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
- NACPM – National Association of Certified Professional Midwives
- 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 attended 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.
Safety of Home Birth:
Pregnancy, labor and birth are normal natural processes of the female body. These processes are not illnesses or diseases to be managed. Multiple studies have shown that home birth for a healthy mother is as safe as hospital birth and there are fewer interventions that can lead to complications. For example one study (by Mehl L.E. et al.) in a comparison of 1,146 home and 1,146 hospital deliveries, with similar risk factors in both groups, has shown that:
- in hospital settings 3.7 times as many babies required resuscitation.
- in hospital settings infections were 4 times higher.
- in hospital settings there were 2.5 times more cases of meconium aspiration.
- in hospital settings respiratory distress in newborns was 17 times greater.
- in hospital settings there is a higher rate of episiotomies and unnecessary induction.
- in hospital settings the above group experienced 30 birth injuries – home births none.
- neonatal/perinatal death rates were the same for both groups.
- Apgar scores were significantly better with home births.
In 1997 Ole Olson, a researcher from the University of Copenhagen, examined 25,000 births (both home and hospital) from 5 countries. He found no difference in death rates and similar differences in outcomes as cited above.
Interventions and Complications
Many medical professionals manage labor and birth to fit a schedule defined by statistical curves, averages and ideas. Each womans body has its own normal idea of labor and birth. Managing a labor to make it fit a medical definition leads to interventions and increases chances of certain complications. Medically managed care for mothers and babies has done little to change the less than optimal outcomes reflected in our national statistics. Currently the United States ranks 27th in global maternal/infant mortality rates. Midwives support and monitor natural labor. Midwifery care focuses on each woman and her baby as individuals. Labor and delivery for each woman is self defined. A midwife focuses on care that is defined by each woman but guided by the well being of mother and baby. Maternal and fetal vital signs are monitored to assure a good outcome. For further information you can visit: www.bmj.com.
My name is Judith Schmidt. I am a Certified Professional Midwife. 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.