(bright music) - [Narrator] Produced by women about women, "Powerful Women, Let's Talk" is a series of interviews with women who are trailblazers, and have helped shape our world, transforming who we are, and how we live.

(bright music continues) - Hello, everyone.

Time for "Powerful Women, Let's Talk".

Thanks so much for joining us today.

I'm Jennifer Moss, and it is a pleasure to bring you today's powerful woman Sarah Badger.

Sarah is a licensed midwife, and she's been delivering babies for over 22 years now, although the numbers keep climbing, at last count she was up to at least 1,600 deliveries.

Initially, working with her mom, who is also a midwife, Sarah branched out on her own, opening her own birthing center "Simply Born" in 2010.

Sarah says she and her team's goals are to empower families, educate and help clients make wise choices surrounding their birth and parenthood.

And so I'm so glad to welcome you today, Sarah Badger, to "Powerful Women, Let's Talk".

- Thank you.

- So, we are very happy, again, to have you here, and in just a minute we're actually gonna go inside your birthing center, that was pretty exciting, for part of our conversation.

Again, you've been a licensed midwife now since 2019, you've had "Simply Born" since 2010.

Midwifery is a seemingly growing thing in popularity right now.

What made you decide to follow in your mom's footsteps, and do that for a living?

- I had a really close friend who had a hospital birth, and growing up I didn't see hospital births.

I had only known home birth, and so when I watched her birth unfold, it was really challenging.

And I just realized how much was lacking in the medical industry for women, and empowerment, and taking control of how they wanted to birth.

And I needed to give options.

So, that was kind of the driving force.

Empowering women to make choices, and having body autonomy is really important to me.

- Okay.

And so, PBS, of course, has a series "Call The Midwife", very popular, set, of course, in a very different time and era.

But do you think things like that play a role, or have any impact, or effect on people perhaps investigating, is a midwife right for me as I go down the childbirth path?

- I think anytime we have birth in Hollywood, or in movie, in film, we explore a different side of it, and I think "Call The Midwife" certainly has explored several sides of that, and I think that's been really great.

It actually starts conversations with women, and kinda shows them that midwifery might still be available for them, and they kind of start looking for it, which is nice.

- So, the name of your birthing center "Simply Born" kind of says it all, but how did you come up with that name?

- I did a poll on Facebook.

- Oh, really?

(Sarah laughing) - Yeah.

I couldn't figure out what to name it, and how to kind of go about it.

And so, I put a poll up, and one was from a chiropractor who had "Simply Chiropractic", and she's like, "How about Simply Born?"

And I was like, "That's actually perfect."

And so, yeah, that was it.

That was where the name was born.

- I love it.

I love it.

So, since we're talking about all things midwifery, you were kind enough, of course, to allow us into your birthing center, now we didn't see a birth, but we got a chance to talk to some moms who were on their journey, and why they chose to use a midwife for birth, and about your goals.

So, let's take a look at that.

- But I've always been so happy with mine.

Both of mine so far have felt, it's the most mind-blowing experience.

It's so empowering, and it's so special.

And to be able to do that, where I personally feel very comfortable and taken care of has been wonderful.

- [Jennifer] That's Kate Karadsheh.

She has had two babies delivered by a midwife, one at home, and one in the birthing center.

She's now 19 weeks along on her third pregnancy, and plans to do it again.

- Yeah, we're so excited.

Are you excited for a new baby?

- Yeah.

- Are you excited for a new baby?

Yeah, we're really excited.

I have loved my care with both of my babies so far.

It's just so personal.

I feel so seen with anything that I'm feeling.

I mean, of course, the medical side of it, but I remember feeling a lot of anxiety, pregnant with Noelle here, and just being able to talk to Sarah about that, and just addressing me as a whole person, whether that's nutrition, or mental health, or physical health, I just felt like all my needs were cared for, and I never felt a need to go anywhere else.

- What would you say, or why would you say, it's empowering, so to speak?

- That's a good question.

I guess because before you've given birth, it's such a scary, intimidating thing, and I think it's normal to feel a lot of self-doubt, especially when you hear of stories of women maybe having not a very positive experience, or being very scary, or traumatic.

And with Sarah, I just never felt like, it was like this is what my body is made to do, and I can do this, and I have all of the power and strength within me, and I remember when I was pregnant with her, so they're only 11 months apart, when I was pregnant with Noelle, I looked at Sarah and I was like, "Can my body even do this?

Is this even possible for me to do two times in the same year?"

And she looked me dead in the face, so serious, and said, "Absolutely.

I would not be your care provider if I thought you couldn't do this."

And so, it's just always this, you have the strength within you, and then I've done it multiple times, and it is this like I feel very strong.

- [Jennifer] Kate's thoughts about midwifery are much the same as Cait and Rusty Zylstra, who have had one child delivered at the birthing center, and at the time of this interview were at 40 weeks, and ready to deliver any day.

They say delivery by midwife is where they're most comfortable.

- Well, when we found out we were pregnant with our first, it just instinctually was the first thing I wanted to look into.

It felt natural, it felt right.

We had known Sarah, actually, for a few years before we were pregnant.

So, I set up a meeting with her, and she went over what a home birth would look like, or a birth center birth, and what their prenatal care is like, what their postpartum care is like.

And everything just felt right, everything aligned with our values, the level of care we were gonna get, the personal care felt really good.

And so, we went with Sarah as our midwife.

- And when you think about that, and so, is it the personalized care, or is it that you don't want to be in a more sterile setting?

You like the home experience?

Are you more relaxed?

Or is it just how you wanna welcome your child into the world?

I mean what is it?

- Yep.

Everything that you just listed off.

I'm more comfortable at home, I feel safest at home, and as long as I was having a low-risk, healthy pregnancy, I wanted to try for a home birth.

- But you chose that way.

So, what was the feeling like when you gave birth to North?

- It was wonderful, I loved my birth.

It was empowering, I felt strong.

I would do it again, and am doing it again.

It was everything I wanted.

- And you did it at home, you're doing it at home again, correct?

Okay.

- Yes, yeah.

So, Rusty, that's the dad.

What are your thoughts about using a midwife versus, say, a hospital birth, or a birthing center?

Why are you all in on this?

- I just kind of feel like it's, I don't know, like the more natural way to do things, and just the way we are as a couple and our lifestyle, we tend to lean more towards that way of living, and thinking, and pace of life, and just I don't personally feel that comfortable in hospitals.

So, it's just kind of the best decision for us.

Though, that doesn't mean that I don't think other people should have hospital births, but I just think people should have births where they feel most comfortable, so... - [Jennifer] Perhaps the biggest element these expectant parents have in common is the who that makes them so comfortable with midwifery, and that's the midwife herself, Sarah Badger.

Here since 2016, Sarah, a licensed midwife, says she has now delivered about 1,600 babies.

She gave us a tour of the birthing center located on Merritt and Eastern Avenue.

There are two birthing rooms at the center which are outfitted with all the comforts of home.

- So, we usually will get them started, we will check heart tones, do vitals, and then they just kind of figure out where they wanna settle in.

So, most of the time, they'll settle in either on hands and knees on the bed, they'll try different positions, we have different balls and peanut balls, and different things to help with positioning to make it a little bit more comfortable.

They can also use the bathtub.

So, that's kind of where we start, is in here.

- [Jennifer] This the main bedroom.

This is the main space.

- This is the suite we primarily use.

It's a little bit bigger, we have a lot of light in here, which is really nice.

A lot of our clients like to have photography, and so this is a really good room for that.

So, here we would have some standard equipment that we have at home, but ours here can be a little bit higher grade.

So, our pulse socks, and our CCHD can sit, in case we have a baby that needs to be checked out sooner than later, can sit by the bedside, and that one can be a higher quality than the one we would take at home, which is portable.

Our O2 tanks can be a little bit larger, and they can sit out, our equipment can be a little bit kind of integrated into the room, so that you don't always see it, but the medical equipment is there.

So, this is our little kitchenette.

We do tools, and all the sanitation, we weigh the placenta, and the postpartum blood loss.

We do smoothies and stuff for after birth.

We'll make some eggs and stuff for our moms, but this is just kind of our little kitchen area.

The clients can put their food for labor in the fridge, and then we move into the other suite.

And this one is our other suite.

This one is for people who maybe have some higher risks, or if we're getting here just as baby is coming, we come right off of the parking lot, and so we can just kind of come in and have a baby if that's what's happening.

Or if we have two moms at once, we're able to do that.

So, different cultures like to use ropes hanging from, this one is a swing so you can kneel on the floor, and it can girdle your belly, or you can just take it, and pull to have a standing squat.

So, we were able to do that in this room whereas we were not upstairs because the attic.

But this has been really fun, and I think a lot of women really enjoy this part, and have wanted to use this room just for this.

So, yeah, they can choose that too.

- Would you say midwifery is becoming more popular in Grand Rapids?

- Yeah.

So, when I moved here in 2007, there were two midwives, and I think now, I may have my count wrong, but now I think we have 11 or 12 that work in our area.

So, not only have we grown in the midwifery community, but then that also means what we've grown in our birthing community because more people have options, and so more people can choose this.

And yeah, it's been phenomenal.

- [Jennifer] But despite its growing popularity, Sarah says she knows midwifery is not for everyone.

- So, how we can handle that for some people, you might not be a really good candidate for an out-of-hospital birth, but we can help by doing some of the midwifery care for your prenatal and postpartum.

So, you're getting that connective, but you're in a place where you need to birth, right?

You may need a higher level of monitoring, you might need a higher level of care.

And so, birthing in the hospital is your best option, but you want that connective care.

You want somebody to walk with you, you wanna be able to text somebody, or call someone and say, "Hey, I'm having a problem, can you help me with it right now?"

Instead of having to wait for a doctor to call you back.

So, yeah, we do that sometimes, but not everybody's a good candidate for out-of-hospital.

- What is your goal?

What is your goal, like your end goal?

This has grown so much, you said 2007 there were just a couple, and now you've got up to 12.

What would you like to see happen, or what are your goals in regards to midwifery, and this then opening the door maybe to people who don't have a clue about it?

- Yeah, I just want people to know that it's an option.

It may be a valid option for you, it may be a partial option for you.

I just want women in pregnancy and in their childbearing years to know that they are control of their body, they get to make the decisions, they have autonomy.

And if your provider is not listening to you, and not doing the things, then find another one.

There are lots of other midwives, so if you're not meshing, find another one, right?

I might not be the choice for someone, I'm a little bold, and a little blunt, and some people don't need that.

So, go find someone who's a little bit more quiet and gentle, there's just so many.

So, if your primary care provider is not helping you with the labs and ultrasounds, or in stuff like that, then find somebody who does.

It's your care, your body, you can find answers.

There's always another provider.

- You love your job?

- I love my job most of the time.

(Sarah laughing) - [Jennifer] I love your honesty.

- There are hard moments when you're waking up at 3:00 AM and you're like, "Oh my gosh, again."

But, I mean, when that baby comes through, and that mom just lights up of, "I did this", best part every time, I get chills every time I see it.

- Okay.

So, Sarah, I have to say it was nice visiting the birthing center, and I can say that surely what you're doing and the work that you do has powerful woman written all over it.

One of my big questions for you, as I ask so many people, is are you enjoying that journey?

I know you said you love your job, and you love the child birth, but are you enjoying the journey?

'Cause you've been doing this now 22 years.

- Yeah, I think anytime you do something for a long period of time, there's dips, right?

There's highs and lows.

And just before Covid I think it was a little bit of a different world, Covid hit, and it was a challenge.

And now, as we're coming out of that, it's more enjoyable.

Again, Covid just added a lot of things that we were not prepared for as a nation, I don't think we were prepared, but certainly in child birthing that really created some challenges about how to function, and how to be with women during that time.

- How to function, but it also increased the number of inquiries or actual people, the numbers of people that came to you, right?

- Oh, yeah.

Yeah, by triple, quadruple.

Yeah, more people were looking at it as an option because the hospital seems scary.

And so, we had to really field that, and make sure that we were still taking people who are low risk, and that were a good candidate for midwifery.

- Okay.

And as we continue to talk about powerful women, along on this journey, have there been any barriers that you have encountered?

- I think the biggest barrier is education around childbirth, teaching women, one that they have choices, and two that they get to make those choices.

But making sure that people know how childbirth functions.

I don't think we talk about it enough.

Most people don't even think about it until they get pregnant the first time, and there's a lot of stuff that can lead up to a pregnancy that needs to be kind of looked at.

And I don't think we're doing a great job of that in our culture of teaching women about their hormones, and their cycles, and what to be looking for.

So, yeah, it certainly is different.

- Okay.

And so, we all face obstacles, challenges and a lot.

So, for our listeners and viewers, what has it taken for you to become comfortable in your own skin?

To find your own voice, and to be comfortable in you?

'Cause a lot of women, it's a challenge along the way and again, depending on the barriers that you face, or the obstacles that you face, it can be challenging, people questioning, or what have you.

You seem like a strong-willed person, however, were you always?

And how did you find your voice?

- I think I've always been strong-willed.

I'm sure if you ask my mom, it came out at birth.

There have been challenges for sure, but I think that I've always just been able to listen to that internal voice of you are strong, you can get through this, and even though you might have a hurdle, you can always get over that, and move on to the next high part, and then there'll be another low, and you just kind of move with it.

I think just flowing, and being able to move through all those highs and lows is kind of what drives me.

As far as being a strong, outspoken woman, I just know that women need a voice, and I wanna encourage other women to have that.

And so, just leading by example.

- Do you think midwifery or, because you talk about empowerment a lot, do you think that helps women, or can help women find their own voice?

Because- - Childbirth?

- Through that, using a midwife, yeah.

- So, it's one of our most vulnerable times, as a woman you're changing from like, for your first one, you're changing from a single person into a double digit, right?

You are moving into a caretaking position that's a little bit different, but you're growing as a person in a way that I don't think we anticipate, societally, we don't talk about it, but it's a huge moment.

You are now having to raise up the next generation, and you have to have a voice in order to do that.

And so, childbirth I think does that, if you are given the ability to have a voice in it.

- So, obviously you are a midwife, but you're also a business owner, so you work with a number of people.

What are the leadership styles that you look for perhaps in those who are with you on your journey, or perhaps even those you mentor?

- Team playing.

Everybody has a part in a team, and we are all working together for the greater good of what our goal is.

And you have to be a team player, 'cause there are gonna be moments where your job feels very minimal, and there are gonna be other times where it's gonna be front and center, everybody has to group together.

So, that's what we look for in our staff.

- So, speaking of being front and center, curious how you balance your work life and your personal life, because, when we were at the birthing center, we had a conversation about you're on call, and your clients depend on you, and there's another midwife there, of course, but either of you, whoever has been guiding them on that particular journey, they want them there.

I mean, and you can't work 24/7, well, you kinda do, but how does that work?

How do you balance?

Because you have four kids, so how do you balance your personal life and your work life?

- You take the time when you have it.

That's kind of how it's been.

We do give each other time off, the other midwife and I, but babies ebb and flow.

So, we'll have a week where it's really busy, and we might have two or three, and then a week where we won't have any at all.

And so, you just take that time and enjoy it, and you just have to utilize it as well as you can.

- You did share something about you went on vacation abroad or something, and so tell me what happened with that again, because I just found that very interesting, people were waiting, 'cause they wanted you to deliver their baby.

What happened?

(Sarah laughing) - So, we went to London last year for my birthday, and we had several people due, and I let them know well in advance that I would be gone for this period of time, and all the babies waited.

So, as soon as we got back, I don't think I was back even 12 hours before the babies started coming.

And for that next week, we just had the baby palooza.

There was just babies every other day.

- So, what do you do in your spare time, or your relaxing, or downtime if you had that?

Because, again, we mentioned not only are you delivering babies, but you're running a business, you have two offices, obviously, the birthing center and an office.

So, what do you do with fam and friends to enjoy the time that you do have off?

- Yeah, the kids keep me pretty busy with that.

I do also read avidly, and so that's one of the things that I like to do when I have the time.

But my kids are 19 to 10, and so they have pretty active lives that they want me to participate in.

And so we just do all the things.

I have a daughter who's in drama, and so we do a lot of that stuff, and then my younger kids are very into anime and Legos, and so we do those things a lot too.

- Oh, that sounds like fun.

And so, as you progress, does your mom keep tabs on all that you're doing, and is she still delivering babies as well?

- She is.

She's in New Mexico, and she's still doing a smaller number now, but yeah, she's still doing it.

I think she'll do it until she can't.

Yeah, she does keep tabs, she loves to hear about it.

We still call each other about different clients, and reference and, hey, I have this, it's a little bit weird, would you go over it with me?

So, we both do that together.

- Because I know you followed in her footsteps, we talked about that, but you did work with her for a period of time, and so that had to be a good, I mean, a fun part of the journey as you got started.

I mean, starting with your mom, that had to be pretty cool.

- Yeah.

I mean, it was easy, right?

I hear stories of other people and their preceptors, and their education journey.

Mine was just, it was my mom, it was easy, we flowed really well together.

You just have kind of a non-language communication that works really well, and that's was really nice, yeah.

- And another part, something I picked up, your husband works in conjunction with you, as it relates to how busy you are, and that's key, when we talk about powerful women, sometimes you need help from, like you talk about teamwork, you need teamwork at home as well, I would imagine.

- Yeah.

I don't think that you can do midwifery without a good team, and that is really important.

And having a partner who values what you're doing, and makes it accessible for you to continue to do it is really important.

- Okay.

So, tell me something, this is one of my favorite questions.

What makes you laugh?

Because, I mean, you've got a lot going on, sometimes it's really serious, sometimes it's a little levity in the office, I'm sure.

But what makes you laugh?

- Oh man.

I have a really dry sense of humor.

So, it's always something that wouldn't be off the cuff.

Yeah, I laugh... Oh man, that's a hard one.

- Like with your kids and stuff like that, I'm sure they are probably a source of laughter.

- My kids love to do puns, so my 14-year-old will do a pun of the day, and today was food, yesterday was cats.

And so, he'll just go on a tangent with it.

He always makes me laugh.

Some of them are pretty bad, but most of the time they're- - But when they're bad you laugh anyway because they're so bad.

- Oh yeah, for sure.

Yeah.

I mean, the kids keep you on your toes, they will make you question everything, and laugh all the time.

- Absolutely, absolutely.

Mine the same.

So, I understand that.

So, do you have a favorite saying, or motto, that you use to encourage yourself, or perhaps others?

- My favorite, just keep moving.

You're gonna keep going, keep moving through this, anything is doable.

That's kind of my internal mantra.

- Yeah.

What are your goals for "Simply Born"?

I mean, are you planning on expanding?

Is there anything else that you'd like to see happen?

- Oh, I mean that's always like that 10-year plan is to expand, but right now I think just settling into the new normal, and really just getting a fluid flow is where we're at.

Expansion would be great in the future, but we'll see, yeah.

- Sarah Badger, thank you so much for joining us.

I so appreciate your time, and coming with us today, and talking with us, and allowing us, of course, to come into your birthing center.

That was a lot of fun.

So, I appreciate your time.

- Yeah, thank you so much.

This has been great.

- And I wanna thank you for coming in, and listening, and watching on another edition of "Powerful Women, Let's Talk".

I'm Jennifer Moss.

We'll see you next time.

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