The TMaH Model’s emphasis on expanding midwifery and doula services marks a pivotal moment for maternal health advocacy. Certified Professional Midwives (CPMs) are uniquely equipped to deliver the kind of individualized, patient-centered care that this initiative seeks to promote. By investing in midwifery-led models of care, the TMaH Model aligns with research showing that midwives can significantly reduce maternal and neonatal morbidity and mortality while improving overall patient satisfaction.

The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), through the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS), announced the Transforming Maternal Health (TMaH) Model, a 10-year initiative aimed at improving maternal health and birth outcomes for pregnant and postpartum people and their infants.

TMaH will support participating state Medicaid agencies in developing a whole-person approach to pregnancy, childbirth, and postpartum care. Each awarded state will be eligible for up to $17 million dollars during the model’s 10-year period as well as 3 years of tailored technical assistance, in one-on-one and group settings, from a team of policy and analytic experts.

Of her new role, Dr. Jah says "I am thrilled to join NACPM's team, feel passionate about the organization's mission, and look forward to meeting the membership. In this existential moment in history, when midwifery preservation is a human rights issue, we all need to consider the foundation of values we embrace to grow midwifery as the primary birthcare system in the US. We have a moral imperative to create a movement that addresses health disparities, sustainability and provides an equitable future for the profession and care of childbearing people nationwide. I'm excited to provide leadership to this influential collective of CPM voices and connect even more of the community to this organization's strategic and forward-thinking work. During this critical time, NACPM needs creative problem solvers to join us in exploring how to take meaningful action in service of equitable, sustainable, and, ultimately, more accessible midwifery care."

Nationwide, more than 400 maternity services closed between 2006 and 2020. Between March and June 2022 alone, 11 health systems announced they were closing their obstetric services, citing low birth volumes and staffing challenges. As birthing units close, obstetricians and nurse-midwives are more likely to leave the area, exacerbating “maternity care deserts.”

NACPM Board Member Keisha Goode, PhD, whose research focuses on Black midwives, was interviewed for this article published on Cosmopolitan.com. Goode comments that Black midwives have a role to play in not only keeping Black birthing people alive but giving them the kind of births they deserve.

On January 2, 2023, State Representative Russell Webber (R- Shepherdsville) and State Representative Nima Kulkarni (D- Louisville) filed HB 54 An Act relating to Medicaid coverage for certified professional midwifery services. Rep. Kulkarni has filed similar legislation the past two years. Rep. Webber carried the original 2019 bill to license Certified Professional Midwives in the House where it passed 96-1.

Today the North American Registry of Midwives (NARM) announced the findings of their NRP survey. The survey was conducted in response to the challenges some CPMs have expressed trying to access NPR courses.While NARM acknowledges that difficulties do exist accessing NPR courses in some communicates, NARM maintains the importance of requiring the full NRP program (Online written exam and Skills testing) to uphold a standard of CPM skill outweighs the challenges individuals may face. NARM has committed to creating a Community-Based NRP Instructor Resource List that they will publish in the coming weeks.

Lauren is the owner of madreluzLA midwifery practice, currently based in Los Angeles, California and previously located in Oaxaca, Mexico. Her training encompasses both traditional Oaxacan and professional midwifery taught in Spanish and a rigorous program at Bastyr University where she graduated with a Master of Science in Midwifery.

This session is a safe space for Black, Brown, and Indigenous midwifery students. The discussion will center around the phenomenon of racism as it occurs in both didactic and clinical learning (including apprenticeships) during midwifery education. Students will be offered opportunities to share their stories and experiences in order to process and begin to heal from the trauma associated with midwifery education for BIPOC candidates. 

After a 25-year career in organizational development and training, Trish decided to pursue midwifery and did so, gaining the CPM credential in 2012, and then the Bridge certificate and Preceptor credential soon after.

Trish got involved with Midwives on Missions of Service (MOMS) in 2004 as a volunteer and became the Education Director in 2007.

Tamara is a community partera/midwife, perinatal educator, and herbalist, born and raised in Puerto Rico. She is a mother of two children who were born at home with midwives and has been actively involved in birth work since 2012. She holds a Master of Science in Midwifery (MSM) with foundations in Botanical Medicine from Bastyr University and is a Certified Professional Midwife (CPM), credentialed by the North American Registry of Midwives (NARM), all completed in 2019.

March of Dimes released its 2022 report, Nowhere to Go: Maternity Care Deserts Across the U.S., revealing access to maternity care is diminishing in places where it's needed most, impacting nearly seven million American women of childbearing age and roughly 500,000 babies. The data reinforces that the U.S. is still among the most dangerous developed nations for childbirth, especially in rural areas and communities of color.

The interview, which will take place over Zoom, will focus on a person’s pathway to becoming a birth worker; philosophy and model of care; health disparities; and the extent to which state and federal laws impact birthing centers.

Certified Professional Midwives are being asked to take part in a research study conducted by NYU Rory Meyers College of Nursing and led by Allison Squires, PhD, RN, FAAN investigating Global Nursing & Midwifery Perspectives of Working During the COVID-19 Pandemic

Mindfulness, defined as attention and awareness of the present moment without judgment, is widely used outside of pregnancy as a primary or adjunct treatment for stress, anxiety, and depression. A mindfulness practice has been shown to decrease several physiologic markers of stress including blood cortisol levels, C-reactive protein levels, blood pressure, and heart rate.

Cesarean deliveries increased in the US from 2019 to 2021, a trend driven by a rise in the share of patients who underwent the procedure for the first time, according to a new report from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s National Center for Health Statistics (NCHS).

NACPM was most pleased to be back on Capitol Hill last week on July 13th to co-host a lunch Briefing for Congressional staff with the American College of Nurse-Midwives (ACNM) and the American Association of Birth Centers, in conjunction with Congresswomen Lucille Roybal-Allard (D-CA-40th) and Katherine Clark (D-MA-5th) and the Black Maternal Health Caucus: “Solutions for Scaling Up and Maximizing Evidence-Based Midwifery and Birth Center Care in the U.S.”

The editors of the Journal of Midwifery & Women’s Health (JMWH) are soliciting manuscripts that address the effects of climate and environment on perinatal and reproductive health care for upcoming JMWH continuing education (CE) offerings. Accepted manuscripts may be published in a theme issue or as stand-alone CE articles.