History and Culture of Birthingway

Birthingway started in March 1993 as a six-month structured study group in the home of founder Holly Scholles. Soon, the group transformed into a private business, Birthingway Midwifery School, offering a two-year program of classroom and independent study. Holly taught all of the courses with the occasional help of guest speakers. In 1996, to meet MEAC accreditation requirements, the program expanded to three years and increased the clinical requirements for graduation. In 1997, Holly turned control of Birthingway over to a Board of Directors and the school became Birthingway Midwifery Center, a non-profit, charitable corporation.

In fall of 1998, Birthingway moved out of Holly’s home into a large house in North Portland. By this time, a growing number of teachers and preceptors were part of the Birthingway community. The new location proved to be temporary, however, and Birthingway moved to its current site in August 1999.

In spring 2000, the State of Oregon gave Birthingway a choice: become approved as a private “career school” or offer, as a college, a Bachelors Degree. After much community discussion, Birthingway applied to the Oregon Office of Degree Authorization in September 2000 to confer the Bachelor of Science in Midwifery degree. This was authorized in March 2001. Upon approval, Birthingway renamed as Birthingway College of Midwifery. Birthingway College of Midwifery then became authorized to offer Title IV Federal Financial Aid in February 2003.

While Birthingway has grown through the years, the beliefs at its core have remained intact.

• Birthingway has developed a model of caring for women and families during the childbearing year and beyond. We refer to this as the biodynamic model, in which birth is not only a natural part of human life, it is a necessary part, and one that is intimately connected with what it is to be human. The “bio” in biodynamic reflects the centrality of biological processes while “dynamic” refers to the energy of relationships that ensures our model is very woman-centered and individual. A biodynamic birth will be one with the least amount of intervention while still protecting the well-being of mother and baby. Intervention takes on different meanings depending upon the type of care provider; therefore, each of our programs develops specific tools for the various types of services our students will be providing.

• We are a community learning together, teachers and students alike. While instructors have specialized knowledge and experiences to teach, students also have knowledge and experiences to share. We learn from each other. Because of this emphasis on learning, there are no “stupid” questions at Birthingway. At the same time, it is okay for a teacher to say “I don’t know the answer.” When that happens in other schools, the teacher often says “I’ll look it up for you next week,” then everyone forgets about it. At Birthingway the class will stop and look up the answer right then. Or if more research is needed, the instructor really will answer the question the next week.

• We honor and encourage diversity and multivocality. After all, there are many kinds of childbearing women in the world, so we need many kinds of midwives. The crucial element here is respect for other people’s opinions, beliefs, and practices. Respect allows room for disagreement through discussion and round-tabling and allows insight into other ways of thinking and doing. This provides the basis for consensual action and mutual support both within the Birthingway community and on our individual paths as midwives and birth activists.

• We are relationship based. The Birthingway community is formed by interactions between individuals, multiplied many times over. Here, we support a model of “power with” and “power within” rather than the “power over” so common in our world. We emphasize face to face interactions, compassionate communication skills and personal responsibility. We value kindness and the highest standard of personal integrity as essential characteristics of all members of our community.

• We value and encourage development of intuition, empiricism, and analytical thinking as equally vital components of excellent midwifery. We teach students to listen to their inner voice of insight and knowing and to live in a spiritual way that is appropriate for them. Empirical knowledge is validated through the emphasis on storytelling, on learning from mistakes, and on hands-on experiences. Rigorous analytical skills are cultivated through differential diagnosis, critical analysis, problem solving, and case studies. By balancing these three “ways of knowing,” we are able to bring many resources to our work.

• We avoid rewards and punishments and do not believe that one person can “motivate” another to learn. Once an individual is admitted to Birthingway, they can quit, but they cannot fail. That does not mean that everyone is “passed along” through the program. Quite the contrary – our standards for completion of coursework are quite high. Birthingway’s task, rather than to stamp people as failures, is to set appropriate standards and to encourage and support students as they meet those standards.

Taken together, these principles produce an environment in which each member of the Birthingway community – students, faculty, and staff – travel their own path towards excellence in their chosen vocation. Each of us serves as a beacon of hope toward a better way for birthing women and new families and thus a better world for all.

*(See Truth or Dare by Starhawk for information on “power over,” “power with,” and “power within.” The works of Alfie Kohn, especially Punished by Rewards, explore the ideas behind motivation, failure and rewards in education.)