Branch of Life Midwifery

05/24/2026

NORA tea now available for easier purchase at

05/23/2026

Some special gifts for some special siblings 💙

05/17/2026

💙 My trios newborn photos 💙 Gathering a list of local birth and/or newborn photographers in Yuma. Please share your page if you are a photographer or have a favorite one so I can add it to my list!

05/05/2026

Happy International Day of the Midwife! Super brief history on midwifery-

15th-17th century midwives were the primary birth attendant which led to many of them being burned at the stake due to use of herbal medicine to heal.

17-18th century- the male trained physician was formally educated, women were not allowed to attend college therefore deeming the midwife poor and uneducated and not to be trusted.

Early 20th century- male physicians recommend eliminating midwives, particularly black “granny midwives” who have passed wisdom generation to generation through apprenticeship style learning. Midwives were criminalized through new licensing.

1920s- Mary Breckinridge introduces nurse-midwifery through a blend of nursing and midwifery training via Frontier Nursing.

1957- midwives were licensed in Arizona.

1971- CNMs- Certified Nurse Midwives are credentialed by national exam- over 90% of these midwives work in hospital settings, less than 10% in the community.

1978- Arizona revised its licensing laws for midwives.

1970s-1980s- movements that trigger a revival of midwives and home birth rights.

1982- MANA (Midwives Alliance of North America) was established to unify midwives of all backgrounds.

1994- CPM-certified professional midwife credential was established to certify midwives by national exam with an expertise of out of hospital birth. This is the ONLY type of midwifery that requires training in out of hospital settings.

2013- Arizona passed updated regulations requiring anyone calling themselves a midwife to possess a license.

2026- CPMs are licensed in 38 states, legal and unregulated in 1 state, and unlicensed/unregulated in 11 states. In my home state of North Carolina I could be prosecuted for practicing nursing without a license although I have a national credential and am a licensed midwife in 2 states.

In Arizona the laws regarding midwifery haven’t changed much since 1978 despite midwives being required to become a CPM to earn a license. There is much work to do, and folks are working HARD to make necessary changes for the lives of moms and babies….how can you help?

Donate to www.arizonacommunitybirthcoalition.org follow

05/02/2026

💯 true! Different people want different things. Giving birth at home means taking a lot of responsibility

"If your instinct when anything goes wrong, is to look for someone to blame or sue, community birth probably isn't for you. Independent attendants don't have hospital legal machines protecting them from scapegoating. O--Bs are for pathology. Hospitals are for people who want to outsource responsibility. That's just reality. Midwives would fail if they accepted everyone low risk." Ashley Nicole Brimm

04/13/2026

Find out your baby's gender as early as 6 weeks gestation! Only $129, you do not have to be a patient! Feel free to DM, text or call 928-597-9501

04/12/2026

Vote yes on HB2251!! Arizona moms depend on it! Allow midwives to practice to full scope

HB2251 does NOT require:
❌ New IT systems
❌ 3 new full-time staff
❌ Paid external consultants
But it DOES ensure midwives can use medications they are already trained to administer in emergencies.
Why are inflated costs outweighing proven safety? Are we putting a price on safety? What is the cost of a life worth?

04/08/2026

If you care anything about the lives of Arizona women PLEASE send an email! It can be short and sweet, needs to be submitted by friday. Men, women, children, multiple accounts! Send emails to the Governor (500+) this week! Here is a sample but please remember they must be personalized. No mass copy paste.

Subject line should contain Please sign into law HB2251 or DO NOT VETO HB2251 or something with the bill number HB2251

Dear Governor Hobbs,

My name is _______, I am a (Midwife, consumer of midwifery care, supporter and champion of midwives, etc...). HB2251 is important to me because______.

I urge you to sign your name to this historic piece of legislation and help lower the numbers of maternal mortality/morbidity.

HB2251 saves lives.

How much is a life worth to you, governor Hobbs?

DO NOT VETO HB2251

Sincerely,

Your name, credentials, AZ voter

In order to submit your email you should go to - https://azgovernor.gov/office-arizona-governor/form/voice-an-opinion

AND submit it to [email protected]

Please get everyone you know to send an email so we can reach our goal of 500+

The fiscal note includes $285,300 for new systems.
But no new system is required.
What is required?
Ensuring midwives have immediate access to medications that can stop a hemorrhage in minutes.
Delays cost lives. What is the cost of a life worth?

04/03/2026

Whatever is clinically necessary and relevant!

Did you know Midwives order/perform all the same standard prenatal and postpartum tests that other maternity providers and doctor do?

Some of these include;
-Blood type and Rh factor
-STI and STD Screens
-Glucose screening
-Group B Strep testing
-Newborn screenings
-Pap Smears

03/25/2026

Sneakpeek's newest clinical provider! Find out your baby's gender as early as 6 weeks with 99.9% accuracy for just $129!

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