She always kept a gun in her purse. It's not unusual at all that a midwife would have a concealed weapon permit. Many do.
Penny kept one in her purse, and a few in random spots elsewhere. I'd visited her home on many occasions and would see gun and ammo in a pile on the big fluffy down comforter of her bed or one out on the dining room table. She never locked her front door and she never had a problem with robbery or intruders.
Penny encouraged me to buy a gun and learn to shoot. She used a local shooting range to stay in good practice. Penny reminded me time and time again that midwives are out alone in unfamiliar and sometimes dangerous locals so it's important to feel safe. She laughed when she shared the story about never getting to use her weapon.
She told me about the time she and an assistant, years ago, Daddy was on the cell phone with Penny telling them that mama was feeling the urge to push. They guided daddy through a very easy delivery of a beautiful baby girl. As they neared the home, they decided to go in first to let the parents know they'd arrived, make sure baby and mama were fine and just access.
They parked on the street right in front of the house. Of course they felt safe, broad daylight and children riding bikes and playing tag on here and there.
Just about 5 minutes after they'd entered the home, they went back out to collect postparum supplies and paperwork. The car doors were all open and they were only thankful they'd taken their purses in with them because there wasn't so much as an O2 tank left in the car.
Thieves had made off with every bit of possessions in the car from the birth bags to the chux to the stainless steel water mug Penny carried everywhere she went. They both stood eyes and mouths hanging wide open like the doors of the car.
Both ladies didn't know whether to scream, laugh or cry. They called out to the children on the street and to the old people sitting on the front porch two doors down. Nobody had seen a thing. Or at least, nobody cared to share what they'd seen.
A midwife's bag is full of items to make a homebirth more comfortable. She carries hundreds of pounds of equipment from home to home. She gathers items carefully over years and years of time. Some things from midwifery conferences, some from mail order. Many items are handed down from elder midwives. The cost wasn't as bad as the feeling of being violated. She said she felt like she could use a gun on that day. Now, years later, she actually laughs re-telling the story. She said, It was like a bad "Starsky and Hutch" episode or "Gone in 60 Seconds" type thing. How on earth they did what they did in such a short amount of time? She giggled with glee when she said that she sure hoped they enjoyed the effects of shooting up that Methergin.
