Midwives Alliance of Pennsylvania
Connecting community midwives across the Commonwealth!
Uniting, Supporting, and Advancing Midwives
From the shores of Lake Erie to the Philadelphia region, and from the Pennsylvania Wilds to the Dutch Country, community midwives serve families in every corner of the Commonwealth. MAP exists to strengthen those connections—bringing midwives together to share knowledge, support one another, advance professional excellence, and advocate for the future of community-based maternity care.
By fostering collaboration among practitioners from diverse backgrounds, regions, and practice settings, MAP helps build a stronger, more connected midwifery community dedicated to serving women, mothers, babies, and families throughout Pennsylvania.
Pennsylvania's Community Midwives
Midwives have served growing families throughout Pennsylvania for generations. Today, Pennsylvania's community midwives continue that tradition by providing individualized maternity care and supporting families through pregnancy, birth, postpartum recovery, and newborn care.
MAP represents and supports a diverse community of midwives dedicated to professional excellence, collaboration, and access to community-based maternity care throughout the Commonwealth.
Midwifery an Independent Discipline
Midwifery is one of the oldest professions in the world and remains a distinct healthcare discipline with its own body of knowledge, educational pathways, standards of practice, and philosophy of care.
While midwives frequently collaborate with physicians, nurses, hospitals, and other healthcare professionals, midwifery is not a branch of nursing or medicine. Midwives are specialists in normal pregnancy, birth, postpartum care, and newborn care, bringing a unique perspective that emphasizes prevention, informed decision-making, continuity of care, and respect for the normal physiological processes of pregnancy and birth.
For centuries, Pennsylvania community midwives have served as trusted caregivers within their communities, combining clinical knowledge with personalized care and support for women and growing families.
Pennsylvania's Diverse Body of Community Midwives
Traditional Midwives (TMs)
Traditional midwives carry forward generations of community knowledge, apprenticeship, and service, providing care that reflects the unique needs and traditions of the families and communities they serve and may practice in Pennsylvania in the community setting.
Certified Professional Midwives (CPMs)
Certified Professional Midwives are credentialed direct entry midwives certified through the North American Registry of Midwives (NARM) and educated specifically in the discipline of midwifery and may practice in Pennsylvania in the community setting.
Certified Direct Entry Midwives (CDEMs)
Certified Direct Entry Midwives are credentialed direct entry midwives certified through the National Fellowship of Direct Entry Midwives (NFDEM) and educated specifically in the discipline of midwifery and may practice in Pennsylvania in the community setting.
Certified Nurse-Midwives (CNMs)
Certified Nurse-Midwives are advanced practice registered nurses educated in both nursing and midwifery, who are licensed Pennsylvania midwives, and may practice in hospitals, birth centers, and community settings.
Certified Midwives (CMs)
Certified Midwives are graduate-educated midwives who have completed professional midwifery education without a nursing prerequisite, who are licensed Pennsylvania midwives, and may practice in hospitals, birth centers and community settings.
While their educational pathways and credentials may differ, community midwives are united by a shared commitment to supporting women and families through pregnancy, birth, postpartum care, and newborn care while promoting informed choice, professional excellence, and access to maternity care throughout the Commonwealth.
National Credentialing of Direct-entry Midwives
Pennsylvania's direct-entry midwives may hold credentials issued by national midwifery organizations that establish educational, clinical, and competency requirements for professional practice and certification.
The National Fellowship of Direct Entry Midwives (NFDEM) awards the Certified Direct Entry Midwife (CDEM) credential and supports pathways to midwifery education that preserve educational freedom, professional competency, and religious liberty.
The North American Registry of Midwives (NARM) awards the Certified Professional Midwife (CPM) credential and is the largest credentialing organization for direct-entry midwives in the United States.
While these organizations have distinct histories and missions, both contribute to the strength of the direct-entry midwifery profession by supporting professional standards, assessing competency, and credentialing qualified midwives.
The Midwifery Model of Care
The midwifery model of care is built upon the understanding that pregnancy and birth are normal physiological processes for most women. Midwives provide individualized care that emphasizes informed decision-making, continuity of care, prevention, education, and respect for the unique needs and preferences of each family.
Key principles of the midwifery model include:
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Building trusting relationships with families
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Supporting informed choice
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Promoting physiologic pregnancy and birth
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Providing individualized care
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Encouraging family involvement
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Recognizing the importance of emotional, physical, and social well-being
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Collaborating with other healthcare professionals when needed
This relationship-centered approach has been associated with high levels of patient satisfaction and positive maternal outcomes.
The Safety of Homebirth
A growing body of research demonstrates that planned home birth with appropriately trained midwives can be a safe option for low-risk women.
Studies have shown that planned home birth is associated with:
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Lower cesarean rates
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Lower rates of induction
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Lower rates of instrumental delivery
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Reduced maternal morbidity
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High levels of maternal satisfaction
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Comparable outcomes for carefully screened low-risk pregnancies when integrated systems of care are available
The safety of home birth depends on appropriate client selection, informed decision-making, skilled providers, emergency preparedness, and access to consultation and transfer when necessary.
MAP supports evidence-informed maternity care and encourages families to discuss their individual circumstances with qualified healthcare providers when considering their birth options.
Studies have shown that planned home birth is associated with:
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Lower cesarean rates
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Lower rates of induction
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Lower rates of instrumental delivery
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Reduced maternal morbidity
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High levels of maternal satisfaction
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Comparable outcomes for carefully screened low-risk pregnancies when integrated systems of care are available
It is in the Evidence
Cheyney et al. (MANA Statistics Project)
Cheyney M, Bovbjerg M, Everson C, Gordon W, Hannibal D, Vedam S.
Outcomes of Care for 16,924 Planned Home Births in the United States: The Midwives Alliance of North America Statistics Project, 2004–2009. Journal of Midwifery & Women's Health, 2014. This is one of the largest U.S. datasets of planned home births.
Hutton et al. (Ontario Home Birth Study)
Hutton EK, Reitsma AH, Kaufman K.
Outcomes Associated with Planned Home and Planned Hospital Births in Low-Risk Women Attended by Midwives in Ontario, Canada, 2003–2006. Birth, 2009. Compared low-risk planned home births with planned hospital births attended by midwives.
Hutton et al. (Planned Place of Birth Study)
Hutton EK, Cappelletti A, Reitsma AH, et al.
Outcomes Associated with Planned Place of Birth Among Women With Low-Risk Pregnancies. CMAJ, 2016. Found no significant difference in serious adverse neonatal outcomes between planned home and planned hospital birth in the Ontario cohort, while intervention rates were lower in the planned home birth group.
Reitsma et al. (Systematic Review & Meta-analysis)
Reitsma A, Simioni J, Brunton G, Kaufman K, Hutton EK.
Perinatal or Neonatal Mortality Among Women Who Intend at the Onset of Labour to Give Birth at Home Compared to Women of Low Obstetrical Risk Who Intend to Give Birth in Hospital: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analyses. EClinicalMedicine, 2019.
National Academies Reports
The most useful National Academies publication for legislators is:
National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine
Birth Settings in America: Outcomes, Quality, Access, and Choice (2020). Reviews evidence regarding hospital birth, birth centers, and home birth, and discusses policy implications.
Birth Center Outcomes Studies
American Association of Birth Centers (AABC) Strong Start Evaluation
One of the most frequently cited birth center outcome datasets in the United States. Examines maternal and neonatal outcomes among women receiving care in freestanding birth centers.
The Community Birth Movement
A Stronger Future Starts With Connection
Pennsylvania's community midwives have long supported one another through collaboration, mentorship, shared learning, and advocacy. As MAP enters a renewed chapter in its history, we invite midwives from every pathway and practice setting to help strengthen our statewide community.
Whether you are an experienced practitioner, a newly credentialed midwife, a student, or an apprentice, your voice matters.
Together, we can:
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Strengthen professional connections
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Advance community-based maternity care
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Promote professional excellence
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Support future generations of midwives
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Advocate for the profession throughout Pennsylvania