Gather Interviews Rachel Voigt, a Midwife at Roots Community Birth Center in Minneapolis, Minnesota
Rachel Voigt: CPM, LM
Rachel Voigt is a Certified Professional Midwife and Licensed Midwife in Minnesota and Wisconsin practicing at Roots Community Birth Center in Minneapolis. She is a graduate from Birthwise Midwifery School and practiced in Duluth before joining the team at Roots. Rachel believes in the importance of evidence-based, individualized care and respects the fact that each family, birth, and baby are unique in their needs and experiences. She lives in Minneapolis with her partner, dog, and too many house plants. We love attending births alongside Rachel, and we’re so glad we got to learn a bit more about her!
Tell us about your journey as a midwife. How did you get started? I became interested in midwifery in early high school I realized that babies could be born at home or birth centers and that midwives still existed and then dove headfirst into birth videos, books, blogs and a doula training over the course of high school and went to midwifery school directly after graduation. I am very fortunate that my midwifery calling appeared early in my life and that this career has remained my calling in life. Midwifery definitely encompasses significantly more clinical skills, emotional pull + heaviness, and administrative tasks (oh, the paperwork) then I realized at the start of my journey but my evolution as both a person and midwife has been heavily influenced by the amazing birth workers and families I have gotten to meet and I’m incredibly happy to be doing this work.
What advice would you give to someone who wants to get started as a midwife, but doesn't know where to begin? Educate yourself. Take a doula course if you can, sit on a midwifery class, talk to midwives who catch babies in a variety of places (home, birth center, hospital). Be assertive, realistic, and up-front in what information you seek out. Ask about graduation and drop out rates at schools, ask about compensation, insurance coverage, burn out rates, ask about off call time. If you are considering birth work as a career know that it is not just magical birth moments, it is your life’s work and needs to be able to support your life. Ask the hard questions.
And - join a professional organization. The Minnesota Council of Certified Professional Midwives and the National Association of Certified Professional Midwives have great resources for new students and local + national community-building opportunities.
What's the most valuable advice you've ever received, either professionally or personally? “You have skills and tools. Use them -and use them judiciously.” - Heidi Fillmore, Former Dean at Birthwise Midwifery School. Heidi said this to my class in our third and final year of school. We were discussing the management of postpartum hemorrhages and the balancing act that all midwives face of holding space for a birthing person’s body to do the work and knowing when to intervene versus when not to. What I took from her statement is the reminder that as the health care provider in the room we, as midwives, are the trained professionals and we have a responsibility to use the tools we have and use them wisely. ‘Tools' ' can be anything from Pitocin to our energy to a hip squeeze.
What are your thoughts on life-work balance as a birth worker? Is it achievable? Well, I sure hope it is! I’ve had the unique experience of working in a two midwife practice, having my own solo practice, and now being in a group practice with a lot of support staff and I think that what I’ve learned is the work-life balance is achievable in all settings but it comes down to me, as an individual, setting clear boundaries and sticking to them. Do I always stick to them successfully? No. But I do try!
What is missing in your local birth community? What's a need that isn't being met yet? Postpartum care and new parenting groups, specifically for folks of color and young parents. Where does everyone go after 6 weeks postpartum? Parenting and postpartum is this huge, heartbreaking and heart-expanding, sleep-deprived thing and we are not supporting new families in the way we should be. We need accessible and culturally appropriate spaces for all families to find support for more than just six weeks postpartum.
What advice do you have for someone who wants to have a positive and empowered birth experience? Thoroughly research your provider and planned birth location - ask about statistics, interventions, common practices. Don't be afraid to speak up for yourself and/or to change your plans later in pregnancy. Hire a doula. Hire a postpartum doula. Set yourself up with as much support and prepped food as you can for your postpartum time.
What are some of your favorite birth accounts/blogs/podcasts/etc right now? Milk & Hannah, Feminist Midwife, Midwifery Matters, the Roots Community Birth Center Instagram, I’m wishing Squat magazine would make a comeback lately.
What are three things you can't live without lately? Coffee, dog, partner. Maybe not in that order. Coffee is definitely first these days. Water should probably be on that list.
What's next for you/your business? At Roots we have a few new and exciting things coming up! We are expanding our well-person and primary care options (stay tuned!), adding some postpartum support groups, and have rolled out some new clinical hours in this new year. Follow the Roots social media for all those details and announcements.
