The Farm Midwifery Center

02/14/2026

Golden light spilling across winter grass.
The steel beams arching overhead like a cathedral of memory in the Meeting Hall Dome.
And life growing quietly, faithfully, right on this land.

For over 50 years physiologic birth has been supported here, in buses, in tents, in homes, in cabins, in sacred spaces carved out by women who trusted their bodies and listened deeply. The wisdom of the first generation midwives rose from this soil and rippled across the globe. Their hands caught babies. Their courage shifted culture.

Many of those pioneers have now retired, and the greater birth world may be wondering
Is birth still happening on The Farm

The answer is yes.
Yes, it is.

This land still holds space for physiologic birth.
This community still gathers around growing families. Community, birth, and wellness remain in focus.

The story is not over.
It is unfolding. This work is as relevant as ever, and the work is not done here.

12/14/2025

No words. No agenda. Just this quiet, sacred scene unfolding on its own.
A new father gently brushing his newly postpartum wife’s hair as she held their two day old baby.
Two chairs pulled close.
Ordinary light turning something tender into something holy.

This is the part of birth work that rarely gets named. The in between moments. The care that happens when no one is watching, when nothing is being asked for, when love simply shows up with its hands.

It reminds us that support doesn’t have to be loud or complicated.
Sometimes it’s just presence.
Sometimes it’s touch.
Sometimes it’s someone saying, “I’m right here.”

And those moments matter just as much as the big ones 🤍

09/23/2025

✨ There’s something so sacred about doing the newborn exam right beside the mother—on the very bed where they’ve just shared those first tender moments.

Instead of being whisked away to a cold table under bright lights, baby remains in the warmth of the birth space, close enough for mama to reach out, touch, and reassure. Tiny fingers and toes are counted, reflexes checked, heartbeat listened to… all while marveling at each perfect detail.

Here, Midwife Christine Gibson is in action — tending with skill and tenderness, making sure every measure of health is noted while keeping mother and baby connected.

The exam becomes more than a checklist — it’s a continuation of connection. The rhythm of the newborn’s breath, the soft coos, the steady beat of a tiny heart… all witnessed within the circle of love that began only moments before.

🌸 Birth keeps teaching us: the closer we keep mothers and babies, the more whole and gentle the transition into life becomes.

09/01/2025

🌿 Honoring Labor Day as Midwives 🌿

Midwifery is sacred work—long births, endless nights, and weeks of being on call remind us of the depth of our calling. We walk alongside women as they labor, holding space for the most transformative moments of life. And yet, as much as we honor the labor of birth, we must also honor the balance of our own lives.

Labor Day is not just about work—it’s about rest, renewal, and the dignity of balance. As midwives, filling our own cups is essential. Play, laughter, time with family, walks in nature, and moments of stillness are not luxuries—they are necessities. They keep us whole, resilient, and able to return to the birth space with love, patience, and strength.

✨ Pictured here: the second generation of The Farm’s birth team—Serena, Laura, and Leah—together with the one and only Pamela Hunt, enjoying a ceramics class on The Farm. A reminder that creativity, community, and play are just as much a part of midwifery as the sacred work of birth.

Today, let’s celebrate all the ways we labor—in birth, in service, and in community—and also honor the ways we play. Because when we care for ourselves, we care .

08/16/2025

📚 Midwifery Wisdom in Action:
Midwife Debrah Flowers is teaching College of Traditional Midwifery students about shoulder dystocia—an obstetric emergency that demands skill, calm, and quick thinking.

One of the most effective responses? Freeing the impacted shoulder by maximizing pelvic diameters through maternal position changes.

🌍 Ancient Roots:
This life-saving approach was shared by Guatemalan traditional birth attendants, who used the all-fours position to create more pelvic space and facilitate a safe birth.

🌱 Modern Midwifery:
On The Farm in the 1970s and 80s, The Farm Midwives and Ina May observed and adapted this wisdom. Continuing to share midwife to midwife, the technique became known as the Gaskin Maneuver, forever blending ancient tradition with modern midwifery practice.

Today, it’s a vital, low-intervention method taught to midwives worldwide—keeping birth both safe and human-centered.

07/30/2025

There’s something bittersweet about the 6-week checkup — a full-circle moment where goodbyes begin to stir, but the bond remains unbreakable. ✨

This sweet baby boy lit up when he heard Carol’s voice and felt her embrace — as if he remembered. And of course he did. Midwives aren’t just care providers; they are imprinted in our stories. The hands that caught you, the voice that soothed your mother, the love that held space for your very first breath — and in this little one’s case, the skilled support that went beyond a typical jump start to bring him safely Earthside — that kind of presence stays with you.

Carol Nelson is pictured here with one of the many babies she’s welcomed from this family — a true Farm family lineage. Her presence spans generations, and her love for these babies is fierce, familiar, and forever.

07/27/2025

“Sometimes you need to spend a day at the Farm with the woman that caught your babies and is full of goodness.” 🌿✨

These words from a beautiful mama remind me why I do this work. Midwives mother the mothers, and mothers give their children their internal mantra. It is an unbroken chain of love, strength, and trust.

The mothers know how to birth their babies — we simply hold the space and bear witness to their power, reporting back the strength we see in them when they forget. 💛

07/16/2025

⸻

Bellies at the Swimming Hole: A Tradition of Sisterhood, Rest, and Joy

There’s something timeless and sacred about gathering at the water’s edge with a belly full of life.

These moments — swollen bellies, laughter, floating, cooling off in the heat of summer — are more than just a fun afternoon. They are an echo of generations of women who have sought solace and connection in nature as they carried the next generation.

At The Farm Midwifery Center, we know that pregnancy isn’t just about check-ups and lab work. It’s about creating memories, honoring the body’s work, and finding joy in the small things: cool water on a hot day, shared smiles, the quiet understanding between mothers.

These bellies carry stories — of hope, of transformation, of strength. And together, they remind us:
Community holds us. Water soothes us. Nature welcomes us.

Trust birth. Trust your body. Trust the sisterhood of women who walk this path with you.

05/14/2025

The product of Spiritual Midwifery… these babies are 41 years old. They were homegrown here on the Farm and have remained friends for all these decades. Their friendship is a beautiful testament to the lifelong bonds formed through community, care, and the shared journey of birth!

12/30/2023

12/30/2023

American Journal of Obstetrics and GynecologyAvailable online 7 December 2023In Press, Corrected ProofWhat’s this?Letter to the EditorsTime to rethink maneuvers to resolve shoulder dystocia?Author links open overlay panelAnna L. Meenan MD, Ina May Gaskin CPM, PhD (Hon)Show moreShareCitehttps://doi...

01/12/2023

A blast from the past. The Shamamas performing at the 1998 Midwifery Conference on The Farm.

The Shamamas were an acapella group at The Farm Community in Summertown, TN led by Renee Spears Emmanuel. In this video, they perform at the 6th annual Birth...