A Wealth of Knowledge: Whitney Pinger
By OBOS — May 1, 2009
From 2009 – 2011, Our Bodies Ourselves honored the work of women’s health advocates worldwide by asking readers to nominate their favorite women’s health hero. View all nominees by year: 2009, 2010, 2011
Note: Whitney received two nominations at the same time from two different people. Both are included in this post.
Entrant: Meryl Heyliger
Nominee: Whitney Pinger, Certified Nurse Midwife
I am writing to nominate Whitney Pinger, CNM, for the Women’s Health Heroes Award because she is by far a hero to me and to my family!
Before I met Whitney in person, I knew that she would be my midwife. We spoke on the phone several months before my daughter was born and Whitney shared her résumé, basically, with me on the phone. I was impressed! Throughout our conversation, Whitney emphasized the need for me to feel comfortable with whatever decision I made and to feel confident in my capacity to have a natural birth. As she shared her experiences, and encouraged me to share my views as well, I knew that I would be able to talk openly with her, in a way that differed from my regular doctor.
It was not an easy decision to switch from my obstetrician to a midwife, but what I’d been experiencing with my doctor felt so technical and matter of fact. After meeting Whitney, I knew my husband and I made the right decision to have her help us deliver our baby. My husband accompanied me to every appointment and through our visits, he also developed a trusting relationship with Whitney. She’d ask what we were thinking and feeling, what questions we had, and would always remind us that we needed to do what felt right to us in preparing for labor and delivery.
Whitney is a wealth of knowledge! Her experience and commitment to a research based practice helped us to quickly trust her, feel comfortable, safe and prepared. Even now, almost 5 months after my daughter’s birth, my husband or I will ask, “What would Whitney say about this?” I’ve contacted her with questions about friends’ birth experiences and she continues to be readily available and willing to help.
Whitney led my “team” during labor and delivery and I am certain that I would not have had the birth experience that I had without her! No matter what I was experiencing, I knew that Whitney was there to make sure I was okay. She held my hand, guided my husband and doula, gave updates, encouraged, was compassionate, ensured that my birth plan was followed, and gave the support I needed throughout my labor and delivery.
All while caring for me, I learned about Whitney’s advocacy work, experience in the field of natural childbirth, and leadership. She works tirelessly to serve women and is an incredible advocate for us. Without question, Whitney is a hero for me, my family, and many others. I am extremely happy to submit this nomination; Whitney is truly an asset in our community and we have been very fortunate to have her in our lives!
Second Nomination
Entrant: Heather Wilson
Whitney Pinger is indisputably a women’s health hero.
Whitney, now a senior Certified Nurse Midwife in the Washington, DC region, began her midwifery training 30 years ago in Berkeley, CA. She was attracted to midwifery as a high school student after reading “Our Bodies, Ourselves” and began a string of apprenticeships with lay midwives.
Whitney was at the forefront of the homebirth movement in the late 1970s and received her training at the Berkeley Women’s Health Collective. She obtained her midwifery degree at Yale University and has been a staunch advocate for natural birth and the midwifery model of care ever since.
As a CNM, Whitney has run low-income clinics, established multiple private practices, and served as faculty at Yale, Georgetown University, and the Washington Hospital Center. Several Washington, DC area midwifery practices have closed in recent years. Whitney filled the void by creating a new private practice dedicated to natural birth in a hospital setting and opened her door to women who were shut out of these closing practices. She continues to actively promote natural birth, women’s autonomy, and maternity care reform in an environment that can be antagonistic to low-tech, high-touch birth. Whitney is currently touring regional hospitals with an educational presentation about evidence-based midwifery practice.
I am privileged to apprentice with Whitney and to see her in action, both as a birth activist and as an incredibly nurturing and intuitive midwife. I see her, time and again, establish trusting, respectful relationships with her patients. She encourages them to listen to and follow their instincts and empowers them to be active participants in their health care. Whitney creates an environment that enables laboring women to dig deep and do their work without distraction. She manages birthing women with patience, flexibility, creativity, and compassion and trusts the birthing process. Whitney is an inspiration to me, her patients, and her colleagues and is our hero.
I vote for Whitney! I have not even given birth yet but feel so delighted to know that she will be there when the bambino comes.
I am voting for Whitney because she upholds the highest standards for her patients, using evidence based practices to ensure natural childbirth approaches to birth and women’s health. She is a rarity in today’s medical field and much loved both by her patients and the medical community for her graciousness and her passion for her work.
Whitney is a women’s health advocate who has lead transformation in Washington DC for decades. Whitney has created sustaining change on a local and nation level which will last centuries: assisting to shape legislation which now serves as model legislation for EVERY state in the United States, serving as a leader in the region through work with the American College of Nurse Midwives. She has been a midwife to many professionals: “midwifing” the Washington free clinic, “midwifing” EVERY practice in the DC region in one way or another, and “midwifing” resident physicians. As an advocate for physiologic birth, family metamorphosis and the innate strength of women, her ability to “be with” women is notable. Thanks Whitney!
i tried to vote and the star system did not work. please count my vote!
I just wanted to ad my own two cents. I had an amazing birthing experience that I know could only have happened under Whitney’s care. She empowered me as a woman to listen and trust my body. She is a nurturing soul who my partner and I find ourselves missing after the birth of our daughter 4 months ago. When the time comes for us to grow our family, we look forward to sharing it with Whitney again. Anyone who gets the opportunity to have her as a healthcare provider is blessed.
We feel so fortunate to have met Whitney and for her to be part of the birth of our daughter. She has been an amazing resource as well as source of support and strength. Whitney helped us feel more empowered and informed about our pregnancy, birth and postpartum period. Whitney is definitely a hero to our family!
I had dreamt about the birth of my child for years, long before she was ever a reality. When I became pregnant I immediately looked at my OBs differently and was underwhelmed at their clinical nature, removed emotion, and my need for more compassion. In visiting with a colleague about this situation she said, “you can always change your care, it’s never too late in a pregnancy”. I took that advice to heart and at 28 weeks pregnant began searching for the person that would work with my personality (tense) and my body (other medical issues) in concert for the birth I dreamt about. Whitney provided the care I needed, the patience to understand me, and the delivery I had dreamed of. My daughter born was naturally and my healing process quick and carefully monitored. I never felt alone, scared, or silly. Whitney was available, thorough, and caring enough to let my birth be. I’m forever grateful she took me as a patient and look forward to another child with her guidance.
I am so grateful to Whitney for her support of and dedication to both her patients and to the national cause of evidence-based, women-empowered birth and child care. I came to Whitney, like many others, after feeling increasingly uncomfortable with clinical, impersonal, steerage nature of my OB practice, yet I had little knowledge or understanding of midwifery, or of my rights or power as a birthing woman. I’m still 2 months from giving birth under Whitney’s care, and feel that working with her has opened my mind (and in many ways my heart) to possibilities for a nurtured yet empowered, practical yet supportive birth experience that is truly my own. Whitney deserves all the kudos and respect in the world, and I’m proud to vote for her for this award.
Whitney inspires women to believe in their own bodies. Under her care, I was able to achieve the natural birth I always wanted. Throughout the pregnancy, she listened; during labor, she allowed me to work with my body with as little intervention as possible; and when the going got tough, her presence of mind and medical expertise led to the safe delivery of my baby boy. Whitney is our hero. Please count this comment as my vote as I was unable to vote on the website.