YNM Member Story: Valerie Ramsay, CNM

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Share your story: What does midwifery mean to you? What would you like to be celebrated in the Year of the Nurse and the Midwife?

Midwifery means much more to me than just “healthcare for women.” A midwife has an extremely important role that surpasses any one label. It is true that midwives manage women’s health, provide prenatal care, and deliver babies, but they do so much more than that. A midwife is a comforter that holds a woman’s hand and cries with her when she has had a miscarriage. A midwife is a motivational speaker who inspires a woman to get back to the gym and lose that excess baby weight. A midwife is a loyal friend who expresses worry and concern about a woman’s frequent bruises. A midwife is a psychologist who listens quietly as a woman cries over her inability to conceive.

What should be celebrated, in the Year of the Nurse and the Midwife, is the all-encompassing roles that we as midwives play in the support of our fellow sisters in every aspect of their lives and the commitment to the overall physical, emotional, and spiritual well-being of women.

Tell us about your background: Which midwifery education program did you attend or are currently attending? What are your areas of specialty? Who mentored you along the way in your career? What inspired you to become a midwife?

I have had the great privilege of being a labor and delivery nurse for the last 14 years. Obstetrics is my life’s passion and I consider it an honor and a privilege to be involved in the most important moment in a family’s life. Throughout my career, I have enjoyed helping women and families through their transition into parenthood, but I found that I wanted more. I felt the desire to develop more of a rapport with these women and families, not just during labor, but throughout their entire reproductive experience. I also witnessed the work of the midwives at my hospital and loved the relationships that they built with their patients. The feelings of joy that the midwives and patients shared with each other after walking hand-in-hand throughout their pregnancy journey is something that has no comparison. This is what inspired me to become a midwife.

I graduated in December 2019 from the University of Cincinnati distance learning program with my MSN in Nurse-Midwifery. During my program, I was encouraged by my fellow classmates, faculty, and preceptors. Since graduation, I have received nothing but encouragement and support from both my coworkers and my fellow ACNM members. The family that is ACNM serves as a source of support, both for new and seasoned professionals. With their help and encouragement, I am certain that I will become a successful midwife and improve the lives of many women and children.