Emeline M Mandeville

Why I Became a Midwife The short answer is: I am in awe of birth. I love the science of it—the extraordinary way a body makes space for a baby, a newborn transitions from water to air, a body knows to make milk, and a baby knows to seek it. But even more so, I love the miracle of it. Birth is never only the birth of a baby. It is the birth of a mother, a father or partner, and a family. I am endlessly moved by the way we can fall so fiercely in love with someone so tiny and so new that we could watch their fingers unfurl for a lifetime. And in the middle of all of that, I get to be useful. Families deserve the support, someone to bring knowledge when it’s needed, know where to press on an aching back, offer a shoulder to cry on, and carry a little of the weight of the journey. Every birth still amazes me. It is an extraordinary privilege to be trusted to stand beside families for it.