HomeMy WebLinkAboutHuron Expositor, 2016-01-27, Page 3Wednesday, January 27, 2016 • Huron Expositor 3
Midwife to Huron's and South Heating tips during
Bruce's old order families shares stories the cold months
Darryl Coote
Postmedia Network
In her 26 years as a midwife
to predominantly Amish and
Mennonite families, 63 -year-
old Susan Wilts has per-
formed more than 1,400
births in Huron, westem Perth
and southern Bruce counties.
"I love babies," she said,
beaming while nursing a cof-
fee at the bakery on Campbell
Street in Lucknow. "It's my
whole llife."
There was a stir of excite-
ment on Staffers Lake Avenue
in Holyrood on the morning
of Jan. 2. The Weber baby was
soon to come into the world,
but it had decided to present
itself feet first to Wilts, who
was on duty for the delivery.
There was a very quick
transport by ambulance to
South Bruce Grey Health
Centre - Walkerton where a
short time later, at 8:52 a.m.,
a healthy baby girl named
Naomi Weber was born at 6
lbs. 13 oz. She is the first
daughter to Elvin and Edna
Weber, who also have two lit-
tle boys at home.
This is the first baby at the
hospital for 2016.
Wilts, who is now the
mother of seven, and the
grandmother to 20 chil-
dren, trained as a nurse in
1971 and only worked in
the profession a year before
deciding to be a stay-at-
home mom.
However, at the age of 37
ea orthhuronexIositor.co
she came across an article
in a parenting magazine
about a midwife in Brun-
ner, Perth County.
"And so I decided to have
an interview with her to see
if I can become a midwife
and work with her and learn
from her, but she kind of
turned me down until she
found out I was pregnant,
which I had just found out
the day before. And then she
took me on, she said.
Wilts' mentor was Men-
nonite and taught her how
to behave and to carry her-
self in the home of an old
order family.
"It took me at least 20
years to figure out the dif-
ferences between the dif-
ferent Amish groups and
the different church groups
and the different Mennon-
ite church groups," she
said. "I got them figured
out now, but it's hard to
explain.
"Some old order groups
have the beards. Some have
tractors and no beards.
Some have flowery curtains.
Some have plain curtains.
Some don't have curtains.
Some have flowery aprons.
Some have cream aprons,"
she offered as an example
explaining that the differ-
ences between the orders
are seemingly imperceptible
until you understand each
group's cultures and rules.
She admits she committed
may and faux pas when she
started to perform midwifery
for these families.
On her first time to a Men-
nonite home she said she
did a lot of talking, which she
should not have done, and
she wore white slacks and a
white top when she should
have worn a skirt instead.
That day she even misspoke
referring to a child as a kid.
"Later on the Mennonite
lady told me, 'You don't have
kids. Women don't have
kids. Nanny goats have kids.
You have children,"' Wilts
recalled, with a laugh. "And
she was right"
She said that it's the chil-
dren she remembers most
when she thinks back on her
career -- not necessarily the
children she's helping to
bring into this world, but
their siblings.
"I have some really good
laughs about the children,"
she said.
About 15 years ago, she
recalled, the children of
these old orders would talk
about Wilts at school,
though they wouldn't call
her by her name, but by her
appearance.
"[The children] told each
other that if the green lady
with the red van comes --
because I had a green coat
and a red van -- she brings a
baby to your house. And if
she has a bag, she brings a
the baby in the bag."
And in doing so, they
turned Wilts into
Darryl Coote/Reporter/Postmedia
Registered midwife Susan
Wilts has performed over
1,400 births with 70 percent
for Amish and Mennonite
families.
something of a mythical,
fairy tale character.
One day, she said, she
was returning to the home
of a baby she had helped
deliver the day before to
perform an inspection of
the infant, and the new-
born's preschool -aged
brother came and blocked
the door to the house.
J 1 i
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