Philosophy Statement

As midwives, we believe the practice of midwifery to be distinct from the practice of medicine. Midwifery is a discipline pertaining to a normal cycle of life, the childbearing years. We base our profession on a model of care which affirms that:

Women are strong, and capable of great and ordinary things--as care providers we must not stand in the way of their knowledge and inner wisdom, rather, we should honor and nurture that strength which is inherent in every woman. We believe that the birth experience belongs to the woman and her intimate family. We, as attendants, are guests and witnesses in the lives of others.

Women are the primary care providers in their own lives and often in the lives of their families. Midwives respect the dignity and rights of the women they serve and strive to work in collaboration with them, supporting women to make informed decisions about their care and to take responsibility for their own well-being.

Physical, emotional, social, cultural, and spiritual factors together contribute to the health of individuals, and play a significant role in childbearing. Each woman has a unique experience of pregnancy and childbirth. To the best of our ability, we shall individualize our midwifery care to offer support in a manner which respects and addresses each woman’s unique needs.

Midwives recognize the value of a consistent care provider throughout the childbearing cycle and offer continuity of care whenever appropriate. We provide health care within a community context. Our practices reflect an awareness and integration of cultural standards, midwifery and medical standards and an ability to network with available social and health care services and resources.

There is an inherent perfection in childbearing and birth as a significant life process, one which does best without interference. We understand that attempts to control the process inevitably alters it, and frequently may harm the delicate balance. We embrace non-intervention consciously, quietly facilitating the spontaneous process of pregnancy, labor and birth, utilizing interventions only as truly necessary for the safety and well-being of mother and child.  

Knowledge is to be shared freely --with students, other midwives and health care providers, with pregnant women and their families. Open collaboration creates an atmosphere of peers, co-learners, and community, one in which all participants hold a piece of the truth and all are of value.

We affirm that choice of birth place and birth attendant are basic rights of all women and their families. For there to be authentic choice, we, as midwives will continue to educate and reach out to the public and the medical community, working to insure that safe, accessible and affordable out-of -hospital birth options are available to women regardless of race, ethnicity, socio-economic status, sexual orientation, physical disabilities and religious orientation.

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