Barbara's Biography

Barbara is a Certified Nurse Midwife (CNM). She received her RN degree from Vermont College, Bachelor of Science from SUNY Purchase, and Master of Science from Philadelphia University. After practicing midwifery in homes, in birth centers and in hospital settings, Barbara brings a special sense of the universality of birth to her practice. Her recent work centers on supporting teens' and menopausal women's health, where she brings her knowledge and experience to women's relationships with food, their bodies and their gynecological health throughout their lives.

Areas of Interest

I have always been interested in herbal and traditional healing. Mostly self taught, I started learning about herbal medicines which launched my career in midwifery. I believe in food as medicine and in the innate knowledge of plants for healing and creating synergy in our bodies. Applying these principles to the needs of teens and menopausal women is an important focus of my practice. Luckily science is catching up to traditional herbal medicine, making alternative therapies, herbal and food supplements more acceptable to everyone. There is a developing body of knowledge to "prove" that herbal and traditional healing work.

Personally my interests are in art, music and nature. I love to get in the woods, away from my cell phone and walk with my dogs and family. I'm an avid reader, generally working on 3-4 books at a time.

My Path to Midwifery

My interest in midwifery was piqued while living communally in Vermont and hearing my friends' stories of their homebirths. My passion for midwifery really developed after the birth of my first son. I loved my midwives; they opened a whole new chapter in my life. I realized that midwives understood the rhythm of birth, keeping the lights low, following the mother's lead. This propelled me into midwifery school, so that I could begin and complete the cycle of pregnancy and birthing with women and their families.

Practicing midwifery in diverse environments has allowed me to experience the universality of birth among different women. Through working in areas with refugee populations, I've been lucky to see a variety of cultural differences during birth. Their belief systems and birthing styles are vastly different, and yet the same. Working in hospital-based midwifery and collaborative practices with ob/gyns has helped me value the role of being a midwife and I am grateful to attend a woman's birth in any environment. What each individual chooses for her experience is how I want to support her. It's her birth, and what I hope to provide is the support she desires for an amazing life-changing experience.

My Hope for Clients

My hope for clients through my practice is to hear women change the way they speak about birth. That women walk away from pregnancy and birth, no matter how hard or unexpected, to say it was an amazing experience. That women develop an innate trust and knowledge of themselves to pass down to their daughters and global community. That birth is honored as an expected inevitable life event for women who choose it. It's important to me that women regain their full understanding of themselves. That they speak positively about their cycles in life at any age. Culturally women are bombarded with negative portrayals of their bodies, which undermine their belief and trust in their ability to grow and birth their babies. I would like to hear women say they trust this process and arrive on the other side of it amazed at themselves and proud. This will also translate to a more satisfying and graceful aging process as we move towards ending our childbearing years.


Barbara's Full Circle Blog Articles

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Look For New Posts From Barbara Smith-Foy! Barbara is a Certified Nurse Midwife (CNM). She received her RN degree from Vermont College, Bachelor of Science from SUNY Purchase, and Master of Science from Philadelphia University. After practicing midwifery in homes, in birth centers and in hospital settings, Barbara brings a special sense of the universality of birth to her practice. Her recent work centers on supporting teens’ and menopausal women’s health, where she brings her knowledge and experience to women’s …