“Indeed, we have spent all of life preparing for this moment…”
Born and raised in Philadelphia, Aba Oyedi is a classically trained nurse and a professionally trained midwife who is endeared to and studied in the timeless traditions of caring for women before, during, and after their reproductive years. Having firmly rooted reverence for the Divine, Aba’s expression of service to the Creator and to humanity is in and through her work with women and families to inspire and remind Each of their personal connection to Omnipotent and Omnipresent Love.
Learning to Midwife
Aba’s journey in birthwork began with the free birth of her first child; an experience of empowerment that fueled her passion for childbearing women. After having attended a top tiered National League of Nursing licensure program in Philadelphia, she went on to graduate with honors from the undergraduate nursing program at Thomas Jefferson University. During these same years she worked at the Bryn Mawr Birth Center (now Lifecycle WomanCare) and apprenticed with Christy Santoro of Motherland Midwifery, both busy out of hospital practices, where she was able to focus her skillset and develop a deeper awareness of the presence required to usher women into their personal empowerment.
After having committed to service beyond the hospital setting, Aba continued her studies at Birthwise Midwifery School in Bridgeton, Maine; continuing apprenticeship with Motherland Midwifery as well as Midwifery Care Associates, and attending births in Pennsylvania and New Jersey. Her time at Maternidad La Luz, El Paso Texas, rounded out the clinical experiences necessary for NARM evaluation. She received her laurel from Birthwise in 2015.
My decision not to sit for NARM evaluation comes after much contemplation and consideration. I sat for NCLEX and did exceedingly well. I have studied the evolution of profession and see the effects of regulation. Ultimately, I do not believe the wisdom that travels one womb to another can be measured by a written exam. I am confident in my skills, as are my teachers and mentors. My foremothers walked in their knowing. They served from a place of integrity. I cannot expect the State to measure that, much less issue permission for me to carry it in my bag. AND, while as I move in life, my position and status regarding these matters may change, I assure you my opinion will not.
-Aba Oyedi Urban Bush: The Living Traditions
What is Spiritual Midwifery?
(Learning to Midwife Well)
“When I say I am a Spiritual Midwife, what I mean is that I have chosen to surrender attempts to govern Life’s essential unfolding and, with the support of Unconditional Love, choose to lean into Truth, Trust, Patience, Honor and Faith as my primary tools. This does not mean that I have abandoned my clinical training, but, as I innately trust Divine Intelligence, my highest vision of health and well-being is in full alignment with Nature, not technology. I regard birth as a spiritual phenomenon, a social event, a rites of passage, for babies, mothers, and the families and communities they are a part of. Of course some of what takes place during the process can be tracked by medical science. But far greater things, that have much deeper impact on the continuum of human experience, are happening spiritually; psycho-emotionally. In order for me to be a responsible and trustworthy custodian of safety and well-being, these aspects must be my primary concern.”
Following the red road. In step with our ancestors, those passed and those coming. An ear ever bent to the subtle conversations of the Guardians of Life. Learning, not only to hear the whispers, but to heed the wisdom of the trees over the racket and demands of sirens…
This is Urban Bush.