{"id":2874,"date":"2020-03-06T11:44:26","date_gmt":"2020-03-06T16:44:26","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.syracusewomanmag.com\/?p=2874"},"modified":"2020-02-25T11:46:11","modified_gmt":"2020-02-25T16:46:11","slug":"inspire-kira-smith-powerhouse-of-midwife-nursing","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.syracusewomanmag.com\/?p=2874","title":{"rendered":"INSPIRE: Kira Smith, Powerhouse of Midwife Nursing"},"content":{"rendered":"

By Larry Stansbury<\/strong><\/p>\n

Photos by Maureen Tricase\/Capture Your Moments<\/strong><\/p>\n

Kira Smith is not your ordinary nurse, she\u2019s a nurse that empowers women to be women, especially when giving birth to the first child.<\/p>\n

Smith was introduced to midwifery. She always wanted to be a midwife and initially thought she was going to be an obstetrician-gynecologist (OBGYN) because she had a passion for women\u2019s health, specializing in delivering babies. After completing her internship, she realized that her passion aligned with both midwife and OBGYN, where this led to her being a Certified Nurse Midwife. This route allowed her to do sexual and reproductive health along with all aspects of women\u2019s health.<\/p>\n

\u201cI always knew I wanted to work with Doctors Without Borders and didn\u2019t think I\u2019d be with the practice for more than a few years,\u201d Smith said in regards to working at the Yale School of Medicine in the OBGYN Department as a Gynecological Teaching Associate. \u201cThe midwifery service became my baby and I invested almost 10 years serving the women of Connecticut.\u201d<\/p>\n

Being able to be with women through their best and worst moments, supporting them and witnessing their experiences, Smith empowers women to live through their experience for the better. She guides women to find their strength, voice, and themselves. This is the major factor of her role \u2013 encouraging a mother to give birth to her first child \u2013 and also teaching teenagers to have a positive and educational experience through their first pelvic exam. As a nurse, she supports women who\u2019re going through disclosing sexual assault and walking with them on their path of survival and healing.<\/p>\n

\u201cI believe one of the ways to empower others is by speaking the truth and being authentic,\u201d Smith said. \u201cWe often see someone do or achieve something that we admire but think that we could never accomplish the same because of whatever imaginable shortcomings we have. I believe it\u2019s my responsibility to not only tell others they can do anything but also to share my challenges, struggles and obstacles to show that they too can overcome things in the way. In fact, you can take those things and make them your strengths.\u201d<\/p>\n

After working with MSF (Doctors Without Borders), refugee camps, MSF sites in Ethiopia highlands, Somali sections of Ethiopia, South Sudan and had assignments serving the Rohingya people in refugee camps both in Bangladesh and Myanmar, she had many challenges as a nurse.<\/p>\n

\u201cI also had the experience of not being taken as a legitimate knowledgeable healthcare provider because I’m not a \u2018doctor\u2019,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n

This is a big challenge for many women, having to work twice as hard to earn respect in the workplace in order to be equal.<\/p>\n

But Smith doesn\u2019t let this stop her from doing what she loves.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m motivated by just knowing that something I can do will empower another person and those ripples keep going,\u201d she said. \u201cAnd I\u2019m motivated by the people I\u2019ve met in the world and the relationships that grow.\u201d<\/p>\n

She\u2019s also inspired by the people she\u2019s around with every day.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m inspired by the person who leaves an abusive partner, the person with mental illness who shares their story, the person who is suicidal and chooses to live another day, the person who claims their sexuality or gender, the person who speaks up for someone else even though it puts them at risk, the person who chooses the peaceful nonviolent route, the person who loves and cares for others. I\u2019m inspired by people who speak their truth,\u201d Smith said. \u201cI look for inspiration in everyone.\u201c<\/p>\n

This can be challenging when you inspire both people and yourself on this journey because people can bring negativity to you.<\/p>\n

\u201cI do think that a hardship that all women face is \u2018shaming\u2019. We are shamed for our bodies, slut-shame, shamed for putting ourselves \u2018in certain situations\u2019, fat shame, shamed for working too hard or not hard enough, being a stay at home mom, not having children, shamed for getting an education, etc, etc.,\u201d she said.\u201dWe need to embrace one another and raise each other up.\u201d<\/p>\n

Now as an educator, she helps students reach their goals and potential in school.<\/p>\n

\u201cDuring this time, I continued educating by precepting students,\u201d she said. \u201cI once had a student who got down on herself because she didn\u2019t know something that she felt she ought to know, she questioned if she was going to be able to make it… I told her that\u2019s why she was a student, to learn those things and it was my job to teach them to her. But what I couldn\u2019t teach her was how to care for our beneficiaries, I couldn’t teach her to be compassionate or empathetic and that\u2019s what is required. Since she had those in abundance the rest would come into place… And did it ever, she\u2019s an amazing nurse-midwife.\u201d<\/p>\n

She ends her job with a Maya Angelou quote: \u201cI’ve learned that people will<\/strong> forget what you said, people will<\/strong>forget what you did, but people will<\/strong> never forget how you made them feel<\/strong>.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

By Larry Stansbury Photos by Maureen Tricase\/Capture Your Moments Kira Smith is not your ordinary nurse, she\u2019s a nurse that empowers women to be women, especially when giving birth to the first child. Smith was introduced to midwifery. She always wanted to be a midwife and initially thought she was going to be an obstetrician-gynecologist…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":2875,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[99,126],"tags":[1114,157,1116,1115],"class_list":["post-2874","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-featured","category-health","tag-doctors-without-borders","tag-inspire","tag-kira-smith","tag-midwife-nursing"],"gutentor_comment":0,"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.syracusewomanmag.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/02\/DSC_3146-scaled.jpeg?fit=1866%2C2560&ssl=1","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":1595,"url":"https:\/\/www.syracusewomanmag.com\/?p=1595","url_meta":{"origin":2874,"position":0},"title":"Linda Lovig","author":"Staff","date":"March 1, 2018","format":false,"excerpt":"The Birth of Syracuse Midwives By Lorna Oppedisano | Photography by Alexis Emm\u00a0 When Syracuse native Linda Lovig moved with her family to Flagstaff, Ariz., she wanted to do something for her community, and decided to get certified as an EMT. One piece of her coursework was to observe a\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Features"","block_context":{"text":"Features","link":"https:\/\/www.syracusewomanmag.com\/?cat=101"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.syracusewomanmag.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/03\/AEP-SWM-MARCH-8.jpg?fit=1200%2C870&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.syracusewomanmag.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/03\/AEP-SWM-MARCH-8.jpg?fit=1200%2C870&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.syracusewomanmag.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/03\/AEP-SWM-MARCH-8.jpg?fit=1200%2C870&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.syracusewomanmag.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/03\/AEP-SWM-MARCH-8.jpg?fit=1200%2C870&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.syracusewomanmag.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/03\/AEP-SWM-MARCH-8.jpg?fit=1200%2C870&ssl=1&resize=1050%2C600 3x"},"classes":[]},{"id":2764,"url":"https:\/\/www.syracusewomanmag.com\/?p=2764","url_meta":{"origin":2874,"position":1},"title":"INSPIRE: Katie Flaherty: From Shame to Shine","author":"Staff","date":"December 30, 2019","format":false,"excerpt":"By Becca Taurisano Photos by Maureen Tricase\/Capture Your Moments \u00a0 Katie Flaherty wants to remove the stigma around women\u2019s sexual health and, through her organization, Shine with Courage, she hopes to do just that. \u00a0 A survivor of trauma in her childhood, Flaherty became passionate about sexual health issues and\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Features"","block_context":{"text":"Features","link":"https:\/\/www.syracusewomanmag.com\/?cat=101"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.syracusewomanmag.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/12\/fullsizeoutput_21087.jpeg?fit=800%2C1200&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.syracusewomanmag.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/12\/fullsizeoutput_21087.jpeg?fit=800%2C1200&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.syracusewomanmag.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/12\/fullsizeoutput_21087.jpeg?fit=800%2C1200&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.syracusewomanmag.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/12\/fullsizeoutput_21087.jpeg?fit=800%2C1200&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":3354,"url":"https:\/\/www.syracusewomanmag.com\/?p=3354","url_meta":{"origin":2874,"position":2},"title":"Special Feature: Helping break the glass ceiling in healthcare","author":"Alyssa Dearborn","date":"October 17, 2022","format":false,"excerpt":"By Lorna Oppedisano Within the professional world, many women are faced with the challenges of working in a male-dominated field. Groups and individuals are taking steps to facilitate balance and equity, along with the open communication needed to turn those goals into realities. Dr. Kristen Pfau of Fennell Street FamilyCare\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Special Feature"","block_context":{"text":"Special Feature","link":"https:\/\/www.syracusewomanmag.com\/?cat=4"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.syracusewomanmag.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/10\/OCT2022_Special-Feature_Breaking-the-Glass-Ceiling.jpeg?fit=1200%2C800&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.syracusewomanmag.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/10\/OCT2022_Special-Feature_Breaking-the-Glass-Ceiling.jpeg?fit=1200%2C800&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.syracusewomanmag.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/10\/OCT2022_Special-Feature_Breaking-the-Glass-Ceiling.jpeg?fit=1200%2C800&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.syracusewomanmag.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/10\/OCT2022_Special-Feature_Breaking-the-Glass-Ceiling.jpeg?fit=1200%2C800&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.syracusewomanmag.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/10\/OCT2022_Special-Feature_Breaking-the-Glass-Ceiling.jpeg?fit=1200%2C800&ssl=1&resize=1050%2C600 3x"},"classes":[]},{"id":2183,"url":"https:\/\/www.syracusewomanmag.com\/?p=2183","url_meta":{"origin":2874,"position":3},"title":"WBOC Leading Woman: Diane Rizzo","author":"Staff","date":"December 5, 2018","format":false,"excerpt":"By Jamie Jenson Some might say Dianne Rizzo became a life coach by chance. But for Dianne, who had spent three decades as a registered nurse, it felt like a natural progression. \u201cI had been coaching people through nursing \u2014 coaching patients and families \u2014 all during my nursing career,\u201d\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Featured"","block_context":{"text":"Featured","link":"https:\/\/www.syracusewomanmag.com\/?cat=99"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.syracusewomanmag.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/11\/Dianne-Rizzo-0005-RT.jpg?fit=801%2C1200&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.syracusewomanmag.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/11\/Dianne-Rizzo-0005-RT.jpg?fit=801%2C1200&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.syracusewomanmag.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/11\/Dianne-Rizzo-0005-RT.jpg?fit=801%2C1200&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.syracusewomanmag.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/11\/Dianne-Rizzo-0005-RT.jpg?fit=801%2C1200&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":2383,"url":"https:\/\/www.syracusewomanmag.com\/?p=2383","url_meta":{"origin":2874,"position":4},"title":"INSPIRE: Lisa Alford","author":"Staff","date":"May 4, 2019","format":false,"excerpt":"By Jessica Collins Lisa Alford\u2019s favorite poem is Max Ehrmann\u2019s \u201cDesiderata.\u201d \u00a0 \u201cGo placidly\u00a0amid the noise and the haste,\u201d Ehrmann wrote in the 1927 poem, \u201cand remember what peace there may be in silence. As far as possible, without surrender, be on good terms with all persons.\u201d \u00a0 Lisa said\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Features"","block_context":{"text":"Features","link":"https:\/\/www.syracusewomanmag.com\/?cat=101"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.syracusewomanmag.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/04\/dsc-4093.jpg?fit=1200%2C853&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.syracusewomanmag.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/04\/dsc-4093.jpg?fit=1200%2C853&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.syracusewomanmag.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/04\/dsc-4093.jpg?fit=1200%2C853&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.syracusewomanmag.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/04\/dsc-4093.jpg?fit=1200%2C853&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.syracusewomanmag.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/04\/dsc-4093.jpg?fit=1200%2C853&ssl=1&resize=1050%2C600 3x"},"classes":[]},{"id":3491,"url":"https:\/\/www.syracusewomanmag.com\/?p=3491","url_meta":{"origin":2874,"position":5},"title":"Inspire: Brittany Taylor – Making a community-wide impact on heart health","author":"Alyssa Dearborn","date":"February 8, 2023","format":false,"excerpt":"By Alyssa Dearborn After joining the American Heart Association nearly one year ago as the organization\u2019s community impact director, Brittany Taylor has been able to make a difference in the lives of Central New Yorkers while seeing the Association\u2019s impact firsthand.\u00a0 \u201cAs the community impact director, I work with both\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Inspire"","block_context":{"text":"Inspire","link":"https:\/\/www.syracusewomanmag.com\/?cat=1143"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.syracusewomanmag.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/02\/Image-14-scaled.jpeg?fit=900%2C1200&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.syracusewomanmag.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/02\/Image-14-scaled.jpeg?fit=900%2C1200&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.syracusewomanmag.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/02\/Image-14-scaled.jpeg?fit=900%2C1200&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.syracusewomanmag.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/02\/Image-14-scaled.jpeg?fit=900%2C1200&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x"},"classes":[]}],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.syracusewomanmag.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2874","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.syracusewomanmag.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.syracusewomanmag.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.syracusewomanmag.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.syracusewomanmag.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=2874"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.syracusewomanmag.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2874\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2876,"href":"https:\/\/www.syracusewomanmag.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2874\/revisions\/2876"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.syracusewomanmag.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/2875"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.syracusewomanmag.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=2874"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.syracusewomanmag.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=2874"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.syracusewomanmag.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=2874"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}