From Carla, to the South Carolina Department of Health

in response to an email asking for confirmation of my enrollment as a student with AAMI (in order to license me as a South Carolina apprentice midwife)

Yes Erika is student #2012. We are quite excited to have another South
Carolina enrollee. I have quite a soft spot for South Carolinians. You may
not be aware, but Robert Lawyer was, that we offered the first comprehensive
academic program in the country for non-nurse midwives and have just
celebrated our 28th anniversary. Mr. Lawyer was the first state official to
give us approved status and wrote me a letter I still have to this day about
how thorough our program is.

I know that students there have many choices and I am all for that; I hope
you continue to allow students to choose their own education. However, I
want you to know that our students are not like any other midwifery
students. They know that there are far shorter and eaiser courses out
there, but those chose the most difficult and comprehensive, on purpose.
They will serve the women and families of South Carolina well long after
they have assisted with their births.

We not only offer the most advanced midwifery education but we place a
strong emphasize on parent education. Our approach helps parents realize
their own authority, which means that we help them accept their
responsibility for parenting and birth and health, which can only be a great
thing for your state's future.

You can expect Erika to be an asset to South Carolina and your birthing
families and we know that she will be an asset to our program. Please do
not ever hesitate to contact me with any issue relating to midwifery or our
students. We would love to be of service to you.

Thanks, Carla Hartley
Founder, Director
Ancient Art Midwifery Institute

Nice, right? I thought that was such a nice email. Carla bcc'ed me on it. And then I fwded it to Leigh.

It feels really good that someone I don't even know personally has such confidence in me. Okay, so it's probably really just confidence in her midwifery program, but still, the outcome is the same: I will be awesome in a few years. Even awesomer than I already am!

I'm very excited about AAMI. As I'm reading and printing and 3-hole-punching and filing, I'm very excited. I'm thinking about my future: I will have to pick two specialties of focus, one that is pregnancy and birth related and one that is related to holistic medicine. I'm thinking about twins for the pregnancy and birth related specialty. Obviously I know a little more about twins than the average lay person. I really have no idea about the holistic medicine one. I mean, everything sounds interesting, but nothing in particular sticks out. I would love to go to the Farm though, and do a workshop on herbs.

Off to eat dinner.