The Midwife Center

11/25/2025

ONE WEEK UNTIL on December 2! Your gift on this global day of giving will support comprehensive, personalized prenatal, birthing, postpartum, and primary gynecological care. As the only licensed, freestanding birth center in southwestern PA, we count on your support to meet the need in our community for midwife-led, community-centered care.

We’re excited to share that our Board of Directors will MATCH donations on Giving Tuesday. Don’t miss the chance to make your gift go twice as far on 12/2: https://www.givebigpittsburgh.com/organizations/the-midwife-center



[Image description: A reminder that Giving Tuesday is one week away, featuring a photo of a Midwife Center client and baby during a Postpartum Support Group meeting. The client is sitting, holding her baby, and smiling.]

11/24/2025

Are you preparing for pregnancy or birth? Would you benefit from more community support on your journey? You don’t have to go through it alone.

Join us for Building a Better Birth Community Dinner on Thursday, December 11th (6-8:30 pm) to connect with local doulas, lactation consultants, Midwife Center providers, and other birth professionals.

Learn all about birth center care and participate in group conversations with birth professionals over a catered dinner.

Childcare will be provided. Space is limited - registration is required by Dec. 10 at 5pm: www.tiny.cc/betterbirthdinner

Sponsored by the Heinz Endowments

11/21/2025

🌼 Wellness Walk-in Fridays Program TODAY! 🌼

Every Friday, you can walk into our center in the Strip District for quality gynecological health care!

Need STI testing, birth control, or your annual exam? Have an urgent gynecological problem? We can help! You can stop in for primary gynecological care at The Midwife Center every Friday from 1:00-6:00 PM. Appointment sign-in starts at 12:30PM. We will not take any walk-ins after 5:00PM. Appointments are first come, first served.

Staff will mask upon request for any client. TMC is an antiracist, SOGI-affirming (Sexual Orientation/Gender Identity) Healthcare Provider.

More info: https://midwifecenter.org/pages/wwf



[Image description: The background is a photo of TMC. Over this is text: "Wellness Walk-in Fridays" and "Primary Gynecological Care - No Appointment Needed." The middle reads: "Have an urgent gyne concern? Interested in birth control? Need STI testing?". Below this is information about time and location.]

11/20/2025

Need some extra support with your Thanksgiving dinner this year?

Join State Representatives La'Tasha D. Mayes and Lindsay Powell for food, resources and community - this Saturday, November 22nd from 1-3 pm in the Hill District!

Attendees will receive a free turkey, along with state and local resources for maternal health and beyond. First come, first served while supplies last.

Registration is open at pahouse.com/Mayes

[Image description: Flier for The Giving Season event in the Hill District from 1-3 pm on November 22nd)

11/19/2025

The Midwife Center recently achieved the "Triple Aim" Best Practice distinction in the American College of Nurse-Midwives' 2024 Benchmarking Project!

We received this as a birth center that meets the Institute for Healthcare Improvement's "Triple Aim" to improve the patient experience, reduce the cost of care, and improve the health of populations. This is demonstrated by our:

-Low primary cesarean birth rate
-Low preterm birth rate
-High rate of exclusive breastfeeding in the first 48 hours after birth
-Reporting of fiscal outcomes

Check out the other birth centers that received recognition as part of the ACNM Benchmarking Project: https://www.birthcenters.org/news/aabc-member-birth-centers-recognized-in-acnms-2024-benchmarking-project-

[Image description: A graphic listing the four benchmarks included in the Triple Aim distinction, with a photo of a mom and baby from TMC's Postpartum Support Group.]

11/18/2025

Are you pregnant or preparing for pregnancy? Join us tonight for our virtual orientation to learn all about safe, personalized prenatal and birthing care at The Midwife Center.

Orientation is an important first step to birth center care and we love introducing people to what we do here. We host a virtual orientation every Tuesday at 7pm - no registration required. Friends and family are always welcome. https://midwifecenter.org/events/orientation-virtual

Find upcoming dates - including for in-person orientation sessions - on our calendar: midwifecenter.org/classes

11/18/2025

Recently, the New York Times published an article titled "The ‘Worst Test in Medicine’ is Driving America’s High C-Section Rate" about electronic fetal monitoring (https://www.nytimes.com/2025/11/06/health/electronic-fetal-monitoring-c-sections.html).

Check out the American Association of Birth Centers letter to the editor in response to the article:

NYTimes Letter to the Editor ✒️

Many of you may have already seen the NY Times article "The ‘Worst Test in Medicine’ is Driving America’s High C-Section Rate" (https://www.nytimes.com/2025/11/06/health/electronic-fetal-monitoring-c-sections.html?unlocked_article_code=1.108.XT6J.Y2YuWc0Xc01e&smid=url-share ).
AABC sent a Letter to the Editor in response! Since our letter did not get published, we wanted to share it with you all here.
----------------
Dear Editor,

Thank you for highlighting the overreliance on continuous electronic fetal monitoring (EFM) and its role in rising Cesarean rates.

There is a solution to this epidemic. Midwifery-led birth centers use intermittent fetal monitoring instead of continuous EFM. They are an evidence-based model that delivers outcomes comparable to those of the top nations globally by offering holistic, family-centered care that protects and empowers patients, thereby enhancing both physical and mental well-being in our community.

Birth centers are fully integrated into the healthcare system and guided by principles of prevention, safety, appropriate medical intervention, and cost-effectiveness. While midwifery care can occur elsewhere, birth centers are unique in offering this dedicated, physiologic model.
Outcomes speak for themselves:
-Cesarean rates under 6%
-NICU admissions less than half the national average
-Low rates of interventions with superior overall outcomes

These results demonstrate the clinical excellence and fiscal prudence of the birth center model, reducing complications and costs while maintaining world-standard safety, lowering maternal mortality risk, and prioritizing maternal autonomy and satisfaction.

Respectfully,
Kate Bauer
Executive Director
American Association of Birth Centers
Perkiomenville, PA

11/17/2025

Notice for TMC Clients: PWSA is doing work near The Midwife Center due to multiple water main breaks. Mulberry Way at 28th Street is currently blocked, but PWSA will let clients through at 29th Street to access TMC’s parking lot. Please plan for possible delays in getting to The Midwife Center today.

Thank you for your understanding!

11/14/2025

UPDATE: We are not able to accept any more walk-in appointments today, November 14th. Wellness Walk-In Fridays is at capacity.

Please call us at 412.321.6880 to schedule an appointment, or join us next Friday for walk-in hours.

Thank you for your understanding!

11/14/2025

Happy National Nurse Practitioner Week!

This year's theme was "Trusted Voices, Proven Care," which our amazing nurse practitioners, Dana Bloomburg, DNP, CRNP and Leigh McGowan, MSN, CRNP embody every day!

We are so lucky to have Dana and Leigh as part of our team of providers at The Midwife Center 💜



[Image description: 1: Leigh and Dana pose in an exam room with supplies for cervical cancer screenings. 2: Leigh speaking with a client during an appointment. 3: Dana speaking with a client during an appointment.]

11/14/2025

🌼 Wellness Walk-in Fridays Program TODAY! 🌼

Every Friday, you can walk into our center in the Strip District for quality gynecological health care!

Need STI testing, birth control, or your annual exam? Have an urgent gynecological problem? We can help! You can stop in for primary gynecological care at The Midwife Center every Friday from 1:00-6:00 PM. Appointment sign-in starts at 12:30PM. We will not take any walk-ins after 5:00PM. Appointments are first come, first served.

Plus, if you need other resources you can set up a meeting with Carmen Alexander, our Community Health Worker. Just email her at c.alexander@midwifecenter.org to discuss insurance, housing, doula services, and any other resources you might need.

Staff will mask upon request for any client. TMC is an antiracist, SOGI-affirming (Sexual Orientation/Gender Identity) Healthcare Provider.

More info: https://midwifecenter.org/pages/wwf



[Image description: The background is a photo of TMC. Over this is text: "Wellness Walk-in Fridays" and "Primary Gynecological Care - No Appointment Needed." The middle reads: "Have an urgent gyne concern? Interested in birth control? Need STI testing?". Below this is information about time and location.]

11/13/2025

SAVE THE DATE: Giving Tuesday is December 2, 2025! We invite you to support The Midwife Center during this global day of giving.

More than ever, our clients and community are experiencing increased barriers to care, including transportation barriers, economic insecurity, and more. But with your support, The Midwife Center is able to meet our clients where they are, provide personalized, comprehensive care, and work together to connect them with the resources they need.

Please join us on to support this essential work and help our community thrive.

[Image description: A midwife and client sit facing each other, smiling, mid-conversation. The graphic says "Save the Date 12.02.2025."]