Midwives are the guardians of normal labor and birth.  We are there to allow nature to take its course, ever watchful for possible complications. 

This leaves you – the laboring mother & family – to focus on the most life-changing event of your lives.  At every junction, you are a part of the decision making processes involved in your care.  Except in extreme emergencies, decisions are made collaboratively. 

The midwives help clients find the information they need to make the most healthful decision for themselves and their family. 

While our training includes comprehensive training on the medical understanding of birth, Midwives view labor and birth as personal family events, not medical procedures.  Safety is paramount, but for the vast majority of women, birth requires little, if any, intervention.  

Certified Professional Midwives (CPMs) meet strict national standards of competence in maternity care.  A large study published in the British Journal of Medicine found that care provided by CPMs to low risk women across the United States was safe.  Compared to low risk women in hospitals, the rates of significant complications were the same.  The major difference?  Labor managed in hospitals was about 3 times more likely to end in Cesarean delivery – 8% for CPM managed birth vs. 25% for hospital managed birth.  Cesarean delivery carries its own risk for complications, and has significant implications for future pregnancies. 

The midwives at Community Midwives are certified professional midwives and licensed in Washington State.  Washington State’s requirements are even more stringent than the national standard.  Kristin & Jane's education took place at one of the oldest and most respected midwifery schools in the country.  This comprehensive, rigorous academic program integrated with clinical training in the community allowed them to develop an expertise in normal birth.