We had an all-Amish day again, so I was dressed again for it. I think I may have to buy some more skirts though or just keep washing these over and over. Anyway, the first visit we saw a mama who looked real worn out and had a terrible cough. She wanted a cranio-sacral treatment for herself and her son. I had had the opportunity to see cranio-sacral therapy done before, but this was more like massage to me.
Next we went to a home where the mother was making bread and showed us this huge quilt! It was so beautiful. It seems to me that these Amish women like hearts as many of their homes and blankets are adorned with them. I also learned via my assigned reading that when an Amish woman gets engaged, she is given a clock from her man. She in turn gives a special embroidered hand towel to her man. What a cool custom!
At this visit, it was an initial prenatal visit, even though she was almost 6 months along. Many of these Amish women will not see the midwife many times before or after birth. In fact, seeing them 4 times before the birth is a lot. WOW. So, we went over many papers, answered questions, and did the usual vitals, except for the fact that her bedroom was super dark. It was raining that day, so on top of not having any manmade light, we didn’t have any sunlight to aid us either. It would be ok. I just have to get used to it. We used a hemoglobinometer today. I had never used one like this. It was hard for me to match the green colors, but again, I guess it will get easier. I could at least see how you could get close to a number and that is important.
My Journey as a Licensed Midwife in Louisiana 