Carol Gautschi: Confronting Fear (and the Law) in Midwifery

Carol Gautschi is a midwife with over 50 years in practice, and she has walked a very unorthodox path.

Like many, Carol herself was plagued by fear of birth from an early age. She was sexually and physically molested separately by two different doctors in her first two births – and also given grossly inaccurate information postpartum that caused breastfeeding delay and hindered bonding. These experiences strongly planted seeds for the need of global reform, moving her to sense the sacredness and vulnerability of the moments during, before and after birth. Those moments had been stolen from her. She decided to hire a midwife for her third birth. The time spent with this midwife transformed her, helping her see that labor is wondrously spiritual, powerful, and a profoundly healthy force.

She believes that women are being robbed by a society that does not see to care about the uniqueness of this time, this right of passage, and that not treating it with tender, sensitive respect, women are doing themselves harm– more harm then we can imagine. From that moment on she believed that birth was the highest place a woman can go in her body on this planet. For Carol, becoming a midwife was a metamorphosis. She has served families as an empirical midwife and doula or Monitrice since 1978, a deeply humbling honor.In this conversation, we dive in to the many fears prohibiting quality midwifery care and birth support, from the law to our own traumas. Connect with Carol through her website or by email: classicalmidwife@gmail.com .

00:01:43 - Carol’s midwifery beginnings (and what makes her so special). How does it feel to be called an “elder midwife”? Carol shares that she originally didn’t even like women at the time that she was being called to midwifery. Carol was drawn to this work through abuse she experienced at the hands of an OBGYN in her own births.

00:13:30 - Birth story of a baby born into a toilet after an exam revealed the baby wasn’t even engaged to the cervix.

00:1710 - Developing a healthy relationship with fear. A story of a large baby, episiotomy, and divine intervention. We can holding space for birth, we are acting on behalf of the Holy Spirit. At some point, every midwife has to make the decision not to allow the spirit of fear to drive their behaviors.

00:40:40 - Many “believers” misrepresent Christianity and Jesus (Yeshua), and this inauthenticity of Yeshua’s teachings is a great source of fear that has no place in childbirth.

00:44:35 - How is fear shaping modern midwifery care? Jacob’s contension with God in the Bible as a source of direction when faced with a dead baby. Ethical versus lawful care. Fear versus discernment.

00:58:10 - We have a moral obligation to disobey unjust laws. To whom do we owe our obligation? What happens when the legal system hits back? Honesty and integrity always win. As a midwife, you have the right to refuse care to people who aren’t doing their best to take care of themselves.

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