12 Sep Introducing Rebecca Egbert!

I am so full of joy that I have the honor of introducing you to Rebecca Egbert. She is an incredible woman that I first heard about when I was in midwifery school in Seattle; she had attended the same school as I did, and she had touched many of the midwives in that community with her amazing spirit. We had emailed a couple of times and I had always felt this pull to meet with this incredible lady that I had heard so many good things about, but we didn’t set anything up until just a few weeks ago. WOW! Rebecca is truly one-of-a-kind, incredible, unique, full of love-and-warmth-and-honesty kind of being. When I clicked on her blog (and this was before I met her), I just couldn’t stop reading it! Even just reading her interview below, I bet you will be drawn into her amazing personality (and this is just a tiny view into her work).

Being a midwife, as well as a new mom myself, I LOVE what she is doing. All moms need this kind of support. And it is different from anything else that is available out there. I feel pretty confident in saying that working with her will change your life in a huge way. Enjoy!

Rebecca Egbert

Name: 
Rebecca Egbert

Occupation:
Maternal Health Expert/Recovering Midwife

Family:
I am very single right now, my dog lives in Louisiana on a farm and my family lives in CO, TX, MT, MA, CA and around the globe (New Zealand, South Africa), and then there’s my tribe…my soul family…they’re spread all over too.

Home town:
Bozeman, MT

Lives in:
South Minneapolis (for now)

Favorite weekday dinner:
Sunday Supper, which always changes…the meal I truly don’t limit myself on is a crawfish boil. Hands down favorite dinner of all times, my momma’s Cajun.

Favorite Workout:
Running 20 plus miles (all at once) in the Bridger, Bangtail or Gallatin Mountains of SW Montana…Here in the cities, whatever soft/wooded/hilly trail I can run or ski on.

Favorite downtime activity:
HAH, what’s that!? Reading or gardening.

Kate: How would you describe the work you do? And how did you come to this work?
Rebecca: I describe the work I do as a call to action to respond to the lack of care that the US Maternity Care System has put in place for women becoming mothers. I came to the work after watching too many of the moms I love, best friends, sisters, etc…call me and tell me they were spent, they were struggling, they were confused, or being brutally honest (which is me) I would find them calling me saying, “I think I’m going to leave my husband. It just seems easier than dealing with it.” And then we’d have the come to jesus talk…After having too many births that sat me down and said, “Okay Spirit, what do you really want me to do then, because I love Midwifery and watching women transform into moms AND I LOVE maternal child health.” Then, this little business unfolded of helping moms reclaim, and rebuild themselves during a tremendously overwhelming and confusing period in their lives.

Kate: Tell me a bit about your practice.
Rebecca: My business is unique in that it is virtual. The clients I work with are from all over the country right now. I am focusing on US women, because we need the love here with some really brutal statistics when it comes to maternal health. I work out of my home, and I travel a lot for my work. I work with moms from all over the country and this is a total gift to my life, however the women all have a common thread. They want to change something in their life, many are seeking transformation. Lots are working moms, and I honor all tribes of work. But often, they are moms with day jobs and such.<

Kate: What is the best part of your job?
Rebecca: Watching moms heal and grow and raise a family that is loving, supportive, secure, and growing human beings who believe in themselves, will do good for the world, and also succeed; and moms who get to be massively in love with the man or woman they married, rather than annoyed that they’re taking care of another man/woman-child (again, I’m brutally honest).

Kate: What are the general benefits for a mom who decides to start working with you?
Rebecca: Transformation, energy, revived sex lives, fun, honesty, communication with their partners, community and SUPPORT.

Kate: How would you say that you are unique from other similar professionals in the community?
Rebecca: I have a really rich background that really stems from being an athlete and living a spiritual life, creating work that is about taking action to make positive change in life. Having dedicated the last 20 years of my life to both of these paths, on top of an intellectual path allows me to create a business that will do similarly what we do in Midwifery, which is BE with women, and hear their stories and then innately know where to go to help her make the change she seeks in her life. I don’t believe it’s my job to fix anyone that works with me. I truly believe from my heart, that this work is about creating maternal health in the US so women live with less postpartum depression, less postpartum anxiety, less shame, and live with more love, connection, belonging, trust, and juicy juicy life. I know some people think I’m out of my mind, but the women working with me are thriving. My work is unique, because I want to impact maternal health outcomes on a large scale. I know it seems crazy, but I’m willing to do the wild and crazy to improve the lives and outcomes of moms so their babies can have mothers to watch them have babies. It means so much to me!

Kate: Since what you do is so different than anything most people would have tried before, is there a way for them to get a bit of a taste of what working with you would be like?
Rebecca: A breath of fresh air. I’m the place where you can be yourself, talk from your heart, and express what you never got to express due to limitations and beliefs. A woman works with me generally for 6 months, some have a 4 month option and there even some women who do a 1 day power workshop with me. We usually meet over the phone, we have a 45 minute call where it’s all about you, and by the end of the call I create your plan for the week that is manageable, one, because moms are busy and overwhelmed and full, and catered to their goals and the changes they want to make in their lives. I do a ton of teaching with the women, so after the session, I’ll create some class content and a worksheet for them to play with and by the end of our time together they have a little manual that they can go back to as they age as moms. I am also trying to build a network of moms who resonate with one another, and there’s a seed planted to have an annual retreat of all the families I work with where there is tons of play and meeting like-minded parents. I look forward to this tribe growing.

Kate: Do you have any advice you’d like to share with our pregnant readers?
Rebecca: Be so gentle on yourself as you grow. Remember to do visualizations of positive birth outcomes and do them every night. Walk yourself through your birth as you fall asleep, every night. When you’re in labor, there are three participants – you, your baby and spirit/god/universe/a higher power/dancing unicorns (whatever works for you) but there are truly those three energies involved in the birth process – and together you are to work together for your best outcome. Trust and listen to your midwife, it’s why you hired her, she will also guide you to the safest possible outcome. If you have to transfer from your home birth, let your limiting beliefs go when you get in the car and start the mantra, “This is the best outcome for me and my baby.” It is about creating a family, it is not about the place you birth (and I know I’m going to piss some people off right now). I hope each of you gets a home birth, but if you transfer, you are NOT a failure. You are a mom, making the best choice for your family. Oh and be prepared for your heart to get little legs attached it, because after you have your baby you’ll spend the rest of your life running after your heart as they make the decisions they will need to make in their lifetime. You’ll never catch your heart the way you held it before you were a mom. It’s the fiercest love you’ll ever know.

Kate: Do you have any advice you’d like to share with our post birth, new mom and new dad readers?
Rebecca: I always told my midwifery clients, “When you have your baby, you too will become a newborn.” You’re growing up with your children, so everyone is learning in this process together. As the adult newborns, which just sounds so uncomfortable, you have to deal with all the responsibilities of the unknowns and the knowns and it can make it really tough on your relationship. Your job in the first few years is to not only nurture your kids, but #1 is your relationship. Go soft on yourselves as your learning, and find the best ways for you to create a healthy container for those kids to grow. Love. Love. Find your love.

Kate: Thank you so much for sharing all of this Rebecca! Is there anything else you’d like to add?
Rebecca: I am starting to collaborate with a friend of mine in Brooklyn (she’s a doula and placental encapsulation specialist) on a postpartum book for women, we’re pretty stoked. You can read more on my work at www.rebeccaegbert.com, make sure you sign up for the newsletter in the side bar. You can ask Kate if she likes the newsletter, because I know she signed up. (Kate: I look forward to it every Monday morning!) You get it once a week, and it gives  you a tip, some love, and something to move you (about physical movement). I also am starting a project called The Mother Love Project and the website is up, but won’t be active until the first of the year. This is a project on moms in the US, telling their stories and spreading awareness about what is working and what isn’t working in maternal health. You can start seeing the project unfold at www.themotherloveproject.com

If you’re interested in learning more about my work, I’m hosting a webinar on September 18th @ 7:30 CST. To learn more, click on this link and sign up, the access information will be sent to your inbox.

Big LOVE and health to all of you!