The Lucknow Sentinel, 2016-01-13, Page 1The
Luck
www.lucknowsentinel.com
n
'L50
HST included
PM40064683R07656
ow Sentinel
Wednesday, January 13, 2016
Darryl Coote/Kincardine News
Registered midwife Susan Wilts has performed over 1,400 births with 70 per cent for Amish and Mennonite families.
Veteran midwife delivers Lucknow's New Year's baby
Darryl Coote
Reporter
In her 26 years as a mid-
wife to predominantly
Amish and Mennonite fami-
lies, 63 -year-old Susan Wilts
has performed over 1,400
births in Huron, western
Perth and South 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 excite-
ment on Staffers Lake Ave in
Holyrood, on the morning of
Jan. 2, 2016. The Weber baby
was soon to come into the
world, but it had decided to
present itself feet first.
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, and the
first for Lucknow.
Wilts, who is now the
mother of seven, and the
grandmother to 20 children,
trained as a nurse in 1971
and only worked in the pro-
fession a year before decid-
ing to be a stay-at-home
mom.
However, at the age of 37
she came across an article in
a parenting magazine about
a midwife 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 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 herself
in the home of an old order
family.
"It took me at least 20
years to figure out the differ-
ences between the different
Amish groups and the differ-
ent church groups and the
different Mennonite 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 bears. 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.
CONTINUED > PAGE 2