By Grace Pohl
Staff Intern 

Shaddy brings home birthing practice to the West Plains

 

Last updated 6/27/2017 at 11:06am

Grace Pohl

Rebekah Shaddy was born in a home birth in Cheney 29 years ago and now offers the same services for people in the West Plains area.

Rebekah Shaddy was born at a home birth in Cheney and has continued the legacy by bringing the practice back to the West Plains area.

Shaddy has five brothers and sisters and was home schooled. She ended up working at Youth With a Mission (YWAM) at the age of 18 and continued to work there for eight years, where she met her husband.

The pair started to travel the world with YWAM and worked with human trafficking, which was their main focus with the organization. With this process, Shaddy got an understanding for injustices in other parts of the world.

Shaddy wanted to help women by becoming a midwife because she saw the lack of health insurance and help around the world for pregnant women. She attended a school in the Philippines that is certified in the United States.

"It was a really big gift coming back into the U.S.," Shaddy said. "I got experiences in the Philippines that most people do not get from attending a school here (U.S.)."

She trained for a couple years, gaining a lot of experience from all the different opportunities given overseas. At midwifery school, Shaddy graduated with 77 deliveries as a primary midwife and has had an active roll in over 300 births.

After schooling, Shaddy took the national midwifery board exam offered by NARM (North American Registry of Midwives) and received her Certified Professional Midwife credential. She later met the requirements for Washington state licensure and became a licensed midwife. She currently also has certification in CPR and neonatal resuscitation.

Coming back to Cheney was never really Shaddy's plan until Eva Sample, a colleague, was moving to the Spokane area and the two decided to open a practice together. Their practice is now called the Lilac City Midwifery with an office on the South Hill and another one in Cheney.

"I am the only one in Cheney who offers this," Shaddy said. "It is a really good niche for me here. And I want people to know that I am here. I also want them to know that even though I am young, I am a trained professional. Although I don't have kids, it does not mean I don't know what I am doing. I am great at my job."

The bonus for women who go through Shaddy and Sample is that the patient gets two midwives for the price of one. They also have an assistant with them at all births, Emily Walden, who also has experience from overseas and in the U.S. So at the time of birth, there are three trained professionals to support the patients.

"We believe it is a safe and natural process," Shaddy added. "It is really invaluable."

The cost of going through Lilac City Midwifery currently has a cash pay fee of $3,050 with some insurances being able to cover it.

The cost includes prenatal care, labor and delivery and postpartum. Their services also include free consultation, holistic care, nutritional counseling, assessment of fetal well-being and growth, informed consent and informed decision making and 24-hour access to a midwife.

"We never turn anybody away because they cannot pay," she said. "I set up my life so that I can be free to serve others. If they are invested, we are invested."

Grace Pohl can be contacted at grace@cheneyfreepress.com.

 

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