Meet the Midwife Part IV: Rebecca Polston with Roots Community Birth Center!

"We are truly an open door for anyone looking for gentle, genuine and affirming care."
- Rebecca Polston, CPM

By Erin Stertz-Follett, LCCE, CD(DONA), HBCE, Owner of Flutterby

I often tell my students that the Twin Cities is a special place for birth - With so many choices of care providers and birth places, we are unique among other major U.S. cities. Thanks to Rebecca Polston, certified professional midwife, there is now yet another wonderful option - Roots Community Birth Center! I recently had the opportunity to tour the new birth center and it is a comfortable, welcoming place for families from all walks of life. Continue reading to find out more about Roots, Rebecca, and her inspiration for opening her birth center in North Minneapolis!

Q: How long have you been a midwife?
A: Three years.

Q: Where did you receive your training and education?
A: I trained both in the home birth and birth center settings here in MN and in Utah. I attended the National Midwifery Institute, an MEAC-accredited program and earned a degree in Traditional Midwifery from Metro State.

Q: Did you practice anywhere/with any other midwives before starting Roots?
A: Though I had started Roots Midwifery before I started working with her, I kept that practice extremely small while I have had the absolute joy of practicing for the past three years with Aly Folin, CPM, LM (North Star Midwifery).

Q: I know you are also a home birth midwife. What motivated you to open a freestanding birth center?
A: For me, opening a birth center is about making the care that we give accessible to more families. I love the care we give in our home birth practice; it is the equivalent of the slow food movement - Conscientious, focused, respectful, quality.  It is, however, more than a "style" - We have great outcomes, midwives have great outcomes, and I want as many birthing families as possible to have access to that. Insurance companies are more likely to cover services in a birth center setting, making out-of-hospital care more affordable for more families.

Q: What makes Roots' birth center unique? What is the model of care?
A: What makes us unique is that we are small and plan to stay that way. I want to focus on maintaining a personal connection and a sense of individuality with each of our clients. By being small, we are able to have room for the unique cultural needs of so many families. We have an incredibly diverse staff, who believe in serving each family as they are.

Q: Why did you choose to open Roots in North Minneapolis?
A: I lived in North Minneapolis when my first child was born and both my husband and I worked as community organizers in North. What I loved about North is the incredible heart and beauty of my community, and I saw time and time again a dis-investment in our community. This plays out in many ways, and one of them is a a lack of access to basic services... let alone excellent ones. I wanted to bring my midwifery care here to invest in my community, to serve the next generation of mothers and families, and to create access to birthing families throughout the northwest metro area.

Q: How can families get in touch with you to initiate care and where are you located?
A: They can call the birth center at 612-338-2784, email us at [email protected], or stop in Monday-Wednesday 10-4pm. Our birth center is located at 1901 44th Avenue North. Our web site is: http://www.roots-midwifery.com/

Q: What else do you want to be sure readers know?
A: We are here for all families: black, white, First Nations, Latina, Asian, rich, poor, Christian, Muslim, GLBTQ, teens, and first-time parents. We are truly an open door for anyone looking for gentle, genuine and affirming care.

Thank you, Rebecca! Be sure to follow Roots on Facebook!
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Flutterby Birth Services, LLC provides childbirth and breastfeeding education, doula care, lactation support, car seat installation/checks, placenta encapsulation, new mamas support groups, and more! Flutterby is located in Edina near 494 and France Avenue. Follow Flutterby on Facebook!