Midwifery School
This is it. The year I go to school for something I have wanted to do for 15 years. The time is right. My kids are older, my work is stable but not overwhelming, my family is supportive, and the local midwife supports my decision. It has been an act of patience to wait for this moment. The time to act is now.
My daughter took it upon herself to start a fundraising effort to help me pay for school. There are only a handful of schools that offer a course to become a certified professional midwife and only 3 that offer a distance learning course for a majority of the work. Living on an island, the hardest part has been to find a program that I can do from here. The education I receive from this course work coupled with the apprenticeship I will have with local midwife Sybille Andersen, and later the work I will do in a high volume birth setting will allow me to sit for my NARM exam and become a certified professional midwife. My goal is to do it all in 3 years. I will stay on Nantucket and practice here. I will continue to work with Sybille. Her knowledge and experience is vast and together we will work to serve island families who want to birth at home. I will continue to offer all my current services as a doula, a childbirth educator, a breastfeeding counselor, and an educator, and hope to add not only the midwifery piece but also well women services.
What it takes now is one giant check to pay for school. There is no financial aide available and no payment plans in order to enroll. Enrollment for this school year needs to be submitted by Oct. 1. Enrollment does not open again until January 2014. I want this, bad. My family has worked hard to make this happen and we hope that you may be willing to help us make this dream a reality by contributing whatever feels right to you. Every donation helps and honestly, it takes a huge weight off my family’s shoulders. I am so grateful to Jess Douglas who has been my champion for years and has made one of the first contributions to my education. Jay and Cheryl stepped up too after having taken a class with me in the last year. Their support started me on my journey and I will be forever grateful. I hope that you too will consider giving, even if it is $10 that could have been spent on coffee or a million other things. If I offered you support, a kind word, a laugh, or clarity in the early days, please consider making a donation towards my schooling. I promise, I will work hard continue to offer island families support during the important early days of being a new parent.
Thank you!
http://www.youcaring.com/tuition-fundraiser/help-send-sunny-to-midwifery-school-/74034