Philosophy & Experience
My name is Judith Schmidt. I am a Certified Professional Midwife.
My foundational philosophy is that birth is a normal and a God ordained experience that affects us and our families on emotional, spiritual and physical levels. I believe in the inherent rights and responsibilities of parents to make decisions about their prenatal care and how and where they choose to have their babies, and who they wish to assist them. My practice is based on my spiritual beliefs as a Christian and my convictions that support family based birth.
My experience in midwifery started with and matured from giving birth to our five daughters (four of them at home) and helping family and friends birth their babies. A large part of my knowledge base has been built from self study with practical skills training and experience. My education and acquisition of skills as well as my practice of midwifery has been ongoing since 1980. I first worked with an Ohio midwife who taught me the basics of client education and informed consent. I attended an intensive training seminar for midwives sponsored by Informed Homebirth. I served as apprentice for a Florida Licensed direct entry midwife. A few years later I served a second apprenticeship in Missouri with another direct entry midwife. I started nursing school in 1988, and graduated in 1992 as a registered nurse. I worked in the Kansas City, Mo area as a nurse in ob/gyn, postpartum, newborn nursery and hospice.
I am a CPM (certified professional midwife) on a national level with NARM and I am a member of the following midwifery organizations:
- MANA – Midwives Alliance of North America
- MMA – Missouri Midwives Association
I am also a Registered Nurse and have current certifications in Neonatal Resuscitation and Basic Life Support/CPR.
As Primary midwife, I have twenty-three years of experience attending home births including Vbac (vaginal birth after cesarean), breech, twins and water births. I have dealt with the following types of complications in a home birth setting: face presentations, retained placenta, hemorrhage, shoulder dystocia, and short cords.
I have transported for the following reasons: retained placenta, prematurity, fetal/newborn distress, failure to progress, breech, uterine rupture, fetal demise.
As midwife I provide guardianship of the pregnancy and birth based on my convictions of faith and normalcy. In harmony with my level of skill and competence I communicate, educate, inform and support the birthing couple and their family. I enable wise choices and offer advice concerning the care and safety of mother and baby. I seek counsel and consult if a situation arises that is beyond my scope of practice. My foundation for recognition and prevention of complications is based on my education and my experience as well as the perspective of what is normal which I believe is the essential difference between fear and faith.