SPOTLIGHT ON THE PRACTITIONER:

SUSAN MINICH, CNM, Lic. Ac.

CERTIFIED NURSE-MIDWIFE & LICENSED ACUPUNCTURIST

Susan Minich, Certified Nurse-Midwife

I became a Nurse-Midwife to provide high quality care to women and their families.  I do not believe that birth is a medical procedure.  To me, birth is a normal occurrence in the life cycle of women.  I was working At Pennsylvania Hospital as a high-risk RN and teaching childbirth education classes.  I did not like the way MD’s were treating women in labor/delivery  and how mechanical the childbirth process was.  The mom’s were strapped down to the delivery table, unable to hold their babies. The babies were placed in the nursery for “observation” for 12 hrs.    Everything was so “sterile.”  Shaves, enemas, iv’s,  bed rest were the norm.  I did my childbirth education with Penny Simkin.  I started meeting childbirth educators, Nurse- Midwives.  I had my eyes opened to the normalcy of birth by these fabulous women.  Two CNM’s who worked with one of the ob/gyn’s at the hospital were my role models.  I admired them so much.

I began to change policies in the hospital with determination and compassion for the birthing process.  I did a research project to prove that if the mom’s held their babies for 5 minutes, the babies would not get cold.  This was a scientific study, hospital approved.  I worked with a statistician and collected my date.  It was a huge project to prove my point, “That if the mother holds her baby after it was dried, wrapped and held for 5 minutes, there would be no change in temperature compared to babies not held.”  My hypothesis was proved, I changed the hospital policy and all babies were allowed to be held after delivery.  I changed policies in other  hospitals too.  I received the Pennyslyvania Nurses Achievement Award  for change by the Governor of Pennsylvania. My research was published in the Journal of Ob/Gyn Nursing in 1980.

All the above was done before Nurse-Midwifery training. I was just an RN in  labor and delivery  trying to improve the care of women and the normalcy of the  birthing process. Then, the University of Pennsylavania started the first graduate Nurse-Midwifery Program.  I applied and was one of eight new students.  “The rest is  history” as they say.  That was in 1980.  I had the best training.  For my clinical training  I was placed in a birth center to get me away from the level 3, intense hospital setting.  Here I am.  I have not changed by belief in women and birth in all these years.

After graduation I worked in a small catholic, urban Philadelphia hospital-based practice.  There were 4 CNM’s.  We shared call.  After the Director left, I was appointed as  the new  Director of the Nurse-Midwife practice.  I worked there 8 yrs, was on Clinical Faculty at the Graduate, Nurse-Midwife Program at  University  of Pennsylvania.

I was recruited by Kaiser in 1988 to work at the Los Angeles Medical center and teach the Residents how to have normal deliveries.

This new role was challenging and provided new opportunities to promote Midwifery and the normal birth process.  It was hard after coming from a beautiful practice to a level 3, old school hospital, no birth center, stirrups, iv’s, bedrest, etc.  You know what I mean.   I hung in there, not compromising my beliefs. I practiced like my previous private practice and continue to this day.   It has been a challenge with many frustrations along the way, especially in the early years.  But, all the changes and 360 degree turn  in the hospital was worth it.   I still see myself as a role-model for the Nurses and Physicians.  I am Clinical Faculty for the Med students  at USC and continue teaching the ob/gyn and family practice kaiser residents.  I believe the parents can have a normal, home-birth like delivery in the hospital.  That is what I teach the Physicians.  I instill in them that all the mom’s will remember their birth forever, and that we want them to have a wonderful, empowering experience.  That birth is normal. That women deserve to have a normal, healthy birth.   As a role model, I believe that we should not practice defensive medicine and especially not practicing fear based medicine.  That is what I see so much.  I want to be an inspiration to the medical community for them to see the best in themselves in providing high quality health care to their patients.

We, Certified Nurse Midwives, Licensed Midwives and Certified Professional Midwives must continue to provide high quality health care to our patients, empowering women that they can deliver their sweet babies, with or without medication. We also must work with all their care providers, together as a team, not  as adversaries.   I know that the   MD’s want a healthy mom and baby.  We, Midwives,  must let the doctors see that not all pregnant patients should be treated the same way–that everyone is an individual and has different needs.   I tell my patients and the physicians that the end results of pregnancy and birth  are that  the couple become parents.  Sometimes the path the patient wants to take does change for whatever reason.  Everyone needs to keep an open mind.

For the new and aspiring Midwives and everyone, stay committed to what you believe in.  Stay true to your authentic self.  Know your vision for yourself and others.  Share all your wonder about birth and information with others.

As for students considering which route of entry into the midwifery profession, as a CNM, you can provide more opportunities for places of delivery including hospital, birth-center, and home.  As of now, at Kaiser you must be a CNM to deliver and practice in a hospital based center.

My new calling has been to incorporate Eastern medicine with my Western Practice.  I have a separate Chinese Medicine Practice in Women’s health-fertility, pregnancy, women’s health, etc.   I believe so much in Chinese Medicine and how wonderful it is with Women’s health.  My intention as a Healer, both in Western and Eastern medicine has been so positive and helpful in assisting in the healing process for my patients and on their path to health and wellness.  My humanitarian work with acupuncture is something I am so happy to be able to do as well as midwifery.

To reach Susan, email: susanminich@mac.com.

For answers to your childbirth related questions, call 626-388-2191 or email support@socalbirth.com