Distinctly Montana Magazine

D I S T I N C T LY M O N TA N A • FA L L 2 0 1 6 76 moved to Montana, Dolly teamed up with them. She started a study group with some local Missoula women to learn all she could from the two new midwives in town. By 1977, she started going to births and helping deliver babies in women's homes. Since then, she has helped bring close to 1,000 infants into the world. It wasn't until 1988 that real controversy struck. Dolly was attending the birth of a baby whose mother was a nurse. Dolly noticed some problems with the baby's heartbeat and suggested they go to the hospital. When they arrived, the doctor in charge was checking the mother, ignoring Dolly's assertions that the mother was fine — it was the baby who needed help. e fact that Dolly was assisting in a home birth became a huge red flag to the medical community — and in particular to the doctor on duty that night. Midwives weren't so much "illegal" as "alegal" at that time, she tells me, because in Montana they could only practice in a hospital under a physician's supervision. Dolly was charged with practicing medicine without a license. She endured three gruelling days in court and was eventually found guilty. Her case was a catalyst that influenced the state legislature to pass laws that made midwifery a legal practice. In 1989 seven women took their midwifery exams and passed. She received license number 1 she tells me proudly. She then helped set up the national professional organization for certified profes- sional midwives (NACPM), a body which is still growing to this day. "I believe in luck and providence," Dolly says. And I agree that she seems to have a knack for being in the right place at the right time. After thirty-seven years of practicing midwifery she has just retired. "Do you miss it?" I ask. "Not any more," she replies, betraying something a bit like acceptance. "I'm writing now," she says. She is working on her memoir, which must be daunting considering the wealth of material. I finish by asking her whether she feels feminism is some- thing young women today identify with. "I don't know where the feminist ideal is today," she says, adding that she doesn't feel completely qualified to say. But she has spent time recently in universities trying to get the message across about the importance of midwifery and she was shocked at the lack of knowledge and confidence that many young women display when it comes to their bodies, their rights and their abilities. We say our goodbyes and agree to stay in touch. I look for- ward to reading her memoir. A story that she admits is about making sense of herself and where her personal and political urges have taken her throughout her life. A story that even without knowing it, we have all benefitted from. Dolly helped deliver both generations of mother and daughter (406) 580-0284 1946 Stadium Drive, Suite 2 Bozeman, MT 59715 massagebozeman@gmail.com www.originsbozeman.com www.schedulicity.com Origins M A S S A G E & B O D Y W O R K Cheryl McDonald, LMT Therapeutic Deep Tissue Massage • Sports Massage Relaxation Massage • Prenatal Massage "Post foot surgery, I was unable to enjoy my activities like tennis and running. After seeing Cheryl regularly I am back on the courts and running in races again." - C.G. "As a competitive triathlete and runner, I feel I improve my performance and can train harder (without nagging pain) since seeing Cheryl for regular sports massages." - M.L. • 25 years combined experience massage therapist & personal fitness trainer • Licensed and insured "WHERE DOES IT ALL COME FROM?" SHE ASKS AS IF MYSTIFIED BY HER OWN DRIVES AND DESIRES AND LETS OUT A LAUGH.

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