American Association of Birth Centers

04/23/2026

There is just ONE WEEK left to apply for this spring's Diversity & Inclusion Scholarships!📅

If you are a Member of the Global Majority, LGBTQIA+, and/or a person with a disability, please consider applying. We create these scholarships for folks to get the professional education they deserve without the barriers.

To learn more and apply, visit https://www.birthcenters.org/DI-scholarships

04/20/2026

What if small bookkeeping mistakes are quietly draining profit from your birth center? 😔

Birth centers are unlike any other business, and bookkeepers who specialize in and deeply love midwifery-led birth centers are hard to come by. That's why we're so excited to welcome Abundant Life Bookkeeping for this week's Webinar Wednesday! 👏

Join owner Amanda Wylie to learn the most common (and costly) bookkeeping mistakes birth centers make. You’ll walk away with practical steps to safeguard your center, reduce stress, and gain more confidence in your financial numbers. 💸📒

To register, visit https://www.birthcenters.org/events/webinar-wednesday-7-costly-birth-center-bookkeeping-mistakes-and-how-to-fix-them

04/13/2026

We at AABC are happy to join to celebrate 🌼 Black Maternal Health Week 2026 🌷 because Black Mamas deserve more than survival; they deserve joy, liberation, and protection.🤎

This , we’re uplifting Black-led care, healing, and systems change. This week centers justice and joy, and honors Black-led leadership shaping the future of maternal health. Join us: blkmaternalhealthweek.com

04/10/2026

AABC's Diversity & Inclusion Scholarships are now live for the spring cycle! ❤️🧡💛💚💙💜🤎🖤
We are having one more Learning Collaborative for Birth Center Sustainability cohort in its current form this June!
We are also continuing to offer our flagship How to Start a Birth Center Workshop

We know that Members of the Global Majority, LGBTQIA+ folks, and folks with disabilities face disproportionate barriers to educational opportunities, and our D + I Scholarships are here to help remove some of those barriers.

Visit https://www.birthcenters.org/DI-scholarships and apply by April 30th!

04/09/2026

Are you ready to get to the root of sustainability for your birth center?🌿
This June is your last opportunity to take the Learning Collaborative for Birth Center Sustainability as it is now!

Learn how to leverage value propositioning, laws, regional price data, and relationships to negotiate contracts for your birth center to go from surviving 🪾 to thriving 🌳
To register, visit https://www.birthcenters.org/lcbcs

SCHOLARSHIPS AVAILABLE: We are offering Diversity & Inclusion Scholarships for the class! Visit our website to apply.

03/26/2026

✨ Member Spotlight: The Midwife Center ✨

The Midwife Center in Pittsburgh, PA has hit a jaw-dropping milestone and welcomed their 10,000th baby last week! What a beautiful accomplishment to celebrate that has required so much dedication, passion, and moments full of beauty and challenges. 🥰

The Midwife Center opened in 1982 and has existed in several locations over the years. They have been at the same location since 2003, three years after re-incorporating as an independent, nonprofit. They expanded their programs and facility in 2017 to add classes, community engagement, behavioral health services, and lab services. We are so proud of how far this birth center has come.

Congratulations to The Midwife Center! You can read more about their journey to 10,000 here: https://www.wesa.fm/health-science-tech/2026-03-26/midwife-center-10000-baby

03/24/2026

03/20/2026

Meet the Team: Dallas LaCross

Dallas is AABC's Membership Coordinator. That means that their #1 priority is building relationships with the community and making sure you feel supported. They're your go-to person for questions related to AABC membership and resources. Please always feel free to reach out, even if it's to share an update on how everything is going at your birth center! They love to hear from you all.

Outside of AABC, you'll find Dallas in their happy place playing outside - whether that be on hiking trails or hanging out with the animals on their ranch. They've got four dogs, three ducks, three chickens, a cow, a goat, and a little barn kitty -- a full house! If they're not outside, you'll find them curled up with a book or a crochet project.

03/11/2026

We know that birth centers are incredibly good at providing safe, respectful birthing experiences. Birth centers can also offer so much beyond birth! While there's nothing wrong with specialization, having various ways to generate avenue can help ensure your birth center's resilience and flexibility.

Do you own a birth center and want to explore other services you can offer to diversify your revenue stream? Or are you looking to open a birth center and would like to see where your dreams can take you?

Join Michelle and Jessica Rhude from La Vita Bella Birth Center in Jacksonville NC on Wednesday, March 25th, 12PM ET. We'll dive into how they've created a diverse, resilient model in their birth center and how you can do it, too!

03/08/2026

Happy International Women's Day!💖

AABC's staff and membership is largely comprised of strong, trailblazing, and nurturing women that we are proud to call our community. 💪

Midwifery is a women- and femme-led field, and make no mistake that this is a part of why birth centers and midwives meet so much resistance for integration into the American healthcare system. Even in such advanced times, our society struggles to trust the traditional wisdom, ancient knowledge, but also very current and evolving education of women in midwifery.

Yet, midwives and birth centers persist. Our members continue to fight the good fight for a better future for birthing people and their families. Today, we celebrate and honor the women who lead this worthwhile fight with grace and tenderness. ✨

03/02/2026

Member Spotlight: Charline Mitchell at Birth By Queens ✨

Charline Mitchell is a proud NICU mom and the owner of Supporting Our Mothers Initiative, LLC, an organization dedicated to meeting the needs of birthing individuals worldwide. A School Counselor, International Board Certified Lactation Consultant (IBCLC), Certified Breastfeeding Specialist, self-described Lactivist, Full Spectrum Doula, and PAIL Advocate, Charline’s journey into maternal health began in 2019 when she attended a peer breastfeeding support program while pregnant with her first child.

Since earning her IBCLC credential, Charline has launched several pioneering initiatives, including founding the 1st Annual Breastfeeding Awareness Day in New York State and "Breastfeeding @ The Ballgame" at Mets Citi Field. Most recently, she opened a Breastmilk Depot in March 2024, marking a new phase in her career. Inspired by her attendance at the HMBANA Milk Bank conference, Charline is now passionately working to establish the country’s first Black-owned HMBANA Milk Bank. Additionally, she is collaborating to bring a Birth Center to Queens, NY, providing new options and support for local birthing families.

Charline’s long-term vision includes founding a non-profit dedicated to addressing health disparities impacting people of color. She holds a Bachelor of Science in Human Services with a minor in Psychology and a Master’s in Education from St. John's University. With over 15 years of experience in community-centered programs and initiatives, Charline is a trusted figure and advocate within her community and beyond.

Birth By Queens will be the first in our city when we open.

The team founded their nonprofit organization and just became a 501 c(3) in December 2025. Please feel free to support their fundraising campaign at www.birthbyqueens.org/1000days.

02/26/2026

Meet the Team: Ericka Cameron, AABC Foundation
It's time to meet another member of the team here who has been making great things happen since her first day here. She's full of creative ideas and so much heart for development work. Meet one of the faces behind this year's Spring It On, The AABC Foundation Gala, and so much more - Ericka Cameron!
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Hi friends! I'm Ericka Cameron (she/her), the Development Coordinator at AABC Foundation, which means I work closely with our board to ensure that everything we do reflects the Foundation's mission.

I'll be celebrating my one-year anniversary with AABC Foundation in March, and I'm so grateful to be a part of this incredible community working to make midwife-led birth center care accessible to all.

When I'm not working, you can usually find me doing homework (if all goes well, I'll be Dr. Cameron in 2.5 years), volunteering with my local animal rescue, or curled up on the coach with my husband reading (and trying to solve) an Agatha Christie novel under the judgmental gaze of our 4 cats.
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