A Brooklyn Midwife
Megan Davidson, a labor and postpartum doula, has been lucky enough to see a lot of births. That means she has seen many doctors and midwifes in action. As an Expert on this blog, she has written about baby wearing, cloth diapering and nursing. She is starting a short series on this blog to introduce readers to homebirth midwives in Brooklyn. Her first is on Marcy Tardio (who was Megan’s own midwife).
A Brooklyn Midwife
Megan Davidson
by Megan Davidson
Earlier this week I was meeting with the homebirth midwife, Marcy Tardio, who caught my baby in 2007 and we were talking about birth, politics, and life. I mentioned that I attended homebirths this month with three different midwives and how great was to see everyone’s different style at each of these births. In New York City, we are amazingly lucky to have so many terrific homebirth midwives to choose from (unlike other areas where you might have one midwife serving a 300 mile or more radius).
Marcy agreed, and told me when people ask her about her birth philosophy, she sordof laughs and thinks, “I am a homebirth midwife, that is my philosophy.” Later my husband and I reflected on how true this is – that catching babies at home is such an amazing calling and the women who do this work all share a very similar, and unique in this culture, understanding of what it means to help women give birth. After that, so much of it is personality and finding the midwife that resonates with your own style and needs.
This being the case, over the next few months, I would like to introduce readers of this blog to several of the fabulous homebirth midwives who serve Brooklyn such that anyone interested in homebirthing might know more about their options.
Marcy Tardio, CNM
Marcy is a Park Slope-based mother of two sons, one grown with children of his own and another finishing high school. For nearly 21 years she has been a midwife and for the last 8 years she has been attending homebirths in New York City. She has caught almost 600 babies during this time, including my son Clay. She told me that she believes that most of the time, “when allowed to unfold naturally, birth works.”
Marcy described for me the first birth she ever saw – an improbable experience in a log cabin in the mountains of West Virginia. She saw a baby born in a footling breech into her father’s hands and started her path to midwifery. She believes that women can remain empowered in birth, where ever they are and whatever the circumstances when they are surrounded by people who treat them with love and respect. She told me that she does not feel that homebirth is “pass” and hospital births are “fail” but rather that providing homebirths is the service she feels called to at this point in her life and in her career.
In addition to midwifery, Marcy has also worked as a hospice nurse and a trauma and intensive care unit nurse – experiences that not only enhanced her skills as a midwife but that also ‘inform her understanding of life in all its wonder and fragility’, she said. She plays piano and oboe, takes dance classes, and has an incredibly nurturing presence. One client described to me why she hired Marcy, saying that she felt that Marcy was “hug-able” and when she thought of what she wanted from a midwife, this nurturing presence was central to her needs.
As a homebirth midwife, Marcy offers in-home prenatal care to women throughout New York City and areas of Long Island. From the initial interview, through all of your prenatal appointments, your birth, and your postpartum follow-up, Marcy comes to you for all your care. Like all homebirth midwives in New York City, Marcy accepts many types of insurance.
****Pictured are two photos of Marcy – the first is during my labor (reading a chart) and the second is postpartum while she prepared to weigh my son.
Megan Davidson, PhD, is a professionally trained labor and postpartum doula who works with new parents through pregnancy, childbirth, breastfeeding, and the early days of newborn care. She teaches babywearing and cloth diapering classes at several Brooklyn stores, as well as in-home consults, and has a passion for helping new parents master these practical parenting skills. Megan lives in Clinton Hill with her husband, Shawn Onsgard, a local piano teacher and composer, and their two children.
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