Naturopathic Midwifery Student Realizes Dream of Delivering Babies
 Q&A interview by Sharon Petersen
Vital Statistics
Name: Joy Kanevski, RN
Age: 29
Programs: Naturopathic Medicine; Naturopathic Midwifery Certificate Program
Undergraduate Degree: BS in nursing from University of Texas
Graduation Date: June 2006
Hometown: Born in Salinas, California; grew up outside Dallas, Texas
Downtime Activities: Backpacking
Q &A
Why did you add midwifery to your studies?
I always wanted to be a midwife. I’ve always known the profession was out there
because I was born at home. A German-trained ND was supposed to assist my mother in my
birth, but he arrived too late, and so my dad had to deliver me. And he was a pilot!
Your undergrad degree is in nursing. Have you worked as a nurse?
I worked as a nurse for about a year while I took the prerequisites for Bastyr.
And I’ve continued working part-time as an RN at Evergreen Medical Center
in Kirkland [Washington] in the Family Maternity Center.
Did you always dream of going into some area of health care? As a little girl
did you pretend you were delivering babies?
Yes, but when I was in fifth grade or so, I realized that not everybody was
as fascinated as I was with babies and giving birth. By then I had watched my
pet cat give birth. Pretty cool!
Why did you choose natural medicine?
When I was a freshman in high school, my mother received a “Reader’s
Digest” guide to natural health in the mail. I already knew I wanted to be
a midwife, but after reading the guide it was clear that my passion for natural medicine extended beyond pregnancy and childbirth.
Was your family into natural health?
My mother was into it. She was strict about making sure we ate whole foods and
organic foods, and she gave us herbs and vitamins.
How did you hear about Bastyr and why did you choose it?
About a year after telling my mother what I hoped to study, she came home from
the local health-food store in Flower Mound, Texas, with a Bastyr brochure. I have
no idea how that brochure got there. Incredible! After reading it, I wanted
to go to Bastyr. I was still in high school, but I came up with a plan to study nursing
and then add a certified nurse midwife degree to it. That would leave me with the
option to go on to become a naturopathic midwife if I later chose to do so. When
I was a senior in nursing school, however, I came to realize that the nursing
school philosophy of healing was not congruent with my own philosophy of healing. One
day while sitting in a boring computer class, I pulled up and read through the Bastyr
Web site. Suddenly I felt inspired and exited about my passion in life again. I decided
to forget about becoming a certified nurse midwife and, instead, I decided to go right
into naturopathic midwifery.
You mentioned your personal philosophy of healing. What is it?
I believe that individuals have the ability to heal themselves. We all can be happy and fulfilled individuals who love our life. I hope to support and honor the process of healing in all people.
Now that you’re in Bastyr’s midwifery certificate program, what do you think of it?
It’s great! I’ve enjoyed all of my midwifery classes. They’ve been
extremely practical, hands-on, informative and challenging. The classes are small—we have only six to eight students in each—and we have passionate instructors who
expect a lot from us. One of the best courses I’ve taken was neonatology, which
an MD neonatologist helped teach.
How many births have you assisted in?
About 47 in two years. I’m planning to go to Vanuatu [for a midwifery practicum]
for the whole month of August, where I’ll assist with many more births.
Before joining the midwifery certificate program, had you ever witnessed a human birth?
Yes, I witnessed about five or six hospital births while I was in nursing school, and
then my sister’s two home births.
What did you feel the first time you helped bring a baby into the world?
Joy. It was awe-inspiring. But now that I’m so directly involved in the birth,
in watching the safety of the mother and child and paying attention to all the details,
it’s hard to sit back and just enjoy the amazing event. My goal is to be able to be in the moment with the mother and baby without interfering with that intimate meeting.
Why should others consider the program?
First of all, I would not recommend it unless you're happy to meet the challenge. There are
still a lot of political and financial challenges facing midwives in our culture. But
if you are passionate about midwifery and committed, then I would highly recommend it as a way to naturopathic physicians to become true family practitioners.
What do you mean by “true family practitioners”?
As a naturopathic midwife, I’ll be able to practice preventive medicine from
preconception throughout birth and childhood. I can treat the child as well as the
mother, father and the whole family as the family grows. I plan to work with potential
parents on their lifestyle as well as their spiritual and physical health before
the family is even started. This includes educating them on parenting, feeding the baby,
introducing foods at the right time, simple preventive remedies for common childhood illnesses
and so on.
What should people know about midwifery that they probably don’t know now?
A midwife is a complete care provider for pregnancy, childbirth and the first six weeks of
the baby’s and mother’s life. A midwife does everything that an obstetrician
does—excluding epidural and C-sections, of course—just in a different setting with a different philosophy.
What do you hope to see in the future for midwifery?
I’d love to see midwifery legal in every state. And I’d like there to be enough
midwives in all communities to handle the demands those communities are making. There are many
places right now where the demand exceeds the availability of midwives to attend births.
What do you see in your own future?
In the long-term, I’d love to have a small-town practice with strong emphasis
on pediatrics, women’s health and family. I may continue working part-time as
an RN. I hope to become a certified lactation consultant in another few years to better
assist mothers with breast-feeding challenges.
'For more information or to apply for the naturopathic midwifery program click here.
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