Coastal Midwifery and Women's Health

01/24/2026

A few facniating plancenta facts that you may not know about:

1. It is made from both parent and baby—but controlled by the baby. The placenta originates from the embryo (baby’s DNA), not the mother. Yet it embeds into the mother’s uterus and interfaces directly with her blood.

3. Maternal and fetal blood never actually mix. Despite being millimeters apart, blood stays separate. The placenta acts as a sophisticated exchange membrane, passing: Oxygen, Nutrients, Antibodies, and Hormones while filtering many toxins and pathogens.

4. The placenta can override the mother’s biology. It releases hormones that: Increase maternal blood volume, alter insulin sensitivity, redirect nutrients to the baby—even if the mother is undernourished. In survival terms, the placenta often prioritizes the baby at a real metabolic cost to the mother.

5. It functions like multiple organs in one. The placenta acts as:
- Lungs (oxygen exchange)
- Kidneys (waste removal)
- Liver (nutrient processing)
- Endocrine gland (hormone production)
- Immune organ (antibody transfer)

The placenta isn’t just a support system.
It’s a temporary, intelligent life-bridge—part baby, part mother, part miracle.



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01/22/2026

This is an awesome resource in our community!

It's back!! If you're new here, we like to host baby wearing classes to inform parents (new and experienced) on their equipment and how to comfortably & safely wear what you have!
If you don't have any equipment yet, there's no worries because we have a selection of different styles to try!

Swing by this Friday and lets get you and baby situated. ⭐️

01/06/2026

So true!

There is a moment in labor often during transition, around 8–10 centimeters when a woman goes somewhere else.
Those of us who have witnessed birth again and again recognize it immediately. Her eyes change. Her voice softens or disappears and time bends. It’s as if her spirit steps forward while the thinking mind steps back.
So many of my clients describe it the same way:
“I felt like I left my body.”
“I was here, but also somewhere far away.”
“It felt like a dream I couldn’t fully explain.”
Across cultures and generations, this space has been spoken about as a journey, a crossing or a moment where the mother’s spirit reaches out to gather her baby and bring them back with her. Not in imagination but in instinct. In knowing In the deep intelligence of the body. This is transition.
The body is opening fully. The nervous system is surrendering control. And the mother is doing what mothers have always done turning inward, beyond language, beyond logic, into the primal place where birth happens.
From the outside, it can look like overwhelm or doubt. From the inside, it is initiation. When a woman says, “I can’t do this anymore,” she is often standing at the doorway. The old self dissolving and the mother is arriving.
This space is not something to interrupt or fear. It is sacred space.
And when she returns with her baby in her arms she comes back changed, carrying not just new life, but a deeper remembering of who she is. X Lori 📸 taken by me of my girl somewhere deep in transition 🌀

12/31/2025

I’m so excited to host Dr. Cheyanne to better serve our patients!

12/20/2025

When interviewing your homebirth midwife, make sure she has these skills and that she talks in depth about them.

12/09/2025

Edited to add: This change refers specifically to your visit with us. Labs, prescriptions, and referrals will absolutely be processed throug your insurance!

Due to increasing administrative requirements and decreasing reimbursements from most insurance companies, we have decided to no longer accept commercial insurance as of January 1, 2026. We will continue to accept TRICARE!

Patients with commercial insurance plans will be charged our low self-pay rates, and we will provide a superbill for you to submit to your insurance company for reimbursement.

I appreciate your understanding as we work to continue providing you with the best care at affordable prices.

11/30/2025

Updated homebirth availability! We would love to have you join our CMWH family. Visit www.coastalmidwife.com to learn more.

11/09/2025

“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.”

Round-the-clock fetal monitoring leads to unnecessary C-sections. But it’s used in nearly every birth because of business and legal concerns, The Times found.

09/25/2025

New clinic hours effective October 6! We look forward to seeing you soon. Book your appointment at: www.coastalmidwife.com

09/24/2025

Today, I (Jake) saw my very last patient at CMWH. It's a bittersweet feeling, knowing that this chapter must close so that the next one can open. I'm beyond grateful for the hundreds of amazing women who've come through our doors, entrusting us with their care.
I'm somewhat socially awkward anyway, so saying something like "I love you" to clients just comes off, well, awkwardly. But I do. I love you all. I love your families, and yes, I love the babies.
I'm excited for the future of this practice, and I know that Marissa and Erin will do an amazing job!
Thank you, thank you, thank you!!

08/17/2025

Lots going on this weekend - back to back babies, clinic, etc.
Apologies for not getting back to people right away. If you texted, emailed or DM'd me (Jake), I WILL get back to you, I promise!

06/16/2025

Wishing a very happy Father's Day to all of our Dads. Thank you for allowing us to be part of your family story!