Second Apprenticeship?

So during my hunt for an apprenticeship I heard about a group of three midwives who have a home birth practice in the east bay and SF. I had hoped to talk with them before deciding on working at Sage Femme, but the timing was not right. A week after I accepted the apprenticeship at Sage Femme I got a response from these midwives that they were interested in meeting with me.

I wrote them back explaining that I had already accepted my apprenticeship, but that it was only one day a week, and whenever there were births. I asked if they would in interested in working with me when I wasn't at Sage Femme since I don't have another job or kids yet. The only potential issue would be if there are overlapping births. They wrote back and said that there isn't a conflict with Sage Femme, because they don't regularly see clients on the day I'm scheduled to work there. And as for conflicting births, if its meant for us to work together, then we'll find a way to work things out.

So I'm going to meet with them on Wed for lunch and see how things go. I have a feeling that I will really like working with them. Just from the impression I got from their website and birth photos. I did meet one of the midwives briefly at a conference in March. She was also a student at Sage Femme for a while before leaving to do home births. So Judi knows her well and I talked to her about my plans to meet with them so that everyone is in the know.

Because I accepted at Sage Femme first, I plan to make them my priority. If I'm already at a birth at Sage Femme, then I won't be able to leave for another birth. And if I'm at a birth with the other midwives and get a call for Sage Femme, I'll have to leave. This could potentially really really suck. If I've developed a strong relationship with the mother I won't want to leave in the middle of her birth. I'm hoping that the chances of births overlapping will be slim. But it really depends on how busy they are.

We will talk about everything and figure it out. I think maybe doing a trial period of a few months to see if I can actually pull it off is a good idea. I don't want to over commit or burn myself out. But at the same time I'm very eager to gain experience and take advantage of my time right now. And I would LOVE to be in the homes again. 2 of the three births I have attended at the birth center resulted in transporting to the hospital. Both were necessary, but it makes me wonder...

I have a theory that mothers that choose home birth are more committed and willing to have a natural birth. And that mothers who choose a birth center are still afraid or not trusting of birth. They don't want to be at home, but don't want to be in a hospital. It's a safe middle ground. Both deserve unconditional support and excellent care. But part of me wants to work with mothers who trust birth as much as I do. That is one of the things I need to work on personally.

So we'll see how it goes. I need to keep studying. It's hard to with distractions at home. The internet, Cody (our kitty), and wanting to get organized around the house still. I find it's easier to study at night when everything is quiet and dark. =) Wish me luck!