Today we’d like to introduce you to Elizabeth Smith.
Hi Elizabeth, so excited to have you on the platform. So before we get into questions about your work life, maybe you can bring our readers up to speed on your story and how you got to where you are today.
When I felt the calling to be a midwife in 1983, (After my first home birth changed my life) there were no midwife schools in the USA. There was no internet. I got what I could from attending college classes and enrolling in nursing school, but most of my actual midwife learning came from home-schooling myself, using a British textbook for midwives, many other books, and the local medical library.
When I felt I was ready, I sought out an apprenticeship with the best and most respected midwife. I had to move my family to Las Vegas, Nevada to work with her. She was an invaluable teacher, who not only taught me practical midwifery skills but also helped me recognize and trust spiritual guidance. I was her sole apprentice for 2 1/2 years and completed 100 home births with her as well as over 400 clinical hours. After that, I began accepting my clients with my mentor only a phone call away.
After completing 200 births, (1991) my husband and I moved our family to St. George, Utah, where a skilled and experienced midwife was badly needed. I currently still practice in St. George, as a State “License” and “Certified professional midwife” and have attended 1,773 births to date. I am a preceptor for the North American Registry of Midwives and have trained or helped to train many midwives who practice in various locations throughout the World.
I’m sure it wasn’t obstacle-free, but would you say the journey has been fairly smooth so far?
When I came to Utah in 1991, midwifery was legal in the state and did not require licensing, nor was licensing for direct-entry midwives even available. Due to Utah’s honored pioneer heritage, it was legal for anyone to call themselves a midwife and for women to choose where, how and with whom to give birth.
In 1993, “Certified Nurse Midwife,” became an official profession in Utah; and a clause in the “Utah Medical Practice Act” that stated “Midwifery is not the practice of medicine,” was removed, causing concern among direct-entry/home birth midwives. A group of direct-entry midwives met with a State Senator to express their concerns and ask for protective legislation but they were told that we were safe to continue practicing.
In 2000, the Department of Occupational and Professional Licensing began cracking down on unlicensed, alternative-medicine practitioners. Two herbalists and an iridologist were arrested and convicted for the “Illegal practice of medicine without a license.” In November of that year, I was charged with the same felony offense, to be set as the “example,” for all direct-entry midwives in Utah, because I was the busiest.
At that time, I had delivered over 600 babies without a single bad outcome. My community rallied around me, and even many medical professionals donated to my defense, but the majority of midwives did NOT support me in any way. I was black-balled from attending any midwife meetings. I was thrown out of the Utah Midwives Association and rumors circulated. Even their monthly newsletter announced my removal from their ranks for the reason of, “Unprofessional conduct.”
My prosecution caused great fear among the midwives and they wanted nothing to do with me. It also spurred legislation to protect midwives and their clients’ freedom in childbirth, but the midwives and their sponsors could not get the bill past the House. On the 4th year, and final day of attempts to pass the “Direct-Entry Midwife Act,” the midwife legislative committee called me to ask for my help in testifying, via email, to the House and then, in person, to the committee. I suddenly became a hero among my peers when my testimony sent the bill to the Senate for a vote.
The bill passed that year, by a narrow margin (2006) and optional, State licensing for direct-entry midwives became available. The bill also fully legalized all types of midwives so that parents still had the freedom to choose. My biggest hardships have been the persecution I have endured from my peers. Although I have a few trustworthy friends, I have learned to stay away from midwife gatherings and focus my energy on my clients and their babies.
Thanks – so what else should our readers know about your work and what you’re currently focused on?
I am a praying midwife. I put my trust in the Lord and see myself as His instrument in bringing these precious souls to the Earth. I also recognize the need for continuing education and monitoring pregnancy and birth from a physical standpoint. Safety ALWAYS comes first! When knowledge, skill, and spirituality come together, you will find the safest conditions and best outcomes. I know my limits and never hesitate to admit when a mom or baby needs medical attention. When they do, I accompany them and do a thorough transfer of care so the receiving doctor has all the information he/she needs. I am very experienced and have developed many skills. I have a keen sense of touch to be able to feel the baby and read a cervix.
I am very intuitive and seem to be able to feel what the baby is feeling. I love babies and am an advocate for a gentle and kind birth experience for them. When I listen to an unborn baby, they talk to me. I know if they are ok or not, long before a mechanical monitor can tell the same. I consider myself an expert in “Hands on” midwifery, meaning that I can be as involved as the mother wants me to be. I know how to eliminate hindrances in labor to give the mother the fastest, easiest birth possible. Having given birth, drug-free, 8 times myself, and have helped hundreds of women give birth, drug-free, I consider myself an expert labor coach.
I take my responsibility very seriously, so I have been known for my serious and straightforward demeanor. I DO love to have fun and will participate in the “party” AFTER the birth. When a woman is in labor, I am focused on her and her baby’s safety and comfort. There are two things that I am most proud of: I am proud of my safety record, but give the glory to God. I am proud of the 8 children whom I have personally brought into the world and raised, along with 31 grandchildren, most of whom I have been a midwife to.
I was born to be a midwife. I love it and feel blessed to be called to this work. I love my clients and their families.
Can you talk to us about how you think about risk?
I’ve been known to take on cases that other midwives don’t feel comfortable taking or that doctors consider “high risk,” However, I have seen that most “high risk” cases can be reduced to “low risk” with some help in nutritional and other changes. High-risk mothers will find more personalized care with me than what doctors can give. If a case is “high risk” by the time labor starts or before labor, I will always recommend that the mother transfers to a doctor or delivers in the hospital, because I am not a risk-taker.
Safety always comes first! “High risk” is a subjective label. For example, I don’t consider a woman to be high-risk simply because she is over age 35 or has had multiple pregnancies. It has been my experience that older women take very good care of themselves and don’t have higher risk factors than younger ones. Women having their 5th, 6th, or even 11th babies, do NOT have more complications than first-time mothers they tend to have very fast and easy deliveries; and problems are rare. Therefore, I don’t agree with these subjective labels.
The bottom line is: Home birth is safer for low-risk mothers than hospital birth IF it is 1. planned, 2. with a qualified attendant, and 3. within 20 minutes of a hospital. This statement is evidence-based. I do home birth BECAUSE it is safer for most women. If, at any time, a woman is not as safe or safer in my care, then I will transfer her to the safest possible care for her and her baby.
Pricing:
- Total midwife care (Home birth) – $3600
- Total midwife care (Birth Center) – $4000
- Doula Services – $800/$1000 (primips)
- Prenatal care only – $1300
Contact Info:
- Website: www.babybizliz.com or www.thebirthsweet.com
- Facebook: Elizabeth Wyson Smith
- Youtube: https://youtu.be/vAQsLDYv8Fg and https://youtu.be/ikBuy3yALEY (Unedited birthing class videos)
