Gentle Delivery Midwifery Services - Midwife Kelsey Martin, CPM

09/10/2025

Great suggestions!!

10 Ways Dads Can Support During a Homebirth 💫
Childbirth is a beautiful journey, and dads play an incredibly important role in creating a supportive environment for their partner. Here's how you can help during a homebirth:
1️⃣ Be Her Emotional Rock – Offer constant encouragement and stay calm. Your presence makes all the difference.
2️⃣ Help with Breathing & Relaxation – Guide her through deep breathing and relaxation techniques.
3️⃣ Provide Physical Comfort – Massage, apply counter-pressure, or help her change positions for comfort.
4️⃣ Keep Her Hydrated & Energized – Offer water, snacks, or ice chips to keep her fueled.
5️⃣ Advocate for Her Wishes – Know her birth plan and help communicate it to the team.
6️⃣ Create a Calm, Safe Space – Set the mood with soothing music, dim lighting, or candles.
7️⃣ Monitor Labor Progress – Time contractions or note their intensity to help the team stay informed.
8️⃣ Help Prepare the Birth Space – Set up towels, birth pool, and any necessary supplies.
9️⃣ Encourage Postpartum Bonding – Help with skin-to-skin contact and breastfeeding support.
🔟 Stay Calm & Present – Your steady presence can help keep the entire experience grounded.
Remember, your support means the world. You’re a team – and together, you’ll bring your little one into the world! ✨👶💖

09/09/2025

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

Pretty amazing to see how a few midwives working HARD together can make such a difference. I am very grateful to them for the time, energy and resources invested that positively affect so many of us in the PA homebirth world!!

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

08/28/2025

Which slide do you agree with most??

08/19/2025

God, in His wisdom, made our bodies to prepare for the incredible work of bringing life into the world. One of the best tools He gave us is **hemoglobin**—that little protein in your blood that carries oxygen everywhere it needs to go.

Here’s why you want it in tip-top shape before labor and delivery:

💪 Strength for the marathon– Birth is no joke, friend. It’s holy work and can be hard work, and good hemoglobin helps you run the race with endurance.
🩸 Built-in cushion– Every mama loses some blood during birth. Having strong levels gives you a safety net so you don’t feel wiped out.
⚡️ Faster bounce back– Low hemoglobin = low energy. Good levels = more pep in your step to enjoy those snuggles.
👶 Baby benefits too– More oxygen for your little one, even before their first breath!

So yes, iron-rich foods (hello spinach, beans, and steak 👋) and a little extra care now are part of your God-given prep for this sacred season. We also have some tips and tricks to encourage hemoglobin numbers if you need extra support in this area per labs.

Because childbirth isn’t just about “getting through it” — it’s about being sustained by His design, cared for by His grace, and stepping into motherhood with strength. 🙌

08/16/2025

Interesting study...did you know home can be a safe delivery location for twins?!? 💕

As I was working to catch up on my reading and podcasts that I go through, I came across some very exciting news.

Dr. Stu Fischbein OBGYN of Reteach Breech and Birthing Instincts, alongside Rixa Freeze of Breech Without Borders successfully published a Twin Homebirth Study in a peer reviewed journal. This is a huge deal as there has never been a study done like this, and the parameters and outcomes of this study are incredible. To get into some of the statistics discovered in this study-
Twin Homebirths: Outcomes of 100 sets of twins in the care of a single practitioner.

Transfers prior to labor- 31. 1 true cholestasis, 1 true IUGR, 4 cases of twin-to-twin transfusion syndrome (TTTS) of the 21 mono-di pregnancies, and some preterm labor and pprom (waters breaking preterm pre-labor) cases.

69 sets of twins went into labor at home. 8 transferred during labor, resulting in 6 cesarean deliveries and 2 vaginal births.
91.3% of twin births resulted in a successful vaginal birth. Vaginal birth of twins for multips (mothers of one or more children) was 97.9%. Vaginal birth of twins for Primips (first time mothers) delivering twins was 77.3%. In this study, mothers with no previous vaginal births having a VBAC with twins were included in the primip category, despite having 1 or more previous cesarean deliveries.

61 sets of twins were born at home with 1 maternal postpartum transfer and 1 neonatal postpartum transfer. This included 5 twin VBACs with no previous vaginal deliveries and 1 twin VBAC with at least one prior vaginal delivery.

The single newborn transfer was due to Transient Tachypnea of the Newborn (TTN), a benign condition that resolved without treatment. The average delivery was 39 weeks 0 days, range 35-42wks. On average, Twin A had an APGAR of 8 and Twin B an APGAR of 7 at 1 minute. There were no statistical differences in APGAR scores based on birth interval, the time between baby A and baby B is born. The rate of maternal blood loss did increase with the birth interval (40+min).

There was only one emergent transfer during labor, indicated by intense maternal uterine pain. This can be a sign of uterine rupture, so the team decided on hospital transfer by ambulance. During surgery (indicated for suspected uterine rupture) there was no uterine window or rupture detected and the cause of the intense pain was unknown.

63.9% of the mothers with successful births at home had an intact perineum with no tearing, 27.9% had a first degree tear, 6.6% (4 women) had a 2nd degree tear, and 1 woman who was also a primip had a third degree tear (1.6%). There were no episiotomies. There were no neonatal deaths. There were no maternal deaths.

25% of hospital twins are born vaginally in the hospital setting, leaving a 75% rate of cesarean for twins born at the hospital. This study had a cesarean rate of 8.7%. The current USA overall cesarean rate is 34%. The World Health Organization states that a cesarean rate above 15% is concerning, as only about 10% of women should medically need a cesarean. Women deserve information and opportunity to make an informed decision that is right for them. As it stands, if a provider has not had breech vaginal training, about 1 in 20 of their patients will be an automatic cesarean. About 5.5% of pregnancies will have a breech twin or breech singleton. That is 1 in 20 clients that they can not serve, but can only offer a cesarean.

Below is linked the recently published study, as well as the podcast where Dr. Stu and Rixa Freeze discuss the study.

Twin Home Birth study:
https://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0313941

Rixa joins at 14 minutes and goes through her background and the process of peer review. At 42 minutes, the discussion of the study begins.
https://redcircle.com/shows/93749277-4626-4bd4-8469-ed3c1c1bf4d2/episodes/f175751e-d0ac-40f8-bdfb-1da6d200ddcf

08/08/2025

Our final day celebrating 🙂 Thanks so much for everyone who has joined us for all of our giveaways and discussions this week!

Today's question: what has helped you to prepare for or be successful at nursing a baby? Was there a particular book you read (Ina May's Guide to Breastfeeding is an awesome resource!), an item you used (I love my nursing cups/shells those first 2-3 weeks!), or a way you prepped (I stock up on homemade energy balls and granola bars, freezing them ahead of time for those first months)?

Share your answer to this question and like this post to enter today's drawing for a boxes sent to your home!

Entries will close at 8pmEST on 8/9. A winner will be selected using a random name generator with entries from FB and IG, must have a US mailing address. 🙂




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Thanks to the contributors:

08/07/2025

❤️

Happy World Breastfeeding Week!
We know this can be a tender topic for many but we wanted to offer support and encouragement to those of you on the journey or about to be on the journey.

For starters education is key. Sometimes it’s not as natural and easy as the world portrays. Sometimes we need to know things in the front end so that we know when to seek support.

Don’t enter the breastfeeding journey blindly. There are local resources to help you prepare for success. Ask us about some of our favorite resources at your next visit.

08/07/2025

What words of advice regarding breastfeeding would you give to a mom expecting her first baby? Or to a mom experiencing unexpected challenges in her nursing journey?

Share your answer to this question and like this post to enter today's drawing for a boxes sent to your home!

Entries will close at 8pmEST on 8/8. Winner will be selected using a random name generator with entries from FB and IG, must have a US mailing address. 🙂





Thanks to the contributors:

08/06/2025

Let's talk lactation consultants today: have you utilized one during your nursing experiences? I've been so thankful for these ladies who focus on this aspect of postpartum support, as they have been a lifesaver both to my own nursing journeys and for clients. Getting another objective perspective from someone who has trained to know what to look for and how to help can make something that seems impossible actually successful. 🥰

To enter today's drawing, comment below with YES if you've used a or NO if you haven't. For an extra entry, tag a lactation consultant or resource that has benefited you! Sbmit your entry by 8pm EST on 8/7. A winner will be randomly chosen from FB and IG, and I'll private message you. Must have a US mailing address

Locally, I'm grateful for KarenFoard.com and for the help they've provided clients and myself!

Thanks for joining the fun!

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Thanks to the contributors: