Today we’d like to introduce you to Anissa Sartini.
Anissa, before we jump into specific questions about the business, why don’t you give us some details about you and your story.
In 2008 while folding laundry, the thought occurred to me that I should become a midwife. I immediately began researching how to go about this, and the more I learned, the more I loved. My extensive training began in 2008 and completed in 2017. I attended my first birth in 2009, a lovely apartment birth where the mother stood up in her bathroom and delivered into the welcoming hands of the midwife! Seeing this in real life cemented what I knew before, that I loved and wanted to do this. I trained with various midwives and herbalists in Texas and Massachusetts until I got my own Texas midwifery license in 2017.
I am now a Certified Professional Midwife (CPM) and a Licensed Midwife (LM) in the State of Texas. I run a home-based practice of all house calls! Clients receive prenatal, birth, and postpartum care in the comfort and convenience of their own homes.
My greatest love is serving the diverse families of our vibrant Metroplex! I realized early on there was not enough diversity and open-mindedness in the midwifery community to be able to serve all the populations who might benefit from home birth. I warmly welcome all races, faiths, ethnicities, classes, abilities, genders, and sexualities. Hablo español básico sobre los temas de embarazo, parto y posparto.
Overall, has it been relatively smooth? If not, what were some of the struggles along the way?
Absolutely not! The biggest struggle I encountered was difficulty finding preceptors who were accepting of a differently-abled student. I am hard of hearing and it took a lot of time, patience, and heartbreak to figure out how to work with my needs, and to re-build my confidence that I could be a safe and able provider. Eventually, I did find a preceptor who believed in me and worked with me with such grace and confidence that we no longer had any doubts in my ability to accomplish my dreams! I will always be grateful to her.
Another difficulty is acceptance in a community that is largely heterosexual, Christian, able-bodied, and white. I heard a lot of hateful things during my apprenticeship that made it very uncomfortable to continue in certain spaces. While my ethnic background (I am Middle Eastern and white) has not been an issue for me, the others certainly were, and I know it is difficult for students and midwives of color to be able to get a foot in the door. That being said, I am so so glad I persevered, and I know my clients are as well.
Please tell us about your business.
I would say I am known for providing care to a great variety of clientele across class, race, and gender/sexuality. I also am one of the few midwives I know of who utilizes a sliding scale of fees to provide care across income levels. Another unique aspect of my practice is that I conduct all care in the home of the client. To me, this drives home the reality that the birthing person is the leader of their body, health, and decisions. Prenatal visits, labor and delivery, and postpartum care for the parent and baby all happen in the comfort and safety of home. I think this is especially notable in a time when many midwifery practices are moving to offices or birth centers. Clients love the convenience too, especially those that already have children at home and don’t want to have to drag them out or have to find childcare. At home, we integrate the whole family into care as the client wishes.
Special interests include first births, VBAC, water birth, trauma informed, and culturally competent care. I have attended home, birth center, hospital, VBAC, twins, induced, medicated, and cesarean deliveries. I look forward to many more!
If you had to go back in time and start over, would you have done anything differently?
I am pretty happy with the way things have been going since I opened my practice. But if I had to start over, I think I would have sought out a more direct path to midwifery training. It took me a long time to finish due to also getting a college degree and dealing with hearing loss while trying to finish my apprenticeship. I wish I had known the quote, “We see things, not as they truly are, but rather how we are” so that I would not have doubted myself so much. I will say, though, I learned so much about patience, strength, and compassion through the struggles.
Pricing:
- Home or Birth Center Prenatal, Birth, and Postpartum Care $3500-6500
- Fertility Awareness & Pre-Conception Classes $60-100
Contact Info:
- Website: http://www.metroplexmidwifery.com/
- Phone: 214-205-8221
- Email: anissamidwife@me.com
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/MetroplexMidwifery
- Yelp: https://www.yelp.com/biz/metroplex-midwifery-irving
- Other: https://www.g.page/MetroplexMidwifery?share
Image Credit:
Various Photographers including Lawren Rose Photography, and Magnolia Birth.
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