Central Texas Birth Network Member Profile
January, 2009 - Illysa Foster, CPM
After a lengthy and accomplished career in education, Illysa Foster made a life changing choice to become a midwife. Her background in psychology, human growth and development and early childhood education have laid a firm foundation for her homebirth practice, Sisters Midwifery.
Q: What made you decide to become a midwife?
A: I had a homebirth in 1997, but I didn’t choose this profession at that time. I had a really strong calling in 2005. My children were old enough, so I resigned from Austin Community College and went through the Association of Texas Midwives program. I had a couple of different apprenticeships. I worked at two different birthing centers and with two different homebirth midwives, and I graduated in 2007.
Q: But why did you choose this work?
A: I can’t explain it except that it was like I was supposed to be doing something different. It felt like a spiritual calling. Suddenly it happened, and I figured out that’s what I was supposed to do. This is a field that utilizes all my skills; counseling, caring for people, touching their lives and using my intuitive skills. Midwifery gives me the opportunity to be scholarly but also to have clinical relationships. All the way around it feels like it challenges me.
Q: Describe your practice.
A: I have a homebirth midwifery private practice. I’ve been open since September of 2007. I serve the whole Central TX area. I have an office in Austin and a rural office San Marcos. Having a rural practice and a practice in Austin has allowed me to work with a variety of women from very different backgrounds. It is enriching to work with a diverse clientele, and it has helped my practice to grow. I had 20 clients during my first year. Now I’m taking two to three births a month. I always bring another Licensed Midwife with me. I offer preconception services with my practice as well to help prepare for the challenges of early pregnancy, especially the emotional aspect. I also enjoy working with people struggling with nutritional challenges. I do a lot of waterbirths as well. More than half of my clients choose waterbirth.
Q: Why do you prefer practicing in a home setting?
A: Homebirth wasn’t what I thought I was going to do, but when I had a homebirth I felt like I really owned it. It belonged to me. I feel that it is very important that the woman has control of her birth and is empowered through her pregnancy through education and informed consent. I feel that I can accomplish that in a homebirth practice. You’re so open and vulnerable in birth. To feel like there is someone there controlling you and harming you can set you back. My way of practicing is embedded in my understanding human development. Women can call the shots more on their home turf. Plus there is no overhead, and I do not have to take on as many clients in order to cover expenses.
Q: Why is the way that a woman chooses to give birth important?
A: I see birth as a rite of passage. We have very few of those in our society anymore. Ritual and rite of passage are both things that I really honor. To really harness the opportunity that birth offers allows a woman to learn about herself through her own process. I feel the best way to do this is to have a non-directive caregiver that helps provide her with the best information possible and empowers her to become a strong mother and woman.
Q: How prevalent is the demand for homebirth in the Central Texas community?
A: It’s still very much a small percentage of women who choose homebirth in Texas. I don’t believe that it is any larger than the national average, which is about 1 percent. I think that homebirth only appeals to a small segment of the population because people don’t always see it as viable option. They may not even know that the option exists. There is a lack of access to information about the profession. And there’s a lot of fear in obstetrics and many mainstream pregnancy and birthing books. I think that many women view birth as a medical condition rather than a natural part of their own development. Many of the women who are choosing (homebirth) do it because they see that birth has gone so far towards becoming surgical and such a non-natural experience.
Q: What is the typical expense of a home birth in this area?
A: I think that homebirth in Central Texas is less expensive than anywhere else in the state. It probably costs between $2000 and $3500.
Q: What do you love most about being a midwife and what is the most difficult aspect of your work?
A: What I love most about the field is the woman-focused aspect of the Midwifery Model of Care. I also love having the honor of being involved as a mentor and counselor and care provider for women as they go through one of most amazing changes of their lives. The most challenging part is the responsibility and being able to remember that there is a shared responsibility. A woman and her midwife share responsibility and it can be really tempting to take that responsibility fully. For me it’s balancing that. It’s her journey. I respect my client’s choices. There are times that I see people making mistakes, and I have to decide as the care provider, where to draw the line. That’s true in other professions as well, like work in counseling or medicine.
Q: How would you like to see our birth culture evolve in the future?
A: I would like to see a lot more collaboration between doulas, midwives and childbirth educators. I think that’s one thing that the CTBN is helping to build. Central Texas has all these different groups, so it is important to come together and see how we can serve the birthing community.
Foster and her husband, Dr. Jon Lasser, are presently writing an ethics book about the practice of midwifery, Ethics in Midwifery: Compassionate Caring. To learn more about Illysa Foster and Sisters Midwifery, visit
www.sistersmidwifery.com.
Julia Hockenberry is a writer and doula living in Marble Falls, TX. She studied vocal music at Florida State University and was a classical music announcer for WFDD radio in Winston Salem, NC before becoming a news anchor for WNAV radio in Annapolis, MD. Hockenberry has also written extensively for The Capital newspaper in Annapolis, MD, as well serving as a contributing writer to The River Cities Daily Tribune and The Highland Lakes Business Journal in Marble Falls. In addition to being a perpetual student in the dynamic fields of pregnancy and childbirth, Julia is married to husband, Jay, and has three children, Clara, Ben and Calvin.