Planned homebirth with a licensed midwife has comparable outcomes to planned births in a hospital, and many improved outcomes including reduction in c-section rates, higher breastfeeding rates after six weeks, and higher satisfaction rates among mothers. But don’t take our word for it—you can research the safety of planned homebirth with a licensed midwife yourself here.

Yes—especially under licensure, we can order labs and testing, however you may have to visit a different location depending on the midwife.

Of course! Most midwives offer a free consultation and many find it highly beneficial, not only for their own practice, but for your own overall health if you take the initiative to have basic blood panels done before you become pregnant.

The short answer is, no, our services are not directly covered by insurance. Many midwives offer payment plans and will provide you with a Superbill to submit to insurance upon request. Until more families advocate for homebirth coverage with their insurance providers, this is unlikely to change on its own.

Currently, CPMs are licensed in 36 states, with more on the way, Almost all of these states use the NARM exam as their credentialing exam.

Start by learning about what resources are in your area. If you are in a state that licenses CPMs, contact them and offer to buy them coffee to learn how they recommend getting started. You can also visit NARM’s website for information about the CPM credentialing process here and visit MEAC’s website here to learn about midwifery schools.

We have a recommend list of questions for maternity providers here. Above all, your midwife should be someone you trust as competent, honest, kind, and respectful.

Finding a preceptor can be tough! Midwives are often busy with their own client loads and many find it challenging to add on the extra responsibility of training a student. Not to mention the importance of finding a preceptor who you respect and one whom you can get along well!

Search our Midwife directory here and know that, just like birth, finding the right preceptor can take patience. It’s important to contact them early and to find ways to build into their practice, whether that’s doing office work, offering to teach childbirth classes, etc.

Sustainability! Our mission is to provide the highest level of midwifery care to women who desire a home birth. We aim to practice in a way that supports a healthy lifestyle and makes midwifery care, along with becoming and practicing as a midwife, sustainable and attainable for more people. Some do this by working together as a team, sharing time on call. This ensures that the attendants at your birth are well rested and best-equipped to respond to your needs. We believe that more midwives are needed and in demand in our area. Regardless of wether we practice in a team or not, we want to practice in a way that creates more midwives by training students and involving them in the process. We desire to bring balance to the midwifery practice for midwives and families.