While many people move through life with a conscious need to differentiate themselves from their chosen career, Tema Mercado offers a refreshing and sincere perspective… Which is that the work she does as a midwife is inextricably woven into all facets of her life but most importantly, her family. She talks about how supportive her husband is to her and their children, how he draws her a bath after she returns home from a long birth or leaves the house with her kids so that she can catch her breath in silence.
She shares about the harsh reality of being an indigenous midwife, and how her non-white clients are more likely to have CPS called on them or be subjected to toxicology screenings. There are extra precautions in order to protect her clients that Tema takes very seriously. Futhermore, Tema explains that her licensure as a midwife extends a level of safety and protection to her community.
There is something incredibly beautiful and honest about Tema’s process in building and resourcing herself with support so that she can fully show up for her clients and her community. It makes me reflect on my own practice as an educator, doula and midwife assistant, and how I too could build a deeper safety net of support.
She brings forth the sacredness of birthwork in such an authentic way that it brought tears to my eyes. How she orients her life to the higher calling of serving families is striking. What I realized in our conversation together is how meaningful it is to be surrounded by a community (in real life) that uplifts each community member. While this isn’t a groundbreaking concept, it does feel as though community seems harder to find.
While Tema only takes on a small number of families per year, you can find birth related resources on her website and also follow her on instagram as she shares personal stories and insights into community based midwifery care.
3:10 Tema’s evolving midwifery practice
5:50 Differences between birth practices in Mexico and the USA
11:40 Honoring the Indigenous roots of birth practices like Rebozo
20:40 Navigating the medical industrial complex
24:26 Meeting families where they are without assumptions
26:01 A midwife is not a magician - balancing expectations, transparency, and boundaries
28:57 Building strong relationships on informed consent and joint decision-making
31:28 Self-care rituals
36:10 Letting the outside life enrich midwifery life and vice versa
42:17 How to find Tema and her work
THANK YOU again for being here. If you enjoy this episode, please remember to like and leave a review as this makes it easier for people to find us.
If you happen to know someone that works with a brand or company that shares a similar ethos of providing deeper and more comprehensive care to women and mothers and who might be open to supporting the MOTHERLANDS Podcast, I’d love to chat! You can email me hello@keelysemler.com.
You can connect with our host, Keely Semler, MPH, CD here or by visiting her website.
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