Name: Death And Midwifery | with Mortician Victor M. Sweeney + Paige Pederson
Uploaded: 2026-01-28T15:01:19.000Z
Duration: 3408
Description: In this episode of "Death And," mortician and funeral director Victor M. Sweeney sits down with Paige Pederson, a certified midwife from Grand Forks, North...

In this episode of "Death And," mortician and funeral director Victor M. Sweeney sits down with Paige Pederson, a certified midwife from Grand Forks, North Dakota, to explore the fascinating overlap between death and the practice of midwifery. The conversation reveals how both professions, though on seemingly opposite ends of life, revolve around being present with families in moments of profound transition—birth and death. Paige opens up about the hands-on, relationship-based nature of her work, caring for women from conception through postpartum and valuing the trust that develops along the way. Victor shares parallels from funeral service, including the importance of simply sitting with families and allowing space for grief and healing.

LINKS
https://birthwithgenesis.com
https://www.facebook.com/genesismidwifery
http://deathandpodcast.com
http://instagram.com/victor.m.sweeney
http://tiktok.com/@victormsweeney
http://x.com/victormsweeney
http://simonandschuster.com/books/Now-Departing/Victor-M-Sweeney/9781668062111

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00:00 Mortician Victor M. Sweeney opens the episode
01:04 What it means to be a midwife - Midwifery explained
01:36 Exploring the overlap between midwifery and mortuary work
03:13 Listener question: What do you do when a body is too tall for your embalming table?
04:44 Listener question: What if you find drugs smuggled in a body?
05:55 Midwife Paige Peterson—background and reconnecting at a funeral
08:09 Paige Peterson describes the role and scope of a midwife
09:58 The emotional side of midwifery: Relationship-based care
12:14 Connections between funeral work and midwifery—building trust and friendships
14:10 Listening and being present: Coffee shop meetings and prenatal visits
15:45 What women want from pregnancy care: Informed and respected choices
17:01 Guiding families who aren’t sure what they want
18:18 Trust as the foundation of home birth safety
20:18 Examples of trust in action: When intervention is needed
22:41 The return of home funerals? Shifting trends in birth and death
23:30 Death doulas and their role compared to morticians
26:41 Doulas and midwives: Working together in home birth
27:04 Longest birth attended by Paige Peterson
28:02 Quick labors and the unpredictability of birth
29:26 Hurry up and wait—parallels in waiting for birth and death
30:00 On-call life as a midwife and mortician
34:16 Being on call: The logistics and emotional toll
37:41 Managing anxiety as an on-call professional
40:18 Letting go of anxiety—finding peace and coping
41:32 Focusing on serving families instead of self
42:30 The mystery of birth: Guessing a baby’s size and appearance
44:42 The spiritual side of birth—thin veils and “miracles”
47:38 Seeing familial resemblance in newborns and the newly deceased
49:38 The privilege and difficulty of the work: It never gets old
51:09 Serving rural North Dakota: Paige Peterson’s service area
51:48 Reflections on presenting family members after birth and after death
55:31 Closing thoughts from Victor and episode wrap-up

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