and I'm just trying to sit 25 00:01:42,720 --> 00:01:44,840 Speaker 3: in it and figure out where I'm supposed to be, 26 00:01:44,920 --> 00:01:48,080 Speaker 3: what I'm supposed to be doing, and not feel rushed 27 00:01:48,200 --> 00:01:51,000 Speaker 3: or guilt about not doing, and just be and not 28 00:01:51,080 --> 00:01:53,800 Speaker 3: doing and honor that and then say what. 29 00:01:53,800 --> 00:01:58,400 Speaker 2: Are you gonna move? What's the next time? Anyway? 30 00:01:59,040 --> 00:02:02,120 Speaker 3: We have a guest here, very very very special guests 31 00:02:02,120 --> 00:02:04,639 Speaker 3: that we've been stalking for six to twelve months. 32 00:02:06,440 --> 00:02:07,680 Speaker 2: Me and ericuld do so much talking. 33 00:02:07,720 --> 00:02:19,480 Speaker 3: You're crazy Midwife, the Black Midwife, Russia, Tahini, Oh Jesus Christ. 34 00:02:19,880 --> 00:02:22,280 Speaker 1: The first time you were like and I was like yeah, 35 00:02:22,840 --> 00:02:25,320 Speaker 1: and then maybe record and just totally. 36 00:02:26,960 --> 00:02:29,079 Speaker 2: Well, there is what happens when you discuss things over 37 00:02:29,200 --> 00:02:30,600 Speaker 2: email and text. 38 00:02:30,520 --> 00:02:32,959 Speaker 1: And there's not like real words. 39 00:02:33,040 --> 00:02:33,680 Speaker 2: What's happening? 40 00:02:33,960 --> 00:02:35,840 Speaker 1: When does people? When do you have time for actually 41 00:02:36,000 --> 00:02:38,520 Speaker 1: phone conversations? I don't know, but I believe in the. 42 00:02:38,520 --> 00:02:41,400 Speaker 2: Phone conversations as I don't know, I believe I believe 43 00:02:41,440 --> 00:02:46,600 Speaker 2: in face to face. Yes, go go go please, Okay, Okay, 44 00:02:46,639 --> 00:02:49,160 Speaker 2: you don't have to go. The kids are outside, they're 45 00:02:49,160 --> 00:02:52,919 Speaker 2: already driving me. I'm like, the reason your friend is 46 00:02:52,960 --> 00:02:55,480 Speaker 2: here is will that you are distracted, Go be distracted. 47 00:02:56,040 --> 00:02:58,240 Speaker 2: I love that name Russia. What does it mean? 48 00:02:58,880 --> 00:03:04,200 Speaker 1: Okay, great story. My parents were hippies, musicians, artists. Well 49 00:03:04,280 --> 00:03:07,920 Speaker 1: my dad was my mom was just cool with all 50 00:03:07,960 --> 00:03:11,600 Speaker 1: of it. And I was there first born. And when 51 00:03:11,639 --> 00:03:13,880 Speaker 1: they were pregnant with me, they actually went to a gypsy, 52 00:03:13,960 --> 00:03:17,760 Speaker 1: a legit gypsy, to seek out what my story was 53 00:03:17,800 --> 00:03:21,000 Speaker 1: going to be in the womb. And so part of 54 00:03:21,040 --> 00:03:25,239 Speaker 1: it was my name Rasha Tahani, which means royal deer 55 00:03:25,320 --> 00:03:29,120 Speaker 1: one but like a deer by itself, not like endearment, 56 00:03:29,200 --> 00:03:31,400 Speaker 1: but like an actual like someone with antlers out somewhere. 57 00:03:32,600 --> 00:03:37,520 Speaker 1: It's Arabic and it's actually very common in Thailand. It's 58 00:03:37,520 --> 00:03:40,600 Speaker 1: a man's name or that was loads of no fun 59 00:03:40,720 --> 00:03:45,920 Speaker 1: in island and in Malaysia. And so yeah, the gypsy 60 00:03:46,000 --> 00:03:47,640 Speaker 1: told them what my name should be and that I 61 00:03:47,760 --> 00:03:48,800 Speaker 1: was a girl baby. 62 00:03:48,680 --> 00:03:50,680 Speaker 2: And they were like ooh, and then they went with that. 63 00:03:52,360 --> 00:03:56,800 Speaker 1: It sounds like something sounds like not Nichee Jamila's ally. 64 00:03:57,040 --> 00:03:58,920 Speaker 1: People always ask me, they're like, oh, so, what's your 65 00:03:58,960 --> 00:04:00,840 Speaker 1: real name? Like I changed used it to that to 66 00:04:00,960 --> 00:04:04,160 Speaker 1: this and I'm first name is My first name is Rashaw. 67 00:04:04,720 --> 00:04:07,920 Speaker 1: My middle name is to honey and go somewhere around 68 00:04:08,120 --> 00:04:11,960 Speaker 1: like college. I decided I liked all of it together, 69 00:04:12,320 --> 00:04:15,760 Speaker 1: and that's apparently how it was supposed to be, and 70 00:04:15,880 --> 00:04:17,600 Speaker 1: so I just was like, oh, yeah, that's my that's 71 00:04:17,600 --> 00:04:18,000 Speaker 1: my get. 72 00:04:17,880 --> 00:04:18,720 Speaker 2: Down, it's my jammie. 73 00:04:18,960 --> 00:04:20,960 Speaker 1: But yes, people oftentimes it will be like, so, what's 74 00:04:21,000 --> 00:04:23,160 Speaker 1: your real name? And I'm like, that is my name 75 00:04:23,480 --> 00:04:24,320 Speaker 1: on your birth certificate. 76 00:04:24,400 --> 00:04:26,520 Speaker 3: I was like, I don't even know why they're asked. 77 00:04:26,520 --> 00:04:30,000 Speaker 3: That sounds like a real name name, not like blue leaf. 78 00:04:31,760 --> 00:04:42,040 Speaker 1: Noice to the blue leaves about not blue leaf, possibly 79 00:04:42,279 --> 00:04:44,440 Speaker 1: in my in my line of work, possibly there's blue IV. 80 00:04:44,600 --> 00:04:47,560 Speaker 2: So yeah, well that's what are not far off? 81 00:04:47,680 --> 00:04:47,880 Speaker 4: That was? 82 00:04:52,279 --> 00:04:54,040 Speaker 2: So how did you get into birth work? Like what 83 00:04:54,200 --> 00:04:56,440 Speaker 2: is your story in your line of work? How did 84 00:04:56,480 --> 00:04:58,040 Speaker 2: you discover that was your passion? 85 00:04:58,760 --> 00:05:00,719 Speaker 1: You know, that's a really great question. 86 00:05:01,000 --> 00:05:01,440 Speaker 2: I'm sorry. 87 00:05:01,440 --> 00:05:06,040 Speaker 1: I'm always distracted by little especially beautiful littles, beautiful chocolate littles. 88 00:05:08,720 --> 00:05:13,240 Speaker 2: So my sorry, we're just doing a lot of miming 89 00:05:13,360 --> 00:05:15,640 Speaker 2: because we literally just have this car. I feel like 90 00:05:15,680 --> 00:05:18,040 Speaker 2: we don't do this every week. I should have brought go, 91 00:05:18,200 --> 00:05:21,880 Speaker 2: get the snaps, do whatever you want. This is all 92 00:05:21,960 --> 00:05:25,599 Speaker 2: it's your world, just go, go, go crazy, do whatever 93 00:05:25,640 --> 00:05:28,599 Speaker 2: you want. Oh god, that's scary. It's a scary thought. Yeah, 94 00:05:29,279 --> 00:05:30,839 Speaker 2: but there were only four. So if you told us, 95 00:05:31,000 --> 00:05:32,679 Speaker 2: like me at fifteen, do whatever I want. 96 00:05:32,520 --> 00:05:36,880 Speaker 1: To, I would have the car, heat a phone book. 97 00:05:36,920 --> 00:05:39,080 Speaker 1: I'd be like, let's got my mom's credit card. 98 00:05:39,120 --> 00:05:40,440 Speaker 2: We're going to day it right. 99 00:05:41,080 --> 00:05:43,440 Speaker 1: Well now fifteen now would be like, let's get in 100 00:05:43,440 --> 00:05:47,880 Speaker 1: and buy all the apps. Oh hang about that. 101 00:05:48,080 --> 00:05:49,600 Speaker 2: Yeah, I wouldn't even have to move. Let's just get 102 00:05:49,600 --> 00:05:50,000 Speaker 2: all the apps. 103 00:05:50,040 --> 00:05:51,960 Speaker 1: Exactly, you sit here and buy all the apps. 104 00:05:52,080 --> 00:05:54,680 Speaker 2: Oh so hm. 105 00:05:54,839 --> 00:06:01,240 Speaker 1: Childhood. I I came to Midwiffrey late, and I say 106 00:06:01,320 --> 00:06:04,720 Speaker 1: that with air quotes late in the sense that my 107 00:06:05,040 --> 00:06:09,320 Speaker 1: entire childhood was spent around my grandmother, my paternal grandmother, 108 00:06:09,400 --> 00:06:12,440 Speaker 1: who was a labor and delivery nurse for many, many 109 00:06:12,520 --> 00:06:16,880 Speaker 1: years in Los Angeles, was a nurse during the time 110 00:06:16,920 --> 00:06:19,720 Speaker 1: of segregation, so meaning working on a unit and it 111 00:06:19,839 --> 00:06:22,680 Speaker 1: being only black and brown people, and if there was 112 00:06:22,720 --> 00:06:24,960 Speaker 1: a blacker round doctor, then that's who they did the 113 00:06:25,000 --> 00:06:27,720 Speaker 1: births with. But if there wasn't, it was like when 114 00:06:27,760 --> 00:06:29,920 Speaker 1: the white doctors got around to it, And so she 115 00:06:30,040 --> 00:06:34,000 Speaker 1: caught a lot of babies and her grandmother was a midwife. 116 00:06:34,200 --> 00:06:37,320 Speaker 1: She helped her grandmother with one of her siblings deliveries. 117 00:06:37,360 --> 00:06:40,400 Speaker 1: She was one of eleven, and so I grew up 118 00:06:40,440 --> 00:06:42,920 Speaker 1: a round birth. I don't know why I wasn't like 119 00:06:43,080 --> 00:06:44,760 Speaker 1: twelve talking about, oh I want to be a midwife 120 00:06:44,760 --> 00:06:46,520 Speaker 1: when I get older. But it just wasn't. It was 121 00:06:46,600 --> 00:06:49,160 Speaker 1: just so normalized. It wasn't even like a career thought. 122 00:06:51,279 --> 00:06:56,680 Speaker 1: I was working for Kaiser Permanente in environmental health and safeties. 123 00:06:56,760 --> 00:07:02,040 Speaker 1: I was an emergency preparedness department administrator. I like schedule 124 00:07:02,080 --> 00:07:07,560 Speaker 1: everybody's trips and yeah, classes and whatever else they did. 125 00:07:09,320 --> 00:07:15,160 Speaker 1: I guess train me for conflict resolution and cultural competency. 126 00:07:15,880 --> 00:07:17,320 Speaker 2: So that was like a class I used. 127 00:07:17,200 --> 00:07:18,440 Speaker 1: To teach, which is hilarious to me. 128 00:07:18,560 --> 00:07:22,280 Speaker 2: In the hospital, No, in the corporate Okay, so I'm like, 129 00:07:22,360 --> 00:07:22,560 Speaker 2: you know. 130 00:07:22,600 --> 00:07:25,280 Speaker 1: Talking to people about racism, which is like talking to 131 00:07:25,320 --> 00:07:27,000 Speaker 1: a wall as a black person to white. 132 00:07:26,840 --> 00:07:30,040 Speaker 3: People, talk talking to the employees, talking to employees about racism. 133 00:07:30,680 --> 00:07:35,280 Speaker 1: Yeah. So while I was working that job, this is amazing, right, Sorry, 134 00:07:35,640 --> 00:07:38,080 Speaker 1: this is what happens. We haven't this is this is mothering. Yeah, 135 00:07:38,080 --> 00:07:39,800 Speaker 1: we haven't had an actressot with them here in a 136 00:07:39,840 --> 00:07:41,880 Speaker 1: long time. I mean, I think we got forgot you 137 00:07:42,040 --> 00:07:45,360 Speaker 1: forgot this is this is parenting. 138 00:07:45,440 --> 00:07:47,760 Speaker 2: It usually it comes around like the twenty minute Market's 139 00:07:47,840 --> 00:07:50,120 Speaker 2: just been from one minute on but it's fine. I 140 00:07:50,240 --> 00:07:52,280 Speaker 2: love them, but but then maybe they'll. 141 00:07:52,080 --> 00:07:54,480 Speaker 1: Be fine and later on we read the end. Who knows, 142 00:07:54,520 --> 00:07:56,880 Speaker 1: I don't know. But AnyWho, how I ended up at 143 00:07:56,960 --> 00:08:00,000 Speaker 1: Midwifferies where I was like, oh, why haven't I been 144 00:08:00,160 --> 00:08:03,280 Speaker 1: doing this for the last fifty eleven years. I was 145 00:08:03,360 --> 00:08:08,920 Speaker 1: at Kaiser and my cousin by marriage she calls and 146 00:08:09,040 --> 00:08:10,559 Speaker 1: she's like, well, if you want to be at this birth, 147 00:08:10,760 --> 00:08:12,400 Speaker 1: you know, you better come on, and she'd already give 148 00:08:12,400 --> 00:08:14,240 Speaker 1: me a head if she was having first one. This 149 00:08:14,280 --> 00:08:15,680 Speaker 1: would be the first birth that I would go to 150 00:08:15,840 --> 00:08:18,000 Speaker 1: with the intention of I'm going to go see a berth. 151 00:08:18,080 --> 00:08:20,280 Speaker 1: But I had been to berths before, like in hospitals, 152 00:08:21,040 --> 00:08:23,680 Speaker 1: and but never went at home, never went at home. 153 00:08:23,760 --> 00:08:26,480 Speaker 1: And me at this point, like I was wearing braids 154 00:08:26,520 --> 00:08:30,400 Speaker 1: more often, I was wearing my fro. But I think 155 00:08:30,520 --> 00:08:32,960 Speaker 1: like literally two weeks earlier, I had like a ridiculous 156 00:08:33,000 --> 00:08:34,520 Speaker 1: now we can'bell weaves my butt, Like I was a 157 00:08:34,559 --> 00:08:38,760 Speaker 1: completely different person, and so I remember asking her like, 158 00:08:39,000 --> 00:08:41,719 Speaker 1: what is one way to a birth, like that's the 159 00:08:41,880 --> 00:08:43,840 Speaker 1: la girl in me, so her what do I work? 160 00:08:45,320 --> 00:08:45,360 Speaker 5: Like? 161 00:08:46,760 --> 00:08:50,079 Speaker 1: Should like should I not have my nails done? 162 00:08:50,200 --> 00:08:53,200 Speaker 2: Like I was really that hippie outfit because it's going 163 00:08:53,240 --> 00:08:54,600 Speaker 2: to be exactly should I wear. 164 00:08:54,480 --> 00:08:55,199 Speaker 1: Like a moon moves? 165 00:08:55,360 --> 00:08:57,920 Speaker 2: I have some I have some kaftans, Like are we 166 00:08:57,960 --> 00:08:59,960 Speaker 2: gonna drum? Like I didn't. I really had no clue, 167 00:09:00,360 --> 00:09:03,439 Speaker 2: hear me, And then I roll up to the house 168 00:09:03,559 --> 00:09:05,040 Speaker 2: and I have to say it. 169 00:09:05,040 --> 00:09:08,080 Speaker 1: Because it's relevant. She at the time was a recording 170 00:09:08,160 --> 00:09:10,400 Speaker 1: artist and a writer, and so was her husband and producer. 171 00:09:11,040 --> 00:09:13,280 Speaker 1: And in between the contractions, this is her third baby. 172 00:09:13,520 --> 00:09:17,199 Speaker 1: She's in her sound booth laying down vocals in between contractions, 173 00:09:17,720 --> 00:09:19,959 Speaker 1: and the two little white maiwives are in the corner knitting, 174 00:09:20,000 --> 00:09:22,040 Speaker 1: and I'm just like, what is this life? 175 00:09:22,120 --> 00:09:22,800 Speaker 6: What is it? 176 00:09:22,960 --> 00:09:23,000 Speaker 5: Like? 177 00:09:23,360 --> 00:09:25,040 Speaker 1: I was like, Oh, this must be something that wealthy 178 00:09:25,040 --> 00:09:25,400 Speaker 1: po will do. 179 00:09:25,800 --> 00:09:28,160 Speaker 2: Anyway, is this before or after you've had your children? 180 00:09:28,200 --> 00:09:32,120 Speaker 1: I've had no children's this time. I was super, super young. 181 00:09:32,160 --> 00:09:32,800 Speaker 5: I think. 182 00:09:34,440 --> 00:09:36,360 Speaker 1: Maybe I was legal to drink. Maybe I don't know. 183 00:09:36,880 --> 00:09:40,720 Speaker 1: But I'm there and it's fifty eleven family members. There's grandparents, 184 00:09:40,800 --> 00:09:43,360 Speaker 1: great grandparents, there the littles, her older children and her 185 00:09:43,360 --> 00:09:45,679 Speaker 1: and her husband's older children are running around, and then 186 00:09:45,720 --> 00:09:48,079 Speaker 1: after she can't record any more vocals than she's just 187 00:09:48,160 --> 00:09:51,959 Speaker 1: like in her room and when her I think she 188 00:09:52,240 --> 00:09:55,719 Speaker 1: I think Canie was four, maybe four when she got 189 00:09:55,800 --> 00:09:57,960 Speaker 1: up on the bed when her sister's head was crowning 190 00:09:58,040 --> 00:09:59,920 Speaker 1: and was touching her sister's head and then looks at 191 00:10:00,000 --> 00:10:00,240 Speaker 1: all of. 192 00:10:00,280 --> 00:10:02,880 Speaker 2: Us and it's like, it's my sister, My sister's coming. 193 00:10:03,000 --> 00:10:06,560 Speaker 2: I was in the corner like this, all the tears 194 00:10:06,720 --> 00:10:08,800 Speaker 2: and just being like, how do I do this. 195 00:10:08,880 --> 00:10:12,559 Speaker 1: For a living? This is amazing? And she helped catch 196 00:10:12,600 --> 00:10:15,400 Speaker 1: her baby sister. Her dad caught, but she helped, and 197 00:10:15,600 --> 00:10:17,640 Speaker 1: then she's my cousin just started nursing right away, and 198 00:10:17,679 --> 00:10:19,160 Speaker 1: then everyone was just acting like it was no big deal. 199 00:10:19,200 --> 00:10:20,559 Speaker 1: I went in the kitchen and was just called to 200 00:10:20,600 --> 00:10:22,600 Speaker 1: make soup, like literally, the ancestors were like, you gotta 201 00:10:22,600 --> 00:10:23,080 Speaker 1: get in there and mix. 202 00:10:25,160 --> 00:10:26,319 Speaker 2: I was like, I gotta make some soup. 203 00:10:26,600 --> 00:10:28,440 Speaker 1: Like my duder was already like I think fried chicken 204 00:10:28,480 --> 00:10:31,640 Speaker 1: and lasagnya because it's black people, and a pound cake 205 00:10:31,679 --> 00:10:33,040 Speaker 1: and some monkey bread. And I was like, I'm gonna 206 00:10:33,080 --> 00:10:37,280 Speaker 1: make a soup. Yeah, and we just we hung out 207 00:10:37,600 --> 00:10:41,160 Speaker 1: for hours and the midwives did all their little checks 208 00:10:41,280 --> 00:10:43,600 Speaker 1: and whatever and measure the baby and wave the baby, 209 00:10:43,600 --> 00:10:44,760 Speaker 1: and they were like, okay, I have a good night. 210 00:10:44,800 --> 00:10:45,959 Speaker 1: We'll see you in a couple of days. And I 211 00:10:46,400 --> 00:10:49,040 Speaker 1: followed them out to the car and I was like, okay, 212 00:10:49,160 --> 00:10:51,440 Speaker 1: so how do I do this? Where's your office? 213 00:10:51,640 --> 00:10:52,680 Speaker 2: Can I sign up? 214 00:10:52,840 --> 00:10:52,880 Speaker 6: Like? 215 00:10:52,880 --> 00:10:55,400 Speaker 1: Where do I go to school? And they're just like, oh, yeah, 216 00:10:55,440 --> 00:10:57,679 Speaker 1: that's everybody, so sweet bye, and I was like no, no, no, 217 00:10:57,880 --> 00:11:01,720 Speaker 1: really no. They gave Sarah and I proceeded to stock 218 00:11:01,800 --> 00:11:04,079 Speaker 1: that poor woman for like three months. And she was 219 00:11:04,160 --> 00:11:06,480 Speaker 1: just like, look, everyone goes to a homebirth and thinks 220 00:11:06,520 --> 00:11:07,920 Speaker 1: they want to be a midwife. And I was like no, 221 00:11:08,240 --> 00:11:10,840 Speaker 1: Like I felt like I was supposed to already been 222 00:11:10,920 --> 00:11:14,719 Speaker 1: doing this when I was sitting there. And she was like, oh, well, 223 00:11:14,800 --> 00:11:16,720 Speaker 1: unfortunately I don't. I don't need an apprentice right now. 224 00:11:16,720 --> 00:11:19,199 Speaker 1: I'm really sorry. At that point in time in LA, 225 00:11:19,400 --> 00:11:21,600 Speaker 1: there were no black licensed home birth midwives. 226 00:11:21,640 --> 00:11:22,040 Speaker 4: This is the. 227 00:11:24,240 --> 00:11:29,720 Speaker 1: Very late nineties. Yeah, And there was one home birth 228 00:11:29,760 --> 00:11:34,480 Speaker 1: midwife that was unlicensed, so practicing illegally, but was very skilled, 229 00:11:34,559 --> 00:11:36,520 Speaker 1: had had her children at home with her husband, she 230 00:11:36,720 --> 00:11:39,800 Speaker 1: was vegan. I think she even was like n you know, 231 00:11:40,280 --> 00:11:42,839 Speaker 1: on some other situation where she was like drinking only 232 00:11:43,000 --> 00:11:45,600 Speaker 1: herbs at one point, like she was on a whole 233 00:11:45,640 --> 00:11:47,640 Speaker 1: other level. She had gone to nursing school. She was 234 00:11:47,679 --> 00:11:50,560 Speaker 1: from the South, but she was just like our people 235 00:11:50,640 --> 00:11:53,559 Speaker 1: meet us. And so I started prenticing with her and 236 00:11:54,360 --> 00:11:56,840 Speaker 1: doing the Kaiser things still, and like slowly at Kaiser 237 00:11:56,880 --> 00:11:59,280 Speaker 1: they're like, wow, your hair's just getting nappier and nappier. 238 00:12:00,520 --> 00:12:02,800 Speaker 1: You know, we noticed that you really not come into 239 00:12:02,800 --> 00:12:05,079 Speaker 1: the office sek like you used to. And I was like, 240 00:12:05,160 --> 00:12:06,800 Speaker 1: you know what, this is not my love, Let me 241 00:12:06,880 --> 00:12:10,080 Speaker 1: go get in nursing school. And I did nursing school 242 00:12:10,120 --> 00:12:14,920 Speaker 1: for a little bit and came head on with the 243 00:12:15,040 --> 00:12:19,319 Speaker 1: realities of the medical system, which was if I was 244 00:12:19,400 --> 00:12:22,480 Speaker 1: going to work in it, I was then being complicit 245 00:12:22,720 --> 00:12:25,080 Speaker 1: in the way they treated black people in their birthing, 246 00:12:26,000 --> 00:12:28,480 Speaker 1: and that I really didn't have a voice to try 247 00:12:28,559 --> 00:12:30,800 Speaker 1: and fix it or help them, at least in my 248 00:12:31,640 --> 00:12:35,680 Speaker 1: in my mind, and I will say, being a scorpio, 249 00:12:35,720 --> 00:12:36,560 Speaker 1: I don't like people. 250 00:12:36,360 --> 00:12:36,920 Speaker 6: Telling me what to do. 251 00:12:37,840 --> 00:12:38,440 Speaker 2: Joined the club. 252 00:12:39,440 --> 00:12:43,000 Speaker 1: It's a thing. It's a thing. I don't like people 253 00:12:43,040 --> 00:12:45,760 Speaker 1: telling me what to do. And so the straw that 254 00:12:45,800 --> 00:12:49,480 Speaker 1: broke the Campbell's back was during the week, during a 255 00:12:49,559 --> 00:12:51,720 Speaker 1: specific week, I had gone to like three home births, 256 00:12:51,760 --> 00:12:54,559 Speaker 1: these beautiful black families pushing out their babies. And it 257 00:12:54,720 --> 00:12:57,040 Speaker 1: wasn't two of them. It was they had done lots 258 00:12:57,080 --> 00:12:58,280 Speaker 1: of research and they were like, we're having a home 259 00:12:58,320 --> 00:12:59,880 Speaker 1: birth because this is the best thing for our family. 260 00:13:00,040 --> 00:13:05,160 Speaker 1: Another it was because the husband wasn't sure if his 261 00:13:05,280 --> 00:13:07,840 Speaker 1: felony had been expunged, and he was worried that if 262 00:13:07,880 --> 00:13:10,400 Speaker 1: they had a hospital birth that he might be arrested 263 00:13:10,679 --> 00:13:12,880 Speaker 1: or that there might be some mess. But he had 264 00:13:13,040 --> 00:13:15,559 Speaker 1: documents saying that it had been expunged, but he was 265 00:13:15,679 --> 00:13:17,360 Speaker 1: still fearful, still fearful. 266 00:13:17,440 --> 00:13:18,360 Speaker 2: I actually have a friend. 267 00:13:18,520 --> 00:13:21,000 Speaker 3: We have a friend who got arrested at the at 268 00:13:21,040 --> 00:13:22,920 Speaker 3: the hospital at the birth of his child before he 269 00:13:23,000 --> 00:13:23,760 Speaker 3: picked that child up. 270 00:13:23,880 --> 00:13:24,080 Speaker 2: Yep. 271 00:13:24,640 --> 00:13:26,520 Speaker 1: And that's what this father was afraid of. And this 272 00:13:26,679 --> 00:13:28,800 Speaker 1: is like the gentlest giant. He was probably like six 273 00:13:28,920 --> 00:13:31,400 Speaker 1: or eleven and three hundred pounds, but like so sweet 274 00:13:32,000 --> 00:13:34,880 Speaker 1: and his wife was like, yeah, I know that we 275 00:13:34,960 --> 00:13:36,679 Speaker 1: can't that's that can't be the way we welcome our 276 00:13:36,679 --> 00:13:39,360 Speaker 1: baby in. So those have been the three experiences I had. 277 00:13:39,440 --> 00:13:41,480 Speaker 1: I went to the hospital for my shift as a 278 00:13:41,559 --> 00:13:45,319 Speaker 1: nursing student, and this group of women came in who 279 00:13:45,400 --> 00:13:53,640 Speaker 1: now I believe were East African, like somewhere like around 280 00:13:53,920 --> 00:13:56,840 Speaker 1: like a Bedouin tribe type situation, because they were shrouded 281 00:13:56,880 --> 00:13:59,040 Speaker 1: in all these beautiful fabrics. No one could find a 282 00:13:59,120 --> 00:14:01,400 Speaker 1: translator for them, but it was very clear that there 283 00:14:01,480 --> 00:14:03,679 Speaker 1: was one person in labor and that all the other 284 00:14:03,720 --> 00:14:07,000 Speaker 1: women with her were supporting that labor. And I just 285 00:14:07,040 --> 00:14:08,840 Speaker 1: saw black people and I was like, Okay, I'm going 286 00:14:08,880 --> 00:14:10,160 Speaker 1: to try and help. Everyone else was kind of like, 287 00:14:10,200 --> 00:14:10,640 Speaker 1: I don't. 288 00:14:10,440 --> 00:14:14,160 Speaker 2: Know what's wrong with them. We're trying to get a translator. 289 00:14:14,200 --> 00:14:15,400 Speaker 1: Can you just get them in the room. And I 290 00:14:15,480 --> 00:14:17,280 Speaker 1: was like okay, And one of the nurses was like 291 00:14:17,360 --> 00:14:19,080 Speaker 1: get her. IVY started get her on the monitor, and 292 00:14:19,120 --> 00:14:21,560 Speaker 1: I'm like, okay, no, first off, that's not the job 293 00:14:21,600 --> 00:14:22,480 Speaker 1: of a nursing assistant. 294 00:14:22,520 --> 00:14:23,400 Speaker 2: That's a nurse's job. 295 00:14:23,520 --> 00:14:26,360 Speaker 1: But you know, I was over zealous, and they were like, well, chy, 296 00:14:26,440 --> 00:14:28,920 Speaker 1: I'll do it. I get them in the room, but 297 00:14:29,040 --> 00:14:32,520 Speaker 1: this is all like hand gestures and you know, making sounds, 298 00:14:32,600 --> 00:14:34,440 Speaker 1: and I don't I don't even I don't even know 299 00:14:34,480 --> 00:14:36,520 Speaker 1: to this day with language they spoke and it was 300 00:14:36,600 --> 00:14:39,720 Speaker 1: clear maybe one person kind of spoke English. Well, they 301 00:14:39,760 --> 00:14:43,040 Speaker 1: pull out all these gorgeous pillows and she is pulling, 302 00:14:43,120 --> 00:14:46,040 Speaker 1: hiking up her dress to squat and birth the baby 303 00:14:46,160 --> 00:14:49,080 Speaker 1: in the room with these pillows, and I'm like, oh, yeah, 304 00:14:49,160 --> 00:14:51,880 Speaker 1: we're doing this. It's amazing. And me being me, I'm like, well, 305 00:14:51,960 --> 00:14:53,720 Speaker 1: let's they cover those pillows with something because those are 306 00:14:53,760 --> 00:14:56,080 Speaker 1: really nice. And they were like throwing them away, like no, no, no, 307 00:14:56,200 --> 00:14:57,960 Speaker 1: the baby has to be born on these pillows. And 308 00:14:58,000 --> 00:15:00,560 Speaker 1: I was like, oh, well, I'm about this, And right 309 00:15:00,600 --> 00:15:03,400 Speaker 1: as the baby is literally crowning coming, I'm opening the 310 00:15:03,440 --> 00:15:04,680 Speaker 1: door and being like someone needs to get in here. 311 00:15:04,760 --> 00:15:10,360 Speaker 1: The baby's coming. And what happened next was just horrifying. 312 00:15:11,000 --> 00:15:14,360 Speaker 1: They're screaming at them, they're telling the women to get 313 00:15:14,400 --> 00:15:16,560 Speaker 1: in the corner. They're trying to lift this person up 314 00:15:17,040 --> 00:15:20,320 Speaker 1: off the floor with a baby's head basically coming out 315 00:15:20,480 --> 00:15:22,840 Speaker 1: and screaming at her don't push, don't push, And I'm like, 316 00:15:22,920 --> 00:15:27,000 Speaker 1: she doesn't understand you, but because like everything is fine 317 00:15:27,000 --> 00:15:31,120 Speaker 1: and you are messing it up. And she ended up 318 00:15:31,160 --> 00:15:33,400 Speaker 1: like some kind of way pushing her way, and the 319 00:15:33,440 --> 00:15:35,120 Speaker 1: baby was born on the pillow, and then they all 320 00:15:35,200 --> 00:15:38,200 Speaker 1: freaked out and it was like bla, which means born 321 00:15:38,240 --> 00:15:40,120 Speaker 1: out of sepsis, So like the baby wasn't born in 322 00:15:40,120 --> 00:15:43,320 Speaker 1: a sterile field, and so the pillows were the pillows 323 00:15:43,320 --> 00:15:46,960 Speaker 1: were upstairs, and so then it was like them taking 324 00:15:47,040 --> 00:15:49,320 Speaker 1: the baby from her and trying to do all the 325 00:15:49,360 --> 00:15:51,800 Speaker 1: stuff to do the baby examine her, screaming like what 326 00:15:51,840 --> 00:15:53,960 Speaker 1: are you women trying to fight? And I was just 327 00:15:54,040 --> 00:15:56,600 Speaker 1: standing there like oh my god, because I'm a kid 328 00:15:56,680 --> 00:16:00,760 Speaker 1: and I'm just like oh. And then I got reprimanded 329 00:16:00,760 --> 00:16:03,080 Speaker 1: and it was like, you know, you are losing your 330 00:16:03,120 --> 00:16:06,680 Speaker 1: clinical privileges. You can only observe now and this is 331 00:16:06,720 --> 00:16:07,520 Speaker 1: not how we do things. 332 00:16:07,600 --> 00:16:08,080 Speaker 2: And that was it. 333 00:16:08,440 --> 00:16:10,600 Speaker 3: You set me in a room with eight people I 334 00:16:10,640 --> 00:16:12,600 Speaker 3: don't speak the same language, as you told me to 335 00:16:12,640 --> 00:16:15,320 Speaker 3: put them on an IVY monitor. The baby is crowning, 336 00:16:15,440 --> 00:16:17,440 Speaker 3: no one is present, and I'm. 337 00:16:19,040 --> 00:16:20,520 Speaker 1: Even though I did the part where I opened the 338 00:16:20,560 --> 00:16:22,000 Speaker 1: door and I said, you know, we need helping here, 339 00:16:22,280 --> 00:16:25,280 Speaker 1: and I was like this is I was like, I 340 00:16:25,320 --> 00:16:27,480 Speaker 1: can't be complicit in this, like how they truated this 341 00:16:27,640 --> 00:16:31,320 Speaker 1: person and you know, they don't know their rights, they 342 00:16:31,360 --> 00:16:33,240 Speaker 1: don't know anything they just thought, oh, we have to 343 00:16:33,240 --> 00:16:35,680 Speaker 1: come to the hospital to have this baby. And I 344 00:16:35,760 --> 00:16:38,120 Speaker 1: felt horrible, and I was like, how am I going 345 00:16:38,200 --> 00:16:40,320 Speaker 1: to work in this? How am I gonna every day 346 00:16:40,400 --> 00:16:43,000 Speaker 1: come in and be okay with this or be fighting 347 00:16:43,120 --> 00:16:44,800 Speaker 1: constantly with the people that I work with and the 348 00:16:44,840 --> 00:16:46,800 Speaker 1: system that's in place that is not going to change. 349 00:16:47,280 --> 00:16:48,520 Speaker 1: And so that's when I was like, all right, I'm 350 00:16:48,520 --> 00:16:51,640 Speaker 1: gonna become a home birth midwife. And I thought I 351 00:16:51,800 --> 00:16:54,600 Speaker 1: just had to kind of go the illegal route because 352 00:16:54,720 --> 00:16:56,240 Speaker 1: I couldn't get an apprenticeship. 353 00:16:56,480 --> 00:16:58,160 Speaker 2: None of the white midwives. 354 00:16:57,720 --> 00:17:01,240 Speaker 1: Would even take my call. Wow, they wouldn't see me, 355 00:17:01,240 --> 00:17:03,680 Speaker 1: they wouldn't schedule me. This one woman scheduled me. She 356 00:17:03,800 --> 00:17:06,080 Speaker 1: was all the way in Orange County and she basically 357 00:17:06,200 --> 00:17:08,080 Speaker 1: she had seen like you know, when you're young, you 358 00:17:08,160 --> 00:17:10,360 Speaker 1: put everything on your resume, even things that are not relevant. 359 00:17:11,000 --> 00:17:14,040 Speaker 1: In this radio station, long time ago, you used to 360 00:17:14,040 --> 00:17:15,560 Speaker 1: be called the beat. I think it's the beat now, 361 00:17:15,640 --> 00:17:17,760 Speaker 1: but it's something new. But a long time ago, they 362 00:17:17,800 --> 00:17:19,240 Speaker 1: had a street team and I was on the street team. 363 00:17:19,240 --> 00:17:20,240 Speaker 1: And I was one of the kids that would like 364 00:17:20,280 --> 00:17:24,080 Speaker 1: run around with the flyers and this club, this club, 365 00:17:24,160 --> 00:17:25,840 Speaker 1: this club, this club. I would do that and you 366 00:17:25,880 --> 00:17:27,840 Speaker 1: don't get paid. It's just like then you can go 367 00:17:27,880 --> 00:17:31,520 Speaker 1: to the club enough to go to the club exactly. 368 00:17:31,720 --> 00:17:34,879 Speaker 1: And she heard about that and wanted me to be 369 00:17:35,000 --> 00:17:38,520 Speaker 1: her student to get her on radio stations. She saw 370 00:17:38,680 --> 00:17:40,680 Speaker 1: ninety Birth of the Street Team and she said this, 371 00:17:40,800 --> 00:17:42,240 Speaker 1: So she was like, so do you think you could 372 00:17:42,240 --> 00:17:44,440 Speaker 1: schedule me some interviews on some of the local radio 373 00:17:44,480 --> 00:17:45,879 Speaker 1: station shows and like. 374 00:17:46,040 --> 00:17:47,560 Speaker 2: Not trying to teach me how to be a midwife. 375 00:17:47,640 --> 00:17:49,200 Speaker 2: And I was just saying, how you'd be thinking. 376 00:17:50,359 --> 00:17:52,919 Speaker 1: I was like, oh, yeah, no, bye, and I left. 377 00:17:53,640 --> 00:17:55,680 Speaker 1: And then I found out about this school and it 378 00:17:55,760 --> 00:17:57,960 Speaker 1: was all the way in Texas at the time. My 379 00:17:58,160 --> 00:18:00,800 Speaker 1: then husband didn't have a job at the time. I 380 00:18:00,840 --> 00:18:02,760 Speaker 1: had like fifty eleven. I was braiding hair, I was 381 00:18:02,800 --> 00:18:04,840 Speaker 1: starting people's locks, I was watching people's babies. I was 382 00:18:04,880 --> 00:18:07,520 Speaker 1: working in the hospital. I was being a midwifree student apprentice, 383 00:18:07,840 --> 00:18:10,200 Speaker 1: all kinds of things. And this school was like, we 384 00:18:10,320 --> 00:18:12,120 Speaker 1: have a Woman of Color scholarship and if you write 385 00:18:12,160 --> 00:18:13,680 Speaker 1: us an essaying we love it, you can come here 386 00:18:13,720 --> 00:18:16,040 Speaker 1: for free. So I like give them all of the 387 00:18:16,119 --> 00:18:18,040 Speaker 1: story that I just gave you, and they were like, 388 00:18:18,320 --> 00:18:21,680 Speaker 1: you can come here for free. And I proceeded to 389 00:18:22,080 --> 00:18:25,920 Speaker 1: work my ass off for another eight months, saving every 390 00:18:25,960 --> 00:18:29,240 Speaker 1: single paycheck and paying just rent and whatever little bills 391 00:18:29,280 --> 00:18:31,560 Speaker 1: we had. We sold our stuff and we moved to 392 00:18:31,640 --> 00:18:36,040 Speaker 1: Texas and I went to school and graduated. Pregnant, and 393 00:18:37,880 --> 00:18:41,520 Speaker 1: I graduated, and then had my son like six months 394 00:18:41,600 --> 00:18:45,400 Speaker 1: later at home, and I never at like as soon 395 00:18:45,440 --> 00:18:50,000 Speaker 1: as he was I think it was maybe six months old, 396 00:18:50,040 --> 00:18:51,160 Speaker 1: we went to our first home birth. 397 00:18:52,240 --> 00:18:53,000 Speaker 2: You had a home birth. 398 00:18:53,240 --> 00:18:54,240 Speaker 1: I had a home birth with him. 399 00:18:54,440 --> 00:18:55,359 Speaker 2: Who was your maidbye? 400 00:18:55,760 --> 00:18:58,720 Speaker 1: So it was teachers from the school and one of 401 00:18:59,320 --> 00:19:01,720 Speaker 1: my she's now one of my best friends, but she 402 00:19:01,840 --> 00:19:04,720 Speaker 1: was one of the teacher's best friends, and she was 403 00:19:04,760 --> 00:19:09,159 Speaker 1: a midwife who had graduated. All white women, but an 404 00:19:09,240 --> 00:19:14,240 Speaker 1: interesting team. So the most experienced was actually the clinical 405 00:19:14,280 --> 00:19:16,680 Speaker 1: director of the school, who was still in Texas and 406 00:19:16,760 --> 00:19:19,600 Speaker 1: runs a birth center. She was a white lesbian and 407 00:19:19,720 --> 00:19:21,760 Speaker 1: she was political, and she was the first white woman 408 00:19:21,800 --> 00:19:23,879 Speaker 1: I ever saw in a midwif free conference stand up 409 00:19:23,920 --> 00:19:25,600 Speaker 1: and be like, where are the black women? 410 00:19:25,640 --> 00:19:27,600 Speaker 2: Where are the black people? Where are black people? In 411 00:19:27,680 --> 00:19:28,640 Speaker 2: the history of midwif free. 412 00:19:28,920 --> 00:19:31,680 Speaker 1: Y'all are all wrong, y'all are all like foul, and 413 00:19:32,359 --> 00:19:34,320 Speaker 1: none of you have black students, like, what are you doing? 414 00:19:34,359 --> 00:19:35,639 Speaker 1: And I was like, oh, I like her. 415 00:19:36,040 --> 00:19:36,800 Speaker 2: We can be friends. 416 00:19:37,520 --> 00:19:40,480 Speaker 1: And then someone who had kind of studied under her, 417 00:19:40,560 --> 00:19:42,680 Speaker 1: who was from Cali. She was a Cali girl, she 418 00:19:42,800 --> 00:19:45,280 Speaker 1: knew La. She was white, but she was cool and 419 00:19:45,400 --> 00:19:47,920 Speaker 1: I was like, okay you. And then she had this 420 00:19:48,040 --> 00:19:49,800 Speaker 1: friend that was from Jersey and I was just like, 421 00:19:49,920 --> 00:19:50,800 Speaker 1: I don't like her. 422 00:19:53,560 --> 00:19:56,679 Speaker 2: What is with her attitude? And then we ended up 423 00:19:56,720 --> 00:19:57,520 Speaker 2: being best friends. 424 00:19:57,640 --> 00:20:01,040 Speaker 1: Like she was a writer. Like when my then husband 425 00:20:01,080 --> 00:20:03,280 Speaker 1: tapped out when I was on my fifth hour of 426 00:20:03,720 --> 00:20:06,399 Speaker 1: back labor, she like got in there, rollers leeves up 427 00:20:06,440 --> 00:20:08,200 Speaker 1: and was like giving me this counter pressure for like 428 00:20:08,640 --> 00:20:09,520 Speaker 1: four hours straight. 429 00:20:09,720 --> 00:20:11,159 Speaker 6: And I was like, I love you. 430 00:20:11,880 --> 00:20:12,320 Speaker 2: He can go. 431 00:20:12,560 --> 00:20:17,560 Speaker 1: You can say he was so luckily replaced. And then 432 00:20:17,600 --> 00:20:19,520 Speaker 1: she ended I She and I ended up working together 433 00:20:19,840 --> 00:20:23,480 Speaker 1: as midwives in Texas, and you know, then when I 434 00:20:23,600 --> 00:20:25,840 Speaker 1: moved back to California, I moved to the Bay first, 435 00:20:25,920 --> 00:20:29,680 Speaker 1: and she and I worked together, and uh, yeah, that's 436 00:20:29,720 --> 00:20:30,520 Speaker 1: how it all started. 437 00:20:31,240 --> 00:20:34,320 Speaker 2: That's how it all started. That's an amazing story. 438 00:20:34,520 --> 00:20:38,440 Speaker 3: Yeah, I it's funny because I didn't When you think 439 00:20:38,840 --> 00:20:42,920 Speaker 3: of midwives and the history of midwiffree like the fact 440 00:20:42,960 --> 00:20:45,720 Speaker 3: that you had a hard time finding other black midwives, 441 00:20:45,800 --> 00:20:50,200 Speaker 3: and that they're so not inclusive. It's like black women 442 00:20:50,280 --> 00:20:55,680 Speaker 3: have been birthing babies since forever, like black women assisted 443 00:20:55,840 --> 00:20:58,840 Speaker 3: other women like birthing babies. 444 00:20:59,440 --> 00:21:02,320 Speaker 1: And when like when OBG. 445 00:21:02,480 --> 00:21:06,760 Speaker 3: Mayans started really like the boosting the recruit system or whatever, 446 00:21:07,600 --> 00:21:11,760 Speaker 3: they started making these like these how do you say, 447 00:21:11,920 --> 00:21:16,199 Speaker 3: like propagandas clients campaigns, and they had them portrayed as 448 00:21:16,240 --> 00:21:20,400 Speaker 3: like these big big mamas, dirty, dirty like ancient mama 449 00:21:20,480 --> 00:21:23,440 Speaker 3: looking women, like uneducated, dumb black women. 450 00:21:23,520 --> 00:21:25,399 Speaker 2: You don't want these people birthing your babies. Come to 451 00:21:25,520 --> 00:21:25,919 Speaker 2: the doctor. 452 00:21:26,000 --> 00:21:28,760 Speaker 3: And that's really how the influx and how it shifted 453 00:21:29,160 --> 00:21:31,160 Speaker 3: for us and how we now a lot of people 454 00:21:31,240 --> 00:21:33,159 Speaker 3: now think socially we have to go to the doctor. 455 00:21:33,560 --> 00:21:37,199 Speaker 3: But initially it was black women as midwives. I mean, 456 00:21:37,200 --> 00:21:39,280 Speaker 3: I don't know if that was the name then or whatever. Yeah, 457 00:21:39,320 --> 00:21:40,760 Speaker 3: we've always been midwives. 458 00:21:40,880 --> 00:21:43,280 Speaker 2: And you know, and wet nurses and all those things. 459 00:21:43,320 --> 00:21:45,879 Speaker 3: So it's so interesting to me that like this, this 460 00:21:45,960 --> 00:21:48,400 Speaker 3: white woman had to stand up and say, hey, where 461 00:21:48,400 --> 00:21:54,440 Speaker 3: are the black people here? Yeah, and even like even 462 00:21:54,600 --> 00:21:56,320 Speaker 3: so now would you say there's a lot of other 463 00:21:56,359 --> 00:21:58,480 Speaker 3: black midwives that you know of in this area, like 464 00:21:58,560 --> 00:22:14,680 Speaker 3: in Ellen so in the state of California. In southern California, 465 00:22:15,600 --> 00:22:21,440 Speaker 3: I believe there are six of us, maybe maybe six, 466 00:22:22,080 --> 00:22:24,000 Speaker 3: but one of them is my cousin and she doesn't 467 00:22:24,040 --> 00:22:25,440 Speaker 3: practice because. 468 00:22:25,160 --> 00:22:29,640 Speaker 1: She got burnt out. Okay, So, and in northern California, 469 00:22:31,920 --> 00:22:32,760 Speaker 1: I believe there's three. 470 00:22:32,960 --> 00:22:35,360 Speaker 2: How many How I know you have so many clients. 471 00:22:35,040 --> 00:22:36,760 Speaker 1: But in the state of California there are over four 472 00:22:36,840 --> 00:22:37,840 Speaker 1: hundred white head wives. 473 00:22:38,800 --> 00:22:43,520 Speaker 2: How many of your clients would you say you're black women? Oh? So, I. 474 00:22:45,160 --> 00:22:48,720 Speaker 1: I would say I have one white family, two white 475 00:22:48,760 --> 00:22:51,000 Speaker 1: families a year. Oh and I do four to six 476 00:22:51,080 --> 00:22:51,760 Speaker 1: births a month. 477 00:22:51,760 --> 00:22:54,320 Speaker 2: Just because she's the black wave. But she does tend 478 00:22:54,359 --> 00:22:56,480 Speaker 2: to other people, you guys, I do. Our friend we 479 00:22:56,600 --> 00:22:59,879 Speaker 2: got her from is not black. But that's how we know. 480 00:23:00,040 --> 00:23:00,639 Speaker 2: I don't know now. 481 00:23:00,720 --> 00:23:02,399 Speaker 1: I'm very much equal opportunity. 482 00:23:02,560 --> 00:23:02,720 Speaker 4: You know. 483 00:23:02,960 --> 00:23:05,920 Speaker 1: It was actually my my web mistress when I moved 484 00:23:05,960 --> 00:23:08,680 Speaker 1: back to LA specifically, I had a really ugly, nasty, 485 00:23:08,760 --> 00:23:11,840 Speaker 1: horrific divorce and moved back to LA and then eventually 486 00:23:11,960 --> 00:23:14,600 Speaker 1: opened my own birth center and my web mistress, I 487 00:23:14,720 --> 00:23:17,560 Speaker 1: was her midwife. So she was like, I got you. Yeah, 488 00:23:18,040 --> 00:23:23,240 Speaker 1: so you know you have webmasters. I was web mistress. 489 00:23:23,320 --> 00:23:26,040 Speaker 1: So she built my website. She's a graphic designer. She 490 00:23:26,119 --> 00:23:28,000 Speaker 1: did all the amazing good stuff. And I was like, 491 00:23:28,040 --> 00:23:29,639 Speaker 1: I'm not calling you a webmaster. I'm gonn call you 492 00:23:29,680 --> 00:23:31,760 Speaker 1: a web mistress. And she was like, I'm here for that. 493 00:23:33,960 --> 00:23:37,040 Speaker 1: But like you know, she was like, you have to 494 00:23:37,080 --> 00:23:39,480 Speaker 1: put certain words on your website for people to be 495 00:23:39,520 --> 00:23:41,119 Speaker 1: able to find you when they google you. And this 496 00:23:41,320 --> 00:23:44,359 Speaker 1: was two thousand and eleven, and so she was like, 497 00:23:44,440 --> 00:23:47,119 Speaker 1: you got to put black midwife, you gotta put African midwife, 498 00:23:47,119 --> 00:23:49,400 Speaker 1: you gotta put African American midwife, because that's what people 499 00:23:49,400 --> 00:23:51,560 Speaker 1: are googling. And I was like, whatever, do whatever. You 500 00:23:51,680 --> 00:23:53,800 Speaker 1: I don't know technology, you do it. And so from 501 00:23:53,880 --> 00:23:56,960 Speaker 1: there it just became the black middlewife. Not because I 502 00:23:57,080 --> 00:23:59,240 Speaker 1: was like I am the black mid life. It was 503 00:23:59,400 --> 00:24:01,320 Speaker 1: just like, if you can't find a midwife, I know 504 00:24:01,359 --> 00:24:03,600 Speaker 1: if you type in black midwife, you'll find me, right. 505 00:24:04,080 --> 00:24:07,119 Speaker 1: So that's how that started. The majority of white clients 506 00:24:07,119 --> 00:24:09,440 Speaker 1: that I've had over the years were mostly people that 507 00:24:09,560 --> 00:24:12,520 Speaker 1: were like, I see that there's a problem, and I 508 00:24:12,640 --> 00:24:14,440 Speaker 1: want to support what it is that you're doing because 509 00:24:14,480 --> 00:24:16,320 Speaker 1: my money is going to maybe help you. 510 00:24:16,320 --> 00:24:18,240 Speaker 2: Support some other family that's not white. 511 00:24:18,320 --> 00:24:20,800 Speaker 3: And I was like, you could say, but that's why 512 00:24:20,920 --> 00:24:23,960 Speaker 3: I said that, because I feel like to all my 513 00:24:24,080 --> 00:24:28,679 Speaker 3: non black people listening, I feel like sometimes people who 514 00:24:28,760 --> 00:24:32,440 Speaker 3: are not of color, not black, see black, and I 515 00:24:32,520 --> 00:24:35,359 Speaker 3: say I'm for my people, and suddenly they get all 516 00:24:35,440 --> 00:24:38,680 Speaker 3: weird and antsy and awkward too, and it's like, oh, 517 00:24:38,800 --> 00:24:41,680 Speaker 3: so I'm not included here. Let me be the one 518 00:24:41,800 --> 00:24:48,760 Speaker 3: to tell you you, although you're used to it, may 519 00:24:48,840 --> 00:24:53,119 Speaker 3: not be the target and you may not be just 520 00:24:53,200 --> 00:24:56,320 Speaker 3: because you're not who we're aiming for and we're including 521 00:24:56,440 --> 00:25:00,080 Speaker 3: others and we're propping others and we're highlighting us, does 522 00:25:00,119 --> 00:25:04,520 Speaker 3: it mean you're not included in? It's not to belittle 523 00:25:04,600 --> 00:25:10,680 Speaker 3: you or bring you down, but stop thinking, even subconsciously, 524 00:25:10,760 --> 00:25:12,919 Speaker 3: even if you didn't realize it, and Susie. 525 00:25:13,440 --> 00:25:16,200 Speaker 1: That you are at the center of all things. That 526 00:25:16,359 --> 00:25:21,199 Speaker 1: part we have not been forever, forever and so well, 527 00:25:21,240 --> 00:25:23,560 Speaker 1: actually we've always been the center of all their things. 528 00:25:23,880 --> 00:25:27,040 Speaker 1: We're just not allowed to be acknowledged exactly exactly. We 529 00:25:27,119 --> 00:25:29,000 Speaker 1: are allowed to bear all of the burden and do 530 00:25:29,119 --> 00:25:31,359 Speaker 1: all of the heavy lifting and all the labor, but 531 00:25:31,480 --> 00:25:32,440 Speaker 1: with zero acknowledgement. 532 00:25:33,160 --> 00:25:36,359 Speaker 3: And if that makes you uncomfortable, now is the time 533 00:25:36,520 --> 00:25:38,560 Speaker 3: to sit back wherever you are, in your car, your 534 00:25:38,640 --> 00:25:43,240 Speaker 3: bedroom with a friend and think, wow, damn, this is true. 535 00:25:44,400 --> 00:25:47,919 Speaker 3: I shouldn't be offended, in fact, because I like people 536 00:25:48,160 --> 00:25:51,600 Speaker 3: and I realized there's a huge disparity. I should stand up. 537 00:25:51,760 --> 00:25:53,440 Speaker 3: I should be that woman who stood up and said 538 00:25:53,520 --> 00:25:54,720 Speaker 3: where are all the black people? 539 00:25:54,920 --> 00:25:55,760 Speaker 2: Yes? Okay? 540 00:25:56,119 --> 00:25:58,720 Speaker 3: And when someone else sayes it black, white or other, 541 00:25:59,080 --> 00:26:02,080 Speaker 3: you should support that and acknowledge it because it's a 542 00:26:02,200 --> 00:26:02,919 Speaker 3: huge problem. 543 00:26:03,640 --> 00:26:05,520 Speaker 2: So that's my announcement. 544 00:26:06,400 --> 00:26:12,240 Speaker 1: It is an absolute problem. I mean I remember, I 545 00:26:12,359 --> 00:26:15,920 Speaker 1: remember when I was running my birth center and black 546 00:26:15,920 --> 00:26:17,920 Speaker 1: people would come up to me and say, oh my god, 547 00:26:17,960 --> 00:26:19,240 Speaker 1: I didn't know you had a birth center. And I 548 00:26:19,280 --> 00:26:20,639 Speaker 1: was like, what are you talking about. I just had 549 00:26:20,640 --> 00:26:22,320 Speaker 1: my baby at this other birth center and I didn't 550 00:26:22,320 --> 00:26:23,960 Speaker 1: even know that there was a black midwife or that 551 00:26:24,040 --> 00:26:25,760 Speaker 1: there was a black birth center. And I said, did 552 00:26:25,800 --> 00:26:27,800 Speaker 1: you ask them if they knew of any black midwives? 553 00:26:27,800 --> 00:26:29,200 Speaker 1: And they were like yes, they told me they didn't 554 00:26:29,240 --> 00:26:30,840 Speaker 1: know of any. And I said, did you ask them 555 00:26:30,880 --> 00:26:32,880 Speaker 1: if they knew of a black birth center, black owned 556 00:26:32,880 --> 00:26:34,400 Speaker 1: per center? And they were like yeah, and they told 557 00:26:34,440 --> 00:26:36,040 Speaker 1: me they didn't have any but that they would do 558 00:26:36,080 --> 00:26:37,440 Speaker 1: their best to take great care of me. And I 559 00:26:37,520 --> 00:26:38,639 Speaker 1: was like, I want to tell you right now, I 560 00:26:38,760 --> 00:26:39,440 Speaker 1: trained that person. 561 00:26:40,680 --> 00:26:41,240 Speaker 2: That's crazy. 562 00:26:42,960 --> 00:26:45,840 Speaker 3: That part. Well, I think the crazy thing about it 563 00:26:46,080 --> 00:26:48,600 Speaker 3: is like, okay, and I just I knew this, but 564 00:26:48,800 --> 00:26:51,960 Speaker 3: I was watching, Oh, Sean King posted something and it 565 00:26:52,119 --> 00:26:57,560 Speaker 3: was his physician's assistant being interviewed and basically he's readily. 566 00:26:57,160 --> 00:26:59,719 Speaker 2: Admitting on camera he's white. 567 00:27:01,280 --> 00:27:02,960 Speaker 3: And you know, it dawned on me, like we think 568 00:27:02,960 --> 00:27:05,360 Speaker 3: about it with police, we think about it with judges, 569 00:27:06,000 --> 00:27:07,119 Speaker 3: but when. 570 00:27:07,000 --> 00:27:09,520 Speaker 2: You're black, you have to think about it in general. 571 00:27:09,720 --> 00:27:13,800 Speaker 3: Yes, the person at the store, the person who whatever wherever, 572 00:27:13,960 --> 00:27:16,480 Speaker 3: the teacher that you're fucking you're dropping your kids off 573 00:27:16,480 --> 00:27:19,320 Speaker 3: to every day, when you're in a position of power 574 00:27:19,400 --> 00:27:22,959 Speaker 3: in any place, especially in the medical industry, Like these 575 00:27:22,960 --> 00:27:26,280 Speaker 3: are people's lives at hands. People have died because of 576 00:27:26,480 --> 00:27:29,639 Speaker 3: negligence just because people don't give a fuck because they're racist. 577 00:27:29,720 --> 00:27:31,240 Speaker 2: Well, I think a lot of people think, oh, it's 578 00:27:31,280 --> 00:27:33,960 Speaker 2: the hot Well, this is the one space where we're 579 00:27:34,040 --> 00:27:37,000 Speaker 2: gonna be okay, Like they don't even like think about 580 00:27:37,240 --> 00:27:39,399 Speaker 2: I'm not gonna be mistreated here. Because you're panicking. 581 00:27:39,400 --> 00:27:41,280 Speaker 3: It's usually if you're at the hospital, it's probably because 582 00:27:41,320 --> 00:27:43,719 Speaker 3: there's an emergency. And also if you're sick, you're desperate 583 00:27:43,800 --> 00:27:46,600 Speaker 3: and you're just hoping that and you rely and trust 584 00:27:46,720 --> 00:27:49,560 Speaker 3: on these medical professionals to know all this shit when 585 00:27:49,560 --> 00:27:51,200 Speaker 3: they're just like you and me and they're just wearing. 586 00:27:51,040 --> 00:27:53,320 Speaker 2: White coats and paid five hundred thousand dollars you go 587 00:27:53,359 --> 00:27:54,240 Speaker 2: to school, you know. 588 00:27:54,359 --> 00:27:57,480 Speaker 3: I mean, I'm not saying they're to discredit any medical doctors, 589 00:27:57,600 --> 00:28:00,800 Speaker 3: but I think it's important for us to knowledge. 590 00:28:00,520 --> 00:28:02,119 Speaker 2: That people are still people. 591 00:28:02,520 --> 00:28:05,600 Speaker 3: They're only limited to their scope of understanding and their 592 00:28:05,640 --> 00:28:08,879 Speaker 3: scope of knowledge, and sometimes they don't be knowing, you know, 593 00:28:09,119 --> 00:28:11,240 Speaker 3: and like you have to really be aware, especially when 594 00:28:11,240 --> 00:28:13,800 Speaker 3: you're bringing children into the world and how you're being treated. 595 00:28:13,920 --> 00:28:15,040 Speaker 2: Like the story is crazy. 596 00:28:15,520 --> 00:28:19,720 Speaker 1: Well, you have to remember also with with midwiffery and 597 00:28:19,800 --> 00:28:23,560 Speaker 1: with midwives, it was an honorable possession per position. It 598 00:28:23,640 --> 00:28:26,720 Speaker 1: was a revered position. Like it wasn't just anybody could 599 00:28:26,720 --> 00:28:29,280 Speaker 1: be a midwife. It was you were chosen either by 600 00:28:29,359 --> 00:28:31,960 Speaker 1: your community or you were chosen by whoever was the 601 00:28:32,080 --> 00:28:34,680 Speaker 1: reigning elder midwives at the time. It was the capassing 602 00:28:34,720 --> 00:28:35,639 Speaker 1: of the baton. 603 00:28:35,920 --> 00:28:36,000 Speaker 3: And. 604 00:28:37,840 --> 00:28:41,160 Speaker 1: Even under slavery, it was still a revered position, so 605 00:28:41,280 --> 00:28:43,600 Speaker 1: you probably weren't gonna get whooped as much, you probably 606 00:28:43,680 --> 00:28:47,080 Speaker 1: weren't gonna be as mistreated, but it was still considered 607 00:28:47,080 --> 00:28:49,560 Speaker 1: a gross job to tend to people in their laboring 608 00:28:49,600 --> 00:28:53,200 Speaker 1: and their birthing, And if you were not lactating yourself, 609 00:28:53,440 --> 00:28:55,720 Speaker 1: it was your responsibility to find the slave that was 610 00:28:55,800 --> 00:28:58,560 Speaker 1: going to nurse the mass's baby. So it was a 611 00:28:58,640 --> 00:29:02,640 Speaker 1: lot of responsibility, and you weren't just the midwife and 612 00:29:02,720 --> 00:29:06,840 Speaker 1: a recitaking care of people in their birthing most oftentimes 613 00:29:07,480 --> 00:29:11,000 Speaker 1: still in many parts of Africa, but also in the South, 614 00:29:11,760 --> 00:29:14,280 Speaker 1: your midwife was also your community healer. So if you 615 00:29:14,480 --> 00:29:16,920 Speaker 1: busted your head open, the midwife, if they could suit 616 00:29:16,960 --> 00:29:18,360 Speaker 1: your up a vagina, they could suot your up your 617 00:29:18,400 --> 00:29:20,360 Speaker 1: forehead like. It was the person that you went to 618 00:29:20,480 --> 00:29:22,640 Speaker 1: for everything. If you got shot or if you was 619 00:29:22,720 --> 00:29:26,600 Speaker 1: trying to escape and got hurt, it was sometimes oftentimes 620 00:29:26,640 --> 00:29:28,360 Speaker 1: a midwife that took care of you, even if it 621 00:29:28,400 --> 00:29:32,800 Speaker 1: had nothing to do with birth. And we now live 622 00:29:33,000 --> 00:29:36,680 Speaker 1: in a time where everything is at the push of 623 00:29:36,720 --> 00:29:41,960 Speaker 1: a button without actual direct communication, and the hospital is 624 00:29:42,120 --> 00:29:45,560 Speaker 1: a machine. It is a business and it's a very 625 00:29:45,680 --> 00:29:49,360 Speaker 1: efficient business, which means there are timelines, there are expectations, 626 00:29:49,680 --> 00:29:51,160 Speaker 1: and if you don't meet them, they're going to help 627 00:29:51,200 --> 00:29:55,240 Speaker 1: you meet them. There's a turnover. And it's also under 628 00:29:55,280 --> 00:29:57,479 Speaker 1: the guise of well, this has been your best interest, 629 00:29:57,520 --> 00:29:59,160 Speaker 1: this is for your well being. This is how we're 630 00:29:59,160 --> 00:30:00,560 Speaker 1: going to keep you safe. This is how we're going 631 00:30:00,600 --> 00:30:04,120 Speaker 1: to guarantee you a perfect healthy baby. Well number one, 632 00:30:04,280 --> 00:30:04,960 Speaker 1: no one can make. 633 00:30:04,920 --> 00:30:06,440 Speaker 2: That guarantee, no one. 634 00:30:07,080 --> 00:30:10,200 Speaker 1: I've had clients that we're seeing a doctor, a perinatologist, 635 00:30:10,240 --> 00:30:13,880 Speaker 1: a cardiologist, like everybody and me, and we still ended 636 00:30:13,960 --> 00:30:16,600 Speaker 1: up with a baby that died or a baby that 637 00:30:16,720 --> 00:30:19,320 Speaker 1: had genetic anomalies. How do you have genetic anomalies? If 638 00:30:19,440 --> 00:30:21,520 Speaker 1: you have been tested for genetic anomalies and have ultra 639 00:30:21,520 --> 00:30:23,360 Speaker 1: sounds that you have no genetic anomalies, and then the 640 00:30:23,400 --> 00:30:26,760 Speaker 1: baby's born like two weeks early, and it's like, maybe 641 00:30:26,800 --> 00:30:29,840 Speaker 1: has genetic anomalies. Like these things get missed and so 642 00:30:30,200 --> 00:30:33,560 Speaker 1: no one can promise anything. What midwives what we try 643 00:30:33,600 --> 00:30:37,000 Speaker 1: to do is fully inform you the entire process of 644 00:30:37,160 --> 00:30:39,640 Speaker 1: like all the ways that this could go and help 645 00:30:39,680 --> 00:30:43,520 Speaker 1: you remain in your power, meaning these are all your options, 646 00:30:43,600 --> 00:30:45,360 Speaker 1: how do you want to move forward, and then supporting 647 00:30:45,400 --> 00:30:47,360 Speaker 1: you in them as opposed to this is what you 648 00:30:47,440 --> 00:30:48,520 Speaker 1: have to do, and if you don't do it, your 649 00:30:48,520 --> 00:30:50,200 Speaker 1: baby could die. This is what you have to do, 650 00:30:50,240 --> 00:30:51,560 Speaker 1: and if you don't do it, then we're calling child 651 00:30:51,560 --> 00:30:53,720 Speaker 1: Protective Services. This is what you have to do, because 652 00:30:53,760 --> 00:30:56,280 Speaker 1: I'm the doctor and I'm smart, and you don't know anything. 653 00:30:56,480 --> 00:30:59,080 Speaker 2: You know near your own body that part, and so 654 00:31:00,000 --> 00:31:00,680 Speaker 2: I'm not listening to you. 655 00:31:01,040 --> 00:31:04,360 Speaker 1: Yeah, and so where Oftentimes people will hire midwives now 656 00:31:05,160 --> 00:31:07,320 Speaker 1: maybe not even intending on having a home birth, but 657 00:31:07,480 --> 00:31:10,280 Speaker 1: just wanting to be heard and seen during their pregnancy 658 00:31:10,880 --> 00:31:15,000 Speaker 1: and not be ignored and not be dismissed. And if 659 00:31:15,040 --> 00:31:17,240 Speaker 1: they end up with a home birth, they're like great, amazing. 660 00:31:17,280 --> 00:31:19,600 Speaker 1: If they end up in the hospital, but their midwife 661 00:31:19,600 --> 00:31:22,120 Speaker 1: has fully informed them and prepared them and stays with 662 00:31:22,320 --> 00:31:25,480 Speaker 1: them during their care in the hospital, you will find 663 00:31:25,520 --> 00:31:27,680 Speaker 1: someone who had a sea section that is completely okay 664 00:31:27,720 --> 00:31:30,120 Speaker 1: with their sea section because they had say so over 665 00:31:30,320 --> 00:31:32,360 Speaker 1: every step of it, and they were the ones that 666 00:31:32,440 --> 00:31:33,960 Speaker 1: were like, yeah, you know what, this needs to happen. 667 00:31:34,040 --> 00:31:35,560 Speaker 1: This little baby is just not gonna come like this, 668 00:31:35,760 --> 00:31:37,520 Speaker 1: or this baby is now in a place where I'm 669 00:31:37,520 --> 00:31:39,280 Speaker 1: worried about the well being of this baby, so I'm 670 00:31:39,360 --> 00:31:41,840 Speaker 1: calling it. Or people who push out their babies at 671 00:31:41,840 --> 00:31:44,320 Speaker 1: the hospital with an epidural because they were in labor 672 00:31:44,360 --> 00:31:46,440 Speaker 1: for sixty somewhat hours at home and they were like, yo, 673 00:31:46,640 --> 00:31:49,120 Speaker 1: I tried that, Now give me the drugs, and I go, yeah, 674 00:31:49,160 --> 00:31:51,800 Speaker 1: let's go, and I support them in that and they 675 00:31:51,840 --> 00:31:53,640 Speaker 1: don't get judged and it's not like, oh, you gave 676 00:31:53,800 --> 00:31:55,960 Speaker 1: up or oh you didn't do it. It was like, girl, 677 00:31:56,160 --> 00:31:57,480 Speaker 1: do you feel like you did it the way that 678 00:31:57,560 --> 00:32:00,440 Speaker 1: you wanted to do it? Does your family feel like 679 00:32:00,480 --> 00:32:02,840 Speaker 1: they had a good experience the mission accomplished? That means 680 00:32:02,920 --> 00:32:06,040 Speaker 1: the trauma is significantly less than if you had just 681 00:32:06,080 --> 00:32:07,920 Speaker 1: been like, well, let me just do this doctor hospital 682 00:32:08,000 --> 00:32:11,240 Speaker 1: route and see what happens. A lot of my clients 683 00:32:11,280 --> 00:32:14,160 Speaker 1: are people that have had bad experiences in the hospital 684 00:32:14,200 --> 00:32:16,800 Speaker 1: and now they're trying something different, or they've seen someone 685 00:32:16,840 --> 00:32:18,959 Speaker 1: else close to them have a bad experience and they're like, yo, 686 00:32:19,560 --> 00:32:20,880 Speaker 1: I don't need to have a bad experience to be 687 00:32:20,920 --> 00:32:22,120 Speaker 1: like I want to try better next time. 688 00:32:22,160 --> 00:32:22,720 Speaker 2: I'm wanted to have. 689 00:32:23,040 --> 00:32:25,560 Speaker 1: Hopefully the good experience the first time and never have 690 00:32:25,680 --> 00:32:27,720 Speaker 1: to have the traumatic experience. I think that's what happened 691 00:32:27,760 --> 00:32:30,040 Speaker 1: to me. I saw my friend at high school have 692 00:32:30,120 --> 00:32:32,840 Speaker 1: a baby, and like it scared the shit out of me. 693 00:32:33,640 --> 00:32:35,840 Speaker 1: Nobody spoke to her. There's all these beeping noises, people 694 00:32:35,920 --> 00:32:38,400 Speaker 1: moving around quickly. No one's saying anything to her. Teenager. 695 00:32:38,600 --> 00:32:40,400 Speaker 3: Yeah, and I was, and I had like not even 696 00:32:40,440 --> 00:32:43,960 Speaker 3: thought about where or how or any of those things. 697 00:32:44,080 --> 00:32:44,960 Speaker 1: My mom went. 698 00:32:45,320 --> 00:32:48,080 Speaker 3: I was born in alp My parents went a Tuskegee Sorry, 699 00:32:48,440 --> 00:32:50,800 Speaker 3: and I was so you know, my parents went to Tuskegee, 700 00:32:50,840 --> 00:32:53,040 Speaker 3: m just because they were in school there, and I 701 00:32:53,480 --> 00:32:55,640 Speaker 3: was conceived and born there, and they went to the 702 00:32:55,720 --> 00:32:58,600 Speaker 3: hospital closest to school, and they refused to take them. 703 00:32:58,680 --> 00:33:01,080 Speaker 3: My mom was in labor because it was right, and 704 00:33:01,200 --> 00:33:03,959 Speaker 3: they refused to her. We had to drive to Montgomery, 705 00:33:04,520 --> 00:33:07,000 Speaker 3: and then it sit is crazy when I think about it. 706 00:33:07,520 --> 00:33:10,400 Speaker 3: And then they finally reluctantly took my mom in Montgomery, 707 00:33:10,680 --> 00:33:12,239 Speaker 3: which is like not, I mean, I guess they had 708 00:33:12,240 --> 00:33:15,200 Speaker 3: to drive somewhere. In labor, they wouldn't allow my dad 709 00:33:15,240 --> 00:33:17,120 Speaker 3: to be in the room with her because they weren't married, 710 00:33:17,480 --> 00:33:19,680 Speaker 3: and she had to give birth by herself in the room. 711 00:33:20,840 --> 00:33:22,520 Speaker 2: And now when I think about that, I'm like, I 712 00:33:22,640 --> 00:33:23,920 Speaker 2: can't imagine. 713 00:33:24,120 --> 00:33:26,040 Speaker 3: Like, first of all, I was so well informed because 714 00:33:26,040 --> 00:33:30,120 Speaker 3: I'm a psycho and I researched crazy and I feel 715 00:33:30,240 --> 00:33:34,000 Speaker 3: super empowered. I was empowered in my body because I 716 00:33:34,080 --> 00:33:36,080 Speaker 3: at that point new friends who had given birth at home, 717 00:33:36,160 --> 00:33:39,520 Speaker 3: and like, I'd done my research, but I still couldn't 718 00:33:39,520 --> 00:33:41,680 Speaker 3: have imagined being by myself in a hospital. 719 00:33:41,760 --> 00:33:42,600 Speaker 2: It's already scary. 720 00:33:42,760 --> 00:33:47,400 Speaker 3: Yeah, absolutely, So you know rams A g Yeah, you know, 721 00:33:47,560 --> 00:33:49,320 Speaker 3: she's like twenty two years old, Like you're young, you 722 00:33:49,360 --> 00:33:52,240 Speaker 3: don't know shit. But it's just and I feel badly 723 00:33:52,320 --> 00:33:56,120 Speaker 3: because I feel like, particularly in our community, were not informed, 724 00:33:56,280 --> 00:34:00,800 Speaker 3: like about birth, about breastfeeding, and these are things that 725 00:34:00,880 --> 00:34:03,719 Speaker 3: are but we've done for one hundred years. Like everybody, 726 00:34:03,760 --> 00:34:05,760 Speaker 3: every time someone gets all their painties and a bunch 727 00:34:05,800 --> 00:34:08,120 Speaker 3: about home birth, I'm like, how the fuck do you 728 00:34:08,200 --> 00:34:11,879 Speaker 3: think we populated the earth before hospitals? 729 00:34:12,440 --> 00:34:12,680 Speaker 1: Yeah? 730 00:34:12,719 --> 00:34:15,880 Speaker 2: I mean even my my daughter's father, like when I 731 00:34:15,960 --> 00:34:17,719 Speaker 2: told him that I wanted to have a home birth, 732 00:34:17,840 --> 00:34:21,879 Speaker 2: he was like why what? Why? 733 00:34:22,200 --> 00:34:22,359 Speaker 3: Why? 734 00:34:22,440 --> 00:34:25,840 Speaker 2: And that's why I even interviewed a few midwives, I 735 00:34:25,880 --> 00:34:26,879 Speaker 2: couldn't find a black one. 736 00:34:28,440 --> 00:34:29,360 Speaker 1: You didn't know you existed. 737 00:34:30,680 --> 00:34:32,480 Speaker 2: Maybe and I feel like that could have made the 738 00:34:32,520 --> 00:34:35,840 Speaker 2: difference for him, and then he might have supported me 739 00:34:35,880 --> 00:34:38,920 Speaker 2: because he's very pro black. But so I had this 740 00:34:39,400 --> 00:34:41,200 Speaker 2: white woman come to my house. I'll never forget. We're 741 00:34:41,239 --> 00:34:44,560 Speaker 2: sitting right there, and she was she was like talking 742 00:34:44,600 --> 00:34:47,440 Speaker 2: about you know, she was asking her so like if 743 00:34:47,480 --> 00:34:50,160 Speaker 2: there's an emergency, what happens. She said, well, we go 744 00:34:50,200 --> 00:34:51,800 Speaker 2: to the hospital. He said, then let's just go to 745 00:34:51,840 --> 00:34:54,239 Speaker 2: the hospital. Like, why are we here? What are we doing? 746 00:34:54,400 --> 00:34:56,480 Speaker 2: Erica like, I don't feel comfortable with this. I'm not 747 00:34:56,560 --> 00:34:59,160 Speaker 2: willing to risk my first baby. And then you know, 748 00:34:59,239 --> 00:35:02,359 Speaker 2: and I already started to go She's to my ob 749 00:35:02,480 --> 00:35:05,480 Speaker 2: gyn and she had already kind of like planted the 750 00:35:05,560 --> 00:35:09,600 Speaker 2: seed of you know how many dead babies I've seen 751 00:35:09,719 --> 00:35:12,640 Speaker 2: from it from home births, like in his mind and 752 00:35:12,719 --> 00:35:14,760 Speaker 2: in my mind too, And I was a little bit scared, 753 00:35:14,760 --> 00:35:16,640 Speaker 2: but I was still holding onto the business of being born. 754 00:35:16,680 --> 00:35:17,880 Speaker 2: And I was like, I can't believe she said that 755 00:35:17,960 --> 00:35:22,120 Speaker 2: to you. I can absolutely, And I mean, this is 756 00:35:22,239 --> 00:35:23,920 Speaker 2: the same woman who said after because I had a 757 00:35:23,960 --> 00:35:25,960 Speaker 2: sea section, I ended up having a sea section, not 758 00:35:26,160 --> 00:35:29,120 Speaker 2: part of anything that I wanted. That They had a 759 00:35:29,160 --> 00:35:32,320 Speaker 2: dinner at seven that she surely didn't that. After I 760 00:35:32,360 --> 00:35:34,160 Speaker 2: had the sea section, I went for my business. She's like, okay, well, 761 00:35:34,239 --> 00:35:36,040 Speaker 2: it was so excited, like, you know, for your next baby, 762 00:35:36,080 --> 00:35:38,040 Speaker 2: we'll just you know, we'll just just cut that right 763 00:35:38,080 --> 00:35:40,239 Speaker 2: back open and do it again. And I was like, 764 00:35:40,280 --> 00:35:42,960 Speaker 2: what the fuck? Because my seat section I didn't even heal, 765 00:35:43,239 --> 00:35:45,080 Speaker 2: I hadn't barely healed. And also I was like, I'm 766 00:35:45,120 --> 00:35:47,400 Speaker 2: never having another kid again, second of all, and that 767 00:35:47,560 --> 00:35:49,919 Speaker 2: was just obviously change now. But I also like, see, 768 00:35:49,960 --> 00:35:52,520 Speaker 2: the sea section was like the worst recovery of my life. 769 00:35:52,600 --> 00:35:54,520 Speaker 2: I know some woman recover from it great. 770 00:35:54,719 --> 00:35:55,440 Speaker 4: I was. 771 00:35:55,600 --> 00:35:56,320 Speaker 2: It was terrible. 772 00:35:56,480 --> 00:35:58,960 Speaker 1: But did you also labor and like trying to have No, 773 00:35:59,440 --> 00:36:00,160 Speaker 1: I didn't know. 774 00:36:00,480 --> 00:36:03,960 Speaker 2: She told me that I'm late. I needed to be 775 00:36:04,040 --> 00:36:06,560 Speaker 2: induced and that if I didn't start, if my water 776 00:36:06,600 --> 00:36:08,480 Speaker 2: hadn't broken by this amount of time, I need to 777 00:36:08,480 --> 00:36:10,239 Speaker 2: be induced. My baby was getting too big. It was 778 00:36:10,360 --> 00:36:13,080 Speaker 2: the chance of me having a vaginal birth work was decreasing, 779 00:36:13,680 --> 00:36:18,960 Speaker 2: and so I scheduled my Like the hospital immediately started 780 00:36:19,000 --> 00:36:22,399 Speaker 2: crying out of fear. I didn't even know why you're going, 781 00:36:22,440 --> 00:36:25,040 Speaker 2: Like why was no? Like my whole family was so excited, 782 00:36:25,160 --> 00:36:27,560 Speaker 2: like we knew it was coming today and I got 783 00:36:27,600 --> 00:36:29,800 Speaker 2: into the room and I just started crying because I 784 00:36:29,840 --> 00:36:33,120 Speaker 2: had never been in a hospital. I had related hospitals 785 00:36:33,200 --> 00:36:36,560 Speaker 2: to like death, like something going wrong, and like I'm 786 00:36:36,600 --> 00:36:38,279 Speaker 2: looking at this bed, I'm going to lay in, and 787 00:36:38,320 --> 00:36:42,440 Speaker 2: I just started having anxiety attack and they induced me 788 00:36:42,440 --> 00:36:44,719 Speaker 2: and immediately my contractions were like level ten and I 789 00:36:44,719 --> 00:36:47,040 Speaker 2: couldn't take it, and so then epidural and then I 790 00:36:47,160 --> 00:36:50,360 Speaker 2: was just chilling for thirty hours in labor. Never progressed. 791 00:36:51,280 --> 00:36:54,680 Speaker 2: They popped my they popped the problem. Yeah, and I 792 00:36:54,800 --> 00:36:57,040 Speaker 2: never progressed. And then I started getting sick and I 793 00:36:57,120 --> 00:37:00,320 Speaker 2: started shaking and having fevers, and then my baby was 794 00:37:00,320 --> 00:37:03,600 Speaker 2: at risk and then see section. So it was all 795 00:37:03,840 --> 00:37:06,239 Speaker 2: just like really scary. And so now I'm just like 796 00:37:06,320 --> 00:37:08,640 Speaker 2: I'll never do that again. I know, I know I'm 797 00:37:08,680 --> 00:37:12,640 Speaker 2: capable of having a regular birth. I should have never listened. 798 00:37:12,640 --> 00:37:14,640 Speaker 2: I should have never like I was the first of 799 00:37:14,719 --> 00:37:16,840 Speaker 2: my friends to have kids. I had no point of reference. 800 00:37:17,280 --> 00:37:19,560 Speaker 2: And my family has always been over medical. Everything is 801 00:37:19,600 --> 00:37:21,839 Speaker 2: at me. Like my my daughter had like a little 802 00:37:21,920 --> 00:37:23,640 Speaker 2: rational frace to my mom's like you just sake her 803 00:37:23,719 --> 00:37:25,879 Speaker 2: the doctor. I'm like, let's just see how it plays out, 804 00:37:26,560 --> 00:37:28,759 Speaker 2: we need to go to the doctor immediately, Like that's 805 00:37:28,840 --> 00:37:33,279 Speaker 2: always this the solution. And I think even for black 806 00:37:33,320 --> 00:37:35,439 Speaker 2: people too, even though like a lot of times black 807 00:37:35,440 --> 00:37:39,279 Speaker 2: people don't even realize that they're being discriminated against and 808 00:37:39,360 --> 00:37:41,960 Speaker 2: that they're not getting the answers that they deserve or 809 00:37:42,160 --> 00:37:46,279 Speaker 2: you know, but we're just so used to receiving less. Yeah, 810 00:37:46,280 --> 00:37:47,839 Speaker 2: we don't even realize we are receiving less. 811 00:37:48,000 --> 00:37:49,960 Speaker 1: We're just like, oh, this is just what I'm supposed 812 00:37:50,000 --> 00:37:52,440 Speaker 1: to experience, this is just what I'm supposed to to 813 00:37:52,880 --> 00:37:53,200 Speaker 1: deal with. 814 00:37:53,640 --> 00:37:57,000 Speaker 2: Yeah, And so it's just I'm sure that. I mean, 815 00:37:57,160 --> 00:38:01,440 Speaker 2: I'm curious to know how fathers, like, what the meetings 816 00:38:01,480 --> 00:38:03,000 Speaker 2: are like with fathers, Black fathers. 817 00:38:03,160 --> 00:38:05,000 Speaker 1: Oh, I love I love the fathers. 818 00:38:05,120 --> 00:38:07,200 Speaker 2: I love the days because like we had a midwife 819 00:38:07,239 --> 00:38:09,799 Speaker 2: five a few weeks ago, and she was saying, how 820 00:38:10,280 --> 00:38:12,760 Speaker 2: that a lot of times she has to or she's 821 00:38:12,800 --> 00:38:15,280 Speaker 2: not midwife, she's a dulah that she has to dulah 822 00:38:15,320 --> 00:38:18,200 Speaker 2: the dads, but they are freaking out half the time, 823 00:38:18,280 --> 00:38:19,920 Speaker 2: don't know what to do, and I don't know how 824 00:38:19,920 --> 00:38:20,200 Speaker 2: to like. 825 00:38:20,880 --> 00:38:23,279 Speaker 1: Well, I mean if she if that particular person is 826 00:38:23,320 --> 00:38:26,839 Speaker 1: dealing with hospital families, then yes, absolutely, but midwiff Free. 827 00:38:26,920 --> 00:38:29,480 Speaker 1: The reason why, so, the reason why Midwiffrey care works 828 00:38:30,200 --> 00:38:33,040 Speaker 1: is because a lot of people think of home birth 829 00:38:33,160 --> 00:38:36,839 Speaker 1: as like a doctor, but you do it at home, 830 00:38:36,960 --> 00:38:41,120 Speaker 1: so they're still medicalizing the experience of pregnancy, labor, birth, 831 00:38:41,200 --> 00:38:45,200 Speaker 1: and postpartum and Midwiffree is not that Midwiffrey is Midwiffrey. 832 00:38:45,239 --> 00:38:48,560 Speaker 1: It's a completely different type of healthcare. And so what 833 00:38:48,719 --> 00:38:52,320 Speaker 1: that means is most midwives spend minimum thirty minutes with you. 834 00:38:52,760 --> 00:38:54,920 Speaker 1: Your visits are minimum thirty minutes. I spend an hour 835 00:38:55,000 --> 00:38:56,400 Speaker 1: with my clients. I give them an hour. They have 836 00:38:56,480 --> 00:38:59,120 Speaker 1: forty five minutes on an hour for us to work 837 00:38:59,160 --> 00:39:01,920 Speaker 1: it all out reappointment from the beginning all the way 838 00:39:01,920 --> 00:39:04,319 Speaker 1: to the end. If their partners come, that means they're 839 00:39:04,360 --> 00:39:06,800 Speaker 1: getting in that hour too. So by the time you 840 00:39:07,239 --> 00:39:09,880 Speaker 1: have your baby, by the time you're in labor, you 841 00:39:09,960 --> 00:39:11,799 Speaker 1: don't care about walker and around your house and naked 842 00:39:11,920 --> 00:39:14,359 Speaker 1: having contractions. Your partner doesn't care about me sitting there 843 00:39:14,400 --> 00:39:16,560 Speaker 1: in the living room while you're walking around having contractions. 844 00:39:16,600 --> 00:39:19,920 Speaker 1: Your partner is confiding in me, being like she's doing good. 845 00:39:19,960 --> 00:39:21,759 Speaker 1: You know, this is what's been happening. Blah blahah blah, 846 00:39:21,800 --> 00:39:23,319 Speaker 1: and I'm like, okay, cool, how are you doing? 847 00:39:23,760 --> 00:39:24,759 Speaker 2: I'm all right, I'm all right. 848 00:39:24,840 --> 00:39:28,560 Speaker 1: Like everyone has so much information, it's no longer scary. 849 00:39:28,760 --> 00:39:29,839 Speaker 2: It's normalized. 850 00:39:30,600 --> 00:39:35,160 Speaker 1: And and that is that is a that is the 851 00:39:35,239 --> 00:39:36,920 Speaker 1: crux of min We're free. When people talk about like, 852 00:39:36,960 --> 00:39:38,480 Speaker 1: aren't you scared to have a home birth? Aren't you 853 00:39:38,560 --> 00:39:41,320 Speaker 1: scared to have your baby outside the hospital? No, because 854 00:39:41,360 --> 00:39:43,520 Speaker 1: you have so much information in regards to the pros 855 00:39:43,520 --> 00:39:45,719 Speaker 1: and the cons and all your different options. And it's 856 00:39:45,760 --> 00:39:48,680 Speaker 1: not like homebirth when my grandmother was helping her grandmother. 857 00:39:49,120 --> 00:39:50,520 Speaker 1: No one is on a stick and just. 858 00:39:50,600 --> 00:39:53,120 Speaker 2: Biting it and getting through knowing there's no other option. 859 00:39:53,760 --> 00:39:55,600 Speaker 1: At any point, we could just be like, you know what, 860 00:39:56,000 --> 00:39:57,719 Speaker 1: let's just roll over the closest hospital. I don't want 861 00:39:57,719 --> 00:40:00,680 Speaker 1: to do this anymore. Or you know what, you look 862 00:40:00,760 --> 00:40:02,480 Speaker 1: really tired. You've been doing this for a long time. 863 00:40:02,760 --> 00:40:04,480 Speaker 1: I can offer you an IV here at the house 864 00:40:04,520 --> 00:40:06,120 Speaker 1: if you want, we can go to the house, like 865 00:40:06,160 --> 00:40:06,759 Speaker 1: what do you want to do? 866 00:40:07,719 --> 00:40:10,360 Speaker 2: Just in asking someone what do you want to do? 867 00:40:11,840 --> 00:40:13,920 Speaker 1: That can be the complete and total shift between I 868 00:40:13,960 --> 00:40:16,320 Speaker 1: can't do it anymore and being like okay, you know what, No, no, no, 869 00:40:16,440 --> 00:40:19,439 Speaker 1: I'm just gonna pull it together and keep going. 870 00:40:20,600 --> 00:40:22,319 Speaker 2: That's just you saying that gives me chill. 871 00:40:22,360 --> 00:40:25,439 Speaker 3: Literally never asks that question, just the option to say, 872 00:40:26,239 --> 00:40:30,080 Speaker 3: I'm I trust that I've given you the information, Now 873 00:40:30,400 --> 00:40:32,960 Speaker 3: what is it that you want to do exactly versus 874 00:40:33,080 --> 00:40:35,480 Speaker 3: your baby's going to die exactly, because literally get to 875 00:40:35,480 --> 00:40:37,520 Speaker 3: the hospital and it's like the third sentence and yeah, 876 00:40:37,680 --> 00:40:38,160 Speaker 3: no matter what. 877 00:40:38,600 --> 00:40:39,440 Speaker 2: And that's like low key. 878 00:40:39,600 --> 00:40:42,240 Speaker 1: That's how they keep themselves from being sued is because 879 00:40:42,480 --> 00:40:45,799 Speaker 1: the first thing an interrogator, a lawyer, you know, an 880 00:40:45,840 --> 00:40:47,680 Speaker 1: investigator is going to ask is, well, did they tell 881 00:40:47,719 --> 00:40:49,839 Speaker 1: you that your baby could die if you know right? 882 00:40:50,320 --> 00:40:51,959 Speaker 1: And so it's like, well, yeah, the doctor did. 883 00:40:51,920 --> 00:40:52,439 Speaker 2: A lot of times. 884 00:40:52,480 --> 00:40:53,719 Speaker 1: And it's like, oh my god. 885 00:40:54,000 --> 00:40:56,080 Speaker 3: Doctors have to tell you the worst case scenario because 886 00:40:56,120 --> 00:40:57,480 Speaker 3: they're afraid of being sued. 887 00:40:57,640 --> 00:41:00,200 Speaker 1: Yeah, no, they know they're going to be sued. They're 888 00:41:00,200 --> 00:41:01,080 Speaker 1: going to some holes. 889 00:41:01,080 --> 00:41:03,040 Speaker 3: Won't even less you record your births anymore because they're 890 00:41:03,080 --> 00:41:05,200 Speaker 3: afraid that you'll catch something that well they don't want 891 00:41:05,239 --> 00:41:06,520 Speaker 3: it to go viral. 892 00:41:07,920 --> 00:41:08,160 Speaker 6: Mess. 893 00:41:08,440 --> 00:41:10,640 Speaker 2: Yeah, if they, if they so decide to. 894 00:41:11,360 --> 00:41:12,640 Speaker 3: You know, what's the other thing you said your other 895 00:41:12,680 --> 00:41:18,000 Speaker 3: story that was funny about the pillows being unsanitary. But 896 00:41:18,200 --> 00:41:22,640 Speaker 3: that's like people are so uninformed and believe whatever the 897 00:41:22,680 --> 00:41:24,919 Speaker 3: fun people tell them that. Like sometimes it's like, who's 898 00:41:24,960 --> 00:41:27,120 Speaker 3: your fucking common sense? I hate people say, I'm like, 899 00:41:27,160 --> 00:41:29,000 Speaker 3: are you thinking, are you just regurgitating? 900 00:41:30,000 --> 00:41:30,720 Speaker 1: You're not allowed? 901 00:41:31,040 --> 00:41:34,800 Speaker 3: Like the hospital is so high in germs and bacteria 902 00:41:35,040 --> 00:41:38,759 Speaker 3: because there's a bunch of sick people. Your house is 903 00:41:38,840 --> 00:41:42,360 Speaker 3: literally the most standed like sterile place for you to 904 00:41:42,440 --> 00:41:44,480 Speaker 3: have baby because it's your germs and it's your ship. 905 00:41:45,080 --> 00:41:48,279 Speaker 2: So it actually makes more sense in terms of like sterility. 906 00:41:48,360 --> 00:41:52,800 Speaker 2: I don't know if that's okay, good to do it 907 00:41:52,880 --> 00:41:55,759 Speaker 2: at home, you know, like you're It's just it's so ridiculous, 908 00:41:56,120 --> 00:41:56,600 Speaker 2: and like. 909 00:41:56,760 --> 00:42:00,239 Speaker 3: For black women because while we keep saying black women, 910 00:42:00,280 --> 00:42:02,279 Speaker 3: black women, black women, and the hospital, you know is 911 00:42:02,320 --> 00:42:05,680 Speaker 3: that we're are infant mortality rates are like two and 912 00:42:05,719 --> 00:42:08,120 Speaker 3: a half, like almost two and a half times the 913 00:42:08,280 --> 00:42:11,320 Speaker 3: rates of other races, like white people. We are babies, 914 00:42:11,400 --> 00:42:14,240 Speaker 3: and our babies and mothers die at the highest rates. 915 00:42:14,480 --> 00:42:17,799 Speaker 1: Still you're still in the hot decades forever, and it's 916 00:42:18,200 --> 00:42:20,960 Speaker 1: and the people giving birth sae yeah, have the highest 917 00:42:21,400 --> 00:42:24,319 Speaker 1: maternal death rate regardless of whether you identify as a woman. 918 00:42:24,520 --> 00:42:26,959 Speaker 1: We have black folks have the highest death rate. 919 00:42:27,400 --> 00:42:30,200 Speaker 3: And you know, some people say it's because of like 920 00:42:31,280 --> 00:42:36,480 Speaker 3: I've read that it's because there's uh less money, like 921 00:42:36,640 --> 00:42:39,920 Speaker 3: low income. Another run was like, we wait to go 922 00:42:40,000 --> 00:42:42,400 Speaker 3: to the hospital late to get checked. 923 00:42:43,440 --> 00:42:46,600 Speaker 2: But it's like you're just not informed. I mean maybe 924 00:42:46,600 --> 00:42:48,680 Speaker 2: you don't. I don't, I don't. It's obviously there's racism. 925 00:42:48,840 --> 00:42:50,640 Speaker 2: Let's just be really supposed to be clear. 926 00:42:50,800 --> 00:42:54,880 Speaker 3: People are being brushed off and shit's happening, and I 927 00:42:55,000 --> 00:42:56,440 Speaker 3: think that's fucking scary. 928 00:42:56,800 --> 00:43:01,000 Speaker 2: That statistic alone is like, eh, I'm good. You're obviously 929 00:43:01,120 --> 00:43:03,120 Speaker 2: not trying that hard as you are with this bitch 930 00:43:03,160 --> 00:43:03,480 Speaker 2: over here. 931 00:43:03,600 --> 00:43:05,160 Speaker 1: Nor have you been nor have you been? 932 00:43:05,239 --> 00:43:07,680 Speaker 2: And you obviously and no one feels like there's an 933 00:43:07,719 --> 00:43:08,320 Speaker 2: issue with it. 934 00:43:08,680 --> 00:43:10,759 Speaker 1: So this is the thing you have to remember, is 935 00:43:11,000 --> 00:43:14,160 Speaker 1: the system that everyone talks about or the man it 936 00:43:14,320 --> 00:43:17,920 Speaker 1: was built for them, so it works for them. It 937 00:43:18,080 --> 00:43:21,640 Speaker 1: was we were never included in the equation. We were chattel, 938 00:43:22,280 --> 00:43:23,720 Speaker 1: We were the labor. 939 00:43:24,320 --> 00:43:24,719 Speaker 4: And so. 940 00:43:26,400 --> 00:43:28,840 Speaker 1: What lots and lots of people have finally agreed on 941 00:43:29,160 --> 00:43:33,000 Speaker 1: is that the maternal and the infant mortality morbidity rates 942 00:43:33,080 --> 00:43:36,520 Speaker 1: are directly linked to racism at the beginning of it all. 943 00:43:36,600 --> 00:43:40,279 Speaker 1: It's all about racism because you know, for many years 944 00:43:40,320 --> 00:43:43,279 Speaker 1: in medical school, they taught doctors that black people didn't 945 00:43:43,320 --> 00:43:46,359 Speaker 1: feel pain the way white people did, and so black 946 00:43:46,400 --> 00:43:49,880 Speaker 1: people didn't get epidurals. When epidural started happening, it was like, oh, 947 00:43:49,960 --> 00:43:53,920 Speaker 1: you're fine, or well the epidural person isn't available right now, 948 00:43:54,160 --> 00:43:55,799 Speaker 1: or we're looking for them now. 949 00:43:55,880 --> 00:43:56,000 Speaker 6: Now. 950 00:43:56,120 --> 00:43:59,279 Speaker 1: Granted, you literally can just like breathe the wrong way 951 00:43:59,320 --> 00:44:02,520 Speaker 1: and they're like, do you want to? But for many, 952 00:44:02,600 --> 00:44:04,919 Speaker 1: many years, we just weren't allowed access to the things 953 00:44:04,920 --> 00:44:07,480 Speaker 1: that other people were given access to. My grandmother, the 954 00:44:07,520 --> 00:44:10,560 Speaker 1: one who's a midwife, she never had twilight birth when 955 00:44:10,800 --> 00:44:13,279 Speaker 1: all the other white nurses that were her counterparts were 956 00:44:13,320 --> 00:44:14,960 Speaker 1: having twilight birth. And that was where they gave them 957 00:44:14,960 --> 00:44:17,160 Speaker 1: that good juice through the ivy and they fell asleep 958 00:44:17,160 --> 00:44:18,719 Speaker 1: and they woke up and oh, look, there's a baby here. 959 00:44:19,040 --> 00:44:21,440 Speaker 1: But what they didn't talk about until years later was 960 00:44:21,840 --> 00:44:24,359 Speaker 1: you know, them waking up and being like not knowing 961 00:44:24,480 --> 00:44:26,080 Speaker 1: that they had had a baby, not knowing that they 962 00:44:26,160 --> 00:44:27,719 Speaker 1: had either vastually pushed out a baby or had a 963 00:44:27,760 --> 00:44:32,600 Speaker 1: sea section, not knowing like anything, and being terrified or 964 00:44:32,760 --> 00:44:35,520 Speaker 1: being awake the entire procedure but couldn't open their eyes, 965 00:44:35,760 --> 00:44:38,919 Speaker 1: so they felt everything or they heard all the really misogynists, 966 00:44:39,560 --> 00:44:42,400 Speaker 1: horrible racist things that were happening black folks. A lot 967 00:44:42,440 --> 00:44:44,840 Speaker 1: of black folks didn't have twilight sleep because it was like, oh, no, 968 00:44:44,960 --> 00:44:48,120 Speaker 1: you don't need that. Y'all don't feel pain like that. 969 00:44:48,719 --> 00:44:51,360 Speaker 1: And that's still, unfortunately, part of the reason why a 970 00:44:51,440 --> 00:44:54,920 Speaker 1: lot of medical negligence happens is like, oh, she just 971 00:44:55,360 --> 00:44:58,759 Speaker 1: she just complains a lot, oh whatever, And really you 972 00:44:58,880 --> 00:45:01,120 Speaker 1: are like in the corner dying. You're like literally like 973 00:45:01,239 --> 00:45:04,720 Speaker 1: I'm actually dying right now, and you can't be bothered 974 00:45:04,719 --> 00:45:08,800 Speaker 1: because you think that I'm just dating, I'm dramatic, I'm needy. 975 00:45:09,160 --> 00:45:11,600 Speaker 1: And you know when they talk about oh, well it's 976 00:45:11,719 --> 00:45:13,799 Speaker 1: because black folks don't have money or black folks don't 977 00:45:13,800 --> 00:45:16,960 Speaker 1: have access, well, we know that that's bs because we 978 00:45:17,160 --> 00:45:22,799 Speaker 1: have doctors, nurses, lawyers, we have educators, scholars that are 979 00:45:22,920 --> 00:45:24,800 Speaker 1: dying in childbirth that are black. We have people with 980 00:45:24,880 --> 00:45:27,239 Speaker 1: six figures and a partner and a house on the 981 00:45:27,320 --> 00:45:30,200 Speaker 1: hill and four cars and dying in childbirth. 982 00:45:30,280 --> 00:45:31,120 Speaker 2: They're not exempt. 983 00:45:31,239 --> 00:45:34,280 Speaker 1: It's no one's exempt. It is across the board racism. 984 00:45:34,440 --> 00:45:37,080 Speaker 1: And so what we have found, what we know as midwives, 985 00:45:37,120 --> 00:45:41,560 Speaker 1: as Black midwives specifically, is that we cannot guarantee you 986 00:45:41,719 --> 00:45:44,440 Speaker 1: a vaginal birth. But what we can guarantee you is 987 00:45:44,520 --> 00:45:47,719 Speaker 1: that some of us, not all of us, are going 988 00:45:47,800 --> 00:45:49,640 Speaker 1: to ride for you in such a way that you 989 00:45:50,000 --> 00:45:53,600 Speaker 1: never are worried about how it's gonna go because you 990 00:45:53,760 --> 00:45:56,080 Speaker 1: are running the ship and I'm literally just your hype man. 991 00:45:56,280 --> 00:45:58,600 Speaker 1: I'm just making sure that you have all the information 992 00:45:58,920 --> 00:46:00,480 Speaker 1: that you know. You know, you could go left, you 993 00:46:00,560 --> 00:46:02,719 Speaker 1: don't have to go right. Oh okay, okay, well what's left? 994 00:46:02,840 --> 00:46:04,839 Speaker 1: These are all the things that are left. Okay, okay, okay, 995 00:46:05,000 --> 00:46:06,640 Speaker 1: you know what. Now I'm gonna go down the middle. Great, 996 00:46:06,719 --> 00:46:07,920 Speaker 1: let me give you the pros and cons of that. 997 00:46:08,120 --> 00:46:10,319 Speaker 1: I didn't even see that as an option. And then, 998 00:46:10,520 --> 00:46:12,560 Speaker 1: you know, if it doesn't work out at home, going 999 00:46:12,600 --> 00:46:15,000 Speaker 1: to the hospital and continue to be an advocate. But also, 1000 00:46:15,960 --> 00:46:17,640 Speaker 1: and this is a role that I feel like only 1001 00:46:17,680 --> 00:46:19,640 Speaker 1: black midwives have to take on, Brown midwives have to 1002 00:46:19,680 --> 00:46:21,680 Speaker 1: take on, and that is we then have to turn 1003 00:46:21,760 --> 00:46:27,239 Speaker 1: into basically you know, your own personal security slash liaison 1004 00:46:27,360 --> 00:46:31,239 Speaker 1: committee for community, committee for all things healthcare meaning coming 1005 00:46:31,280 --> 00:46:34,360 Speaker 1: into the hospital and being able to figure out very 1006 00:46:34,440 --> 00:46:36,560 Speaker 1: quickly who is about you and who isn't, who is 1007 00:46:36,760 --> 00:46:39,560 Speaker 1: trying to literally sabotage your birth, who really doesn't care 1008 00:46:39,600 --> 00:46:42,080 Speaker 1: about you, who is dangerous, and who isn't, and then 1009 00:46:42,160 --> 00:46:43,520 Speaker 1: calling them out on it in such a. 1010 00:46:43,520 --> 00:46:44,480 Speaker 2: Way that they understand. 1011 00:46:44,640 --> 00:46:47,959 Speaker 1: So you can't. You can't go into the hospital space 1012 00:46:48,000 --> 00:46:51,520 Speaker 1: and not speak their language. And I will always give 1013 00:46:51,600 --> 00:46:53,439 Speaker 1: thanks for the fact that I went to nursing school 1014 00:46:53,480 --> 00:46:55,719 Speaker 1: and that I came from nurses so that I knew 1015 00:46:55,719 --> 00:46:57,560 Speaker 1: how to get into those spaces and keep black and 1016 00:46:57,600 --> 00:46:59,680 Speaker 1: brown people safe, because that's the other thing is they'll 1017 00:46:59,680 --> 00:47:01,480 Speaker 1: try and over your head and be like. 1018 00:47:01,560 --> 00:47:04,480 Speaker 2: Use these terms, and then they say Davy dead. 1019 00:47:04,600 --> 00:47:07,240 Speaker 1: And you're like okay, and you're like whoa, okay, whatever 1020 00:47:07,320 --> 00:47:10,759 Speaker 1: you said. And in reality it's like, well, you have 1021 00:47:10,880 --> 00:47:12,600 Speaker 1: the option of staying here or you can get up 1022 00:47:12,640 --> 00:47:12,800 Speaker 1: and go. 1023 00:47:13,719 --> 00:47:16,279 Speaker 2: And they didn't tell you that, right right, They don't 1024 00:47:16,320 --> 00:47:18,040 Speaker 2: play man. 1025 00:47:18,239 --> 00:47:21,759 Speaker 3: It's so crazy because I think even being like an 1026 00:47:22,400 --> 00:47:25,799 Speaker 3: informed black woman, or like a woman and black woman who. 1027 00:47:25,760 --> 00:47:26,799 Speaker 2: Knows what she wants like. 1028 00:47:29,320 --> 00:47:32,440 Speaker 3: Me and my my Obi became really cool. But I 1029 00:47:32,520 --> 00:47:34,359 Speaker 3: can I know initially she's felt like, oh, this bit 1030 00:47:34,480 --> 00:47:36,719 Speaker 3: is really annoying. And in my mind I was like, 1031 00:47:36,719 --> 00:47:38,000 Speaker 3: I'm gonna go to the hospital the whole way through 1032 00:47:38,040 --> 00:47:39,440 Speaker 3: and then at the end, I'm going to stay home. 1033 00:47:39,840 --> 00:47:41,200 Speaker 3: And I even said, can't you just be in my 1034 00:47:41,239 --> 00:47:44,400 Speaker 3: apartment building when I get labor? I like, She's like, 1035 00:47:44,560 --> 00:47:46,080 Speaker 3: maybe if you hadn't been here this whole time, and 1036 00:47:46,080 --> 00:47:48,800 Speaker 3: I wouldn't, I wouldn't, Like, maybe I couldn't lose my license. 1037 00:47:48,840 --> 00:47:54,480 Speaker 3: But no, But it's people don't women don't understand, like, 1038 00:47:54,600 --> 00:47:57,719 Speaker 3: when you're pregnant, when you give birth, you're in such 1039 00:47:57,719 --> 00:48:02,359 Speaker 3: a vulnerable place and your most runabook place. But if 1040 00:48:02,440 --> 00:48:04,440 Speaker 3: you really hone in on that power, it could be 1041 00:48:04,520 --> 00:48:08,360 Speaker 3: the most amazing experience. It could be the most empowering 1042 00:48:08,840 --> 00:48:11,000 Speaker 3: experience of your life. It's like, literally, it could be 1043 00:48:11,600 --> 00:48:14,360 Speaker 3: like a rite of passage, I always say, but it 1044 00:48:14,400 --> 00:48:16,839 Speaker 3: could also be something completely different if you don't if 1045 00:48:16,880 --> 00:48:19,080 Speaker 3: you don't look at all types of births. I'm an 1046 00:48:19,200 --> 00:48:23,359 Speaker 3: obsessed home birth YouTuber me and my child. Some people 1047 00:48:23,400 --> 00:48:24,719 Speaker 3: think it's very air. I think it's weird, and my 1048 00:48:24,800 --> 00:48:28,160 Speaker 3: children have lots of home births online. We watch your 1049 00:48:28,239 --> 00:48:32,120 Speaker 3: animal births, mother's birth bursts in the river, like all 1050 00:48:32,160 --> 00:48:35,560 Speaker 3: types of births online, and because I got obsessed with 1051 00:48:35,640 --> 00:48:38,600 Speaker 3: it way before I got pregnant, I recognized that, oh, 1052 00:48:38,640 --> 00:48:40,879 Speaker 3: birth doesn't have to be this big scary thing. 1053 00:48:41,480 --> 00:48:42,839 Speaker 2: I've seen quiet births. 1054 00:48:42,880 --> 00:48:46,600 Speaker 3: I've seen people like laugh, orgasm, cry of tears birth 1055 00:48:46,800 --> 00:48:48,120 Speaker 3: and I'm like, oh, so I have there's. 1056 00:48:47,960 --> 00:48:49,759 Speaker 2: There's an option if I'm in tune with it. 1057 00:48:50,160 --> 00:48:51,600 Speaker 3: But when I when I ended up, I end up 1058 00:48:51,600 --> 00:48:53,400 Speaker 3: having to go to the hospital, end up getting induced 1059 00:48:53,440 --> 00:48:58,200 Speaker 3: because you know, there's shit. I remember there was one 1060 00:48:58,280 --> 00:49:01,040 Speaker 3: nurse she was one way, and I remember the shift happening, 1061 00:49:01,360 --> 00:49:04,320 Speaker 3: the shift switch, and it was like a completely different vibe, 1062 00:49:04,760 --> 00:49:06,759 Speaker 3: and I was like, what the fuck just happened? And 1063 00:49:06,840 --> 00:49:08,719 Speaker 3: I was probably on some kind of twilight drug because 1064 00:49:08,719 --> 00:49:09,960 Speaker 3: I remember like going in and out a little bit. 1065 00:49:09,960 --> 00:49:11,560 Speaker 3: But I just remember, like, I don't have time for 1066 00:49:11,680 --> 00:49:15,560 Speaker 3: this type of different people like who shift is it now? 1067 00:49:15,640 --> 00:49:15,839 Speaker 2: Bitch? 1068 00:49:15,960 --> 00:49:18,800 Speaker 3: I like the last late you come in here, delegating 1069 00:49:18,800 --> 00:49:21,239 Speaker 3: shit that's been delegated, trying to kick people out. 1070 00:49:21,280 --> 00:49:23,239 Speaker 2: You need to calm the fuck down. Okay, you know what. 1071 00:49:23,239 --> 00:49:25,759 Speaker 3: I'm saying, But you don't have enough power strength to 1072 00:49:25,800 --> 00:49:27,879 Speaker 3: be cussing people out while you're in labor. 1073 00:49:27,920 --> 00:49:29,239 Speaker 1: Well, it just shouldn't even be what you have to 1074 00:49:29,280 --> 00:49:33,399 Speaker 1: do while you're trying to get it right. But why 1075 00:49:33,400 --> 00:49:36,040 Speaker 1: I have to check nurse Becky, right, but I still 1076 00:49:36,120 --> 00:49:38,560 Speaker 1: have to be this black right now at this moment. 1077 00:49:38,840 --> 00:49:40,839 Speaker 3: Yeah, and even I had like wrote out a really 1078 00:49:40,920 --> 00:49:46,520 Speaker 3: extensive birth plan, and the first person acknowledged, the second 1079 00:49:46,560 --> 00:49:48,279 Speaker 3: one didn't. And then I realized at some point somebody 1080 00:49:48,360 --> 00:49:50,279 Speaker 3: was smart enough to be like, bitch, make copies of this, 1081 00:49:50,480 --> 00:49:51,600 Speaker 3: because if you. 1082 00:49:51,680 --> 00:49:53,320 Speaker 1: Don't, this is disappears. 1083 00:49:53,680 --> 00:49:56,600 Speaker 2: It's documented. Yes, absolutely, I mean even like I want 1084 00:49:56,640 --> 00:49:57,640 Speaker 2: my colcenta after this. 1085 00:49:58,239 --> 00:50:00,279 Speaker 3: Don't cut that cord until this, which I don't know 1086 00:50:00,280 --> 00:50:04,080 Speaker 3: if that happened, but like, but you don't want to 1087 00:50:04,320 --> 00:50:06,279 Speaker 3: think about it, like it's common sense. Do you want 1088 00:50:06,320 --> 00:50:08,800 Speaker 3: to be in a hospital, in this sterile environment, uncomfortable 1089 00:50:08,840 --> 00:50:10,200 Speaker 3: in this little ass bed, or. 1090 00:50:10,160 --> 00:50:12,640 Speaker 2: Do you want to be at home, listen to your playlist, 1091 00:50:13,640 --> 00:50:16,000 Speaker 2: going in the backyard, lighting some candles. They wouldn't let 1092 00:50:16,000 --> 00:50:17,320 Speaker 2: me l like candles in the fucking hospital. 1093 00:50:17,520 --> 00:50:19,279 Speaker 3: You want to go outside. I'm not saying you endorse 1094 00:50:19,360 --> 00:50:22,640 Speaker 3: this and smoke weed, you know, it's just whatever you 1095 00:50:23,040 --> 00:50:25,640 Speaker 3: makes you comfortable. You're in your space to do it 1096 00:50:25,800 --> 00:50:28,600 Speaker 3: and like that to me alone, I'm like, yeah, let's 1097 00:50:28,640 --> 00:50:30,719 Speaker 3: be at home and have the party, Like I don't 1098 00:50:30,719 --> 00:50:32,359 Speaker 3: want to have the transport back and forth. 1099 00:50:32,400 --> 00:50:35,040 Speaker 2: It's just like common sense, you know that. You know, 1100 00:50:35,080 --> 00:50:35,840 Speaker 2: everybody's different. 1101 00:50:35,960 --> 00:50:39,319 Speaker 1: It's definitely getting harder and harder for family. So all 1102 00:50:39,400 --> 00:50:42,279 Speaker 1: of my children were born at forty two weeks. Every 1103 00:50:42,320 --> 00:50:45,040 Speaker 1: single one of them tardy to the party. Just gave zero. 1104 00:50:45,200 --> 00:50:47,440 Speaker 1: They were like what do they Unfortunately they had a 1105 00:50:47,520 --> 00:50:50,359 Speaker 1: mom that was a midwife that literally felt the same way. 1106 00:50:50,360 --> 00:50:52,799 Speaker 1: I was like, whatever, like they don't show up. When 1107 00:50:52,800 --> 00:50:54,600 Speaker 1: they show up. It was never gonna be like, oh, 1108 00:50:54,600 --> 00:50:56,880 Speaker 1: I'm gonna do so, I'm gonna force this little person out. 1109 00:50:56,880 --> 00:50:58,680 Speaker 1: I was like, they will show up when they are ready. 1110 00:50:58,719 --> 00:51:01,680 Speaker 2: It's getting too big, So that is a lie. 1111 00:51:02,239 --> 00:51:02,359 Speaker 3: Uh. 1112 00:51:02,560 --> 00:51:05,240 Speaker 1: Oftentimes what happens is they start to lose weight because 1113 00:51:05,239 --> 00:51:07,719 Speaker 1: the placenta is like, so how much longer are we 1114 00:51:07,760 --> 00:51:08,160 Speaker 1: gonna do this? 1115 00:51:08,360 --> 00:51:09,399 Speaker 2: Right? Are you hungry? Yeah? 1116 00:51:09,600 --> 00:51:12,520 Speaker 1: And so the a lot of times babies that are born, 1117 00:51:12,680 --> 00:51:15,440 Speaker 1: you know, beyond forty two weeks, they will lose weight 1118 00:51:15,480 --> 00:51:19,240 Speaker 1: and you can tell they're like their skin looks really leathery, 1119 00:51:19,320 --> 00:51:21,120 Speaker 1: like maybe a little bit deflated, like maybe it was 1120 00:51:21,160 --> 00:51:23,200 Speaker 1: puffy full chunky and then kind of. 1121 00:51:23,200 --> 00:51:26,160 Speaker 2: Deflated a little. That happened to my oldest. Uh. 1122 00:51:26,320 --> 00:51:28,880 Speaker 1: He was born at forty two weeks, and at no 1123 00:51:29,000 --> 00:51:30,799 Speaker 1: point where my midwife's like, so, what are we gonna 1124 00:51:30,840 --> 00:51:33,440 Speaker 1: start talking about making a baby come out? Like he 1125 00:51:33,600 --> 00:51:35,640 Speaker 1: just that's how long he took. And when he came out, 1126 00:51:35,680 --> 00:51:38,279 Speaker 1: he looked like a little leathery l little lizard. His 1127 00:51:38,440 --> 00:51:40,800 Speaker 1: nickname was Turtle, and I was like, oh, ho'me turtle. 1128 00:51:41,680 --> 00:51:44,760 Speaker 1: And he got chunky eventually, and he filled out eventually, 1129 00:51:44,840 --> 00:51:47,399 Speaker 1: but he was very dry and crackly. My second one, 1130 00:51:47,640 --> 00:51:50,480 Speaker 1: he was eight pounds two ounces forty two weeks and 1131 00:51:50,600 --> 00:51:52,400 Speaker 1: literally just like cussed me out from the moment he 1132 00:51:52,480 --> 00:51:56,560 Speaker 1: came out the water, his true scorpio self. That's just 1133 00:51:56,600 --> 00:51:58,640 Speaker 1: who he is. But what I will say is that 1134 00:52:00,120 --> 00:52:02,520 Speaker 1: you know, the hospitals they used to quote unquote allow 1135 00:52:02,680 --> 00:52:04,799 Speaker 1: people to go to forty two weeks, and now they 1136 00:52:04,880 --> 00:52:06,640 Speaker 1: barely let people go to forty weeks. 1137 00:52:06,719 --> 00:52:08,719 Speaker 2: Now I know, and I yeah, I think I was 1138 00:52:08,760 --> 00:52:09,319 Speaker 2: at forty one. 1139 00:52:09,600 --> 00:52:12,960 Speaker 1: Yeah, And that just is laughable to me because I 1140 00:52:13,040 --> 00:52:15,279 Speaker 1: don't know if you experiences when you're at your doctors 1141 00:52:15,440 --> 00:52:17,120 Speaker 1: is they have this little wheel that they spend to 1142 00:52:17,239 --> 00:52:18,719 Speaker 1: kind of see like how far along you are in 1143 00:52:18,719 --> 00:52:21,520 Speaker 1: your pregnancy. And it's a wheel. It's called a gestational wheel. 1144 00:52:21,719 --> 00:52:25,920 Speaker 1: It's called a guestimation, yeah, that part, and the wheel 1145 00:52:26,239 --> 00:52:28,279 Speaker 1: is got all of the days of the year on it, 1146 00:52:28,360 --> 00:52:31,320 Speaker 1: all the months, and then in the middle it's forty 1147 00:52:31,400 --> 00:52:34,399 Speaker 1: weeks gestation. Sometimes they'll go to forty two forty three. 1148 00:52:34,920 --> 00:52:39,560 Speaker 1: And the reason why I hate that wheel is because 1149 00:52:39,560 --> 00:52:41,839 Speaker 1: it's based on a twenty eight day cycle, and when 1150 00:52:41,880 --> 00:52:44,080 Speaker 1: I was having babies, it would be like every thirty 1151 00:52:44,120 --> 00:52:46,080 Speaker 1: eight days more or less. So I knew I was like, oh, 1152 00:52:46,080 --> 00:52:48,160 Speaker 1: when I have babies, these babies pots maybe about to 1153 00:52:48,160 --> 00:52:49,840 Speaker 1: be posted up for a while because my cycle is 1154 00:52:49,960 --> 00:52:54,439 Speaker 1: heck along, right, Doctors and hospital institutions are not allowed 1155 00:52:54,440 --> 00:52:57,160 Speaker 1: to take those things into consideration. And now it's just 1156 00:52:57,280 --> 00:53:00,640 Speaker 1: such that the law and the regulation, the regulating of 1157 00:53:00,719 --> 00:53:02,759 Speaker 1: midwives is that we can't take care of people be 1158 00:53:02,840 --> 00:53:05,040 Speaker 1: on forty two weeks anymore. So if I was to 1159 00:53:05,080 --> 00:53:06,960 Speaker 1: be pregnant right now, I would be breaking the law 1160 00:53:07,000 --> 00:53:08,640 Speaker 1: when I gave birth, because I know for a fact 1161 00:53:08,680 --> 00:53:11,080 Speaker 1: this this person wouldn't show up til after forty two weeks. 1162 00:53:11,400 --> 00:53:13,080 Speaker 1: So even families that are like I want to have 1163 00:53:13,120 --> 00:53:15,040 Speaker 1: a home birth, I'm gonna have a home birth. In 1164 00:53:15,160 --> 00:53:17,839 Speaker 1: this day and age, there are now laws. 1165 00:53:17,560 --> 00:53:20,880 Speaker 2: That because your license, I was your patient and I 1166 00:53:21,000 --> 00:53:22,560 Speaker 2: was forty three weeks, you cannot. 1167 00:53:24,200 --> 00:53:27,200 Speaker 1: You cannot can't attend the home birth. We also can 1168 00:53:27,320 --> 00:53:31,760 Speaker 1: no longer attend twins, multiples. We can't. We can't attend 1169 00:53:31,800 --> 00:53:32,440 Speaker 1: breech babies. 1170 00:53:32,440 --> 00:53:35,960 Speaker 2: Baby that's first and it's pass the time or just 1171 00:53:36,040 --> 00:53:37,520 Speaker 2: in general, in here general anymore. 1172 00:53:38,239 --> 00:53:39,799 Speaker 1: It ended in twenty fourteen. 1173 00:53:39,640 --> 00:53:42,040 Speaker 2: So you so any so a client comes to you, 1174 00:53:42,280 --> 00:53:44,640 Speaker 2: I'm having twins. Yes, she has to go to the hospital, 1175 00:53:44,719 --> 00:53:45,960 Speaker 2: she has to go to the host. You know what's 1176 00:53:45,960 --> 00:53:47,680 Speaker 2: gonna happen though, because a bitch like me. I just 1177 00:53:47,719 --> 00:53:50,000 Speaker 2: had a dream last night that I had triplets. I 1178 00:53:50,000 --> 00:53:51,920 Speaker 2: don't want, I want. I used to want multiple dad. 1179 00:53:52,360 --> 00:53:54,200 Speaker 2: Maybe I knew because she was coming that's what I 1180 00:53:54,239 --> 00:53:56,600 Speaker 2: was thinking, and it was a home birth. I'm on 1181 00:53:56,640 --> 00:54:00,640 Speaker 2: my period right now. It was like like I was like, 1182 00:54:00,960 --> 00:54:02,520 Speaker 2: what I woke up this morning and I was like, 1183 00:54:02,600 --> 00:54:06,040 Speaker 2: and there was a stillborn baby in my dream? Wow, 1184 00:54:07,880 --> 00:54:09,120 Speaker 2: I don't know. And then I couldn't. I was like 1185 00:54:09,160 --> 00:54:11,120 Speaker 2: trying to figure out how to breastfeed all of them, 1186 00:54:11,360 --> 00:54:13,600 Speaker 2: and I'm it was just very strange. It was got 1187 00:54:13,600 --> 00:54:15,440 Speaker 2: a little dark. That's another thing in hospitals. 1188 00:54:15,440 --> 00:54:18,040 Speaker 3: They always trying to give you some fucking formula, like immediately, 1189 00:54:18,160 --> 00:54:19,160 Speaker 3: well that's that's so yeah. 1190 00:54:19,280 --> 00:54:22,279 Speaker 2: Like my daughter, God, I'm trying to remember, cause I 1191 00:54:22,280 --> 00:54:24,800 Speaker 2: was in so many drugs, but for some reason she was. 1192 00:54:25,280 --> 00:54:27,440 Speaker 2: I had a c section obviously, and then sh I 1193 00:54:27,520 --> 00:54:30,480 Speaker 2: w sh when I she wasn't with me at first, 1194 00:54:31,680 --> 00:54:34,800 Speaker 2: and then they'd do some tests or something, and so 1195 00:54:35,160 --> 00:54:39,600 Speaker 2: I was breastfeeding, but I wasn't, like my milk hadn't 1196 00:54:39,600 --> 00:54:44,920 Speaker 2: come all the way in and did they give her No, 1197 00:54:45,040 --> 00:54:47,480 Speaker 2: they didn't give her formula. But eventually, because I had 1198 00:54:47,560 --> 00:54:51,839 Speaker 2: such trouble breastfeeding and I'd been trying for a few 1199 00:54:52,320 --> 00:54:53,759 Speaker 2: like I've been doing it for two months, and they 1200 00:54:53,800 --> 00:54:55,440 Speaker 2: were saying that she was losing weight, they suggested that 1201 00:54:55,480 --> 00:55:00,279 Speaker 2: I supplement with formula, which I really didn't want. But 1202 00:55:00,360 --> 00:55:02,200 Speaker 2: I felt like, again like I didn't us to do. 1203 00:55:02,680 --> 00:55:06,160 Speaker 2: I was like, my baby, she is losing weight. And 1204 00:55:06,280 --> 00:55:08,320 Speaker 2: I find that I find that a lot of black 1205 00:55:08,360 --> 00:55:11,800 Speaker 2: people don't even try to breastfeed. They just go straight 1206 00:55:11,840 --> 00:55:13,839 Speaker 2: into the formula. I don't know. I think a lot 1207 00:55:13,880 --> 00:55:15,520 Speaker 2: of it is. I think a lot of it is 1208 00:55:15,640 --> 00:55:18,080 Speaker 2: like I think a lot of it are because our 1209 00:55:18,120 --> 00:55:20,120 Speaker 2: bodies have alway always been sexualized. They don't look at 1210 00:55:20,160 --> 00:55:25,680 Speaker 2: our breaths so as like nature and fucking these incredible 1211 00:55:25,880 --> 00:55:28,960 Speaker 2: I've heard I've heard lack my mom to I mean, 1212 00:55:29,000 --> 00:55:31,719 Speaker 2: that's nasty. Yeah that I've heard that too, or their 1213 00:55:31,800 --> 00:55:35,400 Speaker 2: partner shaming them. I almost passed out. I heard that too. 1214 00:55:35,560 --> 00:55:39,520 Speaker 2: That ship pisses me off on a whole different level. 1215 00:55:40,480 --> 00:55:43,360 Speaker 1: But the reason their mom says it is because probably 1216 00:55:43,719 --> 00:55:47,000 Speaker 1: their mother was forced to possibly breastfeed some white person's baby, 1217 00:55:47,280 --> 00:55:50,399 Speaker 1: or their grandmother was forced to breastfeed some white person's baby. 1218 00:55:50,480 --> 00:55:52,839 Speaker 2: That is, that's where the shame comes from. 1219 00:55:52,920 --> 00:55:55,560 Speaker 1: We have the trauma and the shame because it was 1220 00:55:56,040 --> 00:55:59,480 Speaker 1: that was our responsibility, was to not breastfeed our own babies, 1221 00:55:59,520 --> 00:56:00,319 Speaker 1: to breastfeed. 1222 00:56:00,080 --> 00:56:00,840 Speaker 2: These white babies. 1223 00:56:01,239 --> 00:56:05,040 Speaker 1: And if you look, if you google a wet nurse, 1224 00:56:05,320 --> 00:56:08,600 Speaker 1: you will always see a black woman not smiling with 1225 00:56:08,760 --> 00:56:11,680 Speaker 1: either a white baby on her breast or a white 1226 00:56:11,719 --> 00:56:14,799 Speaker 1: baby sitting on her lap, and then maybe maybe her 1227 00:56:14,840 --> 00:56:17,319 Speaker 1: own black baby in the picture somewhere nearby, but most 1228 00:56:17,360 --> 00:56:20,239 Speaker 1: often not. And so we have that trauma that I 1229 00:56:20,320 --> 00:56:23,320 Speaker 1: call it. For years, I've called it cellular ancestral trauma, 1230 00:56:23,480 --> 00:56:25,200 Speaker 1: where you just have a feeling come over you that says, 1231 00:56:25,239 --> 00:56:27,359 Speaker 1: oh no, don't do that, and you don't know why, 1232 00:56:27,920 --> 00:56:30,239 Speaker 1: and I feel like that's that's that. And so for 1233 00:56:31,160 --> 00:56:32,840 Speaker 1: you know, a lot of black people, it was the 1234 00:56:33,000 --> 00:56:37,279 Speaker 1: shame of having had to experience that. And then, you know, 1235 00:56:37,680 --> 00:56:39,600 Speaker 1: if everyone in the community is like, no, we don't 1236 00:56:39,600 --> 00:56:45,279 Speaker 1: do that, that's nasty, are they okay? Yeah, okay. If 1237 00:56:45,320 --> 00:56:46,600 Speaker 1: it was my own I probably would say the same, 1238 00:56:47,120 --> 00:56:51,080 Speaker 1: don't have to ask. But it was the shame around. 1239 00:56:51,360 --> 00:56:54,320 Speaker 1: You know, you had to do something against your wishes 1240 00:56:54,880 --> 00:56:58,520 Speaker 1: and allow someone to be on your body and take 1241 00:56:58,560 --> 00:57:01,239 Speaker 1: from your body, and you're to suffer because of it. 1242 00:57:01,880 --> 00:57:04,920 Speaker 1: That is gonna leave an imprint. It's gonna leave a 1243 00:57:05,040 --> 00:57:08,560 Speaker 1: genetic imprint. And what happens then is if you've never 1244 00:57:08,600 --> 00:57:11,759 Speaker 1: seen your mother breastfeed, then how is breastfeeding going to 1245 00:57:11,800 --> 00:57:13,239 Speaker 1: be normal for you? How is it gonna be something 1246 00:57:13,280 --> 00:57:15,520 Speaker 1: that you just lean into instinctively and say, oh, yeah, 1247 00:57:15,520 --> 00:57:18,440 Speaker 1: I'm gonna breastfeed. Whenever I ask people, whenever people tell me, oh, 1248 00:57:18,480 --> 00:57:20,080 Speaker 1: we plan on breastfeeding. I want to breastfeed as long 1249 00:57:20,120 --> 00:57:22,080 Speaker 1: as this baby will let me. I always ask who 1250 00:57:22,160 --> 00:57:23,000 Speaker 1: did you see breastfeed? 1251 00:57:23,040 --> 00:57:23,400 Speaker 2: Growing up? 1252 00:57:23,400 --> 00:57:26,160 Speaker 1: Who have you seen breastfeed? And sometimes people are like, oh, 1253 00:57:26,280 --> 00:57:28,919 Speaker 1: my grandma, my mom, my auntie, Oh my cousin wants 1254 00:57:28,960 --> 00:57:31,440 Speaker 1: breastfeed me because my mom was somewhere and couldn't breastfeed me. 1255 00:57:31,600 --> 00:57:34,120 Speaker 1: Like I'll get those stories, or I will get no 1256 00:57:34,200 --> 00:57:35,360 Speaker 1: one of my family's ever breastfit. 1257 00:57:35,400 --> 00:57:39,720 Speaker 2: Ever. That's crazy. And in thinking about too, like you said, 1258 00:57:39,720 --> 00:57:41,480 Speaker 2: a lot of times partners are the ones, oh yeah, 1259 00:57:41,480 --> 00:57:43,760 Speaker 2: you know, shame I think. I mean, that wasn't my case, 1260 00:57:44,640 --> 00:57:47,680 Speaker 2: but I would say that, Yeah, I think a lot 1261 00:57:47,720 --> 00:57:49,600 Speaker 2: of it is probably because they're like when do I 1262 00:57:49,680 --> 00:57:51,360 Speaker 2: get access back to this body? 1263 00:57:51,520 --> 00:57:51,920 Speaker 1: Exactly? 1264 00:57:52,120 --> 00:57:54,880 Speaker 2: Like you need to hurt it up the baby, my duty. 1265 00:57:55,000 --> 00:57:57,960 Speaker 2: The baby's out, Like okay, let me, I'll let you 1266 00:57:58,040 --> 00:57:59,760 Speaker 2: heal for a little while, but like when do I 1267 00:57:59,800 --> 00:58:01,320 Speaker 2: get my fun bags back? 1268 00:58:01,480 --> 00:58:01,640 Speaker 6: Yes? 1269 00:58:02,000 --> 00:58:04,320 Speaker 2: You know, and it's it's crazy and you know it 1270 00:58:04,680 --> 00:58:08,160 Speaker 2: like talking about Black Breastfeeding Week and the fact that 1271 00:58:09,000 --> 00:58:10,600 Speaker 2: like I had someone be like, well, why is our 1272 00:58:10,640 --> 00:58:14,040 Speaker 2: black breastfeeding? Like why does it need to be sounds 1273 00:58:14,080 --> 00:58:16,120 Speaker 2: like why does it why, Like I don't understand, we 1274 00:58:16,320 --> 00:58:20,520 Speaker 2: know why, and yeah, it's like because the mortality rate, 1275 00:58:20,560 --> 00:58:21,880 Speaker 2: the infant mortalitary would. 1276 00:58:21,640 --> 00:58:23,680 Speaker 3: Be much lower if black women are more educated in 1277 00:58:24,640 --> 00:58:26,680 Speaker 3: breastfeeding or it was more familiar and we saw it more. 1278 00:58:27,520 --> 00:58:27,920 Speaker 1: We need to. 1279 00:58:28,000 --> 00:58:32,680 Speaker 2: Normalize it normal not Unfortunately, it's not normal in our community. Unfortunately, 1280 00:58:32,800 --> 00:58:35,480 Speaker 2: there isn't enough information around it. Unfortunately, most Black women 1281 00:58:35,520 --> 00:58:37,720 Speaker 2: are gonna go and get formula because that's what they 1282 00:58:37,760 --> 00:58:39,920 Speaker 2: think that they're supposed to do and that's better for 1283 00:58:40,040 --> 00:58:42,760 Speaker 2: their kids. They're gonna put on weight faster, they're gonna 1284 00:58:42,840 --> 00:58:45,520 Speaker 2: you know, they get their bodies back faster, they. 1285 00:58:45,440 --> 00:58:48,400 Speaker 1: Get their autonomy and what we also don't speak to 1286 00:58:49,560 --> 00:58:51,840 Speaker 1: and this is just this is from many many years 1287 00:58:51,880 --> 00:58:54,560 Speaker 1: of being a midwife. I'm this is either your seventeen 1288 00:58:54,640 --> 00:58:57,520 Speaker 1: or eighteen. I'm sorry, it's theulation. The anniversary is this 1289 00:58:57,600 --> 00:58:58,280 Speaker 1: month that I'm. 1290 00:58:59,640 --> 00:59:01,800 Speaker 2: Remind me you tell lu No what you did. 1291 00:59:02,000 --> 00:59:10,760 Speaker 1: Oh okay, okay, I'm so excited. But something that it's 1292 00:59:10,880 --> 00:59:14,240 Speaker 1: just really painful to even acknowledge. But the majority of 1293 00:59:14,400 --> 00:59:19,720 Speaker 1: black people with vaginas, if you ask them in an intimate, 1294 00:59:20,720 --> 00:59:24,880 Speaker 1: private space setting where they feel safest they will tell 1295 00:59:24,920 --> 00:59:27,760 Speaker 1: you at some point their body was touched without their consent, 1296 00:59:27,920 --> 00:59:30,680 Speaker 1: that their body was harmed without their consent. And so 1297 00:59:30,880 --> 00:59:34,240 Speaker 1: sometimes the breastfeeding can happen because it is someone touching 1298 00:59:34,320 --> 00:59:37,360 Speaker 1: your body without your consent, Like even though you're okay, 1299 00:59:37,400 --> 00:59:40,640 Speaker 1: I'm gonna breastfeed you, but then the demand of when 1300 00:59:40,720 --> 00:59:43,080 Speaker 1: and how and where is this other person not you? 1301 00:59:43,360 --> 00:59:47,400 Speaker 1: And so I came upon that early in Midwiffrey where 1302 00:59:47,640 --> 00:59:50,320 Speaker 1: this black woman was just like, no, I'm not doing that, 1303 00:59:51,040 --> 00:59:54,680 Speaker 1: and we just sat and we were just like really 1304 00:59:54,920 --> 00:59:57,240 Speaker 1: worked it out. And then finally she realized the reason 1305 00:59:57,280 --> 01:00:00,040 Speaker 1: why was because she had been raped in college and 1306 01:00:00,160 --> 01:00:00,600 Speaker 1: there was a. 1307 01:00:00,680 --> 01:00:01,240 Speaker 2: Lot of. 1308 01:00:03,560 --> 01:00:06,280 Speaker 1: There was a lot of trauma to her breast during 1309 01:00:06,360 --> 01:00:10,560 Speaker 1: that experience. And so when she came to me saying 1310 01:00:10,560 --> 01:00:12,160 Speaker 1: she wanted a homework for all these different reasons, but 1311 01:00:12,240 --> 01:00:15,280 Speaker 1: said she did not want to breastfeed, I was just like, okay, 1312 01:00:15,400 --> 01:00:18,280 Speaker 1: let's sit with that, like that's a big thing. What's 1313 01:00:18,360 --> 01:00:21,760 Speaker 1: that about? And it was literally just like the thought 1314 01:00:21,840 --> 01:00:23,840 Speaker 1: of someone being able to have access to her body 1315 01:00:24,280 --> 01:00:25,880 Speaker 1: and her not be able to control the wind and 1316 01:00:25,920 --> 01:00:29,360 Speaker 1: the wear and the how made her visibly sick, like 1317 01:00:29,520 --> 01:00:32,360 Speaker 1: she looked like she was gonna vomit, like she she 1318 01:00:32,520 --> 01:00:34,720 Speaker 1: was getting the shakes, and then she started crying and 1319 01:00:34,760 --> 01:00:36,400 Speaker 1: she was like, I just can't do it. And she's like, 1320 01:00:36,440 --> 01:00:38,480 Speaker 1: and I don't. I know, I'm a terrible person. I 1321 01:00:38,480 --> 01:00:40,280 Speaker 1: should totally want to breastfeed this baby. And I just 1322 01:00:40,360 --> 01:00:43,200 Speaker 1: had to be like, no, you are a human being, 1323 01:00:43,480 --> 01:00:46,760 Speaker 1: you are an individual, and you have experienced horrific trauma, 1324 01:00:47,640 --> 01:00:50,400 Speaker 1: and this tiny person doesn't need to be held through that, 1325 01:00:50,680 --> 01:00:53,000 Speaker 1: Like they will be all right. I was like, how 1326 01:00:53,080 --> 01:00:54,480 Speaker 1: do you want to feed this baby? I was like, 1327 01:00:54,520 --> 01:00:56,840 Speaker 1: because that's also a big wiffree is what is the 1328 01:00:57,040 --> 01:01:01,880 Speaker 1: best way for it to happen for you? And sometimes 1329 01:01:01,920 --> 01:01:04,720 Speaker 1: that is a schedulete section and sometimes that is not breastfeeding. 1330 01:01:05,280 --> 01:01:10,560 Speaker 1: What happened was she had mentally prepared for dunder milk. 1331 01:01:11,040 --> 01:01:13,240 Speaker 1: She had a cousin that was had tons of milk, 1332 01:01:13,320 --> 01:01:15,120 Speaker 1: had a freezer full, and was a stay at home mom, 1333 01:01:15,200 --> 01:01:17,400 Speaker 1: so she wasn't about to be, you know, back at 1334 01:01:17,440 --> 01:01:19,080 Speaker 1: work with milk, and so she was like, oh, donate, 1335 01:01:19,200 --> 01:01:20,560 Speaker 1: I got you girl, at least for the first month. 1336 01:01:20,640 --> 01:01:22,400 Speaker 1: Let's do donor milk. If you change your mind, you 1337 01:01:22,400 --> 01:01:23,760 Speaker 1: decided to want to do formia will do formula, but 1338 01:01:23,760 --> 01:01:24,640 Speaker 1: your baby will get brest milk. 1339 01:01:24,640 --> 01:01:26,040 Speaker 6: At first, she was like, Okay, that's what I'm gonna do. 1340 01:01:26,840 --> 01:01:29,840 Speaker 1: Baby comes, the baby's on her chest, and you know, 1341 01:01:29,960 --> 01:01:32,360 Speaker 1: she worked hard for this baby, and the baby does 1342 01:01:32,480 --> 01:01:35,000 Speaker 1: this thing that's called the breast crawl, and this little 1343 01:01:35,040 --> 01:01:37,760 Speaker 1: munchkins just made her way and all I ever wanted. 1344 01:01:38,560 --> 01:01:39,520 Speaker 2: It's it's a thing. 1345 01:01:40,080 --> 01:01:40,280 Speaker 4: I know. 1346 01:01:40,400 --> 01:01:41,280 Speaker 1: It makes me want to cry. 1347 01:01:41,360 --> 01:01:43,520 Speaker 2: Honestly, Jamil always laughs at me because I like, I 1348 01:01:43,560 --> 01:01:45,640 Speaker 2: always wanted her to crawl to my bro I did. 1349 01:01:45,760 --> 01:01:46,440 Speaker 1: I feel like I was. 1350 01:01:46,480 --> 01:01:50,120 Speaker 2: Really robbed of that, I know, and I really wanted that, 1351 01:01:50,360 --> 01:01:51,960 Speaker 2: and I feel like it could have made the difference. 1352 01:01:52,240 --> 01:01:55,160 Speaker 2: And like it like it makes me cry but thinking 1353 01:01:55,200 --> 01:01:57,880 Speaker 2: about it, and I feel like it's almost like I 1354 01:01:57,920 --> 01:01:59,040 Speaker 2: want to have a second one just so I can 1355 01:01:59,080 --> 01:01:59,800 Speaker 2: EXPERI It's. 1356 01:01:59,720 --> 01:02:04,200 Speaker 1: That, I'm serious. 1357 01:02:04,400 --> 01:02:07,240 Speaker 2: I'm just like, I feel like I really wanted that, 1358 01:02:07,360 --> 01:02:08,000 Speaker 2: and that's I mean. 1359 01:02:08,240 --> 01:02:11,280 Speaker 1: And that was healing for her. Was so this baby 1360 01:02:11,360 --> 01:02:13,560 Speaker 1: crawled over to her breast and she was like, what 1361 01:02:13,840 --> 01:02:16,080 Speaker 1: what's happening? What's happening? And I was like, it's a 1362 01:02:16,200 --> 01:02:18,920 Speaker 1: mammal instinct. That's why your nipples got so black. That's 1363 01:02:18,920 --> 01:02:22,080 Speaker 1: why your nipples are so large, right because they little, 1364 01:02:22,640 --> 01:02:24,959 Speaker 1: you know, weak neckt They just got to get close 1365 01:02:25,040 --> 01:02:26,760 Speaker 1: enough to find the button, and they're like, that's where 1366 01:02:26,800 --> 01:02:28,360 Speaker 1: I'm supposed to get on. I was like, and they 1367 01:02:28,400 --> 01:02:29,960 Speaker 1: can smell you. They can smell it. 1368 01:02:30,120 --> 01:02:30,600 Speaker 2: It's crazy. 1369 01:02:30,640 --> 01:02:33,680 Speaker 1: And she was just like, and I said, your baby 1370 01:02:33,720 --> 01:02:35,400 Speaker 1: doesn't have to do it, we can I can move her. 1371 01:02:35,400 --> 01:02:37,880 Speaker 1: And she was like, oh, it's okay, it's okay, and 1372 01:02:38,000 --> 01:02:41,760 Speaker 1: she just kind of let it happen, and she later 1373 01:02:41,840 --> 01:02:43,080 Speaker 1: on said they breastfed for three years. 1374 01:02:43,080 --> 01:02:48,440 Speaker 2: By the way, three years all probably it probably was 1375 01:02:48,480 --> 01:02:48,840 Speaker 2: a healing. 1376 01:02:49,240 --> 01:02:51,960 Speaker 1: She said that when the baby latched on that she 1377 01:02:52,160 --> 01:02:54,720 Speaker 1: was immediately triggered taken back to that place. But then 1378 01:02:54,760 --> 01:02:56,560 Speaker 1: she also was still like she was still in the 1379 01:02:56,600 --> 01:02:59,600 Speaker 1: berth tub, so she was also like grounded back to no, 1380 01:02:59,720 --> 01:03:02,080 Speaker 1: you're you just got this baby in your body, like 1381 01:03:02,160 --> 01:03:05,600 Speaker 1: you're safe, she's safe, you're safe. And then she started 1382 01:03:05,640 --> 01:03:09,160 Speaker 1: crying and she was like, we're doing it, We're doing it. 1383 01:03:09,240 --> 01:03:11,960 Speaker 1: And so of course everyone's crying because we all knew 1384 01:03:11,960 --> 01:03:14,880 Speaker 1: that she wasn't gonna breastfeed, and you know, she was like, 1385 01:03:14,920 --> 01:03:16,600 Speaker 1: I'm not saying I want to do it forever, but like, 1386 01:03:16,760 --> 01:03:19,640 Speaker 1: this is okay, She's okay, And I was like, you're okay, 1387 01:03:19,720 --> 01:03:22,680 Speaker 1: She's okay, okay, And so at first it was well, 1388 01:03:22,680 --> 01:03:24,320 Speaker 1: I'm going to breastfeed, but I'm only going to breakfeed 1389 01:03:24,360 --> 01:03:27,320 Speaker 1: at home because I can't do this in public, like 1390 01:03:27,600 --> 01:03:28,920 Speaker 1: like it takes. It took a lot for her to 1391 01:03:29,000 --> 01:03:30,840 Speaker 1: be like, okay, I'm okay with this, and then she 1392 01:03:30,840 --> 01:03:32,480 Speaker 1: started breastfeeding public. But it was like she had the 1393 01:03:32,480 --> 01:03:35,880 Speaker 1: whole tent over her because that's what made her feel 1394 01:03:35,920 --> 01:03:39,000 Speaker 1: safe and protect and she became protective of the two 1395 01:03:39,080 --> 01:03:41,760 Speaker 1: of them and this experience and not wanting I think 1396 01:03:41,760 --> 01:03:43,960 Speaker 1: it was because also she had a girl, but it 1397 01:03:44,080 --> 01:03:47,120 Speaker 1: was like not wanting her daughter to be sexualized in 1398 01:03:47,240 --> 01:03:49,200 Speaker 1: her nursing, Like she just had a lot of things 1399 01:03:49,240 --> 01:03:52,160 Speaker 1: that she was working out. And then eventually she was like, 1400 01:03:52,240 --> 01:03:54,400 Speaker 1: you know, I'm just gonna pump, and pumping works for me, 1401 01:03:54,520 --> 01:03:57,560 Speaker 1: and so they would nurse at home and then whenever 1402 01:03:57,640 --> 01:04:01,160 Speaker 1: they were public, she had ever for her and that 1403 01:04:01,440 --> 01:04:03,640 Speaker 1: healed her and every baby that she had after that 1404 01:04:03,720 --> 01:04:05,880 Speaker 1: she breastfed until they didn't want a breastfeed anymore. But 1405 01:04:06,400 --> 01:04:08,880 Speaker 1: it was that experience of having the birth that she 1406 01:04:09,160 --> 01:04:12,280 Speaker 1: had and that baby doing it on their own. That 1407 01:04:12,520 --> 01:04:14,880 Speaker 1: it wasn't something that I was like, oh, let's just try, 1408 01:04:15,120 --> 01:04:15,880 Speaker 1: It was just it. 1409 01:04:15,960 --> 01:04:16,720 Speaker 6: That's how it happened. 1410 01:04:16,800 --> 01:04:20,120 Speaker 1: She was and she was in control. And you know 1411 01:04:20,320 --> 01:04:23,160 Speaker 1: every appointment. You know, midwives also we do way more 1412 01:04:23,240 --> 01:04:26,960 Speaker 1: follow up, so we have higher rates of breastfeeding because 1413 01:04:27,040 --> 01:04:29,400 Speaker 1: if people want a breastfeed, we're seeing you twenty four 1414 01:04:29,440 --> 01:04:31,480 Speaker 1: to forty eight hours after the birth. We're seeing you 1415 01:04:31,600 --> 01:04:33,640 Speaker 1: at like one week after the birth. We're seeing you 1416 01:04:33,720 --> 01:04:36,520 Speaker 1: at two four and six weeks. In the state of California, 1417 01:04:36,560 --> 01:04:39,000 Speaker 1: we're legally allowed to support you for the six weeks 1418 01:04:39,040 --> 01:04:41,520 Speaker 1: after you give birth. So really, depending on when you 1419 01:04:41,600 --> 01:04:44,000 Speaker 1: hire your midwife, you're hiring her for a year, just 1420 01:04:44,120 --> 01:04:47,360 Speaker 1: rough and dirty. So what we see then is less 1421 01:04:47,400 --> 01:04:50,040 Speaker 1: mental health issues because someone's constantly checking on you that 1422 01:04:50,240 --> 01:04:52,720 Speaker 1: actually cares about you, and you have a relationship with 1423 01:04:53,360 --> 01:04:56,080 Speaker 1: there's someone available to you. If your breastfeeding is not 1424 01:04:56,200 --> 01:04:58,520 Speaker 1: going well, or if you're stressed out, or if things 1425 01:04:58,560 --> 01:05:00,320 Speaker 1: are just I don't know what's happening. I need to 1426 01:05:00,320 --> 01:05:02,440 Speaker 1: talk it out, like that's what midwives do. It's not 1427 01:05:02,600 --> 01:05:04,760 Speaker 1: just your blood pressure is great, have a great day. 1428 01:05:04,920 --> 01:05:05,439 Speaker 1: See soon. 1429 01:05:05,920 --> 01:05:06,640 Speaker 2: It's all of it. 1430 01:05:07,280 --> 01:05:12,680 Speaker 1: And so when someone is having a lot of intrepidation 1431 01:05:12,760 --> 01:05:15,560 Speaker 1: about breastfeeding or about their breasts, or about what they're 1432 01:05:15,600 --> 01:05:17,360 Speaker 1: gonna do with this baby and feeding this baby, when 1433 01:05:17,440 --> 01:05:20,120 Speaker 1: everything around them is formula, formula, or you know, we'll 1434 01:05:20,200 --> 01:05:21,640 Speaker 1: just pump or you know, you know, if you want 1435 01:05:21,640 --> 01:05:23,200 Speaker 1: to have a good time, you have to pump and dump, which, 1436 01:05:23,240 --> 01:05:24,640 Speaker 1: by the way, we don't do that anymore. We don't 1437 01:05:24,640 --> 01:05:25,120 Speaker 1: pump and dump. 1438 01:05:25,160 --> 01:05:25,520 Speaker 3: We don't. 1439 01:05:25,800 --> 01:05:27,520 Speaker 2: No, you just keep just give it to them. You 1440 01:05:27,800 --> 01:05:30,360 Speaker 2: just basically a body filters it, filters it. 1441 01:05:30,640 --> 01:05:33,240 Speaker 1: And you know, the only time we the only time 1442 01:05:33,320 --> 01:05:36,480 Speaker 1: we say you absolutely should not breastfeed is if you 1443 01:05:36,600 --> 01:05:40,000 Speaker 1: are raging alcoholic, because the toxicity level of your breast 1444 01:05:40,000 --> 01:05:41,520 Speaker 1: milk is just not worth the risk to the baby. 1445 01:05:41,840 --> 01:05:43,760 Speaker 1: But if you're just going out and you're having Sunday 1446 01:05:43,760 --> 01:05:45,720 Speaker 1: brunch with your girls and you're staying on top of 1447 01:05:45,760 --> 01:05:48,360 Speaker 1: your two liters of water a day, you're filtering it through, 1448 01:05:48,440 --> 01:05:50,720 Speaker 1: you're pushing it through, and so the risk versus the 1449 01:05:50,800 --> 01:05:54,680 Speaker 1: benefit the benefits so much higher. They still encourage people 1450 01:05:54,760 --> 01:05:57,520 Speaker 1: that are going through drug treatment programs to breastfeed if 1451 01:05:57,600 --> 01:06:00,280 Speaker 1: they're not, you know, really doing a horrible. 1452 01:06:01,920 --> 01:06:02,200 Speaker 3: Wow. 1453 01:06:03,720 --> 01:06:11,040 Speaker 2: Cool, Wow, I'm like so scared to see what that 1454 01:06:11,120 --> 01:06:13,840 Speaker 2: room looks like that it's very quiet. I know something's 1455 01:06:13,880 --> 01:06:14,560 Speaker 2: going on back there. 1456 01:06:16,760 --> 01:06:18,440 Speaker 1: Okay, well then you don't. 1457 01:06:19,280 --> 01:06:21,880 Speaker 2: It's funny. We had a we were just we were 1458 01:06:22,160 --> 01:06:26,640 Speaker 2: working and we to Beila was eavedropping on these ladies 1459 01:06:26,720 --> 01:06:29,920 Speaker 2: talking and one of them was talking about she's pregnant, 1460 01:06:30,000 --> 01:06:32,720 Speaker 2: and she was, I guess feeling like she was like 1461 01:06:32,840 --> 01:06:34,840 Speaker 2: I don't really care about not drinking, but she's like 1462 01:06:34,920 --> 01:06:37,640 Speaker 2: the smoking. I want to smoke and my nose, yes, 1463 01:06:37,760 --> 01:06:39,160 Speaker 2: it's like you can? I did? 1464 01:06:39,880 --> 01:06:40,200 Speaker 1: I want? 1465 01:06:40,320 --> 01:06:42,120 Speaker 2: Like what is your like when if you if you 1466 01:06:42,160 --> 01:06:45,000 Speaker 2: have a client that is a Mara cannabis user, like, 1467 01:06:46,120 --> 01:06:47,600 Speaker 2: do you what is it? 1468 01:06:47,840 --> 01:06:47,960 Speaker 4: Can? 1469 01:06:48,120 --> 01:06:48,280 Speaker 5: Do you? 1470 01:06:48,320 --> 01:06:50,200 Speaker 2: Can they smoke during pregnancy? Under you know? 1471 01:06:50,280 --> 01:06:51,920 Speaker 1: What are your what are yours? 1472 01:06:52,000 --> 01:06:52,200 Speaker 5: On that? 1473 01:06:52,440 --> 01:06:54,959 Speaker 1: It's different for us as black people as in all things. 1474 01:06:55,520 --> 01:06:59,920 Speaker 1: So the first home birth that I went to as 1475 01:07:00,360 --> 01:07:03,080 Speaker 1: like a student midwife, an apprentice studying to become a midwife, 1476 01:07:03,680 --> 01:07:06,920 Speaker 1: Like the dad was smoking a blunt and like she 1477 01:07:07,080 --> 01:07:10,320 Speaker 1: was hitting it every three or four contractions and pushed 1478 01:07:10,360 --> 01:07:12,840 Speaker 1: the baby out that was fully alert, screaming and hollering, 1479 01:07:13,440 --> 01:07:15,520 Speaker 1: and she was like, yeah, I couldn't have gotten through 1480 01:07:15,520 --> 01:07:18,280 Speaker 1: that labor without it. When I went to Midwiffrey School, 1481 01:07:18,320 --> 01:07:21,200 Speaker 1: which was predominantly white, I was the only black person. 1482 01:07:21,360 --> 01:07:23,920 Speaker 1: There was a brown person in the class ahead of me, 1483 01:07:24,280 --> 01:07:26,120 Speaker 1: but prior to BEI there hadn't been a black student 1484 01:07:26,200 --> 01:07:30,400 Speaker 1: in I think five years or ten years all the 1485 01:07:30,440 --> 01:07:34,160 Speaker 1: white midwives. It was in the protocols like if someone 1486 01:07:34,240 --> 01:07:36,640 Speaker 1: is having a hard early pregnancy and can't keep food 1487 01:07:36,720 --> 01:07:38,680 Speaker 1: down and is suffering from nauja obomiting to the point 1488 01:07:38,720 --> 01:07:41,280 Speaker 1: of losing weight, suggests cannabis. Like that was a part 1489 01:07:41,280 --> 01:07:42,160 Speaker 1: of Midwiffrees School. 1490 01:07:42,520 --> 01:07:44,960 Speaker 2: Like Old in Texas, old. 1491 01:07:44,800 --> 01:07:48,400 Speaker 1: White women in the seventies was smoking weight during their pregnancies, 1492 01:07:48,480 --> 01:07:50,320 Speaker 1: during their birthday and so we're black people. Its just said, 1493 01:07:50,320 --> 01:07:52,240 Speaker 1: black people, we were gonna go to the town for it. 1494 01:07:52,720 --> 01:07:55,000 Speaker 1: And it's the same thing now, Like I have clients 1495 01:07:55,560 --> 01:07:58,560 Speaker 1: that I have white clients that had the full on 1496 01:07:58,720 --> 01:08:02,120 Speaker 1: like the volcano, like looks like a giant, oh, the 1497 01:08:02,400 --> 01:08:04,720 Speaker 1: puffy bag and you know it's super fancy. I think 1498 01:08:04,720 --> 01:08:06,959 Speaker 1: it's like a thousand dollars and you burn the weed 1499 01:08:07,080 --> 01:08:09,080 Speaker 1: and it turns it into vaine. But it turns into 1500 01:08:09,120 --> 01:08:12,000 Speaker 1: like a giant air balloon and then they're like huffing 1501 01:08:12,080 --> 01:08:13,440 Speaker 1: on it and then they put a cap on it 1502 01:08:13,480 --> 01:08:15,560 Speaker 1: and it keeps it safe in this little baggy. And 1503 01:08:15,640 --> 01:08:21,240 Speaker 1: I've had it's super fancy, classic shit, super classy. It's 1504 01:08:21,320 --> 01:08:24,080 Speaker 1: non bong, it's vape. It's like the original vape. 1505 01:08:24,080 --> 01:08:24,320 Speaker 2: Okay. 1506 01:08:24,680 --> 01:08:27,679 Speaker 1: And I had clients, you know, in labor, white clients 1507 01:08:27,720 --> 01:08:30,639 Speaker 1: in labor totally just gone to the wind having these 1508 01:08:30,760 --> 01:08:33,680 Speaker 1: you know, super trippy quote unquote births, and I was 1509 01:08:33,760 --> 01:08:35,120 Speaker 1: just like whatever, And I knew if we went to 1510 01:08:35,160 --> 01:08:37,160 Speaker 1: the hospital, and they knew if they went to the hospital, 1511 01:08:37,160 --> 01:08:39,600 Speaker 1: because I of course give true informed consent, that it 1512 01:08:39,840 --> 01:08:43,439 Speaker 1: might be problematic. And I've had white clients faded to 1513 01:08:43,479 --> 01:08:45,880 Speaker 1: the skies roll into the hospital because for whatever reason, 1514 01:08:45,920 --> 01:08:47,519 Speaker 1: we rolled in and never got a. 1515 01:08:47,560 --> 01:08:51,479 Speaker 3: Drug to us, never gotta So you've seen that it's 1516 01:08:51,520 --> 01:08:54,519 Speaker 3: not equal and it's not just like standard, because I 1517 01:08:54,600 --> 01:08:56,080 Speaker 3: think I was afraid of that. That was one thing. 1518 01:08:56,080 --> 01:08:57,639 Speaker 2: I was like, I'm not gonna doctor stuffing smoking. 1519 01:08:57,640 --> 01:08:59,240 Speaker 3: And I smelled a lot of my pregnant scene that 1520 01:08:59,360 --> 01:09:01,880 Speaker 3: I remember friend of mine in Atlanta who had had 1521 01:09:01,920 --> 01:09:04,800 Speaker 3: a lot of kids, had given birth and when they 1522 01:09:05,160 --> 01:09:07,639 Speaker 3: tested her or the baby there was whatever. 1523 01:09:07,880 --> 01:09:10,160 Speaker 2: PhD came, yeah, like, I don't. 1524 01:09:10,040 --> 01:09:12,000 Speaker 3: Even if all her kids were fine, but I think 1525 01:09:12,080 --> 01:09:14,400 Speaker 3: she they didn't take her kid, but she had to 1526 01:09:14,479 --> 01:09:17,640 Speaker 3: go to some program and like it was there was 1527 01:09:17,680 --> 01:09:20,120 Speaker 3: a threat to or something. And I remember thinking, Oh, 1528 01:09:20,320 --> 01:09:23,280 Speaker 3: if this happens to me, I'm leaving taking my kid 1529 01:09:23,320 --> 01:09:23,840 Speaker 3: and we're out. 1530 01:09:24,400 --> 01:09:25,920 Speaker 2: I thought about that for a lot of reasons. What 1531 01:09:26,000 --> 01:09:28,720 Speaker 2: about breastfeeding, because I think that's when I encounter a 1532 01:09:28,760 --> 01:09:33,479 Speaker 2: lot of women ask even us too, because because we 1533 01:09:33,600 --> 01:09:34,840 Speaker 2: I mean, I know you have, but like I'm just 1534 01:09:34,920 --> 01:09:37,479 Speaker 2: curious to like what what you tell other women too. 1535 01:09:37,520 --> 01:09:40,840 Speaker 1: I mean, so it's tricky because licensed midwives in the 1536 01:09:40,920 --> 01:09:43,320 Speaker 1: state of California, we're licensed on the same board as 1537 01:09:43,360 --> 01:09:46,759 Speaker 1: the obgui NS, the medical board, so we're mandated reporters. 1538 01:09:47,320 --> 01:09:49,479 Speaker 1: Mandated we're supposed to report on anything where a child 1539 01:09:49,600 --> 01:09:52,240 Speaker 1: is being endangered or a person is being endangered. And 1540 01:09:52,760 --> 01:09:55,920 Speaker 1: I can say with pride, I've only ever had to 1541 01:09:55,960 --> 01:09:59,040 Speaker 1: call child Protective Services or a services agency twice in 1542 01:09:59,120 --> 01:10:01,080 Speaker 1: all of my years of Midwe free and it was 1543 01:10:01,200 --> 01:10:04,719 Speaker 1: where like literally the person they did not have heat, 1544 01:10:04,920 --> 01:10:07,479 Speaker 1: they did not have running water, they were basically squatting 1545 01:10:07,520 --> 01:10:10,000 Speaker 1: in a house and I went there for the home 1546 01:10:10,080 --> 01:10:13,280 Speaker 1: visit prior to birthing and was like, yo, y'all can't 1547 01:10:13,280 --> 01:10:16,080 Speaker 1: have a baby here, like this isn't safe for you, right, 1548 01:10:16,320 --> 01:10:18,120 Speaker 1: and they were just like, this is what we can afford. 1549 01:10:18,160 --> 01:10:19,960 Speaker 1: This is what we're gonna do. And I was like, okay, well, 1550 01:10:20,040 --> 01:10:22,240 Speaker 1: you got to figure out hot water and electricity before 1551 01:10:22,280 --> 01:10:24,479 Speaker 1: we have a baby here. I don't know what they did, 1552 01:10:24,520 --> 01:10:26,519 Speaker 1: if they jerry rigged it, but they had it. But then, 1553 01:10:26,640 --> 01:10:29,679 Speaker 1: like four days postpartum, I smelled gas in the house 1554 01:10:30,720 --> 01:10:34,000 Speaker 1: and I'm like, you're getting poisoned right now, you and 1555 01:10:34,080 --> 01:10:36,599 Speaker 1: the baby are getting poisoned. And they were and they 1556 01:10:36,640 --> 01:10:38,600 Speaker 1: were just like, yeah, there's nothing we could do about that. 1557 01:10:39,000 --> 01:10:40,720 Speaker 1: And I was like yeah, all for real. It's like, hey, God, 1558 01:10:40,880 --> 01:10:42,559 Speaker 1: like you could die, Like you got to get out 1559 01:10:42,600 --> 01:10:44,080 Speaker 1: of here. They couldn't get out and I was like, 1560 01:10:44,240 --> 01:10:46,439 Speaker 1: I'm not calling cho protype services on you, but I'm 1561 01:10:46,439 --> 01:10:48,120 Speaker 1: telling you right now, if you don't get this baby 1562 01:10:48,120 --> 01:10:49,880 Speaker 1: out here, even at your mama's house, your cousin's house, 1563 01:10:49,920 --> 01:10:53,360 Speaker 1: your auntie's house, and well the the snooty fox on 1564 01:10:53,439 --> 01:10:57,599 Speaker 1: Western like wherever you got too, because this is not okay, 1565 01:10:57,840 --> 01:10:59,880 Speaker 1: and so they did. They figured it out and got out. 1566 01:11:00,000 --> 01:11:04,360 Speaker 1: But with that being said, I cannot legally say, oh, 1567 01:11:04,439 --> 01:11:05,800 Speaker 1: it's perfectly fine if you smoke weed. 1568 01:11:06,120 --> 01:11:06,800 Speaker 2: I can't say that. 1569 01:11:07,200 --> 01:11:09,080 Speaker 1: But what I can do is point you to the 1570 01:11:09,160 --> 01:11:11,839 Speaker 1: realities of being a black person that smokes weed while pregnant, 1571 01:11:12,160 --> 01:11:14,800 Speaker 1: while lactating, while trying to get pregnant. And that is, 1572 01:11:15,560 --> 01:11:18,720 Speaker 1: if at any point you come in contact with medical professionals, 1573 01:11:18,760 --> 01:11:21,080 Speaker 1: they're absolutely gonna drug test you, regardless of what your 1574 01:11:21,160 --> 01:11:23,439 Speaker 1: name is, who you are, what your HMO is, how 1575 01:11:23,520 --> 01:11:25,680 Speaker 1: big your diamond is, how tall your person is, that's 1576 01:11:25,760 --> 01:11:27,960 Speaker 1: with you. They don't care. They just automatically do it 1577 01:11:28,000 --> 01:11:31,160 Speaker 1: to all black people. And so you have to take 1578 01:11:31,200 --> 01:11:33,600 Speaker 1: those things into consideration. We know that THHD stays in 1579 01:11:33,640 --> 01:11:35,840 Speaker 1: the system for thirty days, So if you go on 1580 01:11:35,880 --> 01:11:38,120 Speaker 1: your little thirty day fast right before your baby comes. 1581 01:11:37,960 --> 01:11:39,679 Speaker 2: I'm just more worried that I'm not worried. 1582 01:11:39,960 --> 01:11:41,640 Speaker 1: I'm not not worried that it's like gonna affect it 1583 01:11:41,960 --> 01:11:43,040 Speaker 1: does affect the baby, because that. 1584 01:11:43,040 --> 01:11:49,920 Speaker 2: There's so many because they're not but you just touch 1585 01:11:50,000 --> 01:11:53,280 Speaker 2: your test. I just want there's some article that I 1586 01:11:53,360 --> 01:11:55,720 Speaker 2: have not seen because I feel there's not there's like 1587 01:11:55,920 --> 01:11:56,320 Speaker 2: really no. 1588 01:11:56,600 --> 01:12:00,760 Speaker 1: Proven saying that it's bad. But if you find article now, 1589 01:12:00,920 --> 01:12:03,920 Speaker 1: I'm gonna say it's probably written by a white person 1590 01:12:04,280 --> 01:12:07,439 Speaker 1: who is in the medical field who does not support 1591 01:12:07,600 --> 01:12:11,679 Speaker 1: a PC being in a person's body, like they see 1592 01:12:11,920 --> 01:12:14,519 Speaker 1: weed as a gateway drug, even though now we have 1593 01:12:14,720 --> 01:12:16,520 Speaker 1: like basically apple stores. 1594 01:12:16,200 --> 01:12:19,439 Speaker 6: That are for weed right in that part. So this 1595 01:12:19,600 --> 01:12:21,680 Speaker 6: is what I can say, in all my years. 1596 01:12:21,439 --> 01:12:25,720 Speaker 7: Of supporting families that smoked or fate or consumed take 1597 01:12:25,760 --> 01:12:28,280 Speaker 7: sure whatever way of getting THHD canvas in their. 1598 01:12:28,200 --> 01:12:31,920 Speaker 1: Body, the babies have been fine. I've never had a 1599 01:12:32,000 --> 01:12:35,280 Speaker 1: baby with like depressed breathing. I've never seen a baby 1600 01:12:35,360 --> 01:12:37,600 Speaker 1: that like you know, struggles her focused or. 1601 01:12:37,600 --> 01:12:40,160 Speaker 7: Didn't learn how to walk because their person that was 1602 01:12:40,200 --> 01:12:41,000 Speaker 7: smoking weed. 1603 01:12:40,880 --> 01:12:42,439 Speaker 6: Or vaping or whatever was breastfeeding them. 1604 01:12:43,160 --> 01:12:45,360 Speaker 1: The only thing I've ever seen, and it was actually 1605 01:12:45,360 --> 01:12:47,639 Speaker 1: a white client many many years ago, and I think 1606 01:12:48,400 --> 01:12:50,040 Speaker 1: I think I have the theory around this. 1607 01:12:50,479 --> 01:12:53,080 Speaker 7: She smoked every day of her pregnancy, she grew in 1608 01:12:53,160 --> 01:12:55,160 Speaker 7: her backyard, and then after she had a raby, she 1609 01:12:55,240 --> 01:12:57,639 Speaker 7: smoked every day that she was breastfeeding from the weed 1610 01:12:57,760 --> 01:13:01,840 Speaker 7: in her backyard. But she also love dairy, so her 1611 01:13:01,960 --> 01:13:04,760 Speaker 7: kids were snotty, nanty boogery all the. 1612 01:13:04,800 --> 01:13:06,280 Speaker 4: Time, and she's like, I don't know why my kids 1613 01:13:06,320 --> 01:13:09,840 Speaker 4: are so Luca, see it's the weed. And I'm like, well, 1614 01:13:09,880 --> 01:13:13,280 Speaker 4: I think maybe it's the dairy twitter. So that's the 1615 01:13:13,400 --> 01:13:15,120 Speaker 4: only Like I've never had. 1616 01:13:15,000 --> 01:13:18,280 Speaker 8: Someone who had a child with eating issues, sleeping issues, 1617 01:13:18,479 --> 01:13:23,720 Speaker 8: or emotional issues while their parents consuming cannabis and you know, breastfeeding, 1618 01:13:23,960 --> 01:13:25,040 Speaker 8: chest feeding, humping bill. 1619 01:13:25,160 --> 01:13:26,720 Speaker 2: I just feel like it's important for our listeners to 1620 01:13:26,720 --> 01:13:28,000 Speaker 2: know because they don't know Luna. 1621 01:13:27,920 --> 01:13:29,639 Speaker 6: You know what I mean, and like they want to perfect. 1622 01:13:29,840 --> 01:13:31,840 Speaker 6: I'm just but they was like, you know, and they just. 1623 01:13:31,880 --> 01:13:32,240 Speaker 2: Want to know. 1624 01:13:32,520 --> 01:13:35,479 Speaker 6: Like obviously obviously you can't say like this is this 1625 01:13:35,640 --> 01:13:36,719 Speaker 6: is it, but like in your. 1626 01:13:36,640 --> 01:13:38,479 Speaker 2: Experience, like you can have encountered anything. 1627 01:13:38,479 --> 01:13:40,240 Speaker 6: I think a lot of women are always so I 1628 01:13:40,360 --> 01:13:42,639 Speaker 6: we have messages all the time about it and they're 1629 01:13:42,680 --> 01:13:44,120 Speaker 6: like scared, Oh, that's okay. 1630 01:13:44,560 --> 01:13:46,360 Speaker 2: We also say, like we even ever. 1631 01:13:46,320 --> 01:13:48,960 Speaker 6: Told the girl that we were eavesdropping on like the 1632 01:13:49,040 --> 01:13:49,840 Speaker 6: futures of smoke. 1633 01:13:50,000 --> 01:13:51,960 Speaker 2: Just don't share it with you with everyone because everyone's 1634 01:13:51,960 --> 01:13:53,599 Speaker 2: gonna have a tiny tak it. But that's what that's 1635 01:13:53,600 --> 01:13:54,960 Speaker 2: the kind of person you are I'm the type of 1636 01:13:55,000 --> 01:13:56,479 Speaker 2: person you can tell what the. 1637 01:13:56,560 --> 01:13:59,960 Speaker 3: Sky is red if I said it's purple, bitch, it's purple. 1638 01:14:00,880 --> 01:14:01,400 Speaker 1: So I don't. 1639 01:14:01,400 --> 01:14:02,960 Speaker 3: I don't argue with other people, and I didn't tell 1640 01:14:03,040 --> 01:14:04,840 Speaker 3: some people like I'll tell my mom right now. 1641 01:14:05,160 --> 01:14:08,559 Speaker 2: Vaccinations came up yesterday and Child, I said, I don't. 1642 01:14:08,360 --> 01:14:10,680 Speaker 6: Want to talk about it. She immediately I'm met. 1643 01:14:10,680 --> 01:14:12,760 Speaker 2: I said, I'm not getting defensive. I'm just not told that. 1644 01:14:12,800 --> 01:14:14,320 Speaker 6: It's a whole other thing. I mean even like that's 1645 01:14:14,320 --> 01:14:15,240 Speaker 6: a whole of the podcast. 1646 01:14:15,439 --> 01:14:19,160 Speaker 1: Yeah, I have something yesterday because I took my daughter to. 1647 01:14:19,200 --> 01:14:21,759 Speaker 2: The doctor and I said, you know what, if I asked, 1648 01:14:21,800 --> 01:14:24,320 Speaker 2: are following, like what is their views a vaccination? 1649 01:14:24,439 --> 01:14:27,760 Speaker 6: Let's be nice? And this is my CVD for my 1650 01:14:27,840 --> 01:14:30,720 Speaker 6: cramps that I'm raging right now, so gonna just like 1651 01:14:30,800 --> 01:14:34,799 Speaker 6: let's be nice. Yeah, that is a whole other episode. 1652 01:14:34,920 --> 01:14:37,200 Speaker 6: But it's a very sensi subjection everything. 1653 01:14:38,479 --> 01:14:41,360 Speaker 5: Oh lord, child, you don't have to don't. I don't, 1654 01:14:41,479 --> 01:14:48,320 Speaker 5: So I don't want to, that's right. I mean I'm 1655 01:14:48,439 --> 01:14:49,320 Speaker 5: more than happy to share. 1656 01:14:50,960 --> 01:14:51,280 Speaker 6: Uhh. 1657 01:14:54,080 --> 01:14:57,960 Speaker 1: I mean no, we're just running like, yeah, I don't 1658 01:14:57,960 --> 01:14:59,960 Speaker 1: wrap it upisode just because I could remember running ass 1659 01:15:00,000 --> 01:15:00,920 Speaker 1: based on my computer again. 1660 01:15:01,000 --> 01:15:04,519 Speaker 6: Oops, okay, so really quickly vaccines. I feel like. 1661 01:15:06,439 --> 01:15:08,840 Speaker 1: No one should be told what to put in their 1662 01:15:08,920 --> 01:15:16,960 Speaker 1: child's body if if the repercussions are oh oops, too bad. 1663 01:15:18,320 --> 01:15:21,760 Speaker 7: So this is goes for vaccinations, This goes for we, 1664 01:15:22,080 --> 01:15:24,360 Speaker 7: this goes for title and all this goes for benadraux. 1665 01:15:24,760 --> 01:15:28,120 Speaker 6: If I put something in my child's body because you 1666 01:15:28,200 --> 01:15:31,280 Speaker 6: tell me I have to and my child gets sick, 1667 01:15:31,360 --> 01:15:34,040 Speaker 6: gets injured, gets harmed by it, and your response to 1668 01:15:34,160 --> 01:15:37,479 Speaker 6: it is too bad, but you're gonna say I absolutely 1669 01:15:37,520 --> 01:15:38,080 Speaker 6: have to do it. 1670 01:15:39,560 --> 01:15:41,800 Speaker 1: No, here's an account of that's a that's a note 1671 01:15:42,040 --> 01:15:44,040 Speaker 1: because if I do something because you tell me I 1672 01:15:44,160 --> 01:15:46,880 Speaker 1: have to do it and something terrible happens to my child, 1673 01:15:47,560 --> 01:15:50,280 Speaker 1: and in very very tiny, small fine print it says, but. 1674 01:15:50,320 --> 01:15:52,240 Speaker 6: You can't see us if something goes bad, that's a 1675 01:15:52,400 --> 01:15:54,240 Speaker 6: that's going to be a no. That's going to be 1676 01:15:54,280 --> 01:15:54,439 Speaker 6: a no. 1677 01:15:54,720 --> 01:15:57,880 Speaker 1: I need to be able to have the ability to 1678 01:15:58,000 --> 01:16:00,920 Speaker 1: be financially compensated to now to take care of constantly 1679 01:16:00,960 --> 01:16:05,160 Speaker 1: a compromise or or sick or child because of following 1680 01:16:05,240 --> 01:16:07,519 Speaker 1: your directions where you said I don't have a say so, 1681 01:16:07,680 --> 01:16:10,160 Speaker 1: like I have to do this thing. That's my biggest thing. 1682 01:16:10,360 --> 01:16:12,559 Speaker 1: That's it. At the end of the day, I need 1683 01:16:12,720 --> 01:16:14,800 Speaker 1: someone to be able to say, well, if this doesn't 1684 01:16:14,840 --> 01:16:16,720 Speaker 1: work out, these are our other options, and this is 1685 01:16:16,760 --> 01:16:18,320 Speaker 1: how we'll support you, and this is what will do 1686 01:16:18,400 --> 01:16:18,920 Speaker 1: for your baby. 1687 01:16:19,160 --> 01:16:20,280 Speaker 2: But that is not the case. 1688 01:16:21,080 --> 01:16:28,800 Speaker 3: Yeah, I have one more question, how what is your 1689 01:16:28,880 --> 01:16:31,320 Speaker 3: take we were talking about before you came, Like, so 1690 01:16:31,520 --> 01:16:34,320 Speaker 3: one of my best friends who had multiple home births, 1691 01:16:34,560 --> 01:16:37,280 Speaker 3: twins and another daughter, and then most recently she was 1692 01:16:37,320 --> 01:16:39,160 Speaker 3: pregnant I think two years ago and she went all 1693 01:16:39,200 --> 01:16:41,800 Speaker 3: the way full term and the baby, she gave birth 1694 01:16:41,840 --> 01:16:44,400 Speaker 3: to the baby and he had no heartbeat, so shep. 1695 01:16:44,240 --> 01:16:44,920 Speaker 2: Up by the hospital. 1696 01:16:45,960 --> 01:16:49,240 Speaker 3: What's your which like just in general, like how many 1697 01:16:49,320 --> 01:16:52,000 Speaker 3: have you ever had any still births in your experience? 1698 01:16:52,479 --> 01:16:54,920 Speaker 2: Yea, And how how did those people cope through it? 1699 01:16:55,040 --> 01:16:57,840 Speaker 2: Or what is your like If people say, like it's 1700 01:16:57,880 --> 01:16:58,760 Speaker 2: because you had a home. 1701 01:16:58,680 --> 01:17:01,560 Speaker 1: Birth, you've had a still birth, It's horrific. It's the 1702 01:17:01,640 --> 01:17:05,639 Speaker 1: hardest thing that any person that has to be pregnant 1703 01:17:05,680 --> 01:17:07,479 Speaker 1: and go through that could ever go through. No one 1704 01:17:07,520 --> 01:17:11,640 Speaker 1: can tell them anything. It is the most difficult thing 1705 01:17:11,760 --> 01:17:14,960 Speaker 1: for a midwife to go through in there in our 1706 01:17:15,040 --> 01:17:18,519 Speaker 1: work because even though we're licensed health care providers, were 1707 01:17:18,600 --> 01:17:22,000 Speaker 1: not seen as healthcare providers in the medical system, and so. 1708 01:17:22,840 --> 01:17:23,519 Speaker 3: There is no. 1709 01:17:25,080 --> 01:17:27,920 Speaker 1: Paid time off for therapy and for wellness and for 1710 01:17:28,080 --> 01:17:31,720 Speaker 1: recovering from your own trauma of experiencing it. So midwives, 1711 01:17:32,040 --> 01:17:34,920 Speaker 1: homework midwives specifically you, if you go through that, you 1712 01:17:35,680 --> 01:17:37,519 Speaker 1: it's all on you to heal from that, to be 1713 01:17:37,560 --> 01:17:39,800 Speaker 1: able to show up for other people and not operate 1714 01:17:39,840 --> 01:17:42,640 Speaker 1: from a place of fear and thinking that everyone's you 1715 01:17:42,680 --> 01:17:45,160 Speaker 1: already have other clients, not like, Okay, sorry, we have death. 1716 01:17:45,280 --> 01:17:46,160 Speaker 2: I need to take a break. 1717 01:17:47,320 --> 01:17:50,000 Speaker 1: And I will tell you that it was with the 1718 01:17:50,280 --> 01:17:53,160 Speaker 1: wonderful training of that original white midwife and some other 1719 01:17:53,200 --> 01:17:57,360 Speaker 1: white midwives that I learned that early on is that 1720 01:17:57,520 --> 01:17:59,160 Speaker 1: you have to be able to step away and get 1721 01:17:59,200 --> 01:18:01,840 Speaker 1: yourself together because you can't bring that into somebody else's birth. 1722 01:18:02,360 --> 01:18:05,439 Speaker 1: But back to your actual question, Yes, I have supportive 1723 01:18:05,479 --> 01:18:08,160 Speaker 1: families that had babies that died before they were even 1724 01:18:08,240 --> 01:18:10,400 Speaker 1: went into labor. I've been with families that were in 1725 01:18:10,520 --> 01:18:11,080 Speaker 1: labor and their. 1726 01:18:11,000 --> 01:18:12,080 Speaker 2: Baby died, and. 1727 01:18:13,720 --> 01:18:17,519 Speaker 1: In some of those instances, well, actually no, in all 1728 01:18:17,560 --> 01:18:20,400 Speaker 1: of those instances, if they had been at the hospital, 1729 01:18:21,120 --> 01:18:24,680 Speaker 1: it was a very slim likelihood that we would have 1730 01:18:24,760 --> 01:18:27,519 Speaker 1: still had a live baby. If we had we might 1731 01:18:27,560 --> 01:18:30,559 Speaker 1: have had a live baby that was compromised, meaning brain damage, 1732 01:18:31,120 --> 01:18:34,320 Speaker 1: or you know, just have just not be the baby 1733 01:18:34,360 --> 01:18:36,560 Speaker 1: that they would be if they had been born, you know, 1734 01:18:36,640 --> 01:18:37,880 Speaker 1: maybe a week early. 1735 01:18:38,200 --> 01:18:38,479 Speaker 3: So like. 1736 01:18:40,800 --> 01:18:43,440 Speaker 1: The whole entire time you're pregnant, there is the possibility 1737 01:18:43,479 --> 01:18:45,880 Speaker 1: of your baby not meeting you at the end with 1738 01:18:45,960 --> 01:18:48,639 Speaker 1: their beautiful little face and lungs full of oxygen. That's 1739 01:18:48,680 --> 01:18:50,519 Speaker 1: always the case. I tell people, from the moment you 1740 01:18:50,600 --> 01:18:53,559 Speaker 1: decide to be pregnant, all bets are off, and nobody 1741 01:18:53,560 --> 01:18:55,280 Speaker 1: wants to hear that, but that is the reality of 1742 01:18:55,280 --> 01:18:57,479 Speaker 1: the situation. And so we have people that they never 1743 01:18:57,520 --> 01:18:59,600 Speaker 1: even get to thirty weeks and then their baby just 1744 01:18:59,640 --> 01:19:02,439 Speaker 1: doesn't have a heartbeat, and then they have to decide 1745 01:19:02,479 --> 01:19:03,840 Speaker 1: how they want to go forward with that. Do they 1746 01:19:03,880 --> 01:19:05,120 Speaker 1: want to push that baby out at home, in the 1747 01:19:05,160 --> 01:19:09,360 Speaker 1: safety of their own place and experience that intimate experience 1748 01:19:09,479 --> 01:19:11,200 Speaker 1: in a place that feels safe to them. Are they 1749 01:19:11,520 --> 01:19:13,560 Speaker 1: going to go to the hospital and be induced or 1750 01:19:13,880 --> 01:19:16,960 Speaker 1: some people's insurance is really fucked up and will be like, Okay, 1751 01:19:17,080 --> 01:19:18,559 Speaker 1: well you just have to wait till you go into 1752 01:19:18,600 --> 01:19:20,240 Speaker 1: labor because we're not going to pay for anything else. 1753 01:19:21,600 --> 01:19:25,560 Speaker 1: So there's that for the families where it was just 1754 01:19:25,680 --> 01:19:31,880 Speaker 1: something that just happened, you know, in the hospital, maybe 1755 01:19:31,920 --> 01:19:35,320 Speaker 1: it would be a crash sea section. Maybe because what 1756 01:19:35,400 --> 01:19:38,439 Speaker 1: people also forget is that the time from oh shit, 1757 01:19:38,600 --> 01:19:41,280 Speaker 1: something's wrong in the hospital to we're gonna get you 1758 01:19:41,320 --> 01:19:43,599 Speaker 1: in the r and do a crash sea section, that's 1759 01:19:43,720 --> 01:19:47,519 Speaker 1: still anywhere from ten to thirty minutes. They'll tell you 1760 01:19:47,800 --> 01:19:49,880 Speaker 1: in the private prenatal appointments of your doctor, oh, if 1761 01:19:49,880 --> 01:19:50,920 Speaker 1: we need to get your baby out, we can get 1762 01:19:50,920 --> 01:19:53,120 Speaker 1: your baby out like this. But the reality is is 1763 01:19:53,240 --> 01:19:56,000 Speaker 1: like if you haven't had enough IV fluids, if you 1764 01:19:56,080 --> 01:19:58,200 Speaker 1: know you're in a certain position, or if you don't 1765 01:19:58,240 --> 01:20:00,599 Speaker 1: have an IV or you've been laboring with that an epidural, 1766 01:20:00,920 --> 01:20:02,600 Speaker 1: you know, there's a lot of other steps that have 1767 01:20:02,680 --> 01:20:05,160 Speaker 1: to happen. If there's nor open, you have to wait 1768 01:20:05,240 --> 01:20:07,479 Speaker 1: until there's an or open, and they don't take those 1769 01:20:07,520 --> 01:20:10,559 Speaker 1: things into consideration. Doctors have babies die all the time, 1770 01:20:10,760 --> 01:20:14,320 Speaker 1: but they're protected by the hospital, they're protected by their malpractice. 1771 01:20:14,720 --> 01:20:18,720 Speaker 1: They get time off and therapy and paid vacation to heal. 1772 01:20:19,120 --> 01:20:21,120 Speaker 1: If they feel like they need it if they feel 1773 01:20:21,160 --> 01:20:22,920 Speaker 1: like they experienced trauma. But for the most part, it 1774 01:20:23,080 --> 01:20:25,000 Speaker 1: was like, oh, that was gonna happen. There was nothing 1775 01:20:25,040 --> 01:20:28,479 Speaker 1: we could do about that. And in home birth, that 1776 01:20:28,720 --> 01:20:31,200 Speaker 1: is never allowed. It was it was because you were 1777 01:20:31,200 --> 01:20:34,720 Speaker 1: at home. It's because you had a midwife. It's never oh, well, 1778 01:20:34,760 --> 01:20:36,760 Speaker 1: you know, this would have happened at the hospital as well, 1779 01:20:36,880 --> 01:20:39,040 Speaker 1: and it would have been probably the same outcome. It's 1780 01:20:39,280 --> 01:20:42,200 Speaker 1: because you were at home. I had a client who 1781 01:20:43,920 --> 01:20:48,080 Speaker 1: had pushed out a baby after a c section, basically 1782 01:20:48,160 --> 01:20:50,280 Speaker 1: on a gurry, and her own doctor was like, Oh, 1783 01:20:50,400 --> 01:20:52,040 Speaker 1: you should just have your next one at the house 1784 01:20:52,040 --> 01:20:54,680 Speaker 1: because clearly like the babies want to come out of 1785 01:20:54,720 --> 01:20:58,840 Speaker 1: your vagina. And so they were scientists, not spiritual people, 1786 01:20:58,880 --> 01:21:00,880 Speaker 1: and so they've done all their research and the statistics, 1787 01:21:00,960 --> 01:21:03,880 Speaker 1: and the statistics are if you've pushed out a baby before, 1788 01:21:04,160 --> 01:21:06,759 Speaker 1: after you've had a c section, the likelihood that everything's 1789 01:21:06,800 --> 01:21:08,840 Speaker 1: gonna go right the next time after that is that 1790 01:21:08,920 --> 01:21:11,240 Speaker 1: it's gonna go right. The statistic, I think at the 1791 01:21:11,280 --> 01:21:15,320 Speaker 1: time was like zero point zero zero one, like super 1792 01:21:15,400 --> 01:21:16,760 Speaker 1: low that things will go wrong. 1793 01:21:17,200 --> 01:21:18,320 Speaker 2: And they were that statistic. 1794 01:21:19,080 --> 01:21:22,800 Speaker 1: And they lived approximately seven minutes from a hospital and 1795 01:21:23,360 --> 01:21:25,040 Speaker 1: I can't tell you the fuck shit we went through 1796 01:21:25,240 --> 01:21:26,200 Speaker 1: getting to the hospital. 1797 01:21:26,479 --> 01:21:27,439 Speaker 3: We had the. 1798 01:21:27,560 --> 01:21:30,120 Speaker 1: EMTs that we're trying to get iv in on the 1799 01:21:30,200 --> 01:21:32,800 Speaker 1: street while I'm screaming at them that you know, we 1800 01:21:32,880 --> 01:21:35,080 Speaker 1: gotta go, like this baby's heart rate, I still have it, 1801 01:21:35,400 --> 01:21:37,960 Speaker 1: So let's go. And knowing that we're seven minutes in 1802 01:21:38,040 --> 01:21:40,280 Speaker 1: your everyday average car, but an ambulance that's probably like 1803 01:21:40,320 --> 01:21:43,320 Speaker 1: maybe three, right, right, maybe let's go. Then they finally 1804 01:21:43,400 --> 01:21:45,720 Speaker 1: get to the hospital and they take her to the 1805 01:21:45,800 --> 01:21:48,800 Speaker 1: emergency room. Nobody down there is doing births right, like, 1806 01:21:49,120 --> 01:21:52,200 Speaker 1: they're not managing. You're supposed to go directly the neighborom delivery. 1807 01:21:52,240 --> 01:21:53,880 Speaker 1: So then by the time they get to labor and delivery, 1808 01:21:54,040 --> 01:21:56,840 Speaker 1: the ultrasimographers like, yeah, I don't see a heart rate. 1809 01:22:00,000 --> 01:22:06,400 Speaker 1: So and truthfully, the ultrasnographer couldn't truthfully diagnose the position 1810 01:22:06,520 --> 01:22:09,080 Speaker 1: of the baby because they were not skilled enough and 1811 01:22:09,320 --> 01:22:11,760 Speaker 1: hadn't realized that the baby was no longer even in 1812 01:22:11,880 --> 01:22:16,200 Speaker 1: the uterus, because what happens is when the uterine scar opens, 1813 01:22:16,320 --> 01:22:19,479 Speaker 1: it's like kicking open the door of a plane mid flight. 1814 01:22:19,880 --> 01:22:22,439 Speaker 1: Shit's getting sucked out. And so this little person got 1815 01:22:22,479 --> 01:22:26,280 Speaker 1: sucked out and was inside of their parents like abdomen. 1816 01:22:27,680 --> 01:22:31,479 Speaker 1: That baby saved their parents' life though, because this very 1817 01:22:31,560 --> 01:22:33,640 Speaker 1: large vein. The reason why they're afraid of Vback's in 1818 01:22:33,680 --> 01:22:38,200 Speaker 1: the hospital is that if that scar opens, all of 1819 01:22:38,240 --> 01:22:39,720 Speaker 1: your blood flow is just gonna come out of there, 1820 01:22:39,760 --> 01:22:42,000 Speaker 1: and you're you're the parent that is pregnant is going 1821 01:22:42,080 --> 01:22:45,599 Speaker 1: to hemorrhag and die in a very short period of time. Well, 1822 01:22:45,640 --> 01:22:48,519 Speaker 1: this little tiny human came out of their their parents' womb, 1823 01:22:48,720 --> 01:22:50,960 Speaker 1: came out of their scar, and the way that their 1824 01:22:51,000 --> 01:22:55,400 Speaker 1: little head basically got forced into their ribs, it acted 1825 01:22:55,479 --> 01:22:58,760 Speaker 1: as basically a stopper. And so when they opened that 1826 01:22:58,840 --> 01:23:00,479 Speaker 1: person up for that sea section and to get the 1827 01:23:00,520 --> 01:23:02,599 Speaker 1: baby out, there was no blood. That baby had saved 1828 01:23:02,640 --> 01:23:06,799 Speaker 1: their parents' life. Wow, but this baby wasn't like ten pounds. 1829 01:23:06,880 --> 01:23:09,560 Speaker 1: This baby wasn't exponentially bigger than their previous sibling. And 1830 01:23:09,680 --> 01:23:14,200 Speaker 1: it had been many years and it just happened. I 1831 01:23:14,360 --> 01:23:18,679 Speaker 1: have I have never seen so many doctors shimmy around, 1832 01:23:19,160 --> 01:23:21,000 Speaker 1: uh w, wh what do we do? 1833 01:23:21,120 --> 01:23:21,640 Speaker 4: And what is this? 1834 01:23:21,760 --> 01:23:23,400 Speaker 1: And what well why was she having a homebird? Well, 1835 01:23:23,400 --> 01:23:26,000 Speaker 1: who's gonna do the C section? Like d No one 1836 01:23:26,040 --> 01:23:29,200 Speaker 1: at any point was like, we are so sorry, mm m, 1837 01:23:29,680 --> 01:23:32,400 Speaker 1: what can we do to make this as as healing 1838 01:23:32,439 --> 01:23:33,080 Speaker 1: as possible for you? 1839 01:23:33,240 --> 01:23:33,840 Speaker 3: Like, what can we Like? 1840 01:23:34,000 --> 01:23:37,080 Speaker 1: They were literally assholes until the day they left the hospital. 1841 01:23:37,120 --> 01:23:37,360 Speaker 2: Wow. 1842 01:23:38,800 --> 01:23:42,320 Speaker 1: So it does happen, and it's horrible and it's hard, 1843 01:23:42,479 --> 01:23:44,479 Speaker 1: and midwives talk about it, but we don't talk about 1844 01:23:44,479 --> 01:23:46,000 Speaker 1: it in a way that's like your baby's gonna die. 1845 01:23:46,360 --> 01:23:48,320 Speaker 1: It's when you first come into care. These are all 1846 01:23:48,320 --> 01:23:50,599 Speaker 1: the different things that could happen, but they could also 1847 01:23:50,600 --> 01:23:54,600 Speaker 1: happen in the hospital, and so you're choosing. You're choosing autonomy. 1848 01:23:54,680 --> 01:23:57,840 Speaker 1: And that's another piece is Midwiffrey. You have to have 1849 01:23:57,960 --> 01:24:00,559 Speaker 1: your own mind. You have to have like a clear 1850 01:24:00,600 --> 01:24:02,040 Speaker 1: idea of what it is that you want, and your 1851 01:24:02,080 --> 01:24:05,360 Speaker 1: midwife supports it. It is not midwives convincing people to 1852 01:24:05,439 --> 01:24:07,560 Speaker 1: have homebirth that really don't want to have home r 1853 01:24:08,200 --> 01:24:09,840 Speaker 1: it's showing up for people that are like I would 1854 01:24:09,880 --> 01:24:11,519 Speaker 1: do this even if you're not coming, but I would 1855 01:24:11,520 --> 01:24:12,240 Speaker 1: prefer if you were here. 1856 01:24:12,360 --> 01:24:14,200 Speaker 2: They're coming to you because they want that You're not 1857 01:24:14,280 --> 01:24:15,439 Speaker 2: seeking them out exactly. 1858 01:24:15,840 --> 01:24:17,920 Speaker 1: But sometimes people you know, oh, I saw the business 1859 01:24:17,960 --> 01:24:19,320 Speaker 1: of being born. I want to have a home birth, 1860 01:24:19,560 --> 01:24:21,479 Speaker 1: but don't want to take any liability. They want it 1861 01:24:21,520 --> 01:24:23,240 Speaker 1: to still be like the doctor, Well, tell me what 1862 01:24:23,360 --> 01:24:26,200 Speaker 1: to do with shaw, What would you do? What would 1863 01:24:26,240 --> 01:24:27,600 Speaker 1: you do? And I'm like, baby, this is not my 1864 01:24:27,720 --> 01:24:31,040 Speaker 1: pregnant yeah, like only you know. And I've had people 1865 01:24:31,240 --> 01:24:35,040 Speaker 1: sit across from me in labor and be like, I 1866 01:24:35,160 --> 01:24:37,320 Speaker 1: don't I don't know why this is, but I just 1867 01:24:37,400 --> 01:24:39,320 Speaker 1: think we should go. Like I just have a bad feeling, 1868 01:24:39,720 --> 01:24:41,880 Speaker 1: and a midwife, a good midwife is gonna listen to that. 1869 01:24:42,120 --> 01:24:44,120 Speaker 1: It doesn't matter if the bloodressre's great, the pulse is great, 1870 01:24:44,160 --> 01:24:46,840 Speaker 1: baby sounds great, Water's not broken, there's no temperature, there's 1871 01:24:46,840 --> 01:24:49,120 Speaker 1: no fever, there's nothing you've been eating drinking, everything's fine. 1872 01:24:49,280 --> 01:24:51,920 Speaker 1: When someone looks me in the face and goes, I 1873 01:24:52,080 --> 01:24:54,599 Speaker 1: just I think we should go. Every single time it's 1874 01:24:54,640 --> 01:24:57,439 Speaker 1: been absolutely appropriate. It was a baby that absolutely needs 1875 01:24:57,439 --> 01:24:58,800 Speaker 1: to be born in the hospital and we wouldn't have 1876 01:24:58,840 --> 01:25:00,639 Speaker 1: known it until it was like time. 1877 01:25:01,479 --> 01:25:04,639 Speaker 2: And so that's another piece being heard from that other 1878 01:25:04,720 --> 01:25:07,840 Speaker 2: place of well, taking off your like midwife hot or 1879 01:25:07,880 --> 01:25:09,080 Speaker 2: not taking it off. You don't ever take it off. 1880 01:25:09,160 --> 01:25:10,760 Speaker 2: It's a part of it, but taking off of like 1881 01:25:10,920 --> 01:25:13,680 Speaker 2: making it about you and your personally. This journey that 1882 01:25:13,720 --> 01:25:15,679 Speaker 2: you've taken with this person, and you want to complete 1883 01:25:15,720 --> 01:25:18,280 Speaker 2: the journey this way and listening to. 1884 01:25:18,400 --> 01:25:20,880 Speaker 3: What at all times, yeah, at all times, and also 1885 01:25:21,040 --> 01:25:25,320 Speaker 3: being comfortable enough to be instinctual about what it is 1886 01:25:25,720 --> 01:25:29,599 Speaker 3: that's nothing else. Your people underestimate their motherly instinct, your 1887 01:25:29,680 --> 01:25:30,320 Speaker 3: instinct as. 1888 01:25:30,200 --> 01:25:32,040 Speaker 2: A human, like sometimes things are gonna tell you no, 1889 01:25:32,240 --> 01:25:33,600 Speaker 2: somethings just don't feel right, and you need to be 1890 01:25:33,640 --> 01:25:34,880 Speaker 2: able to go with your gut and feel that and 1891 01:25:35,000 --> 01:25:36,519 Speaker 2: not and be in tune with yourself in. 1892 01:25:36,600 --> 01:25:37,479 Speaker 1: Order to figure that out. 1893 01:25:37,840 --> 01:25:38,040 Speaker 2: Well. 1894 01:25:38,600 --> 01:25:41,760 Speaker 1: So that's where racism keeps coming back into the conversation 1895 01:25:41,960 --> 01:25:47,080 Speaker 1: because Black people are basically taught from the beginning of time, 1896 01:25:47,160 --> 01:25:49,800 Speaker 1: from the moment we can get words and you know, 1897 01:25:49,960 --> 01:25:53,840 Speaker 1: communicate with others in the past, not now, not so 1898 01:25:53,960 --> 01:25:56,800 Speaker 1: much now. Hopefully black people are made to feel like 1899 01:25:56,880 --> 01:25:59,479 Speaker 1: we don't know as much we have. We So many 1900 01:25:59,640 --> 01:26:02,160 Speaker 1: of my peers, so many of people, black women, black 1901 01:26:02,680 --> 01:26:05,120 Speaker 1: folks that I look up to, they talk about in 1902 01:26:05,280 --> 01:26:09,760 Speaker 1: private struggling with imposter syndrome. And it literally is just 1903 01:26:09,920 --> 01:26:11,840 Speaker 1: that thing of black is not as good as white. 1904 01:26:12,360 --> 01:26:16,759 Speaker 1: And so midwives, black midwives specifically, we're wearing so many hats, 1905 01:26:16,800 --> 01:26:19,640 Speaker 1: but most of them are literally just combating years of 1906 01:26:19,800 --> 01:26:25,120 Speaker 1: racism and trauma. It's reminding you, you know your body, 1907 01:26:25,320 --> 01:26:27,760 Speaker 1: you are smart, you are not You don't have to 1908 01:26:27,800 --> 01:26:30,680 Speaker 1: be a doctor or a midwife to know something's not right, 1909 01:26:31,080 --> 01:26:34,640 Speaker 1: and that is good enough. And it's a shame for 1910 01:26:34,800 --> 01:26:36,799 Speaker 1: so many people that that's the only time that happens 1911 01:26:36,840 --> 01:26:39,280 Speaker 1: for them, And so I love it. There's this thing 1912 01:26:39,320 --> 01:26:42,200 Speaker 1: that happens sometimes in Midwiffrey where who comes to me 1913 01:26:42,280 --> 01:26:43,960 Speaker 1: in the beginning, The couple that shows up at the 1914 01:26:44,000 --> 01:26:46,040 Speaker 1: beginning is not the couple at the end, and sometimes 1915 01:26:46,080 --> 01:26:49,200 Speaker 1: the partner that was not pregnant is not really prepared 1916 01:26:49,240 --> 01:26:51,479 Speaker 1: for that new person that's shown up, which is this 1917 01:26:51,600 --> 01:26:54,400 Speaker 1: person that knows who they are, knows their power, knows 1918 01:26:54,439 --> 01:26:57,320 Speaker 1: what they're capable of, and is then on this like yeah, 1919 01:26:57,320 --> 01:27:00,880 Speaker 1: and I got this baby out of my vagina, and 1920 01:27:01,240 --> 01:27:04,000 Speaker 1: like before maybe was this person that was like, oh, 1921 01:27:04,120 --> 01:27:07,360 Speaker 1: sure you are, and now it's like get your own 1922 01:27:07,400 --> 01:27:12,439 Speaker 1: fucking donut here. It was like, oh, then I watch 1923 01:27:12,520 --> 01:27:14,280 Speaker 1: it happen and I love it. I live for that. 1924 01:27:14,520 --> 01:27:16,479 Speaker 1: I live for that, the moment where I watch them 1925 01:27:16,560 --> 01:27:20,639 Speaker 1: be like, oh, bitch, I got all the power. Yeah, 1926 01:27:21,479 --> 01:27:24,960 Speaker 1: I love it. But it is stressful and hard for 1927 01:27:25,000 --> 01:27:27,080 Speaker 1: the partners. And that's another part of my job as 1928 01:27:27,120 --> 01:27:29,640 Speaker 1: a midwife is to remind them like, you're still this 1929 01:27:29,760 --> 01:27:32,800 Speaker 1: person's person, but you now have to adjust how you 1930 01:27:32,920 --> 01:27:33,320 Speaker 1: see them. 1931 01:27:33,680 --> 01:27:36,360 Speaker 2: You saw what they went through. Now you need to 1932 01:27:36,960 --> 01:27:38,439 Speaker 2: you need to rise the case, you need to get 1933 01:27:38,479 --> 01:27:39,000 Speaker 2: to their level. 1934 01:27:39,080 --> 01:27:44,479 Speaker 1: And it's unfortunate. Sometimes home birth makes relationships not stronger. 1935 01:27:44,640 --> 01:27:47,280 Speaker 1: It challenges them in ways that the person that wasn't 1936 01:27:47,320 --> 01:27:50,000 Speaker 1: pregnant is not prepared for because you got a whole 1937 01:27:50,080 --> 01:27:53,639 Speaker 1: new boo now and and you know, there's that moment 1938 01:27:53,960 --> 01:27:55,880 Speaker 1: and sometimes it happens right away at the birthday, and 1939 01:27:55,960 --> 01:27:58,599 Speaker 1: sometimes it happens later because it's delayed because it's taken 1940 01:27:58,680 --> 01:28:01,120 Speaker 1: from us. But that moment where you were like, I 1941 01:28:01,200 --> 01:28:05,360 Speaker 1: won't murder everyone person right, I will kill you, And 1942 01:28:06,040 --> 01:28:08,960 Speaker 1: sometimes our partners they are just like, WHOA for you? 1943 01:28:09,120 --> 01:28:09,479 Speaker 2: I don't. 1944 01:28:10,040 --> 01:28:10,560 Speaker 1: I don't like that. 1945 01:28:10,720 --> 01:28:11,560 Speaker 2: That doesn't work for me. 1946 01:28:12,520 --> 01:28:16,000 Speaker 1: So I love that part. I love I love watching 1947 01:28:16,120 --> 01:28:18,559 Speaker 1: people come into their power and realize how strong they 1948 01:28:18,600 --> 01:28:21,160 Speaker 1: are and how much say so they have and what 1949 01:28:21,280 --> 01:28:23,439 Speaker 1: they're really truly capable of. And it has nothing to 1950 01:28:23,520 --> 01:28:23,840 Speaker 1: do with me. 1951 01:28:24,200 --> 01:28:25,960 Speaker 2: I'm so happy that you do the work you do. 1952 01:28:26,040 --> 01:28:27,400 Speaker 2: I think I want to be in birth work. I 1953 01:28:27,479 --> 01:28:28,519 Speaker 2: said this like two weeks ago. 1954 01:28:29,120 --> 01:28:31,439 Speaker 1: You have to be prepared to literally have zero schedule 1955 01:28:31,560 --> 01:28:33,840 Speaker 1: and always be on call and never have no fun. 1956 01:28:34,040 --> 01:28:34,720 Speaker 2: Oh yeah, there's that. 1957 01:28:36,280 --> 01:28:39,640 Speaker 1: I mean, it's not never no fun, but it's like 1958 01:28:39,840 --> 01:28:42,439 Speaker 1: there are very small windows where I get to quote 1959 01:28:42,520 --> 01:28:45,240 Speaker 1: unquote turn up because there's always the possibility be present 1960 01:28:45,360 --> 01:28:47,599 Speaker 1: of someone calling me and being like, my water just broken, 1961 01:28:47,640 --> 01:28:49,880 Speaker 1: I'm twenty eight weeks Okay, well, well. 1962 01:28:50,560 --> 01:28:52,639 Speaker 2: This was fun. Hey let me put this shot down. 1963 01:28:52,800 --> 01:28:54,439 Speaker 1: Yeah, and now I got to go be at a 1964 01:28:54,479 --> 01:28:56,960 Speaker 1: hospital and advocate for this person to have as good 1965 01:28:56,960 --> 01:28:59,160 Speaker 1: a hospital birth as possible and for their baby to 1966 01:28:59,200 --> 01:29:01,320 Speaker 1: be respected to the of our abilities. Because now we're 1967 01:29:01,360 --> 01:29:02,880 Speaker 1: not having a home birth, we're going to be fighting 1968 01:29:02,960 --> 01:29:06,080 Speaker 1: for you know, maybe still a vaginal birth, maybe breastfeeding, 1969 01:29:06,120 --> 01:29:06,439 Speaker 1: still like. 1970 01:29:06,439 --> 01:29:09,679 Speaker 2: All these other things. The role of a black midwife 1971 01:29:09,720 --> 01:29:13,679 Speaker 2: is so very different than a white midwife. Well, thank 1972 01:29:13,760 --> 01:29:17,320 Speaker 2: you for what you do, and thank you for coming 1973 01:29:17,479 --> 01:29:21,040 Speaker 2: and sharing all of your knowledge and experience with our audience. 1974 01:29:21,439 --> 01:29:23,439 Speaker 2: And I get pregnant, you will be my midwife and 1975 01:29:23,920 --> 01:29:32,400 Speaker 2: she's available because you're going to get pregnant. I have 1976 01:29:32,479 --> 01:29:34,600 Speaker 2: that baby close to my baby because he's coming to me. 1977 01:29:35,000 --> 01:29:36,240 Speaker 2: I like, hi, Tamila's phone. 1978 01:29:39,040 --> 01:29:42,719 Speaker 1: I have had sisters like literally email me within months 1979 01:29:42,720 --> 01:29:45,800 Speaker 1: of each other about their pregnancies and they did hire me. 1980 01:29:45,840 --> 01:29:48,040 Speaker 1: And that was so much fun, so much fun. 1981 01:29:48,280 --> 01:29:50,960 Speaker 2: That's cool, that's awesome. Everybody where they can find you. 1982 01:29:51,360 --> 01:29:54,599 Speaker 1: Oh yeah, okay, that part. I'm terrible with this. Okay. 1983 01:29:55,840 --> 01:29:59,040 Speaker 1: Allegedly there's a Facebook, but I don't run it. My 1984 01:29:59,439 --> 01:30:02,360 Speaker 1: web mistress because they were like, you have to have 1985 01:30:02,360 --> 01:30:04,000 Speaker 1: a Facebook account, but I was like, I hate Facebook. 1986 01:30:04,000 --> 01:30:05,400 Speaker 1: I left years ago and they were like, just do 1987 01:30:05,439 --> 01:30:07,559 Speaker 1: it for the business. So there's a Facebook. I wouldn't 1988 01:30:07,560 --> 01:30:14,160 Speaker 1: recommend reaching out there. Mostly my website www dot crimsonfig 1989 01:30:14,439 --> 01:30:18,280 Speaker 1: dot com. I'm local to Los Angeles. You can google 1990 01:30:18,360 --> 01:30:22,280 Speaker 1: me Rashata Honey Lawler or the Black Midwife or Crimson 1991 01:30:22,360 --> 01:30:26,720 Speaker 1: Fig or Crimson Fig Midwife on Instagram, which I love 1992 01:30:26,760 --> 01:30:28,479 Speaker 1: because it's just pictures and a little bit of talking 1993 01:30:28,520 --> 01:30:32,599 Speaker 1: and then leaving. No, I don't argue about Instagram Instagram. 1994 01:30:32,680 --> 01:30:36,439 Speaker 1: It's Crimson Fig, just Crimson Fig. I believe there's an 1995 01:30:36,520 --> 01:30:39,479 Speaker 1: underscore in between the Crimson and the Fig. Or you 1996 01:30:39,560 --> 01:30:45,120 Speaker 1: can just put in black midwife. Yeah, cool, that's it. 1997 01:30:45,479 --> 01:30:45,760 Speaker 1: Thank you. 1998 01:30:46,080 --> 01:30:46,960 Speaker 2: I'm so happy you can. 1999 01:30:47,280 --> 01:30:50,040 Speaker 1: Thank you for having me, and thank you for you know, 2000 01:30:50,800 --> 01:30:52,920 Speaker 1: talking about all the things that are hard to talk 2001 01:30:52,960 --> 01:30:57,360 Speaker 1: about like surgical birth see sections and trauma and smoking 2002 01:30:57,400 --> 01:31:00,200 Speaker 1: weed and trying to breastfeed a baby and you know, 2003 01:31:00,280 --> 01:31:02,280 Speaker 1: all the things in between that we have to navigate 2004 01:31:02,360 --> 01:31:04,360 Speaker 1: in black bodies when birthing, Like we don't get to 2005 01:31:04,520 --> 01:31:06,679 Speaker 1: just go in the backyard and have an orgasmic birth. 2006 01:31:07,000 --> 01:31:07,200 Speaker 2: Yeah. 2007 01:31:07,680 --> 01:31:08,439 Speaker 1: There's levels to. 2008 01:31:08,479 --> 01:31:11,760 Speaker 2: This, there is, And really I just want all black 2009 01:31:11,840 --> 01:31:14,840 Speaker 2: women to at least know they have the option and know, 2010 01:31:15,320 --> 01:31:20,640 Speaker 2: like you know, you could do this too. Yeah, I 2011 01:31:20,680 --> 01:31:22,160 Speaker 2: think it's time to go. I don't know what's happening 2012 01:31:22,200 --> 01:31:24,960 Speaker 2: out there, but anyway, you guys know where to find us. 2013 01:31:25,040 --> 01:31:27,760 Speaker 2: But if you don't, it's good mom's bad choice, good 2014 01:31:27,800 --> 01:31:31,080 Speaker 2: Mom's Wow, good mom your score, Bad Choices. I'm not 2015 01:31:31,160 --> 01:31:33,000 Speaker 2: even tired. I don't know. 2016 01:31:35,600 --> 01:31:39,400 Speaker 3: Good Mom's underscore bad on Instagram and it's good Moms 2017 01:31:39,520 --> 01:31:40,920 Speaker 3: Bad Choices dot com. 2018 01:31:41,240 --> 01:31:45,920 Speaker 2: Yeah. Subscribe to our newsletter, buy some merch submit some 2019 01:31:46,040 --> 01:31:47,559 Speaker 2: advice questions, and some horries. 2020 01:31:47,600 --> 01:31:52,200 Speaker 3: If you have any some what horries, horror stories, stories, 2021 01:31:53,160 --> 01:31:56,600 Speaker 3: rash tales of highly horriorsh tale, that's maybe funny, or 2022 01:31:56,840 --> 01:31:57,200 Speaker 3: you mean. 2023 01:31:57,200 --> 01:31:58,479 Speaker 1: Like the time I went to that birth with no 2024 01:31:58,600 --> 01:32:00,400 Speaker 1: draws on because I got called in the middle or something. 2025 01:32:00,760 --> 01:32:11,200 Speaker 1: Oh yeah, it was very discreet squatting. Well they brought me. 2026 01:32:11,240 --> 01:32:13,320 Speaker 2: Thought, oh, she's very natural. She's a natural woman. 2027 01:32:14,640 --> 01:32:16,280 Speaker 1: Like you're so dressed up for our birth. 2028 01:32:16,360 --> 01:32:21,200 Speaker 2: And I was like this is my like read you 2029 01:32:21,320 --> 01:32:24,840 Speaker 2: interrupted me? Thank you? 2030 01:32:25,240 --> 01:32:25,920 Speaker 1: Yeah, so you guys. 2031 01:32:25,960 --> 01:32:28,960 Speaker 2: We'll catch you guys next week. Happy black breastrating away, 2032 01:32:29,080 --> 01:32:33,080 Speaker 2: happy black feeding. We we need more of chocolate milk. Yeah, 2033 01:32:35,160 --> 01:32:38,679 Speaker 2: one time a lot, I mean one time at Luna. 2034 01:32:39,520 --> 01:32:41,760 Speaker 2: What kind of milk is that? My mom has chocolate milk? 2035 01:32:43,600 --> 01:32:45,240 Speaker 1: Brilliant, The babies are brilliant. 2036 01:32:45,439 --> 01:32:51,000 Speaker 2: So I was like vanilla Russian, Russian, Russian Russian milk. 2037 01:32:52,560 --> 01:32:53,360 Speaker 2: It's a white Russian. 2038 01:32:53,479 --> 01:32:54,679 Speaker 1: I was like, a white Russian. 2039 01:32:56,680 --> 01:33:07,920 Speaker 2: All right, y'all, we'll catch you guys next week. Byett 2040 01:33:08,240 --> 01:33:08,599 Speaker 2: Toge