Moonstone Midwifery

06/17/2025

This baby is three! Happy birthday, Fenn. 😍

This first photo is a trophy. While we love a celebratory pic with the family at the end of a birth, the depth of the story is told in the rest of these photos. The stillness of a woman in complete control of herself as labor intensifies. The community that surrounds her. The laughter caught in between contractions, brought by your midwife with a knack for the perfectly timed pun.

Time stands still. Labor grows stronger. Your community leans closer. You can get through anything, you're never alone.

These moments are perfectly preserved in these photos and my memories. Each so special, these families so loved and missed dearly. Three years later and still feels like just yesterday.

Thank you for capturing two beautiful births with this amazing mama. 💜 Your Maryland midwives miss you!!

06/12/2025

06/08/2025

05/23/2025

This year our new midwifery bill passed, the first big upgrade since our initial licensure in 2015! Did you know that Maryland didn't even recognize certified professional midwives (CPMs) as providers until ten years ago? Before then midwives just like me were operating illegally, even after passing their exams, holding a national credential, and attending hundreds of births during their apprenticeships.

Legalization of the CPM credential in Maryland has brought increased access and awareness to home birth midwifery, but not without cost. Although we midwives no longer risk going to jail when caring for clients that seek low-intervention, out-of-hospital birth experiences, our scope is now limited. Many of the skills that we are trained and certified nationally to provide, we may not offer to our Maryland families under our current law.

This new bill improves upon some compromises from when we first sought licensure. LDEMs will now care for clients without BMI restrictions, which has previously been a huge barrier to care in an otherwise low-risk population. We are able to provide nutritional guidance and supplemental treatment for anemia, which is almost always successful without needing to refer to higher level care. We also have new language that recognizes LDEMs as independent providers, more practical requirements for contact with pediatricians, and we removed the extensive data collection that no other maternal healthcare provider is required to provide.

Essentially, Maryland is still getting used to us home birth midwives. We are continually educating the people around us, including our licensing body, about what we do and how we do it. It's hard for others to understand how maternity care works outside of the system. Truth be told, midwives still aren't providing care to our fullest capabilities under Maryland law. We remain restricted. There are families out there that deserve our care. Next year we will be at it again!

For now, let's celebrate these big wins! The amazing did it again, capturing the signing ceremony with Gov. Wes Moore, and my reaction after he assertively whispered in my ear "This is a VERY good bill." 😂🤌🎉🥂

05/07/2025

The saying "it takes a village" is often used to describe the importance of support and community while raising children. Why start postpartum? I love when we have the opportunity to use our village during pregnancy and childbirth. This beautiful couple brought their baby into the world with love and guidance by their midwives and their chosen team of birth professionals. Also invited into the birth space was her doula and cranial sacral therapist, who had provided care throughout pregnancy in preparation for the big day.

Who you invite into your space matters. Some families choose to have only their midwife team, while others welcome friends, family, and other birth professionals. Equally important is who is not in your birth space. When creating the right environment that feels safe during the intimate transition of motherhood, the people surrounding you should be pillars of strength, lifting you up.

This advice should be carried with you into postpartum and the long parenting journey ahead. Everyone in your village should have a role. The people surrounding your family should be ones who leave you feeling cherished and grounded. It's okay to allow yourself space from those who do not serve you in your time of vulnerability and growth.

We were so honored to have been a part of this family's chosen support system. They know they have us to midwife them through all the ups and downs of their parenting journey. It's not always easy, but somehow we get through it. With the right people, even the tough times can be pure bliss.

Gratitude to Fina's mama for letting us share these special moments. We love capturing these photos for clients in between midwifing. Isn't she beautiful?

Midwife and photographer duo: and
Doula:
CST: Regina Tumasella

04/02/2025

Love at first sight. 😍

There is nothing like the bond of siblings. Choosing to have children involved in the birth process or the immediate postpartum can provide a special experience that not all families have the opportunity to share. When planning a birth at home with Moonstone Midwifery, this is one of the many options we will discuss when considering your birth space. Ultimately, this choice should be up to the families.

One of the most important things we like to consider when inviting older children into the birth space is how their presence will effect the mother. Parenting and laboring often tap into two different hemispheres of the brain. Finding your rhythm in labor often requires letting go of expectations, leaning into your intuition, and surrendering to the emotional waves- the creative, right side of the brain. If a child is present you may find yourself thinking analytically, worrying about their experience, or being more of a host. This logical, left-brain thinking can pull you out of the flow of labor, and even slow down the process.

Another consideration is the child themselves. Are they old enough to understand? Do they get concerned if you are in pain? How do they feel about common things that happen in birth, like blood and other bodily fluids? Watch birth videos together so they know what to expect. Most especially, talk to the child. Do they want to be there? This should be a choice for them as well, a choice that could be retracted if they become overwhelmed. I always recommend having someone specifically present to attend to the children during the birth process for this reason.

If older kids want to be involved, having a role can ease the transition. Here are some ways our Moonstone siblings have helped out at births:
+Rub mom's back
+Cut the cord
+Put on the first diaper
+"Listen" with a stethoscope
+Bring mom water or snacks
+"Catch" the baby

Many families decide to wait to bring children in after the birth, or even after some sleep. Others have a special sleepover with grandparents or friends so that the first day can be reserved for the new baby. You know your family best!

What did you choose for your birth? Share below!

03/19/2025

Hey Moonstone families and fans, it’s Jess, the aforementioned student midwife at Moonstone Midwifery ☺️

Someone snapped this cute pic of Paige at one of our most recent births and I thought it was perfect to accompany a ‘why we love Paige’ post.

1. There’s never a dull moment with Paige, I can always count on her to lighten things up when needed and she often has me laugh crying, even (and especially) when we’re running on little sleep.

2. Paige is the best teacher/preceptor. She was so patient and allowed me to come into my own as a student, on my own timeline. She taught me early on to speak up if I would do/say something differently and has always treated me with the most respect.

3. They say midwifery is a calling, and that couldn’t be more true for Paige. She’s full of sage advice and poetic explanations for life’s most difficult challenges.

4. She’s takes me to Atwater’s at least once a week, makes me tea and refills my water to keep me hydrated.

5. Paige is incredibly knowledgeable in midwifery. Her clients are seriously in the best hands. She pours so much of herself into midwifery and is committed to and open to learning more.

6. She has a VERY grateful student that is wrapping up her apprenticeship and who she won’t be able to get rid of 🙃

7. Paige goes above and beyond for her clients, always. You need 43 postpartum visits because breastfeeding is hard? No problem. You moved an hour outside of our service area in the middle of pregnancy? We’ll see you there. (But please, no more of that)

8. She cares, so much. With her whole heart. For her clients, her family, her community and for midwifery.

It is such a blessing that I get to learn from and spend so much time with Paige. A midwifery apprenticeship is such a wild ride, and I wouldn’t be nearing the end without her guidance and well-timed jokes.

Would love to hear how Paige made an impact on your life! let’s show Paige some love in the comments ♥️

03/14/2025

Birth.

It's such a beautiful, defining moment in the parenthood journey. Yet it is so brief and seemingly insignificant in the life of a human. What is the impact of these fleeting minutes, these precious hours, or even these first few days after delivery?

Undisturbed birth allows the hormones that facilitate labor to be spontaneously released by your body. These same hormones encourage bonding between a mother and a child and a sort of imprinting happens. During this process your brain waves slow down and the perception of pain is altered. The experience of birth can sometimes be described as euphoric and otherworldly, as you squat on the threshold of creation.

In an ideal world, every one would have the intimate, powerful energy of a birth without intervention. Unfortunately, this is not always the case. It could be that you gave birth in a facility or with a provider that interrupted your progression with policies or protocols. Maybe your body or baby showed signs that medical intervention would be helpful or life-saving for yourself or your baby. The good news is that these babies are still deeply loved and will connect with their families as much as any other child.

When things go as planned in a home birth setting, we midwives get the opportunity to walk into a raw birth experience. We see it as our job to be as unobtrusive as possible. We keep the lights and our voices low. We wait until a contraction ends to ask questions, if we need to say anything at all. We do our best to complete all assessments where you are, while providing reassurance and space for labor to unfold as intended.

There are things you can do to increase your chances of a natural birth. Choose a provider that believes in physiological birth and understands that the lower the intervention the lower the risk for mother and baby. Plan to birth in an environment that would be the least disruptive to the instinctual process, leading to a safer, smoother, more positive experience on the day that you meet your child.

Moonstone Midwifery has been offering photography when we can, to capture these fleeting, precious moments. We think they are pretty impactful, don't you? 😍

03/11/2025

Have you met , the amazing student at Moonstone Midwifery?

We love Jess! She comes up with great ideas, like posting more on social media. So here is a post about why Jess rocks!

1. She is so thoughtful. She buys me coffee and our clients flowers. I couldn't ask for a sweeter friend. She even thoughtfully volunteered herself as tribute for a post on this dusty social page.

2. Jess is gentle. She is a gentle palpater, and a gentle news breaker. She is the one you want around when you are having a tough time, and she's the one you want checking your vitals in labor.

3. She's full of great ideas, like posting on social media and splitting our dinner entrees. And being the funny midwives of Instagram.

4. Jess is prepared. She's the glue to hold me together most days. She's over here charting while I post on the gram. If it weren't for Jess, I'm not sure if I would ever stay on task during our prenatal days.

5. She's an awesome midwife, and nearing the end of her clinical apprenticeship. Jess is the one doing all the work these days while I just sit back and watch her blossom. She has developed her skills beautifully and I am excited and proud to one day call her a colleague!

I don't know how I ever did this life without you, Jess!

If you know Jess, you should let her know how great she is in the comments. She is an unstoppable force and has more great ideas coming your way, watch out! Now to figure out how to post a reel...

01/30/2025

One of the most impactful things that you can do to support your local midwives and improve maternal health outcomes is show up and tell your representatives how you feel!

I hope to see some of the amazing families I've been blessed to support! Your voice counts!

Send a message to learn more

07/14/2024

05/29/2024

I had several babies arrive 2+ weeks earlier than their due dates! That leaves me space for a couple more June newborn sessions - if you're due in June (or baby is already here!) I want to be your newborn photographer. Message me today to get on the schedule!