Community Highlights: Meet Cheryl Gilman of Midwife KC

Today we’d like to introduce you to Cheryl Gilman.

Hi Cheryl , so excited to have you with us today. What can you tell us about your story?
Growing up the oldest of 5 children I always had an interest in birth, breastfeeding and newborn babies. When I was 8 years old my cat, Snuggles, had kittens on my lap. A few years later a neighbor’s dog had puppies in their driveway while a few of us curious kids witnessed the birth. In college I thought that I wanted to go to medical school to be an OB/GYN. I really had a strong desire to be with women in birth but also wanted a family of my own. So I forfeited medical school for love, marrying my best friend and had 3 children in less 3 years. With each birth experience in the hospital setting I felt I was not listened to and had interventions performed without my permission or consent. When I was pregnant with my 4th child a good friend began passing along information about midwives and doulas. Given my previous slightly traumatic birth experiences I wanted to switch to a midwife for my 4th baby. The care of midwives was so much more personalized, gentle and engaged my whole family. The midwives asked me if I was ok to do an ultrasound, labs and various other questions about my birth preferences. The following year my best friend asked me to attend her birth for emotional support. December 31, 1998 I attended my first birth that was not my own. It was a birth center birth attended by gentle and loving midwives. I was hooked and began looking into becoming a birth doula. From 2002-2012 I was a certified doula attending births all over MD, Washington, D.C. and Northern VA. In 2010 I was praying about doing more to support women without the manipulation and time constraints of the hospital system. I ordered the application to become a Certified Professional Midwife from NARM: North American Registry of Midwife’s. Within a few months I did a birth assistant training with a CNM doing home birth in our area. After doing one home birth as the doula that midwife invited me to start birth assisting and I immediately accepted. The door to becoming a CPM finally opened wide. In 2012 I finished a two year apprenticeship with 2 CNMs and 2 CPMs. Since 2013 I have had a home birth practice in the Kansas City Area. In 2022 Sarah Papabathini, CPM joined Midwife KC.

Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way. Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
It has been a smooth road. Midwifery and home birth is growing nationwide.

We’ve been impressed with Midwife KC, but for folks who might not be as familiar, what can you share with them about what you do and what sets you apart from others?
We specialize in home birth midwifery care. We offer individualized, kind and compassionate care to women and their families choosing the midwifery model of care and home birth. We are a smaller practice taking 6-8 clients per month. Sarah Papabathini, CPM and I are both strong believers in God’s design for women in childbirth and growing families. We value our clients belief in trusting their bodies and desire to honor the process of pregnancy, natural child birth and post partum. We want to foster healthy mother-baby attachment in hopes of reducing unnecessary intervention, women’s autonomy and improving breastfeeding outcomes. We serve women of all faiths and backgrounds.

We all have a different way of looking at and defining success. How do you define success?
Success is the fulfillment of our hopes and dreams.

Pricing:

• fraction of cost of giving birth in hospital

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.midwifekc.com
• Instagram: @MidwifeKC
• Facebook: Midwife KC