Haw River Midwifery is built on the Midwifery Model of Care, seeking to partner with clients in a spirit of trust and shared-decision making. We believe that birthing people and women always know the right choice for their bodies and their babies. We are privileged to come alongside clients, honoring their knowledge and intuition, and by providing informed consent, trauma-informed care, and always upholding bodily autonomy at every stage in care.

We believe birth is an inherently normal, non-pathologic process that has traditionally been attended by midwives, wise women and healers throughout history, mostly in the home or community setting. We believe that our bodies are not inherently broken or flawed and that birth best unfolds when the birthing person feels safe and held, and for many people that means birthing at home. We believe that community birth should not be a luxury, and we strive to make our home birth care as affordable as possible to as many people as possible.

We believe that many moments in our reproductive lives are sacred and can be moments of transformation and healing, not only birth, but also menarche, pregnancy, parenthood, sexual experience, and menopause. We support promoting health and wellness comprehensively, through prevention, treatment with herbs, integrative and functional therapies, as well as conventional or allopathic medicine; always providing best evidence along with risks and benefits to our clients.

We recognize that racism is literally killing black and indigenous people of color (BIPOC), and that the solutions to that are found in reparations and in handing power back to BIPOC communities. As white women, we recognize the power and privilege we hold and promise to trust black women and to do our part to acknowledge our own biases and ways we benefit from racism.

We recognize that folks of all genders become pregnant, have babies, feed their babies, and are parents. The pregnancy, birth, and parenthood journey can be deeply feminine and an important part of being a woman for many people, and also multiple beautiful narratives exist outside of the gender binary around pregnancy, birth, infant feeding, and parenthood, all of which are valued, valid, and supported by HRM.

HRM recognizes the many benefits of breast and chest feeding for both the baby and parent, while also recognizing the value, importance, and safety of formula. We believe there is no one right way to feed a baby. We are committed to non-judgemental support and helping parents reach their feeding goals, whatever they are.