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Certified Professional Midwife! (Not yet state licensed, nor getting paid....)

Well, I know I'm forgetting some of this crazy whirlwind of a year we have had since I went to the Philippines, but I really need to give people an update. So many friends and family have stepped forward and supported us financially and/or with childcare, encouragement and prayer. It has been extremely difficult over the past year. I spent two days per week "working clinic", which means spending all day doing prenatal and postpartum appointments at the birth center, often not getting home until 7:30pm. I also work about 5 hours per week filing birth certificates, national statistics and making new client charts. On top of that about 10 births per month which are day or night, from 5-20+ hours each at the drop of a hat. On top of that studying in my "free" time, which I found very difficult because when I was not at clinic or a birth, I wanted to take care of my household- do something to bless my family, not hole up and study.
So, thus, I did not get done nearly as much studying as I should have. I did however complete my Portfolio Evaluation Process for NARM (the North American Registry of Midwives), which was a really big deal involving lots of money in fees, a practical skills examination by a qualified examiner and an 8-hour board exam that I took in August. The truth is, I love taking tests. I am not so good at rhetoric- verbal or essay writing, but by taking exams I enjoy having a way to prove my acquired knowledge. It was a blessing to re-unite in Portland with friends I met in the Philippines. In early September I received word that I passed my boards and have completed the NARM process and am now a CPM.
The CPM is sufficient for licensure in Idaho and Colorado, and many other states. However, here in Washington it is not that simple. I have signed a contract with my preceptors at the Spokane Midwives birth center, and as they have seen me through all of my clinic and required supervised births, once I am licensed in both WA and ID I will get to work as one of the Spokane Midwives. This is very exciting to me and I am anxious to be a midwife at Spokane's only freestanding birth center.
So please pray for me as now I am done with all of my required births and clinic time. All I have to do is gather my own equipment, finish my coursework, and send in my applications for licensure and fees. This will cost approximately $2,000. We have a hard time making our bills from month to month, as I have not been getting paid for attending births for over 15 months now. We do not know how we will gather the required money in order for me to finish my midwifery education. But we know that the Lord has led us the entire way. He provided (through you, friends and family!) the means for my internship in the Philippines, many of my books and much of my equipment. Why would he leave us stranded now?
Pray please that I would be able to focus and work hard on my final studies, to not fret and worry about how I will finish all of this. Thank you so much for your friendship and support. It means the world to our family.

Summer Fun

Corbin's crazy allergic reaction to hay or some kind of weeds while at a friend's birthday party. His buddies didn't even recognize him! LOL
The kiddos enjoying the lake while I studied on the beach. BLISS!!!!
A fun hike with nana and papa!

Mr. Bumble

The Oaks did their first ever musical this year; Oliver! Corbin was one of the orphans in the chorus and Kent stole the show as head of the orphanage, Mr. Bumble. The musical consumed much of our lives through the spring of 2011.


Also, Kent was honored to be asked by the Oaks 2011 graduating class to be the commencement speaker. This ended his fifth year teaching at the Oaks. He received a plaque and is very excited to be teaching all music for the first time next school year.

Lindy's 6!

Lindy turned 6 on Easter Sunday this year! So to celebrate we went to Chuck E. Cheese the following day. And look at these adorable girlies at their dance recital! My cousin Jill's daughters Ella and Lily, and Lindy all love their Grace dance classes with Miss Kristy!

Arizona Vacation

We had so much fun during our mid-winter break flying to Arizona to visit Nana and Papa and Uncle Nate, Aunt Renae and cousin Tegan. Everything was fabulous- the plane ride, the Renaissance Festival, the cowboys, swimming and family fun! This was our Christmas present from Nana and Papa- thank you so much, we love you!

Christmas 2010

A fairly uneventful winter. I was cracking down on my apprenticeship at the birth center- working lots of clinic and going to lots of births with the Spokane Midwives.

Reformation Party Fall 2010

I made Corbin's cloak. He LOVES it. His sword and shield set are from great grandma and great grandpa. Lindy's dress is borrowed from a friend at church. Also the "greats" made the cool bookshelf dollhouse behind Lindy.

Whirlwind Fall: Beginnings, Endings and Family

Lindy starts full day kindergarten, Corbin starts 4th grade. After one week back to school we head to Colorado to be with the family. The decision has been made to bring Kent's dad Andy home from the hospital and bring in hospice care. Several friends and family were around and it was sweet fellowship. Several of Andy's brothers and sisters even drove out from Illinois. After a week Corbin and Kent need to get back to school so they drove back home, but Lindy and I stay with Grandma Faith in Colorado another week.



This was a very good time for Lindy to spend some time with Grandpa and I tried to encourage Faith with all of her responsibilities. We had some very emotional and meaningful moments with dad praying with him and singing hymns. Lindy got to give him hugs and kisses, and the last time I saw him smile, it was at Lindy.

We had previously planned for aunts Kelly and Tonya to fly up to visit us for Corbin's birthday. So on Friday, October 8th Lindy, Kelly, Tonya and I were on a flight from Denver to Spokane. Faith says that's when the hospice lady encouraged her to give Andy permission to let go. She told him- "We are all ok. The girls are going up to Washington to be with Corbin for his birthday. We are all ok here if you need to go." And then he took his last breaths.

It was good for Kent, Kelly and Tonya to be together here in Spokane that weekend and it was still a special birthday for Corbin, turning 10 on 10-10-10. Kent drove out to Colorado again the following week for the memorial service.

Trip Recap

Midwifery Internship-
Mercy Maternity Center, Davao City, Philippines-
Summer 2010
I spent the first few days being oriented to the birth clinic and the dormitory. I found that the supervising midwives (mostly Filipino, some American missionaries) were all very kind and of course, extremely knowledgeable. In fact, one supervisor even has a brother that attends NSA in Moscow- small world, eh! It was really incredible to see how Newlife International School of Midwifery is meshed with Mercy Maternity Center- a charity lying-in clinic. The students’ tuition money goes directly to running the clinic and providing quality services to these poverty stricken people in Davao. (And it IS quality care, believe me! I saw the hospital that they would have to otherwise deliver at: overcrowded, dirty, disgusting, NO privacy: picture a gymnasium filled with hundreds of beds, family members holding IV bags, mothers nursing babies, laboring women, family members, body fluids, 90+ degrees and 90% humidity, no curtains, occasional rodents/bugs, etc.) So the students are being financially supported by their home churches and communities as missionaries. It is a fantastic system! Kent and I hope to learn more about how they operate the clinic and midwifery school. Perhaps we will be able to make a short term missionary trip back to Davao in a few years over the summer.
I received excellent education during my time in the Philippines. I watched expert midwives (who have attended literally thousands of births- Mercy does 150+ births per month!) suture and got to practice myself. I also got to practice placing IVs. These two skills are what my preceptors at Spokane Midwives asked me to work on specifically! I also organized a pelvimetry class. After observing and assisting at several births the first week or so, I then got the privilege of actually catching babies and managing births. I delivered 11 babies which count as “Primary Under Supervision” births according to NARM. This puts me well on my way towards my goals of being certified by Sep. 30, 2011 and licensed in WA state a few months later!
My time in Davao City was very meaningful to me spiritually. I knew that I would have clarity and focus for these four weeks to hone in on God’s word and spend time in prayer, without the normal household responsibilities and busy life distractions that I usually have at home. I went on this trip seeking answer to specific prayers- and God answered those prayers! I came back to my life here in the Spokane Valley renewed, refreshed, invigorated and inspired. Also, having never been to a third world country before, I was really impacted by the poverty I saw in Davao City. It has done wonders for my contentment. I am so thankful to God for the material blessings I have in my life and in this country. And despite many complaints we all have with our broken health care system, after seeing what I saw there, I can not complain. We are truly spoiled Americans.
Thank you all for your support of my trip to the Philippines. I could not have done it without your financial support, your prayers, and your encouragement. Kent and I are truly blessed to have such a loving community around us. We love you!

Terri and Kent Young

For pictures see my Facebook albums:
http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=260927&l=abe1ef6ebe&id=512900843

Motorcycle ride

Life in Davao City

Calibad Beach on Samal Island

Mercy Maternity Center

Comfort amidst troubles

I am just in awe that I am really on my way. This is the trip of a lifetime for me and SO many friends and family have blessed me along the way!! My cup runneth over and I feel your prayers for me. Please keep them coming.

We already had quite the snafu, that I pray will be our only mishap for the trip. Kent, the kids and I all drove out to Seattle (about 4 hours from Spokane) for my flight on Saturday. We left on time and felt the little road trip would be fun for the family as we listened to Narnia and enjoyed our time together. Unfortunately, upon arrival at SeaTac airport, I opened my passport carrier and realized it was empty. Kent had taken it out to photocopy it and had gotten distracted and left it on our printer at home. We paid fees and got my itinerary changed to leave on Monday, but it was still too late to overnight ship the passport. SO, we drove home that night, feeling rather foolish. Also, we decided to book me a flight from Spokane to Seattle for Monday morning. This was roughly the same cost as driving to Seattle and back, but without the risk of car trouble.

Thus, Kent and I had another day together and did several things around the house yesterday that I did not have time to do before Saturday. This morning we prayed before we left our driveway to take me to the Spokane airport, and tonight I discovered an encouraging letter of scripture and comfort from Kent slipped into my carryon. During my time at SeaTac I met a lovely Christian woman from Colorado who prayed for me and my trip. I sense the hand of God over me, despite our bumps we've had already. My flight to Manila leaves in an hour and a half and will be about 12 hours. I'll post more in a couple days!

"You who have done great things; O God, who is like You? You, who have shown me great and severe troubles, shall revive me again, and bring me up again from the depths of the earth. You shall increase my greatness, and comfort me on every side. Also with the lute I will praise you." Psalms 71:19-22 (NKJV)

In 7 days...

I will be en route to Davao City, Philippines. My dear friend Julie is loaning me her Mac for my trip so I will be blogging, on Facebook, and email. This is my test post to see if it posts to my notes on Facebook. Follow along to keep up with my adventures! I will journal and post photos.

Ask and you shall receive....

Friends and family have already been supporting us by giving me textbooks, Amazon certificates, midwifery bags and equipment, and by donating to Birth Journey Prep classes and doula services, over the past year or so. But this past week Kent and I laid our plans and dreams out there for God like we never have before. Stepping out in faith, we asked our friends and family if they would donate towards an internship for me in the Philippines. We needed a minimum of $2,000. We decided that if we did not have over that exact amount by July 11, then that would be our clear answer from God.

Here is the timeline of what happened:

• July 2- We posted on Facebook, this blog, and the Birth Journey Prep blog. When we received a couple of pledges, Kent told me to get to the post office right away, so I did and applied for my passport. It should arrive just in time. =)


• July 5- We had reached 75% of our goal, and that was over the 4th of July holiday weekend! My family was all gone and busy at a reunion, and we had not yet emailed our church family. We were amazed!!


• July 6- Our email went out to the church. By 10:00am we had $1,600. That's 80% of our goal!


• July 7- Crazy day! 11:00am $305 short. 8:00pm $200 short. 11:30pm $20 short of $2000!!!! So then I'm chatting with my friend online about how we are $20 short and she says she will donate whatever is in her Paypal account. She goes and checks- there is $19.98 in the account. 8-o
  We were $.02 short with four days to go!

So that's the crazy five days we had this past week. Now I am packing, studying, getting Kent and the kids ready for a month without me and school that starts as soon as I get back! My ticket is booked. I leave on August 14 and return September 15. Here is the link to Mercy Maternity Clinic in Davao City, Philippines where I will be.

We are so thankful to God for His clear direction and His gracious provision for us. And we are overwhelmed by generous friends and family that abundantly love and support us! Thank you. Thank you. Thank you.

Our Letter

Terri has attended over 120 births since 2001. First hospital births as a doula, then in 2004 she trained to be a midwives' assistant. Assisting and doula work has been a side income for our family, despite the fact that I would prefer we not rely on Terri's income. This past spring, we had three months without any paid births, and we saw what an impact the lack of that income had on our budget. Terri and I feel that the increased income we would see with Terri being a midwife, rather than an assistant, would be a good supplement necessary to our budget.

We have a good plan for her midwifery education and have blogged about it here. In September, Lindy and Corbin will be at The Oaks full time with me and Terri will begin her apprenticeship with the Spokane Midwives (Linda Morgan and Beth Morrill, birth center on Euclid). Upon completion of her certification and state licensure (approx. one year), Terri will have lots of flexibility and time off-call from births working with the Spokane Midwives that would allow her to keep our young children her priority. This is a huge blessing! And yet, Terri would still get to do what she loves and is so passionate about: provide good prenatal and postpartum care for women, and have the honor of attending births. We praise God for such an opportunity!

Recently, Terri has applied and been accepted into NewLife International School of Midwifery's Summer Short-term Clinical Internship Program. They are an approved out-of-country site for NARM, the national certifying body for direct-entry midwives. Therefore, this opportunity would give Terri a boost in her skills and birth requirements toward becoming a Certified Professional Midwife by putting her ahead 6-8 months in her route.

We believe that this summer we have a window of time that is ideal for this month-long internship for the following 3 reasons:

1.) Terri would go approximately August 11-September 14. This is before school starts, and after music camp. I will be with the children, and/or Terri's parents are close by with the lake house and lots of love and spoiling for the kids.
2.) Terri and I would like to have more children, Lord willing. She can not imagine traveling to a tropical country far from home while pregnant, or with a baby, of course. And, she is not pregnant yet.
3.)Both Terri's current preceptor, Margaret Lipton, ARNP, CNM, and Linda Morgan (Marks), CPM, LM of the Spokane Midwives, have recommended that she do an immersion training at a high-volume clinic. That is what this internship would be for her. She would have ample opportunity to get hands-on experience and gain confidence in the specific skills that she needs before beginning her preceptorship as a student midwife.

Of course, having painted this as the perfect opportunity, the Lord has not yet provided us with the money for this. As we continue to pray and believe that the Lord will provide the money for us if He wants Terri to go, we also step out in faith and ask if any of you feel led to help us out by donating air miles, or by joining us in prayer. The cost for a month at this internship is only $700 and that includes room and board. We have saved the money for the internship cost. However, it does not include travel expenses. It seems that the flight will be about $2000, and that is the kicker. We intend to make a final decision by July 11th and thank God for the opportunity to trust Him whatever the outcome.

Sincerely,
Kent Young

THE plan (part 2)-

Wayyyyy back on June 1, 2009 I posted about my plan for becoming a midwife. Since then the plan has remained essentially the same, however Kent and I have fine tuned some of the details and the Lord has opened up a few doors for me along the way. Thought I would share:

1. I have found a simple online AFFORDABLE midwifery course that can help to keep me organized as well as fulfill my educational requirements for Washington state licensure. Yay- I am officially enrolled in the Midwife-To-Be course for home birth midwives. I am so thrilled that I will be able to report to people how far along I am in my coursework when they ask! Midwife-To-Be has thirty modules that are self-paced. I intend to complete one module per month, resulting in my completion in 2 and a half to 3 years.

2. I have a study partner! Another doula and friend is doing the Midwife-To-Be course with me, and we will meet weekly to review and track our progress. This is very good for me, as I really lack self-motivation and can really use the accountability. We also intend to put together some skills workshops and study sessions with a larger local group of midwifery students. This will also help to promote unity and professionalism within the local midwife community. Generally, the current local midwives do not respect one another, nor act professionally towards one another. Instead they seem to be largely territorial. We can change this all-around attitude and further promote more safe and healthy birth options in our community by establishing a new generation of midwives- supportive and respectful of one another as different, yet valuble health care providers. Go us!

3. I have officially ordered my Portfolio Evaluation Process (PEP) packet from NARM (the North American Registry of Midwives) and can start to dig through the paperwork and get my skills signed off on, one by one. This will allow me to get my Certified Professional Midwife (CPM) certification and then license in the state of Idaho in early Spring of 2011, even though my coursework and apprenticeship I will continue for likely two years beyond that. This will allow me to attend births in Idaho and financially support the rest of my education and set up for my solo homebirth practice.