Kristy Wilson Midwife

09/08/2025

Birth Freedom PA Official Position Statement on SB 507 Birth Freedom PA is founded to unite and support all types of midwifery groups, with the ultimate goal of protecting families’ right to choose their care providers and place of birth in the Commonwealth.  Birth Freedom PA af

09/02/2025

The exclusionary language has been added to SB 507. Thank you to all worked on this: MANY state Senators but I had direct contact with Rosemary Brown, Dawn Keefer, Pat Stefano, and Kristin Philips-Hill; board members at ACNM especially Kate McHugh, CNM and Nicole Chaney, CNM and so many more. We appreciate that so many individuals came together to work across many groups to protect families in Pennsylvania.

Good afternoon, everyone!

We have received encouraging news today regarding the proposed amendment to SB507. The language regarding non-nurse midwives was accepted and added to the bill! PAMA received an amended copy this afternoon and I will share a screenshot below of the language added.

We are deeply appreciative of the Committee’s thoughtful consideration of the concerns raised by Pennsylvania midwives and families.

This bill not only establishes a clear licensure pathway for certified midwives in Pennsylvania, it permits nurse midwives and certified midwives to practice with the prescribing authority needed to serve families effectively.

And now, as requested, it includes explicit exclusion language protecting the continued, autonomous practice of lay midwives, direct-entry midwives, and other unlicensed birth workers as it pertains to this bill.

This approach both modernizes and strengthens midwifery practice in Pennsylvania while safeguarding the cultural, historical, and community traditions of midwifery that are essential to so many families across the Commonwealth. While this is not blanket protection for non-nurse midwives, it excludes us from this conversation and puts the focus of this important bill back where it belongs -on the midwives it was written for.

Again, PAMA would like to express appreciation to leadership at ACNM, the Senators and Committee members who heard the collective concerns, and the PA midwives who worked quickly and professionally to ensure that this legislation reflects the diversity of midwifery care in Pennsylvania.

I will update as the Committee moves forward with consideration of the amendment and we have more information as to the movement of SB507. Feel free to contact me with any questions.

-Jennifer

09/02/2025

Babies are smart. Undisturbed birth really is a perfect blend of maternal hormones and an infant’s strive to live. As a midwife, I repeatedly see that a labor progresses exactly as it needed to for a particular mamababy dyad. This is a great example: 4th time mama; history of cesarean with twins and subsequent VBAC. Her fifth labor was dragging on. Baby was high and not descending. She had the “dreaded” anterior lip. I told her that I really thought that with the pressure she was feeling that she could push and break her water which would allow her baby to descend and get rid of that remaining cervix. Within 30 minutes, she was holding a baby after doing exactly that. She pushed, broke her water and baby was born 90 seconds after ROM. I had been her midwife for her 3rd pregnancy, 4th baby, as well, and she had a similar labor and a true knot. We were astonished to see another true knot for this baby!

08/31/2025

Called to a birth at 12:19am; baby boy born 3:48am
Called to a birth at 3:54am (while helping deliver a placenta from the first birth!); baby girl born 7:54pm
I was awake mostly from Friday at 9am until Saturday night around 11:30pm! Just a few naps in there. I am thankful for serving families who support each other and having a team who worked so fluently together. I hadn’t planned on attending either of these baby’s births but apparently God intended for me to. Having taken fewer clients this time of the year to focus on homeschooling and preparing to attend my daughter’s birth, I was called to both these families’ births as a backup while their intended midwife was away for the weekend. But as we go through life, our paths criss cross and weave in ways that God intends for us. I know I was meant to work with both of these families to welcome these two children. Thankful for the many clients and extended family I have gotten to know through this journey.

08/31/2025

This little lady rushed to get here just hours before Midwife Kristy was due to go out of town for 2 nights and 3 days. She was the first girl after 3 brothers; the latest to arrive for her mama of her four babes; and she was the 5th baby in their family (including siblings and cousins) that I was honored to assist into this world. It is such a gift to know multiple generations in the family and to get to know my clients over the years and from multiple perspectives. I love that I get to see babies that I midwifed become siblings and see them grow and interact in the larger family as cousins, nephews, nieces and grandchildren.

08/29/2025

Vacation last week meant 15 appointments today - a mix of prenatal, postpartum and CST - and then a visit to the neighbor’s (alpacas)

08/26/2025

08/18/2025

Another post about how we do it around here.
Scheduling….
These are our hours for Fall 2025 and Winter 2026. It may vary slightly some weeks based on holiday and vacation schedules. On occasion, like once or twice a year, I will end up with unplanned time off call and rearrange my schedule to take a day trip or fly somewhere with a child or to see friends/family. Being on call for births makes this a guideline rather than a hardline schedule.
But basically, every prenatal client has approximately 10-14 hour long appointments scheduled with me prior to the birth and then 4-6 postpartum. Some babies get extended Craniosacral care and need more sessions/treatments.
Prenatal appointments are all scheduled at the start of pregnancy. This assures that all prenatal needs are met and no one is missed with regularly scheduled sessions.
Once a baby is born, I go back to each client’s home for a 24-48 hour postpartum visit. Then we schedule the rest of standard postpartum office visits through 6-8 weeks postpartum. Many babies will end up needing more frequent Craniosacral treatments with me and may be seen as often as weekly.
There is always administrative work to do outside of appointments with clients. Emails, texts, faxing lab and ultrasound orders or responding to records requests; paying business bills; supply orders; making herbal mixes; collaborating with lactation provider; discussing ultrasound results with MFM; cleaning the office.
As a care provider, I am always enrolled in continuing education courses and we practice skills drills as a team to maintain and update our training and always be prepared to respond to a labor call.
When called to a birth, an assistant may cover prenatal appointments, or we might reschedule for a time outside the regularly scheduled days. Often, my family will have a special event scheduled on a Friday or Saturday and I try not to miss it. So, office hours with me can be at unconventional times and it looks a bit different than most businesses.

08/13/2025

Hello! A reintroduction of sorts is in order. I am Kristy, wife of almost 30 years, mama to 10 (since 2001), Grandma to 3 beautiful loves, attending births as doula, midwife assistant, and midwife since 2013. My calling to midwifery was strong since the age of 16. I couldn’t find the path without sacrificing my own mothering experience for over a decade. It wasn’t until I had six of my own children and was a seasoned homeschooler that I found the confidence to step into birthwork. It comes naturally to me and I am truly fulfilled in this work.

As another homeschool year begins, I am often asked the question of how I homeschool and fill the role of midwife. It took me some time to iron things out and today I am sharing some details of how my practice is set up for you. It is definitely a busy lifestyle. I need breaks in due dates a few times a year. I try to take mini-vacations and occasionally close the office for a week, or have an assistant help more in busy seasons.

It is important to me to continue to be available for my children as they grow. Being an attentive and attached mama is what makes me who I am - for them and for clients. While I recognize that midwifery is a calling and a sacrifice, I also acknowledge that it is not appropriate to deny my children the presence of an active mother and family time in order to serve other families. Helping other families have healthy pregnancies and homebirths is not more important than being present for my own family.

So, over the years, I have had to break down and define what it means - exactly - to be a midwife. I have built a team around me to support my clients and myself while I fill the needs of my family and clients. I think it has worked out very well. Many of my clients are also faithful, loving, conscientious, family focused and intentional parents.

I appreciate so many of you who have established care with me, come back to me and my team repeatedly and put your trust in us.

I created these slides to give an idea of how we operate our practice. So, if you wonder how I do it all. The truth is: I don’t do it alone.

08/10/2025

Making the July birth recap was so much fun that I decided to go back and share for the other months this year, too.

June Birth Recap 🌿✨
A month of waiting… then hurrying!
• 6 babies total in just 14 days
• 4 babies in 7 days (June 15–26)
• Most born at 41+ weeks
• 1 first-time mama 👩‍🍼
• 1 new homebirther after hospital births 🏡
• 3 repeat clients 🍒
• Some births unfolded quickly, others stretched over days — each with its own beautiful rhythm

June also brought some memorable (aka: frustrating) travel moments:
One night I was stopped on I-83 at 2am for a highway-closing accident — thankfully, Naomi was already through and I still made it in time to meet baby. Another day, while headed to a birth, I paused with three other cars for a flock of geese crossing the road, then crept behind a flashing-light vehicle going well under the speed limit for miles. Naomi was ahead and had things in hand until I arrived.

On a single night, I drove 33 miles to one birth, was then called to another 44 miles away, greeted a baby there, and returned to the first birth for most of the following day. That week held multiple sleepless nights… and many, many miles. 🚗💨

We also walked alongside two mamas through miscarriage in June — sacred, tender moments that are part of the full story of midwifery care.

Every story unique. Every birth an honor. ❤️

08/10/2025

We need to live bravely and teach our children to have wings to fly. We live with purpose to guide them along the way.

One day, a woman sat beneath a tree, her hands resting on her belly, her heart heavy with uncertainty. That’s when an eagle descended from the sky, landing silently beside her.

— Are you well, mother of humans? — the eagle asked, her voice calm as the wind.

Startled, the woman looked up.

— I’m afraid, she admitted. My child will soon be born, and I’m filled with questions. I want to give them everything — love, peace, ease… but what if I fail them? How do I know if I’m raising them right?

The eagle’s golden eyes studied her.

— Raising a child is not about softening their path, she said. It’s about preparing their wings.

She began to explain.

— When my eaglets hatch, I make the nest warm and welcoming — soft feathers, woven grass. A cradle in the sky. But as they grow, I strip it bare. I pull the comfort away until only thorns remain.

The woman’s brows furrowed.

— That sounds harsh. Doesn’t it hurt them?

— It does, the eagle nodded. But comfort breeds stillness. Pain awakens desire — a yearning to rise, to discover what lies beyond the nest. The thorns don’t wound them — they stir them.

Still, the woman hesitated.

— And when they fall?

— They do fall. I throw them into the open air, and they plummet. I swoop beneath, catch them, and throw them again. And again. Until one day, I don’t need to catch them. Because they have learned to trust their wings.

— But what if it’s too soon?

— It always feels too soon, said the eagle gently. But growth doesn't wait for certainty. If I kept them in the nest until they were "ready," they’d never leave at all. My job isn't to shield them from the wind. It's to show them how to dance with it.

The woman fell silent. Then she pressed her palm to her belly, inhaled deeply, and smiled through the weight of her tears.

— Thank you, she whispered. You’ve shown me what it means to love bravely.

She stood and walked away, no longer seeking perfection — only strength. The strength to raise a child not with protection alone, but with purpose.