Thump! Thump! “Mmm?” Bony fingers tugged at the corner of a thread-bare coverlet. Thump-thump-thump! Creases in an already deeply creased face deepened and a finely lined throat released the barest of whimpers as a whisper-slight form struggled to turn over on a sadly sagging mattress. THUMP! “Simone!” Thinning eyelashes flickered. Am I dreaming? Again? “Old woman!”[…]
Twenty-seven years ago, at 119 Iroquois Street in Battle Creek, Michigan, in the chilly, snowy, wee hours of Sunday, December 8th, 1991, Hannah Evangeline Woodard–now Simmons–burst into the world. This is the story of her birth, as told in my book, A Midwife in Amish Country. Three months after our autumn wedding, Brent quit his job[…]
Oh my gosh! What a great time! I treasured the opportunity to spend an afternoon sharing what I treasure with two most authentic men and their audience. Sam and Blaine Eldredge of And Sons Magazine invited me to join them for this week’s podcast to, as Sam put it, “talk about birth! Our audience is[…]
Amish America recently sent me a list of questions their readers submitted in response to an article about my book. Erik Wesner, the site’s editor, gave me permission to share a few here on my own site! I thought I’d start with this one and fill in a bit more of the story. “Are you[…]
3:49 a.m., Saturday morning, October 27th The jangling of my telephone jolted me awake. “Mom—I just hit another deer.” … I’m incredibly proud of my daughter, Hannah Simmons, one of southwest Michigan’s handful of wonderful homebirth midwives. … Hannah tagged along to a number of births through her girlhood—invited by expectant mothers in hopes her[…]
Hello again, Friends! Well! I want to get back after blogging, but I seriously hardly know where to start… Three months ago I stepped off into summer and summer grabbed me up and swirled me away! Family! Friends! Births! Book signings! Introductions! Reunions! Talks! Vacation! More family! I want to tell you all about it,[…]
The 2018 Winter Park Conference was a magnificent success, and those of us who had the pleasure of attending agreed to be part of what we hope will prove the first among many returns of the informative and nourishing event a thing to treasure. Our time together opened with the opportunity to renew our certification[…]
“The beauty of midwifery care is that it serves Motherbaby in all circumstances and belief systems. In A Midwife in Amish Country, Kim Osterholzer has written her story of becoming. May it inspire midwives of every persuasion to follow their calling as it comes from the core of who they are, because truly, this is[…]
“A Midwife in Amish Country is a moving book about accepting and growing into one’s calling, including the highs and lows of homebirth midwifery and lots of terrific birth stories! Kim Osterholzer is an engaging writer, inviting the reader to follow her through her years of apprenticeship serving women and families as they bring new[…]
“A Midwife in Amish Country chronicles one woman’s incredible journey as a wife, mother, and midwife so readers can see how life, death, and love are all intertwined. The birthing stories gave me chills and the ending brought tears to my eyes as I contemplated how much sacrifice midwifery requires. Thank you, Kim Woodard Osterholzer[…]