Riverside Midwifery, LLC

02/21/2026

In a rare move, the White House recently took down a racist post from one of President Trump's social media accounts. Extremism researchers say it fits a pattern of mainstreaming extremist ideas.

02/20/2026

Yep, did you know that in Japan, over 70% of infants and toddlers co-sleep with their parents?

It’s not controversial.
It’s not something they hide.
It’s a tradition called *soine*, a sleep arrangement where baby sleeps between mother and father, like the character for “river.”

It’s done to promote security.
Not independence. Not training.
Security.

And in Japan, “sleep training” doesn’t even exist as a concept.
Night waking isn’t treated as a problem, no matter how a baby is fed.

Their SIDS rate?
0.2 per 1,000 births.

Compare that to the U.S., where SIDS rates are more than 30 times higher.

Some research suggests Japan’s low SIDS rate is related to their high rates of co-sleeping.

Dr. James McKenna, the world’s leading infant sleep researcher, spent 30 years studying this.
His research shows,

Babies who sleep close to their mothers have more stable breathing.
They wake more easily, which helps protect against deep, risky sleep.
Their sleep cycles sync with their mother’s.
They regulate better.
It’s not broken sleep.
It’s biologically normal sleep.

But somewhere along the way, Western culture sold us a different story:
That babies should sleep alone.
In a crib.
Through the night.
By 6 months.

That story was built in the 1950s
based on formula-feeding, isolated sleep, and adult centered routines.
It wasn’t based on biology.
It wasn’t based on connection.
And it’s not working.

Most babies don’t sleep through the night by 6 months.
Most parents who try sleep training eventually stop, because it doesn’t feel right.

Maybe the problem isn’t your baby.
Maybe it’s the expectation that babies should sleep like adults.

Your baby isn’t broken.
They’re waking because that’s what human babies do.
They’re following instincts that have kept our species alive.

Waking. Reaching. Responding.
That’s how connection grows.
That’s how brains build.
That’s what safety feels like to a baby.

So if you’re contact napping, co-sleeping
if you’re tired, touched out, and wondering if you're doing it wrong...

This is your reminder
You’re not failing.
You’re doing what humans have always done.
And your baby is doing exactly what they’re meant to do 🖤

02/11/2026

This is a community development program in Northern Vietnam with a focus on creating lift in a specific community. I am hopeful to share my training and skills as a midwife with the Medical workers in the community.

06/18/2023

https://barefoothomestead.wixsite.com/livingnowessentials/post/landon-s-birth-story

It’s been a little over week since we welcomed our beautiful boy into this world. And what a whirlwind it’s been. Full of highs and lows, tears and laughter. But most of all, love. I never imagined a little boy being mine, but now that he’s here I can’t see it any other way. Before I dive in...

03/01/2023

Daddy’s a parent too.⁣
⁣
He doesn’t just help take care of the baby so mommy can take a shower where she actually has time to shave her legs and wash her hair,⁣
or close her eyes for five minutes after a terrible night’s sleep.⁣
⁣
He’s so much more than mommy’s helper,⁣
because he’s a parent, too.⁣
⁣
He doesn’t just help mommy make dinner.
He makes dinner some nights while she feeds the baby⁣
because he’s a parent, too.⁣
⁣
He doesn’t just help mommy put the kids to bed⁣.
Some nights he reads his children a story and lays with them till they fall asleep⁣
because he’s a parent, too.⁣
⁣
He doesn’t just help mommy clean the kitchen.
He does the dishes⁣
and cleans crumbs off the countertops from the kid's pancake breakfast before work⁣
because he’s a parent, too.⁣
⁣
He doesn’t just show up for his children because mom makes him.⁣
He shows up because he wants to see his child strike the baseball,⁣
dance in the big recital,⁣
or surprise his child at the Valentine’s Day party.⁣
⁣
And he's always ready to snap photos, take videos, and cheer loud.⁣
⁣
Because he’s not a babysitter⁣.
He’s a parent,⁣
and his children should know that, too.

✍️: Living FULL
📷: Mom is Drawing
....................................................⁣⁣
My Children’s Book 𝘐𝘵’𝘴 𝘖𝘬𝘢𝘺 𝘵𝘰 𝘕𝘰𝘵 𝘣𝘦 𝘖𝘬𝘢𝘺: 𝘈𝘥𝘶𝘭𝘵𝘴 𝘎𝘦𝘵 𝘉𝘪𝘨 𝘍𝘦𝘦𝘭𝘪𝘯𝘨𝘴 𝘛𝘰𝘰 is out everywhere: https://amzn.to/317TvVc

02/18/2023

To our wonderful families and fellow birthworkers: A major landmark PSA.
This summer marks 13 years of practice for Riverside Midwifery! Nearly 1000 families have been provided with respectful and evidence-based homebirth midwifery care in that time. Riverside Midwifery is unique in that we managed to practice in a team model that has waxed and waned with each midwife's seasons of life while still providing stability and reliability for your and our families. Due to the indefinite retirement of Nannette Jenkins CNM following major health problems and the loss of her son, another transition is coming. We want to let our community know that we are calmly preparing to close Riverside Midwifery as a group practice and move to an individual but collective model of midwifery practice.

Our practice will continue to take clients and provide care as usual until our last September 2023 family has delivered and received their postpartum care. Grace Mueller CPM, Heather Rice CNM, and Nikki Williams CPM will then be transitioning to solo, yet mutually supportive, practices to allow the midwives to be more present for their families while also extending their support for the community. Beginning with October 2023 due dates, homebirth clients will be directed to the individual practices of each midwife via RiversideMidwifery.com 's homepage and when calling Riverside's office.

Jen Sincevich, the office manager, birth assistant, doula, and birthworker extraordinaire who has managed to keep this group of midwives organized and smoothly functioning for the past 7 years, will retain the Riverside Midwifery office space and open her business, Elevate Birth. Elevate Birth aims to carry forward the client-centered, evidence-based midwifery care that Riverside has always represented and create a central touchpoint for the larger homebirth community; a place to connect with other families who are on a similar journey. Please contact Jen if interested in renting the office space for classes, meetings, etc.

It feels bittersweet but we are also excited for the next chapter of this sometimes difficult yet beautiful story that is unfolding. We look forward to continuing to provide excellent homebirth midwifery care in our Maryland, Virginia, West Virginia, and Pennsylvania area. Thank you for your support.
https://riversidemidwifery.com/meet-our-midwives/
240-341-4974

Our team of experienced, compassionate, Certified Nurse Midwives offer comprehensive homebirth and well woman care services to women and families.

02/15/2023

Reminiscing! 2017-2022 certainly was an amazing 5 years!

01/09/2023

Certified Nurse Midwives and Certified Professional Midwives providing homebirth and well woman care services in Maryland, West Virginia, and Virginia.

01/02/2023

Welcome, 2023! Here is Riverside Midwifery's annual practice statistics post!

In 2022 the midwives at Riverside Midwifery helped welcome 74 babies!

- Of the 67 births that started at home there were:
59 homebirths:
52 in Maryland
7 in West Virginia
8 hospital births after intrapartum (in labor) transfer (12% IP transfer rate)
3 cesarean sections (4.5% overall rate)
6 VBAC births (of 7 attempted for 86% vbac rate)
2 sets of planned twin births (both sets delivered at home)
16 primiparous births (first time mothers).
Of the primiparous there were 12 home births and 4 hospital births after intrapartum transfer (25% rate). There were 2 cesareans (primary CS rate 12.5%)

- We transferred 2 mothers immediately after their homebirth for retained placenta/hemorrhage.
- There were 5 births that we supported in planned hospital birth after being risked out prenatally (reasons included preeclampsia, PPROM, etc).
- We had zero maternal deaths. We had zero perinatal deaths for labors that started as planned homebirths.

This year Riverside Midwifery experienced the sorrow of stillbirth. One of the mothers who had risked out and transferred to a hospital practice before labor began experienced placental abruption while en route to the planned hospital birth and their baby was born sleeping.

Chris Bontrager has officially retired to her farm and family life as of December 2022. We are honored that she capped her 19 years of midwifery practice with Riverside Midwifery!
Unfortunately Riverside Midwifery's owner and practicing midwife Nannette Jenkins had to effectively retire from clinical practice in 2022 after experiencing severe Covid-related health problems in the first half of the year and than the loss of her 5th child in stillbirth on October 1st. Midwives Heather Rice CNM, Grace Mueller CPM, and Nikki Williams CPM continue to provide full scope homebirth midwifery care with Nannette's administrative support. Shawna DeWitt CPM will also provide interim support during the year.
We are pleased that 2023 is already shaping up to be a busy year! Thank you for the privilege of continuing as midwives in your community

Certified Nurse Midwives and Certified Professional Midwives providing homebirth and well woman care services in Maryland, West Virginia, and Virginia.

12/17/2022

“Midwife Delivery Death Trial” rules: Home birth, including after cesarean, is a constitutional right by Jen KamelDec 16, 2022Home birth, Hospital birth, Infant Outcomes, Legal Issues, Legislation, Maternal Outcomes, VBAC1 comment Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Like I watched every minute of the Nebr...