Meet Meagan Kenney Hedger

We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Meagan Kenney Hedger a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Meagan , thank you so much for joining us today. Let’s jump right into something we’re really interested in hearing about from you – being the only one in the room. So many of us find ourselves as the only woman in the room, the only immigrant or the only artist in the room, etc. Can you talk to us about how you have learned to be effective and successful in situations where you are the only one in the room like you?

Being a Midwife in a community with no other Midwife who looks like me has been challenging in the way that it’s almost feels like isolation which I have quickly learned may not be a bad thing. When I started out as a Doula, it was the same way. Those who didn’t look like me wanted to keep me hidden, therefore out of the path of success. I say all of the time that those who recognized my potential in this work quickly realized how successful I could become and attempted to box me in, in hopes that my light couldn’t shine. Everyone loved me when it was on their terms.

I began to break away and focus on the things I found important. Building relationships with the local hospitals, OBs, L&D nurses, and other medical professionals became my goal. I knew that if I could continue that great reputation I had as a Doula, Birth Assistant, and Student Midwife that I could navigate this journey seamlessly as a Midwife when it came to support outside of the Community Midwives in the area.

I have learned to be effective by providing outstanding care to my patients which begins with conversations, bonding, and meeting them where they are. No two patients and their families are the same. I am transparent with those I encounter who are curious about the care I provide and my story about how I got here. How this work is my calling and my true purpose. I didn’t wake up one morning and decide…yep I’m going to be a Midwife. It was a soul searching journey. I truly believe I am effective because my heart is at the core of what I do and what I love. I don’t focus on anything negative within the community around me because let’s be honest, I hear a lot of things about me coming from those who don’t look like me.

My success comes from persistence. I don’t allow anything to stop me or bring me down. When I hear those negative things, I use them as fuel, fuel to keep me going. I just pray, smile, and keep it moving. There’s a reason why my practice has been completely full since I started it almost a year ago. People go where they feel loved, held, heard, safe, and cared for. My success comes from having a good team that stands behind me. We communicate effectively (good, bad, ugly), we pivot, we restart. We do whatever it takes because that’s what life is all about. When it comes to being successful, yes I’d definitely call myself successful 100% but I will never be at the smartest or best in the room and I don’t strive to be. I love sitting in rooms with women who are doing bigger things than me, who’ve been doing this work for a while, who have stories to tell. I love it, it helps me elevate and grow. Another key piece of being successful is only seeing yourself as competition, no one else matters. I’m looking in the mirror saying “girl, we are shining brighter today than we did yesterday”

With all of this being said, I love being the only one in the room that looks like me. It took me a lot to get here to this point and I know it’s only up from here. No one can determine your success but yourself. I’ve determined that success has no cap.

Let’s take a small detour – maybe you can share a bit about yourself before we dive back into some of the other questions we had for you?

I am a single mama to 5 children ages 23 to 11 living in the Florida Panhandle. About 6 or 7 years ago after I started thinking on my own not so great pregnancy journeys and listening to statistics and reading other stories. I decided to begin my journey as a Doula with the intention of being that quiet but strong force alongside other mamas navigating pregnancy, labor, birth, and postpartum. I wanted those mamas who hired me to feel supported, loved, head, and safe. I decided to begin the journey to becoming a Midwife at 37 years old. It was not easy, school was 4 1/2 hours away and I couldn’t bring my kids. I’d be gone every other week for a few days on a wing and a prayer sometimes not even have the means to get there and back. But I was determined to successfully finish the program. I knew then that it was my God given purpose and if He placed it on my heart it would be so as long as I stayed the course. After 3 long years over 18,000 miles of travel, tons of clinical hours and attending over 100 births, I made it and I got to show my children that you can do anything that you set your mind to and no one can tell you anything different especially when someone higher than you is in control.

So now and for the past year, I have been a Midwife. I work in the panhandle of Florida, and lower eastern Alabama. I am the only Licensed Midwife that is dual licensed in my area at this time. Actually the only dual licensed Midwife in my area period. Every day I navigate what it looks like to be the only Midwife that looks like me. I am met by my team and my patients with so much love and gratitude. Each day I meet a new family. Being a part of a journey such as this is so amazing. I get to watch my patients and their families grow, not just by another human but in their education. They know that they can call on me for whatever whenever and I’ll be there.

This work comes straight from the heart and helping to catch the babies is the cherry on top. I always say it’s the easiest part. Navigating an entire journey with each patient has its own challenges but I wouldn’t trade it for anything. It’s most rewarding to see growth during pregnancy, labor, birth, and postpartum. Our care schedule is much like the ones you’ll find at the OBs office so I am seeing these beautiful people from start to finish. I also love our extra emphasis on Postpartum care as well.

If you had to pick three qualities that are most important to develop, which three would you say matter most?

1. How to get out of your own way. Just move. Just flow. Be real, true, and authentic in everything that you do. You don’t need to fit in at all. In fact we weren’t created to fit in.
2. How to be neutral. This work in my opinion is based on autonomy. It’s really important to give your patients the ability to choose.
3. How to say nothing at all. We are so opinionated and I learned that saying nothing means everything sometimes.

Alright, so before we go we want to ask you to take a moment to reflect and share what you think you would do if you somehow knew you only had a decade of life left?

This is great. The biggest challenge is overcoming imposter syndrome. I can’t believe that this is my life, that my patients trust me, that people keep calling me and want me to be their Midwife. It’s so wild to me. It is very challenging, I have to remind myself that it’s normal to feel imposter syndrome and I am here right where I am supposed to be.

Contact Info:

• Instagram: @midwife_meagan_k
• Facebook: Wild Rose Midwifery or Midwife Meagan K LM CPM