Mississippi midwife of 20+ years talks journey to delivering hundreds of babies
TUPELO, Miss — Toni Hill has helped many women through their pregnancy journey and has delivered hundreds of Mid-South babies.
Midwifery for Toni has been a long journey. She is more than 20 years into her profession, but she first witnessed an expecting mother give birth at 13 years old. "And then I read a book, like one of those Little House on The Prairie books or something and there was a midwife mentioned in the book," Hill said. "I was like, 'Oh my goodness, that's what I want to do with my life!'" |
From 'Cradle to Grave': Mississippi MidwiferyAt the head of the mother is a doula, an educator invested in motherhood.
At the womb is Toni Hill. Hill, owner of Blooming Moon Midwifery in Tupelo, is a Black, certified traditional midwife. She wears other titles: doula, doula trainer, lactation consultant. A midwife, though, better executes her vision: community-based care for people with periods. To understand Hill’s work is to understand inequity, especially in Mississippi, a state where Black women face even bigger obstacles to medical care. Hill’s career asks not only who is worthy of life, but who is worthy of life-giving care. |
Mississippi midwives see influx of inquiries, patients
JACKSON, Miss. (WJTV) — With visitation restrictions and just the risk of exposure in hospitals, some women are hesitant to see their pregnancy out in delivery rooms and some are exploring other avenues such as midwifery. Midwives said they’ve seen a lot of people asking about about their services.
“When the governor decided to go through with the shutdown I had probably 32 phone calls in the first day,” Hill said. She said that her advice is consistent –pandemic or not– to always do thorough research. |
Rural midwives fill gap as hospitals cut childbirth services
For the past year or so, Toni Hill, a midwife in the lowlands of northern Mississippi, has received an influx of calls from women across the state who live in areas with no hospitals and only a smattering of health care providers.
As COVID-19 rates increased, some pregnant women did not feel safe receiving care in a hospital or were unable to contact their providers. Others, who lived in the Mississippi Delta, did not have transportation for the three-plus hour trip to Jackson, the state capital. Hill quickly found herself very overwhelmed, she said. |
‘The Stories Have Been Lost’: Scott Ford Houses Preserve Power, Legacy Of Black MidwivesShameika Davis moves from the bed to the couch. The pain is intense, but moving helps.
She watches as midwife Toni Hill lays out the items needed for the birth. Davis moves to the birth SheMeika Davis holds her newborn baby girl. Midwife Toni Hill assisted with the birth ball listening to the instructions of Hill’s assistant to regulate her breathing.Five contractions later, she is up again moving across the floor to the ottoman. Hill applies pressure to her back. Her soothing and calming voice relieves the anxiety in the room. Minutes later, Davis is up again. When she realizes what is happening, she calls for Hill to join her. Moments later, Hill catches Davis’ baby girl. |
Home birth requests ‘went through the roof’ when the pandemic hit. Are they here to stay?Toni Hill, a traditional midwife, fortunately had some extra supplies on hand for her small practice last spring. But like so many essential service providers, she still had to compete with larger institutions for personal protective equipment.
Hill, 43, searched Harbor Freight Tools and Lowe’s for gloves. Certain items, such as birth tubs and bag valve masks to help patients breathe, were on back-order. When municipalities started putting curfews in place, Hill mailed her team of birth assistants name badges, masks and letters stating that they were essential workers. She also fielded calls and texts from fearful families who were trying to birth at home at the last minute. |
Tupelo Midwife Has Delivered 150 Babies in the Old-Fashioned Way
Hill, a 39-year-old Tupelo native, began training as a midwife in 2008. She has caught about 150 babies over the years and takes joy in watching those babies grow. She works with a team of women from North Mississippi, including Christa Sheman McGrew, Lauren Paige Tate, and Alison Doyle.
All three women work closely with Hill during births and have let Hill deliver their babies. They are friends, colleagues and fellow students. “Toni is one of those people that just makes you want to get comfy and tell all,” Doyle said. “She is kind, intelligent and will be honest with you in a gentle way. She does the right thing even when no one would hold her to it.” |