Patty Bartlett Sessions, famous LDS Midwife
There was a time in LDS history when women were called and set apart as the ward midwife to serve their sisters. As the overarching American culture (the cultural context of the early LDS church) turned away from midwifery and homebirth and toward the hospital, this official calling fell by the wayside and faded out of use. However, woman-to-woman birth support is experiencing a resurgence as women around the world are realizing that the need has not faded for a birthing woman to feel supported and understood not only physically and mentally, but spiritually as well during pregnancy, birth and postpartum. Many LDS women are discovering that the Spirit is leading them to birth work and pregnant and birthing LDS women have expressed interest in finding birth workers who share their religious beliefs.
With this in mind, we have created Birthing in Zion, a resource list of LDS midwives, doulas, obstetricians, gynecologists, childbirth educators, lactation specialists & consultants, and other birth workers. Our purpose is to provide a centralized venue where those wanting a care provider who understands their spiritual needs can come to find what they need.
If you would like to be added to the directory, please share the following information in the comments and it will be added to the directory. If you wish to send it by email, please send the following information to birthinginzion@gmail.com.
Name
What stake do you live in? Please include city, state and country.
What area do you serve? How far are you willing to travel?
Occupation (midwife, doula, OB, IBCLC, etc.–include applicable organizations (CAPPA, BAI, DONA, etc.) or state “volunteer peer support” if not licensed or certified)
Preferred method of contact (office, home, or cell phone, e-mail, Website (if applicable)
Short Bio (100-200 words) including description of services, experience, philosophy, rates, or anything else you want people to know about you and your work.
Certification is not required but please indicate that in “Occupation.” If you are not certified or licensed in your area, please state that you are “volunteer peer support” or working towards certification.
Please refer any LDS birth workers you know our site and share our information with them so we can get them listed here. The ideal we are working towards is being able to list LDS birth workers in each stake of the church.
If you would like to help maintain and compile the directory, we’re accepting volunteers. Please contact birthinginzion@gmail.com for more information.
To learn more about the history of Midwifery as a calling, enjoy this article over at The Gift of Giving Life.
If you are considering becoming a birth worker, whether midwife, doula, OB, breastfeeding counselor, massage therapist, etc., please visit our Facebook page and ask our community there for their recommendations for education, training and certification in your area.
