Updates on Austin Midwives

Women Partners in Health

Mary Barnett is enjoying having time to nurture herself and her family. She is actively seeking a midwife partner and is in the beginning stages of establishing a small home birth practice with the goal of establishing a birth center. She is accepting clients that are due after January 30, 2004. If anyone knows of a midwife who is interested in partnering with Mary, please contact her.

Nancy Loomis has stayed on at Women Partners in Health doing well woman/gyn care. Feel free to see her there. Nancy is enjoying more time with her almost 4 year old daughter Becca and husband Kurt. To be honest, after 22 _ nonstop years of catching babies, she is appreciating more family time and sleep.

Melanie Benson has started working at the University of Texas Student Health Center in the Women’s Health Clinic providing well woman/gyn care to women students. If anyone is enrolled at UT, she would love to provide your care. Melanie has also established her own health and nutrition business. She is enjoying providing quality nutritional options to improve energy and well being, assist with weight concerns and other health issues. If you know anyone who may be interested in nutritional assistance, please call Melanie.

Capital Midwives

Susan Wente and her family moved back to Newaygo, Michigan, on July 13 after being in Texas for 25 years.   "We are living at a cottage on a chain of 4 lakes in a very rural and poor area.  It has been wonderful to be close to family and old friends again.   To say this area is gorgeous is an understatement.  Our drive is a half a mile in on a two track dirt road through a hardwood forest.  The cottage has been in my family for about a hundred years,  and being so old it needs lots of repairs. Last week we put in a new well and now are trying to figure out how to winterize it. We have tons of wood but I am certain I am not ready to face a Michigan winter with just a wood stove.    Needless to say, my two city born/raised teenagers are in major culture shock but coping so far ( well most of the time).

  As many of you know I took the last year off to recharge  myself.  It worked, and now I am ready to do midwifery again. I am talking to midwives all over Michigan and I am considering all of my options.  Unfortunately, we do not have a wonderful group near us like TfM and there is very little support for the midwifery model of care.  Like Austin, the Ob/Gyn climate is extremely conservative and territorial ($$$$$$$).  At this time,  I am  considering  doing home birth or opening a birth center. I have meet a wonderful CPM who might be a great partner. I am also talking to different hospital practices.  No matter what direction in midwifery I take it looks like it  will be difficult.   By late September I hope to have finalized my decision."

Sandra Gale  is working for Community Action, Inc, a non-profit agency based in San Marcus.  This agency provides family planning, and gyn services to low income women in many of the smaller communities surrounding  Austin.  She is traveling a lot of miles and no two days are the same as she and 3 other nurse practitioners staff 7 different clinics.  She  has continued her work representing CNMs in state-wide organizations working to remove regulatory barriers to practice.

Update for Lynne Loeffler will be posted soon.