Midwifing America

We ask midwives about their vision for the future of our profession, on location in Washington, D.C., at the American College of Nurse-Midwives annual meeting, May 2019.

A community reacts to the threatened closure of a beloved birth center that has been serving Eugene, Oregon for nearly 30 years.

In Episode Six we explore midwifery in Puerto Rico and the impact of Hurricane Maria on maternity care. Featuring interviews with midwives Vanessa Caldari and Michelle Perez-Chiques of Centro MAM, midwifery student Jessica Galarza, and researcher Holly Horan.

This episode features midwife Ebony Marcelle, with interviews with student midwives Trixie Kioko and Sunny Soroosh. We discuss racism and its impact on maternal health outcomes for African American women, and explore the role midwifery can play in reducing these disparities.

This episode is the first in a series exploring maternity care in Native American communities. Native Alaskan Tomika Itchoak shares her experience giving birth in rural Alaska and midwife Janelle Komorowski reflects on her years practicing there. Navajo midwife Nicolle Gonzales discusses why indigenous midwifery care can be the key to improving outcomes for indigenous women. Narrated by Angie Chisholm. Special thanks to Princess Crumal for her assistance with this episode.

Mom of five, Caylan Wagar, shares her home and hospital birth stories. Her midwife, scholar and researcher Dr. Melissa Cheyney, provides an analysis of maternal health care in the U.S. and a prescription for bridging the home-hospital divide. Narration by Kate Bowen.

This is the story of one practice's transition from a physician-only practice to a collaborative midwife-physician model. We hear from midwife Katie Robins, physician AJ McCann, nurse managers Debbie Heim and Terri Shenk, and L&D nurse and patient Holly Linn. Narration by Emily Yeast.

We know that midwives work in a variety of settings and many move from one practice environment to another during their career. In this episode, midwife Susan Heinz shares her journey working in home and hospital settings and, most recently, opening a birth center in Corvallis, Oregon. We also speak with Evie, a mother who has experienced both in- and out-of-hospital births, all attended by midwives.