For my internship this semester I worked at the Family Health and Wellness clinic in downtown Austin. Family Health and Wellness incorporates herbal wisdom, integral nutrition, and western medicine to provide specific care for every patient’s body. Specifically, I worked inside of the birthing clinic unit with registered midwives. Midwives are trained healthcare professionals that provide care for pregnant women throughout their pregnancy, during birth, and after birth. Midwives deliver babies at home births, in a birthing clinic, or at hospitals. At my internship, on a day-to-day basis, I sat in on appointments between pregnant women and the midwives who provided them care throughout their pregnancies. I took the clients’ vitals, palpated pregnant stomachs, listened to fetal heartbeats, and sent their bloodwork to labs. I listened to my internship advisor, Melek Oz, guide her patients through their pregnancies, with wisdom, grace, and care. In each appointment, I learned something that I had not known before about the process of pregnancy. I listened to her provide knowledge about homeopathic remedies that would serve as a solution to any problems that the patients had. I saw these complications absolve through the power of homeopathic medicine. I witnessed Melek take everything that her patients said to heart regarding their natural birthing wishes, and provide space for them. I heard stories about some women’s negative previous experiences regarding traditional westernized medicine.
There were many interesting components to working in the birthing clinic, but the coolest experience that I had was attending a live home birth. It is an incredibly magical experience to be a part of, to help bring a new life into the world. I was very surprised that I was invited to attend a birth, and prior to starting at my internship, I did not think that I was going to be able to do so. For most people, it truly is a once, or a few, in a lifetime experience. It was also very interesting to witness the dynamic of non-traditional western medicine in action. I could tell that the patients were extremely comfortable and felt very safe. This is something that I feel is difficult for some patients to achieve with traditional western medicine.
I found my internship through my boyfriend’s mother who also works at the Family Health and Wellness clinic as a homeopathic general practitioner. Typically, the midwives do not accept interns that are not going to school to get some sort of medical degree. I was very lucky to get this opportunity. My internship advisor asked me to inform the blog post readers that she will not be accepting any intern applicants, as she has enough pre-medical students that are currently working for her. Also, I will not be posting any emails, phone numbers, or webpage links to the clinic as my internship advisor asked me not to do so, and I do not want to disrespect her wishes.
I am very grateful to have gone through this journey at the clinic, and I am now considering getting certified as a midwife.
