By Almeera Anwar
Pacific Natural Birth, a new licensed midwifery company, recently opened an office on NWMarket Street after discovering that local women were driving to other neighborhoods for this service.
Jenn Boelter and Mel Parsons, have been working together at their midwifery business since 2009 and said they decided to locate their business in Ballard because there were no other out-of-hospital birth services being offered there, despite the area being a very family-focused location.
Midwives are individuals that are considered to be specialists in normal, low-risk pregnancy and birth. They provide prenatal care and support during birth, offering the same tests as a doctor’s office. The difference, according to Boelter and Parsons, is that midwives want it to be more about conversation and supporting the woman.
“We consider ourselves more partners with the woman during pregnancy,” said Boelter, “We want to not only give the tests but explain what it is and what they will do with the results.”
Both women came into the practice of midwifery on their own before joining forces for the business aspect. Boelter was first exposed to the practice when living in Honduras; a woman in the village had to help her neighbor deliver her baby after a massive hurricane had shut down the hospital.
Parsons appreciated midwifery after seeing her friends give birth in very medicalized environments and feeling almost violated on their behalf. She later studied midwifery and experienced it first-hand with her own pregnancies; she is the mother of two daughters.
“I remember one of the first births I saw with a midwife,” said Parsons, “The woman was laughing between contractions! I knew right then that I was going to have a midwife for my births and there was no turning back.” Pacific Natural Birth enjoys taking transfers to care, or in other words, women who may realize in their third trimester (or anytime in the pregnancy) that they want to talk more about their birth. Women who choose midwifery can also opt to have their baby at home or at one of the two birthing centers in Seattle.
The biggest thing that Boelter and Parsons hope women know about the practice of midwives is that they’re meant to serve as advocates, and a support system for the woman during the pregnancy. They want women to feel like they know who they’re talking to, and are there for them through the duration of the pregnancy.
To learn more, visit their website.
