(Julie Drake, nurse midwife is on the left; my daughter Basha is in the middle, and I am on the right.)

Julie Drake: Nurse Midwife Extraordinaire

Ever since I had my youngest child with a midwife (See Mary Hostetler, May 2007 Posting by going to the archives), I have been interested in midwifery. The idea of having one woman hold my hand and my heart through childbirth is a very intimate experience. (My male obstetricians were kindly enough, but the difference between them and Mary cannot be described.) So when I decided to interview Julie about her experience as a midwife, I was not surprised that she is passionate about her life’s work.

Julie attended Bucknell University in Lewisburg, PA, when I was co-owner of a health food store, close to the university. Julie worked part time for us and became like a member of our extended family. Graduating in economics, she spent the year after graduation (the year I gave birth at home to my youngest, Basha) in VISTA (Volunteers in Service to America), working with pregnant women in Kentucky as part of her interest in social justice and women’s reproductive rights.

This experience propelled her into returning to school to become a nurse and a midwife. Her first job was in the labor room at Columbia Presbyterian Hospital, a large complex in NYC with many services in the field of women’s health. Julie still works there, although her positions in women’s health have shifted around.

Talking with Julie, I understood early in our conversation that she considers her work extremely meaningful and empowering, both to her and to the mostly Dominican women she serves. She told me she speaks Spanish all day, having learned the language when she first started working in New York. She says, “Women really need me.”

More importantly, Julie believes wholeheartedly that everyone deserves great care, whatever the socio-economic status, color, race, or belief system of the women in her care. Also, everyone wants a meaningful and joyful birth. From this belief springs Julie’s philosophy that childbirth is an intimate experience for all the parties involved, including the midwife. As Julie said simply, “It’s about Love.”

Julie also explained that the family clinic, part of the hospital, is on the cutting edge of birth and rights for women, which feeds into Julie’s constant concern for social justice for everyone, whatever the life situation of the women who come to the clinic.
Most recently, Julie has been providing pre-natal and gynecological care to women who are HIV positive. The clinic makes sure that the women receive medication to prevent transmitting HIV to the fetus, keeping the viral load low so that the HIV virus does not mutate. She explained how one woman refused the medication, because her religious beliefs led her to embrace the idea that God would provide. No amount of pleading would change her mind, despite Juile’s tearful pleading.
But the staff was allowed to give the baby what it needed at birth, because the child could not speak for him or herself.

Whether or not you think midwives who practice home births have more of an impact on their patients than a nurse midwife in a large hospital, Julie explains that a midwife is a midwife, and all midwives want to provide good birthing experiences. Talking with Julie, I can easily believe that the intimate relationship I had with Mary at home is not much different from the intimate relationship Julie has with her mothers-to-be. It is her community; it is her work; it is her passion!

As a mother of two boys and a full-time working husband, juggling marriage, motherhood, and midwifery is not easy. But Julie’s family is both proud and supportive, and for myself, I feel privileged to know Julie and now know about what fuels hers passion.

Happy Mother’s Day to all you mothers, aunts, and grandmothers, and godmothers. Julie’s capable hands and caring and compassionate heart are making a major impact on the health and well being of mothers in her care. Now that’s something to celebrate today!

Note: I had hoped to post some of my photos from our recent trip to the west coast—flowers from the Virginia Robinson Estate & Gardens in Los Angeles and the San Francisco Botanical Gardens. However, the image section of my blog host is having a problem and I can only post past photos from previous blogs, so hopefully I can post them next week.

This entry was posted on Saturday, May 9th, 2009 at 8:27 am and is filed under Profiles. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can skip to the end and leave a response. Pinging is currently not allowed.