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HomeMy WebLinkAboutClinton News Record, 2016-01-27, Page 1010 News Record • Wednesday, January 27, 2016 Veteran midwife relates experiences with Amish and Mennonite families Darryl Coote Postmedia Network In her 26 years as a midwife to predominantly Amish and Mennonite families, 63 -year- old Susan Wilts has performed more than 1,400 births in Huron, western Perth and southem Bruce counties. "I love babies," she said, beaming while nursing a coffee at the bakery on Campbell Street in Lucknow. "It's my whole life" There was a stir of excitement on Statters 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 averyquicktrans- port by ambulance to South Bruce Grey Health Centre - Walkerton where a short time later, at 8:52 a.m., a healthybaby 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 little boys at home. This is the first baby at the hospital for 2016. Wilts, who is now the mother Registered midwife Susan Wilts Mennonite families. of seven, and the grandmother to 20 children, 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 she 01141, .i�\ •I iLlP-�`65fupIF NI.,I cosi 4041 "r* 0..4 ..0.4 1 rsio lrr� Male Your Own pt'r, tirdinr, is •r.ars is Rai 'Aim. f16191 07 lir kW+ I:A: kInved CCiliEUCH 924.21U AW4 4 www.rnovrie[jnks.ca td r. Gi.l.i u,1-8{10-265-3 438 • CLINTON RADARS ',. ` 2015-2016 HOME GAMES FRIDAY • JANUARY 29, 2016. 8:30 PM PETROLIA SQUIRES @ CLINTON RADARS SPONSORED BY: DYKSTRA CONSTRUCTION mg OFFICE: 519-482-9082 CELL: 519-525-8675 .r - Darryl Coote Postmedia Network has performed over 1,400 births with 70 percent for Amish and came across an article in a par- enting magazine about a mid- wife in Brunner, 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 preg- nant, which I had just found out the day before. And then she took me on" she said. Wilts' mentor was Mennon- ite and taught her how to behave and to carry herself in the home of an old order family. "It took me at least 20 years to figure out the differences nwmo NUCLEAR WASTE MANAGEMENT ORGANIZATION between the different Amish groups and the different church groups and the different Men- nonite 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 thatthe dif- ferences between the orders are seemingly imperceptible until you understand each group's cultures and Willes. SOCIETE DE GESTION DES DECHETS NUCLEAIRES She admits she committed manyfauxpaswhen 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 wom 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 its the children 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 the baby in the bag:' And in doing so, they turned Wilts into something of amythi- cal, fairytale character. One day, she said, she was returningto the home of a baby she had helped deliver the day before to perform an inspection NWMO Learn More Centre The Municipality of Central Huron is one of nine communities involved in a process of learning about Adaptive Phased Management (APM), Canada's plan for the safe, long-term management of used nuclear fuel. The Nuclear Waste Management Organization is working collaboratively with the community to advance preliminary assessment studies. Learn about APM, meet NWMO staff, ask questions and offer your thoughts. Drop in to the NWMO community office and Learn More Centre in Clinton. Everyone is welcome. of the infant, and the newborn's preschool -aged brother came and blocked the door to the house. 'And he looked at my bag, and he said, 'We already have a baby.' Later on his mom told me that their new baby cried all night and he did not want me to bring another one," Wilts laughed. "He was not going to let me in the house with my bag in case I was going to leave another baby there. Iwill always remember that one' There is something particu- larly nice, she said, about per- forming a birth in the home of an old order family, something calm and peaceful about it "It's really nice after a birth to sit at the kitchen table with the coal oil lantem doing our chart- ing," she said. "It's just so peace- ful. I mean, Ihave hospital privi- leges at three different hospitals, too, but you have to do computer charting and you have chaos all around you, and you have all these policies and things you have to do before the mom goes home. In a home birth, we have our own chart- ing, we sit at the table with the wood stove going and the coal oil lantern and our flashlights because we can't see' Wilts said she feels privileged to be allowed into the homes of those she works with and to participate in such an intimate experience. "I am strengthened by their faith," she said, "and I'm strengthened by their way of life" NWMO Learn More Centre (Central Huron) 38 Albert Street, Clinton ON 519.386.6711 Monday Tuesday Wednesday 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. 10 a.m. to 3 p.m.