It has come to my attention that Paula has created yet another website to anwer to this blog- (Paula Schnebelt, the Truth ) she already has several under her belt advertising her services to Sonoma, Napa, Sebastopol, among other North Bay areas.
www.themidwivesonline.cm, napamidwife.cm, sonomamidwife.com, among others...
I assume she has created this blog/site to answer to this blog. That is fine- she, however, has failed to answer to any of the complaints registered by this blog.
If you take the time to look at each of her websites, you will find that all the content is exacty the same in each one. Why is that? Why does someone need 5 different sites with the same content? Seems like a waste of money and resources to advertise yourself so hard. Marketing herself seems to be a strongpoint. So that is, again, why I created this blog. If she is going to push herself so hard at the expectant parents who are interested in homebirth without complete disclosure of her recent questionable events, then I feel that it is in the public's best interest to understand who they might be hiring.
Some questions I would be asking and would expect honest answers:
1- How much real experience do you have? Meaning, when did you first get your license to practice midwifery in california?
2- Where do you live? (she doesn't live in Napa btw)
3- What do you feel is an appropriate amount of time to labor?
4- What do you feel is an appropriate amount of time to push? (1hr, 2 hrs, 10 hrs??)
5- Are you up to date on your neonatal rescucitation certification? (infant CPR)
6- How quickly CAN you get to my house if I go into labor? (truthfully)
7- Do you know how to suture correctly if I tear badly? (meaning, can you sew me up appropriately so that I can hold my urine and stool properly??)
8- Are you experienced with techniques for shoulder dystocia? How many cases have you had?
9- How much continuing education do you have? what other classes have you taken?
10- Have you had any bad outcomes? (Emergency transfers, maternal or baby deaths, damaged moms or babies)
I think its important that those who work in the field of homebirth midwifery need to be honest with their clients. I would hate to see anything happen to any mom or baby because of someone's pride, lack of experience, dishonesty, and lack of disclosure. I am glad that she has taken up practice with another experienced person in the area. I hope that she can glean wisdom from it and maybe she will study and learn in some of the areas that she is lacking. I just hope that her own bad decisions don't cause problems for whoever she is working with.
Lastly, if she reads this herself I want to just say that its not personal. I only want to preserve and protect women's rights to homebirth in the U.S.... if an unexperienced person claims to know it all and does not humble herself, she is not only setting herself up for failure, but she is making a bad name for midwifery outright. We are not God and sometimes we have to submit to higher authorities, experience, and medical technology when things don't go right. We don't know everything, but we cannot act as if we do. Admit your wrongs to the community, ask for help, and learn the things that you don't have confidence or experience in. If you don't, and more events like the recent ones keep happening, its only going to get worse for moms and families! I truly hope you will consider these things as constructive, for the sake of future moms and babies safety.
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