The Balance of Midwifery
When families choose homebirth midwifery care, they often see the visible aspects of our work—the prenatal visits where we take time to answer every question, the calm presence during labor, the gentle postpartum care. What remains largely unseen is the profound commitment that extends far beyond those visible hours.
The Invisible Hours
For each client I serve, I commit approximately 600-1000 hours on call. These aren't billable hours—they're the hours where my life is arranged around the possibility of your labor beginning. They're the family gatherings I attend with two cars, just in case. They're the weekend trips canceled because they would take me more than an hour from your home. They're the nights I sleep with my phone turned up loud, my birth bag packed and ready by the door.
Every night when I'm on call for a mother, my last thought before sleep is of her and her baby. Is she feeling those first sensations of labor? Will her water break in the middle of the night? Will tonight be the night I receive that call saying, "I think it's time"?
The Heart Work
Midwifery care is intimate by design. We spend 12-15 hours together during prenatal care before your birth ever begins, building the trust and relationship that makes birth sacred and safe. But beyond those hours are countless more spent in prayer over your baby and your birth, reviewing your charts and labs, researching the best approaches for your unique situation, and wondering if I've provided enough information about everything from kick counts to postpartum recovery.
I answer texts and calls at all hours—even when my family gives me "the look" for checking my phone during dinner. Because I know that for you, the question feels urgent, even if it's simply wondering if those new sensations are normal.
The Weight We Carry
As a midwife I have breathed life into a babies lungs. I have desperately prayed while using every skill taught to me to help stop a mother's bleeding. I have made split-second decisions in moments where seconds matter.
This isn't shared to cause fear—birth is beautifully and wonderfully designed to work. But it's shared to illuminate that midwifery is both beautiful work and a heavy weight to carry. We hold the space where new life enters, where families are transformed, where mothers discover strength they never knew they possessed.
The Sacred Balance
The midwifery model of care stands in contrast to the medical model because it recognizes birth as a normal life process while remaining vigilant for the moments that require intervention. Finding this balance—honoring the physiologic process while being prepared for emergencies—is the art at the heart of midwifery.
At Full Well Midwifery, this balance is my commitment to you. It's why I only take 1-2 clients per month, ensuring I can dedicate myself fully to each family's journey. It's why we spend so much time together before birth—building the relationship that will guide us through even the most challenging moments with shared decision-making and mutual trust.
The weight of midwifery is one I carry willingly, even joyfully, because I believe deeply in empowering women and families to make informed decisions about their bodies, their births, and their babies. It's a calling to witness and protect the sacred space where families are born.
Heather is a licensed midwife serving the greater Roanoke area, including Botetourt County, Montgomery County, the NRV, Bedford, Lexington, and Covington. To learn more about midwifery care or to schedule a consultation, contact us today.