More women across the U.S. are choosing certified midwives to guide them through pregnancy and childbirth, especially when their pregnancies are considered low-risk. Brandy Brey, founder of Wholesome Birth Services in Salem, Wisconsin, represents a growing shift toward natural, empowering …
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Cynthia Jaffe, a licensed midwife and founder of the Greenbank Women’s Clinic and Birth Center in Greenbank, Washington, is celebrating a monumental milestone: 25 years of helping mothers bring new life into the world. With an estimated 1,200 births under …
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Certified Nurse Midwife (CNM) Ruth Cummings of Sacramento is awaiting a final decision from the California Board of Registered Nursing (BRN), following accusations of gross negligence related to a 2010 stillbirth. The incident stemmed from a phone consultation in which …
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Cesarean sections (C-sections) are the most common surgical procedure in the United States. In California, however, a focused statewide initiative helped reduce the rate of first-time C-sections among low-risk pregnancies from 26% in 2014 to just 22.8% by 2019, below …
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Licensing laws vary dramatically by state, affecting everything from where a midwife can practice to whether Medicaid can reimburse them. For expectant parents, the legality and availability of midwifery services can depend entirely on geography. For aspiring midwives, the complexity …
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Why the Memorial Hospital Birthing Center May Close In late February, Memorial Hospital of Rhode Island, located in Pawtucket, announced plans to shut down its birthing center due to ongoing financial strain. The closure, part of a larger restructuring effort …
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How Pop Culture Skews Our View of Nurse-Midwives Pop culture often reinforces inaccurate or outdated ideas about midwifery. Whether it’s a TV drama or comedy sketch, nurse-midwives are sometimes portrayed as mystical healers, fringe birth assistants, or obsolete relics of …
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Nicolle Gonzales, a Diné (Navajo) Certified Nurse Midwife in New Mexico, is working to restore Indigenous birthing practices and reclaim cultural agency for Native American families. As one of fewer than two dozen Native CNMs in the U.S., she founded …
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The University of Pittsburgh’s School of Nursing launched a nationally accredited Nurse-Midwife major within its Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP) program — but as of 2025, the program is no longer accepting new applications. While current students are still completing …
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Nurse practitioners (NPs) are vital to the U.S. healthcare system, particularly in underserved communities. Yet the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) has long maintained limits on how NPs can practice. Now, leading voices in healthcare—including the American Association of Nurse …
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