Autobiography
Debbie Reiners
It was
1979. I was in my last semester of
college browsing the bookstore. The book
Immaculate Deception by Suzanne Arms caught my attention and I was changed
forever. I was naturally aligned with
the ideas in this book and I knew I was to walk in the childbirth field, a
field of ancient arts, women, midwives, human rights, activism, and timeless
wisdom.
The world of
nature, magic, truth, and justice was my realm.
In childhood, animals, rocks, and bugs were always important; I sought
them and collected many. As I grew I
yearned to hear the voices of the downtrodden, victims of social injustice, the
weak, the sick, the voiceless.
After
college I had seasonal work with Colorado Outward Bound. I led a high school group to Mexico, sailed
Belize for three months, was a Colorado horse ranch hand, assistant manager of
a natural foods store, an apprentice with midwives in Missouri, and potato
sorter on The Farm in Tennessee. I was a
barista in Santa Fe, and lone caretaker of a mining claim at an altitude of 9,000
ft, 12 miles from the road, off the grid for four months. During these adventuresome years I sought out
midwives and progressive families everywhere I went. I read voraciously and studied hard. I was invited along the way to “coach” or
assist at homebirths.
While
helping at a birth above Aspen, the midwife left for a bit during a long
labor. I was the only one present with
any knowledge, albeit small, and Mom looked at me and said, “This baby is
coming.” Her eyes shone and she had a
luminous quality about her. I remained
calm and managed the roomful of people, trying to exude Peace and Love, and
find calm in my racing brain and heart.
The baby arrived. I placed her on
Mother’s belly. The placenta came and
the bleeding began. I had only book knowledge
of the physiology of birth, and calmly, but with authority, asked the Mother’s
friend to suckle on her breast to help the uterus contract. Baby was resting. The bleeding stopped. The room was joyous. The birth angel watched over us. I was 21.
It has
always been inherent in me, to respect nature, and to know that the design of
childbirth is perfect. I married Tom,
had four homebirths, and during that time taught my own and a midwife’s
childbirth classes. My favorite classes
were made up of home, hospital, and birth center couples/singles. I shared risks and benefits of each location
and good conversations ensued. Sometimes
they changed their birth place. I have
always had respect for mothers choosing what is right for them. Where do they feel safest giving birth? No one size fits all. There are too many complexities at work:
emotions, fear, trauma, grief, a
couple’s relationship, self-trust, and misinformation, to just name a
few. I cannot ever purport to know what
is best for anyone else. I do know that
love, peace, and respect help support this grand design. I led La Leche League meetings for three
years.
I
volunteered as a Doula at a Milwaukee hospital for several months. I spent 12 hours thought each Saturday night,
in scrubs, attending nurses’ shift change meetings, and assisted where
needed. I witnessed loving care as well
as cruel and abusive care. I witnessed
outstanding care at the hands of physicians as well as much harm. Observing the hierarchy of the nursing staff,
residents, and attending physicians, helped me understand my M.D. husband
better. It also illustrated why teaching
hospitals sometimes have the worst childbirth outcome statistics.
In the 90’s
I attended a new direct entry midwifery school in Madison, Wisconsin that had
an innovative 80% experiential learning model.
I apprenticed locally in Wisconsin and I attended births of all risk
levels at Victoria Jubilee Hospital in Jamaica with Shari Daniel. In Madison I assisted with the next class of
midwifery students. The head of the
school asked me to partner in her homebirth practice which I did for a year and
then had my own practice for two years.
I taught classes for my own clients.
After 20 years and nearly 300 births, I walked away from my calling.
In 2012 our
grandson was born at home. My
daughter-in-law, an airline pilot, had a precipitous delivery with substantial
blood loss. She then developed a vaginal
hematoma requiring weeks of bed rest.
She had excellent, skilled clinical care. I stayed with them for weeks and balanced
many roles: in-law, mother, grandmother, postpartum doula, and former
midwife. While I have forgotten many
facts, I was overjoyed to discover a luminous glow of instinct and knowledge
living inside of me. With this renewed
inspiration I choose to teach again.
I believe
that Birthworks’ experiential, interactive approach to teaching, addresses the
complex needs of adult learners. I
appreciate the Professional Standards of Practice and am aligned with the
Statement of Beliefs. I love the
academic and emotional content of the curriculum. I was an average educator, although student
evaluations were great. I want to be an
excellent teacher and I believe that with BirthWorks, I can fulfill this goal.
Debbie
Reiners
