Birth Support
for families during the Childbearing Year
Midwifery, 2025 Recap
I’ve been reflecting on my last year of midwifery practice this January. It’s cold and I don’t have many babies due. It’s a good time to think about the past and consider how I can improve for next year.
In 2025 I got to serve so many returning clients. Seeing babies I caught years ago running around as toddlers can be a trip! It’s one of the things I hold most precious as a midwife, getting to know families over and over and being the best midwife I can for them. The relationships formed during that experience are irreplaceable.
I also helped clients manage a lot of medical complications in 2025. Pre-eclampsia, placenta previa, PROM, neonatal loss, miscarriage, NICU admission, preterm labor- last year really threw it all at me! It challenged my skills as a medical provider. It also challenged my ability to balance being available for compassionate, responsive care with my clients and being available to my family and children.
I also had the opportunity to get some off-call time during the summer. It was really transformative and I’m not sure how I’ve managed without that for the past few years! My family and I had the opportunity to travel to Ecuador for 8 days. We mostly did touristy sight seeing, but we also were able to stay with my old college friend and see her beautiful farm! I am incredibly grateful for that time and hope to carve out something like that for next year.
Looking at Midwifery in 2026
My work calendar so far is light for the upcoming year. I know that will change, and I will probably get swamped in the fall with so many births, but for now I’m looking forward to spending some more time at home on the farm. Unfortunately as work gets busier my gardens and farm projects are the first thing to go by the wayside. Hopefully a slow midwifery season means I can tidy up things at home and fix some broken things I’ve been staring at for years!
I’m also hoping to organize my craft room and get back to my hobbies more regularly. Wish me luck diving into that project this month!
Being a Homebirth Midwife in West Virginia
Hello friends! Time for an update on midwifery and homebirth here in WV. This year started out wild with tons of births and my first year officially practicing as a Certified Professional Midwife.
I had a lovely little break this summer and am settling back into a very busy fall full of home births. This August marked an entire year in my new office space in downtown Elkins, WV. It’s been an adjustment from home visits as the primary way of seeing my clients, but it’s taken a load off of my back (literal and figurative) to have less driving to do on the regular. If you haven’t been in to the office space yet feel free to send me a message and stop by when I’m free. It’s at 914 S Davis Ave, just across the river from Big Timber Brewing.
So far this year I’ve attended 20 births! That is an absolute ton for a solo practicing midwife with the area I need to cover. Some have been in hospital and most have been at home. It’s been a delight to share in so many new beginnings for families, and a privilege to support those who suffered through the loss of their pregnancies. I will always show up to hold space in whatever capacity I am needed for those experiencing miscarriage, abortion, termination for medical reasons, or late term loss. Please never be afraid to ask me to come be present for one of those events, even if it feels impossible to ask.
I’m looking forward to 7 or 8 more births this year, with possibly more of I get some late calls! 2024 may be my busiest year yet! So be please understanding if I am late returning calls or messages from October-December, just know I’m busy and that I’ll come around to it.
Peace on Earth begins at birth.
Maureen
New Podcast! Beyond the Boob
I am very excited to announce the launch of Beyond the Boob! In this new podcast your friends from the Milk Minute (Heather and I) move beyond breastfeeding to focus in on a new pregnancy! What happens when a midwife and lactation consultant finds out she’s expecting her third baby?
Listen in as Heather chronicles her pregnancy and plans her first homebirth with ME as her midwife! Join your favorite podcasters for a week-by-week journey full of unfiltered pregnancy experiences and badass midwifery wisdom.
Beyond the Boob is filled with practical prenatal education that you won’t get anywhere else! Except as my client of course…
This show is a great way for folks to get a sneak peek into maternity care with a homebirth midwife, even if you aren’t planning a homebirth yourself!
For full access subscribe on Apple Podcasts or join the Milk Minute Podcast Patreon.
Some episodes will be free to the public.
Looking 9 Months Ahead…
Working primarily at births means always looking 9 months ahead! It’s always best to contact me soon if you think you may want to hire me as your doula or midwife, because I get booked up fast. I wanted to update y’all on what things look like for the rest of 2023 before booking into 2024 starts!!
So, how many spaces do I have left for this year? 11!
May: 2
June: 2
July: 0
August: 1
September: 3
October: 1
November: 1
December: 1
I have lots of consults scheduled in the next two weeks, so these spots might disappear!
Looking forward to hearing about those January due dates 🙂 Thanks so much for keeping me busy!
Updates in 2023
Admittedly I don’t keep a real blog here, but I will take some time to summarize updates today.
I’m back to full time work and now offering a variety of virtual services along with in person consultation. Initial doula and midwifery consults, herbal consultation, and lactation counseling can now be scheduled through Calendly and done over Zoom.
As of now I still have a few openings for Doula and Midwifery clients, but the calendar is filling up. Don’t wait to inquire, even if you aren’t sure what you need yet. I take a limited amount of due dates per month to ensure that everyone gets the highest quality care. You can use the contact form on the website or email me directly at highlandbirth@gmail.com
The Milk Minute Podcast is still going strong! Heather ONeal and I are releasing weekly episodes to continue making breastfeeding education free and accessible. If you’d like to support this project you can do so on Patreon. We appreciate your support so we can continue to support more people!
This year I decided to say ‘Yes’ to more opportunities. I was recently interviewed for an article in Rolling Stone, yes the Rolling Stone! I have also been interviewed for several podcasts, with episodes looking to air soon. You can find me soon on The Bonjour Baby Podcast, Womb Wisdom, The New Little Life Podcast, and more!
I’m looking forward to trying new things this year and diversifying my business to make things more sustainable for me and my family.
Goodbye from Beyond the Boob - Beyond the Boob
