Upper Peninsula Midwifery Services

10/09/2026

🎬 U.P. Midwifery Services is hosting a special screening of "Allowed to Birth"!

As labor and delivery units across the Upper Peninsula have closed, many families are feeling the impact of limited maternity care options and a lack of choice in where and how they give birth.

We want to bring our community together for meaningful conversations about the "state of maternity care here in the U.P." and what the future could look like for our families.

Join us for this powerful documentary, followed by an opportunity to connect and chat with local midwives and doulas.

❤️ We're especially excited to welcome Kristine Lauria, the incredible local midwife featured in the film, for a special appearance!

📅 November 14 | 12 PM
📍 Northern Center at NMU, Marquette
🎟️ $20 per ticket | Only 45 seats available!

Come watch, ask questions, and be part of the conversation. Our U.P. families deserve options!

🎟️ https://www.eventbrite.com/e/allowed-to-birth-a-special-community-film-screening-midwifery-roundtable-tickets-2003204802489

Join us in person to watch "Allowed to Birth" and stick around for a casual discussion.

10/08/2026

Tomorrow will be the first day I will being seeing families for care in the new space.

Officially open in ISHPEMING !
Home sweet Home 🏠 ❤️❤️❤️

I’ll do some fancy video later but here is a good peek for now.

The SISU suite is still under renovations… so much to come this fall 🥰

Www.upmidwife.com
Schedule a consult

10/05/2026

A GOOD BYE to the place I called home for the past year.
Thank you to Dr Francois at Connected Chiropractic for sharing space with me in Marquette so I could build my practice up and go out on my own.

I will miss the office chit chat for sure!

Stay tuned…. I’ll be showing off the new Ishpeming suite this week.
For now just some cozy memories pics. I’m sure some of you spent months meeting me and my team here 🥰Francois Montbrun 🙏🙏🙏

10/01/2026

Can't believe it's October 🍂

09/30/2026

🔥 Can I Use a Sauna During Pregnancy?

As a midwife serving families across the U.P., I’m often asked about the safety of using a sauna during pregnancy. It makes sense—sauna is a big part of life and culture here!

So I spent some time looking at the research, and here is what I found for you.

The good news is that current research suggests sauna use during a healthy pregnancy can be safe when used appropriately. The biggest concern we hear about is overheating, but studies looking specifically at sauna use during pregnancy have generally not found maternal core temperatures reaching levels associated with concern when sauna use is moderate.

Here are 5 simple tips for enjoying the sauna during pregnancy:

1. Keep your sessions moderate.
Research has looked at pregnant women using a sauna around 158°F (70°C) for up to 20 minutes without maternal core temperatures exceeding the commonly referenced 102.2°F (39°C) threshold. You certainly don't have to stay for 20 minutes—get out when you're ready.

2. Listen to your body.
Pregnancy can change how you tolerate heat. If you feel too hot, dizzy, lightheaded, nauseated, weak, or simply uncomfortable, it's time to step out and cool down. Don't push through discomfort.

3. Stay hydrated.
Go into the sauna well hydrated and replace fluids afterward. If you're already dehydrated, have been vomiting, or haven't been drinking well that day, consider skipping your sauna session.

4. Skip the sauna if you're sick or have a fever.
It's important not to lump fever and sauna use together. A fever involves illness and inflammation in addition to elevated temperature and isn't the same thing as a short period of controlled heat exposure. If you're already sick or febrile, though, that's a good day to skip the sauna.

5. Use common sense—not a stopwatch.
There's no prize for staying in longer! Choose a comfortable temperature, take breaks, cool off when you need to, and pay attention to how you feel.
AND SAUNA WITH A BUDDY!

❤️ The takeaway: Pregnancy doesn't automatically mean giving up the sauna.

Sauna use during pregnancy is very common in Finland, and the available research is reassuring when it comes to typical, moderate use. Use caution, stay hydrated, avoid becoming overheated, and listen to your body.

And if you'd like to hear a great discussion about this topic, check out The Great Rebellion Podcast and their discussion on sauna use during pregnancy. It's a great companion to the research.

09/30/2026

💙🩷 Want to find out baby’s gender early? 🩷💙

I’m now offering the SneakPeek Gender DNA Test at my NEW Ishpeming location!

SneakPeek uses a small maternal blood sample to look for fetal DNA and determine whether baby is a boy or girl. Having your blood collected professionally in the office also helps reduce the risk of contamination that can occur with at-home collection.

✨ How does it work?
• You must be at least 6 weeks pregnant at the time of testing
• Schedule your blood draw at my Ishpeming office
• Your sample is collected and sent directly to the SneakPeek lab
• Results are typically available 1–2 days after the blood draw.

💰 Cost: $125

You do not need to be a current U.P. Midwifery client to schedule.

📍 U.P. Midwifery Services — 204 Cleveland Ave, Ishpeming, Michigan

Find out early if you’re welcoming a little boy or girl! 💙🩷

Call the office today to book your appointment!

09/26/2026

The anticipation is killing me 😅
The front room is almost done!

One more coat of paint and the new floors go in next week 🤞Then I get to move in while the contractors still finish the birth suite and new bathroom addition.

I’m looking forward to being just down the street from home 🥰

09/23/2026

Magnesium & Zinc linked to restless leg….

09/19/2026

A year ago, I had to start a homebirth practice from scratch—after a birth center job that we moved across the country for suddenly fell through.

I found myself not only rebuilding from the beginning, but doing it with no support in rural U.P. There are no other midwives here, and—quite honestly—there’s been a deep community-wide trauma around midwifery that needed to be healed. Midwifery here has had a traumatic past, and I was trying to build something new at ground zero.

Today, I’m beyond grateful and truly blessed. I have these amazing women who came beside me. They’re eager to serve the U.P. and help build trust in midwifery again—because I couldn’t do this without them.

Meet Rachel, Lacy, and Mary—my three trained midwife assistants—working alongside me, and Fiona, another midwife who relocated here and took a chance on building a practice from scratch.

Together, we’re digging in to:
💛Rebuild trust in midwifery care
💛Restore women’s autonomy in community birth
💛Providing families safe options for rural care

If you’re in the U.P. and you’ve been waiting for a path that feels safe, supportive, and truly rooted in autonomy—our doors are open. 💛

09/16/2026

“Why do you need CST in your pregnancy?

-better alignment/positioning for baby
-potential reduction in tension and pain for mom during pregnancy, labor and birth
-more efficient engagement supporting a steadier progression in labor
-encourages a regulated nervous system potentially leading to better sleep, less anxiety, ease in tension and more.”