Roxanne Anderson, LM CPM IBCLC : Midwife & Lactation Support, DFW

01/08/2026

It is that time, when I make my yearly availability announcment!

You have approximately 1 month to get pregnant in the first quarter of 2026 if you want me to be at your end of the year birth.

I will not be taking due dates for November or December of this year, extending into the first half of January.

The conception window for these due dates closes February 7th, and will reopen May 1st.

There are many amazing midwives in DFW who can attend you if you need one during the months I am taking off.

Taking time off is how we as midwives ensure we do not burn out and remain safe, healthy, and enthusiastic about our work.

I am currently booking clients for September and (shortly) October, and have a couple of openings left in July and August.

I will continue to be available for lactation support on a limited basis during the months of November and December.

Thank you for your understanding and support!!

12/20/2025

Purchased from Kelly Latimore Icons

Jesus was a refugee. His parents fled political violence, breaking the law, the Roman decree that they son should be killed, and crossed a border in fear of their lives. This is the situation God chose to come to earth and be born into. Why do you think that was? Was it to show something important to His future followers?

“For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in, I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me.
Then the righteous will answer him, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you something to drink? When did we see you a stranger and invite you in, or needing clothes and clothe you? When did we see you sick or in prison and go to visit you?’

The King will reply, ‘Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me.’

Then he will say to those on his left, ‘Depart from me, you who are cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels. For I was hungry and you gave me nothing to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me nothing to drink, I was a stranger and you did not invite me in, I needed clothes and you did not clothe me, I was sick and in prison and you did not look after me.’
They also will answer, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry or thirsty or a stranger or needing clothes or sick or in prison, and did not help you?’
He will reply, ‘Truly I tell you, whatever you did not do for one of the least of these, you did not do for me.’

12/20/2025

Image is copyright and has been purchased from Kelly Latimore Icons

At the age of two Jesus’ parents became refugees and fled the political violence in Israel that would have killed him, across a border into another country (Egypt). Do we stop and think what that would look like today? Who would they be? Who would help them, hide them, despise them, turn them in?

Who are we in this story? Are we the Roman citizens that say, “they broke the law” and shrug as we feast in our warm safe homes? Are we the religious community that despises them because Mary conceived out of wedlock and therefore are not deserving of our help or God’s protection?

Later as an adult during His ministry Jesus made it abundantly clear:
“For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in, I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me.’
“Then the righteous will answer him, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you something to drink? When did we see you a stranger and invite you in, or needing clothes and clothe you? When did we see you sick or in prison and go to visit you?’
“The King will reply, ‘Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me.”
“Then he will say to those on his left, ‘Depart from me, you who are cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels. For I was hungry and you gave me nothing to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me nothing to drink, I was a stranger and you did not invite me in, I needed clothes and you did not clothe me, I was sick and in prison and you did not look after me.’

“They also will answer, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry or thirsty or a stranger or needing clothes or sick or in prison, and did not help you?’

“He will reply, ‘Truly I tell you, whatever you did not do for one of the least of these, you did not do for me.’

Search your heart this Christmas. If there isn’t compassion for immigrants, refugees or the poor in your heart, Jesus isn’t there either.

11/16/2025

As midwives already knew and practiced beforehand

After reviewing over 60 studies involving more than 7,000 birthing parents, the findings are clear. Babies and birthing parents have better outcomes when they can spend the first hour after birth skin-to-skin. While this has been a recommended practice for some time, it may now be considered unethical to deprive birthing parents and their babies of this time together. Benefits have been noted to include improved breast/chestfeeding rates at one and six months postpartum, as well as improved blood glucose and temperature levels. Consider the resources you can create to help your clients learn more about skin-to-skin care and advocating for the golden hour after birth.

Reference: https://doi.org/10.1002/14651858.CD003519.pub5

11/06/2025

The fact is that continual fetal monitoring has never been proven to improve outcomes

An excellent article today from . Note the lack of evidence supporting the use of continuous fetal monitoring, the clear influence of business and economics, and the money grab from AI companies who claim studies support their product - when in fact they don’t - resulting in remote monitoring hubs.

I especially love that placenta accreta is described early in the article so the public can see that cesareans carry risk. As a result, we need to ensure that they occur only when needed or wanted.

Note that the photo for this article is of a remote monitoring hub. One such hub is up to 60 miles away from the hospital in which the woman is laboring.

“Nearly every woman who gives birth in an American hospital is strapped with a belt of sensors to track the baby’s heartbeat. If the pattern is deemed abnormal — too slow, for example — doctors often call for an emergency C-section.

But this round-the-clock monitoring, the most common obstetric procedure in the country, rarely helps baby or mother. Decades of research have shown that the tool does not reliably predict fetal distress. In fact, experts say, it leads to many unnecessary surgeries as doctors overreact to its ever-changing readouts.

The obstetrics field has long ignored these problems. Now, it’s putting more trust than ever on the flawed technology, often prioritizing business and legal concerns ahead of what’s best for patients, The New York Times found.

This fall, the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists updated its guidelines on continuous monitoring, sanctioning it even as some other wealthy countries have cautioned against its routine use…

All three remote hubs, along with 400 other hospitals around the country, use A.I. software to help analyze the heart data. The software’s maker, PeriGen, has claimed on its website that 50 studies backed up its products.

But none of the studies found that the technology improved birth outcomes. PeriGen removed the list of studies after an inquiry from The Times. The company’s chief executive, Matthew Sappern, acknowledged that no clinical trials had shown benefits.”

https://www.nytimes.com/2025/11/06/health/electronic-fetal-monitoring-c-sections.html?unlocked_article_code=1.zE8.145f.FPhFANzFoVZp&smid=nytcore-ios-share&referringSource=articleShare

08/15/2025

Midwife news!
First a little backstory:
The North Texas Midwives Association is a organization uniting midwife professionals in the DFW area. Membership is open to licensed midwives and students. NTM encourages members to participate in a spirit of humility, responsibility and accountability as we work to ensure the future of midwifery in the state of Texas.

I became a member of NTM back in the 1980s- yes it has been going that long! It was a place to hang out with other midwives, get the news, learn, grow and support each other. We've been through some ups and downs over the years, but this year has been an unique one, and it has brought many midwives back to our meetings. We had gone to quarterly meetings while things were slow, but we are now back to meeting the second Wednesday of each month except December and May.

If you are a midwife or a midwifery student and used to be a member or never got around to being a member, we'd love to have you! You can come check out our meetings with no obligation- we are inclusive not exclusive and love to meet more of our colleagues in the area.

What makes NTM special is we are a member based, member driven group- EVERY member has a voice and a vote, and is able to speak freely in our meetings.

Just as a sample, this is what we talked about at the meeting this week:

So excited to recap and follow up with North Texas Midwives (NTM) plans for data registry, specifically CBDR- Community Birth Data Registry.

What is cool about this registry is that it is under the same parent organization (FHCQ) as Smooth Transitions and designed to interface with it. We had a great presentation earlier this month on that from Carla Morrow. And the sample data she shared? That was from the CBDR stats from home birth midwives in WA.

(FHCQ is a non-profit, neutral entity that houses a suite of programs centered around quality improvement and patient safety.)

Another cool thing is that they also house the companion data collection program OB Care Outcomes Assessment Program (OB COAP). This program is essentially the hospital component of the CBDR also designed to interface with Smooth Transitions.
Which means if hospitals sign up with Smooth Transitions, that's another step toward encouraging them to collect exactly the same data points we will be collecting, making comparisons of outcomes apples to apples.

CBDR offers groups of midwives who wish to participate better prices than individuals, so NTM is currently discussing how to make this an opportunity for our members, and getting all the details some of which were shared at this month's meeting.

And why data entry anyway? Well, as we have all been hearing and discussing, this is an important step for us as Texas midwives to get accurate picture of our statistics in order hold ourselves accountable to appropriate standards of care. It is anticipated that this may be mandatory at some point in Texas as it is in WA- and this was the program designed to meet that need.

Currently there are two national data birth registries that collect date from home and birth center births, and they are the CBDR- which I have just described, and the PDR- Perinatal Data Registry. https://www.nacpm.org/data-collection-for-cpms
https://www.qualityhealth.org/cbdr/about-cbdr/
https://www.birthcenters.org/pdr

The American Association of Birth Centers is having a virtual informational meeting on Monday 18th about the PDR. In the same way that NTM is seeking to provide an easier entry to CBDR for its members, AABC offers its members a discount on AABC participation.

I was drawn to the CBDR both because it is more cost effective for small practices, and also because it interfaces with Smooth Transitions.

NTM members, please plan to attend the September meeting to have a voice in our decision making! We are working hard behind the scenes to be past the discussion stage to the voting stage at that time.

05/05/2025

May 5th is International Midwives' Day!

04/09/2025

Joint Statement from NACPM and ACNM on the Closing of the CDC’s PRAMS Program

The National Association of Certified Professional Midwives (NACPM) and American College of Nurse-Midwives (ACNM), strongly opposes the forced leave of the the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) National Center for Disease Control staff that oversees the Pregnancy Risk Assessment Monitoring System (PRAMS). This action will have profound consequences for mothers and babies, increasing the already unacceptable rate of maternal and newborn mortality in the US. PRAMS is widely recognized as the ‘gold standard’ maternal mortality database and monitoring system.

Since 1988, PRAMS has been an essential public health tool, providing critical data on maternal and infant health outcomes. It has allowed researchers, policymakers, and healthcare providers to identify high-risk populations, monitor health trends, and implement evidence-based interventions that save lives. Its abrupt suspension threatens maternal and infant health nationwide by eliminating one of the most comprehensive data sources available for tracking disparities, guiding public health efforts, and improving care. This data is essential for driving quality improvement initiatives, holding all maternal health professionals —including obstetricians and midwives—accountable and able to continue to deliver safe, effective, and culturally sensitive care rooted in evidence based practices.

Data saves lives. NACPM and ACNM have long recognized that continuous, high-quality data collection is fundamental to reducing maternal mortality, addressing racial and economic disparities, and strengthening the maternal healthcare workforce. PRAMS has been instrumental in advancing health by documenting the impact of social determinants of health, including income, housing stability, and access to care. Without PRAMS, our ability to track progress and hold systems accountable for addressing disparities is severely compromised.

The United States already has one of the highest maternal mortality rates among high-income nations—(given US rates and some other countries) this decision only further undermines efforts to improve outcomes and address this ongoing crisis. Without PRAMS data, states lose a vital tool for allocating resources effectively, evaluating the impact of public health programs, and ensuring that taxpayer dollars are invested in policies proven to improve maternal and infant health outcomes. Data-driven public health initiatives help prevent costly complications, reduce unnecessary medical interventions, and support programs that improve long-term health—ultimately saving money while saving lives.

PRAMS data has directly led to critical policy advancements, including saving money by supporting, with data, the need to expand Medicaid postpartum coverage, integrate doula services, improve lactation support, and enhance mental health screenings for new parents. Additionally, this data has been instrumental in efforts to advance midwifery integration into the healthcare system, providing the evidence needed to support licensure, equitable reimbursement, and the inclusion of midwives in maternal healthcare policies. The loss, even if temporary, of this data not only undermines current policy efforts and if the data is scrubbed of information related to vulnerable populations sets back decades of progress in maternal and infant health, limiting our ability to build a more integrated, evidence-based, and patient-centered system of care.

We urge the CDC and federal policymakers to immediately reinstate PRAMS with no changes to the collection or publication of data and ensure that maternal and infant health remains a national priority. Without it, we lose the ability to make informed decisions that protect the health and well-being of families during pregnancy, birth, and the postpartum period.

Signed,

National Association of Certified Professional Midwives (NACPM)

American College of Nurse-Midwives (ACNM)

03/17/2025

Helpful chart

02/28/2025

Absolutely!

Mothers should never feel ashamed to breastfeed their babies

From a glass of water, a chat with a friend, or a comfortable space, we can all help respect the rights of mums to breastfeed anytime, anywhere.

Let’s all step up to support breastfeeding mums!

02/17/2025

The breastfeeding mom version 🤣

10/23/2024