Maypop Midwifery

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United States
Nashville, TN
Maypop Midwifery

Home birth midwifery practice serving all families within an hour radius of Nashville.

02/17/2025

Planned Home Births in the United States Have Outcomes Comparable to Planned Birth Center Births for Low-Risk Birthing Individuals is available to read on the National Institutes of Health website: https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC11542973/

One of the things that makes this study important is that it is based in the United States, whereas most available studies looking at homebirth are from other countries where midwifery is better integrated into the broader healthcare system (and there is universal healthcare coverage in most of these places, their cities are more walkable so people have more movement in their daily lives, they have paid leave for parents, etc).

Currently ACOG recommends birth centers in North America as a safer option than homebirth for low-risk individuals. This study done by Oregon State that looked at two large birth registries and ultimately included over 114,000 families across the U.S. comes to a different conclusion.

It’s important to note this study did not include individuals having VBACs, twins, or breech babies. It’s also interesting to read about how one birth registry showed slightly higher rates of cesarean birth among homebirth families, but showed higher rates of transfer and intervention among birth center families. It notes that this could be due to homebirth families generally being more motivated to avoid the hospital, or fear of stigma and poor treatment from hospital staff upon arrival.

Researchers behind this study conclude that current recommendations elevating birth center birth over homebirth for low-risk individuals should be revisited, and many experts continue to argue that better integration of midwives in healthcare and confrontation of stigma in the medical community is needed to improve outcomes when transfer of care is needed. I agree!

02/03/2025

It’s time for an availability post! Maypop has space for late transfer families due in April, and one available spot for families all months until September, where we are wide open. Being under a year old, we are still getting the word out that we’re here for Nashville and surrounding area families. Feel free to share!

We attend births up to an hour outside of Nashville at this time. If you have been thinking about homebirth and would like to explore getting into care with us, reach out through our contact form on the website and we’ll send you available call times to connect, our contract, practice guidelines and protocols, and all the other documents we share with potential clients to help them make an informed choice about their care.

We happily serve all families having low-risk pregnancies.

01/30/2025

You spend more time between contractions in labor than you do in the thick of them. Every opportunity to rest must be welcomed. Labor is here: now we must strive to accept it and work with it.

Pictured is midwife Arielle auscultating heart tones (listening to baby) while mom rests and breathes through waves. Midwife Ashley can be seen in the back left blowing up the birth tub. Mom did a tremendous job releasing tension between her contractions and welcoming them when they came!

Thank you to this beautiful family for offering up this photo to share. Captured by .photography.

01/27/2025

We all started this way. We are all here because many people directly and indirectly cared for us. I feel right in the world when I get to participate in care for parents, babies, and my neighbors.

This is actually not a lot of what my job looks like (just holding and smiling at a sweet new human). More often they are in your arms or next to you on the bed as I check on their heart rate, respirations, temperature, and weight in our multiple postpartum visits. But I cherish each of those actions. These babies won’t remember my face, but I hope I can contribute to a deep remembered knowing of what it feels like to be cared for, respected, and loved when vulnerable.

I love being part of the village, where we all belong.

01/21/2025

January is Cervical Health Awareness Month!

It is always important for practitioners and caregivers who work with the body to practice trauma-informed care. Paps are a procedure in which thorough communication, patience, and gentleness are very needed to avoid causing or compounding trauma.

It’s important that everyone has access to paps at appropriate intervals, and that they are humanized. This includes in pregnancy and postpartum, which is why they are included in our services at Maypop. Paps are currently how HPV, pre-cancerous cells, and cervical cancer is screened for.

Some green flags to look for in your pap care:
The process is explained to you and you are given the opportunity to ask questions fully clothed.

You are given the option to not use stirrups.

It’s communicated to you that you are in charge and can say “pause” if you want your midwife to stop moving, or “stop” if you want them to completely stop the procedure.

You are given the option to self-insert or help insert the speculum. You’re given the option to look at your cervix.

Your midwife asks for permission to touch you, explains what they are doing in real time (unless you don’t want a description), and regularly checks in with you to make sure they can continue.

They give you an opportunity to provide constructive feedback.

The Maypop team is passionate about ongoing informed consent and humanized care. This is something we are constantly striving for and reflecting on in our interactions with clients. We want you to be as comfortable as possible and feel our genuine care for your wellbeing, emotional and physical.

01/15/2025

One of my favorite herbs to grow and use for myself and for postpartum clients is Motherwort. Pictured here is my motherwort tincture.

Motherwort is a perennial herb in the mint family that is traditionally used in Chinese Medicine and European herbal medicine. It is a cardiotonic agent with anti-inflammatory properties and antioxidants. It is traditionally used for anxiety that manifests physically with a racing heart and/or mind, heart arrhythmia, grief, and for irregular menstrual bleeding.

It should be avoided during pregnancy and by those taking beta blockers, blood thinners, sedatives, or magnesium concurrently. The most common side effect is that it can cause some sleepiness.

I began growing Motherwort during the beginning of a grieving period when my own mother was terminally ill. Since then, I have witnessed and experienced personal, communal, and systemic waves of grief and have turned to it for support, and taken comfort in being able to share it with others in my community, including my client families when appropriate.

It is always recommended that you speak with your P*P or with an herbalist who has a relationship with any new herb you are considering making a part of your regular routine. Plants are powerful and also can pose potential risks or side effects.

01/01/2025

Entering a new year, another January. We’re looking forward to meeting our January 2025 babies, and for the relationships that will be built with families throughout this year as we walk with them through it all.

We hope there is gentleness and nurturing on a broad scale in 2025, and to be a part of it with you.

Here’s a recent peak of the desk in the clinic space. Cheers to more time together!

#2025

12/27/2024

2024 was the year I opened my own practice, and that has been sweet. I’ve gotten to walk with some beautiful, funny, and strong parents through welcoming first and second children.
My job is hard, but I get to be with people and support them in their bravest moments. I get to use my mind, heart, and hands in the service of worth while struggle. Nothing could feel more meaningful to me.
And I love to see your babies in their little Maypop onesies! Thank you to all the families who have chosen me as their midwife for their 2024 and 2025 babes. And to future families, I can’t wait to meet you!

12/21/2024

As we go into the longest night of the year, we want to wish you a restful and cozy solstice! May we hold each other and what we love close in the darkest times, honor our mammal need for rest and slowness as the earth rests around us, and be brave and curious in the face of uncertainty.

Picture by Erika Pérez, shared with permission by family! Here Arielle is giving parents a placenta anatomy tour as they hold their baby in the hours after birth.

Address

Nashville, TN

Website

http://www.maypopmidwifery.com/

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