Cinco de Mayo or International Day Of the Midwife?

Today is Cinco de Mayo—touted as an important holiday by Hispanics in the U.S., but largely ignored in Mexico—except in the state of Puebla.  More importantly for us here in Oaxaca, today we are celebrating the International Day of the Midwife....and what a thing to celebrate!

We celebrate natural birth!  God has designed women's bodies to have the ability to give birth with strength, dignity, and intuition—unimpeded by unnecessary medical interventions. Our Casa Compasiva midwives work hard to facilitate these natural births by supporting women with quality attention, excellent care, and unwavering compassion.

We celebrate women attending women in the vulnerable, yet empowering seasons of pregnancy, childbirth, and lactation. Our Casa Compasiva midwives and doulas understand and appreciate the unique needs of women clients in each of these phases. 

We celebrate education! Much of the intrinsic fear surrounding the mysteries of labour and birth can be dispelled by knowledge of the process.  What is happening to me? How will I be able to cope with the pain?  Is this normal?  At Casa Compasiva, we teach an ongoing series of eight classes designed to educate and prepare prospective parents for all phases of pregnancy, labour, birth, and post-partum. Ignorance creates fear; the truth sets one free!

We celebrate God's sovereignty and human choice—both/and-- not either/or! Casa Compasiva's pre-natal care and childbirth education reflect an understanding of God's sovereignty over human affairs, and human volition both. We prepare, we educate, we facilitate-- we do everything possible to allow for natural births.  When  complications arise and our best-laid plans go awry, we bow to God's sovereignty.  When clients choose to have an elective C-section or to go elsewhere, we respect their right to make informed decisions.

We celebrate community!  Pregnant women are not just clients to the Casa Compasiva midwives and doulas.  They become friends—important members of our ever-widening circle of loved ones.  In this last year our midwives and doulas attended six women who have come back for their second or third baby with us because they know that we love them!

We celebrate the love of God through Jesus Christ and the power of prayer!  Our pre-natal appointments and classes include short devotionals and gospel messages making clear the hope we have in Jesus.  Our midwives and doulas pray for each clients' needs—physical, spiritual, and emotional.  We take our stand on the authority of scripture and we seek to honour God in our lives and our service to the people of Oaxaca.

So why do we ignore Cinco de Mayo and instead make a big deal of International Day of the Midwife? Because in Oaxaca, midwifery care with Casa Compasiva midwives is reason indeed for celebration!  

 Lila Joy