Heidi and Maureen (HeartSpace Midwifery) were with me from the beginning of each pregnancy straight through the birth and deep into the postpartum period for both of my two children. I could write about how knowledgeable they were – their breadth of experience, their competency within both the highly medical sphere surrounding modern labor and delivery and the holistic health arena – but I want to focus on their willingness to serve.
I was an outlier in terms of my experience. My first born suffered a neo-natal stroke and needed to be admitted to the Albany Medical Center NICU within 36 hours of our successful home birth. I endured 6 months of acute postpartum depression (PPD) and anxiety after delivering each of my children, which is uncommon among the self-selecting pool of women they work with.
Heidi and Maureen were so committed to my well-being and that of my new baby and growing family. They witnessed me progressively losing my center and were highly attuned to my needs. One of them reached out to me nearly every single day for 6 weeks after I gave birth, and then their continued attention and support stretched into the next several months. They listened to me. They counseled me on what actions were appropriate to deal with my deteriorating condition, and they were willing to honor my desires and compromise their solutions to fit my unique circumstances. They even went out of their way to research and administer an uncommon strategy for treating PPD that I had learned about in a desperate attempt to stay afloat.
Though we employed countless solutions, time proved the most effective remedy. I am sure it was hard for them to try so many different approaches without anything really shifting what I was going through internally. Looking back now, the effectiveness of any one treatment is not what stands out. What does stand out is their deep commitment and love, their willingness to stay with me through the pain and not look away.