SO if you didn't know, Allomother Midwifery was formerly known as Love Your Birth. When I first came up with the name at the beginning of my midwifery journey, I LOVED it (so I thought) and planned on using it for my future midwifery practice. But here's the low down on why I have rebranded and relaunched my business and website with the addition of Midwifery Services..
Why change the name?
I honestly and wholeheartedly believe in BIRTH! With knowledge, understanding, and trust in the process, healthy living practices, and quality care, birth can usually flow and unfold without a hitch. However, birth is also unpredictable and there’s a chance that not everything will go as you planned or hoped - albeit most of the time normal and physiological, but still unpredictable. The words “Love Your Birth” feels to me like I’m marketing this unrealistic expectation that everyone will or should “love their birth” but in reality, that’s just not true. Things might come up, plans might change, it might be more painful than expected or longer than desired, maybe you birth in a completely different position than you planned, maybe there isn't enough time to get that water birth you've always dreamed about, I could go on and on. You don’t have to LOVE your birth but my GOAL as a midwife is that you feel supported throughout care and walk away feeling confident, empowered, and that you were well prepared, regardless of the outcome. My HOPE, of course, is that you love your birth but it’s okay if you don’t. I want you to LOVE the relationship we build, the trust, the quality of care, the way you feel about the choices YOU have and the decisions YOU make, etc.
I also wanted to step away from the word “BIRTH” in my practice name because I feel that puts too much focus on the actual Birth event and I think this is common to do in our society. We focus so much on What the Birth is going to be like that we leave the other processes and important experiences on the back burner as just an afterthought. What if we shared our focus on each part of the process, conception, pregnancy, labor, birth, AND postpartum? The Birth only lasts up to a couple days. Your pregnancy lasts 10 months, and postpartum technically lasts the rest of your life after birth! So why does just the Birth get so much attention? My care encompasses more than just my clients’ birth. I value, respect, and focus on each part of the process because they are ALL important experiences and deserve to be honored as such.
And so what does this new name mean to me?
Allomother is a term commonly used in regard to elephant herds. An Allomother is another female elephant in the herd that is not necessarily related to the mother but is a respectable part of the herd that the mother specifically chooses to help raise, care for, and protect the mother-baby dyad. I am a big lover of elephants for this reason and their birthing and community practices.
It represents my philosophy in midwifery. My clients are not just ‘clients’ to me, and I am not just their provider. I place extreme value on the intimate relationship that is built during the course of care and the trust and love that is needed to create it. I don’t want clients to leave my care at the end of 6 weeks postpartum, feeling like our relationship also has to end. My hope is to build long-lasting relationships, getting the chance to see my clients’ families grow and watch their parenting journeys, and maybe even continue to be a part of it. They can still reach out to me with questions, concerns, advice, etc., and I will always love getting photo updates! In this day, we so very much need closer communities and that’s what I am about, that’s what I want to create and be a part of as a midwife.
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