What Is Midwifery Today?

We've been serving midwives, birth enthusiasts and your community since 1986 with heartfelt interest and enthusiastic customer service. Through networking and education, Midwifery Today's mission is to return midwifery care to its rightful position in the family; to make midwifery care the norm throughout the world; and to redefine midwifery as a vital partnership with women.

Midwifery Today began solely as a magazine in 1986. Since then, we have grown into a business that publishes a quarterly magazine and produces a weekly e-mail newsletter.  In addition, Midwifery Today has produced and published several books, offers numerous educational aids, and presents domestic and international annual conferences. No matter what endeavor we undertake, our goal is to actively promote midwifery everywhere in the world.

The name of our business is also our motto: midwifery is not a thing of the past, but a viable profession and, more than ever, the best choice for birthing mothers today and in the future. We feel compelled to give a voice to midwifery as a profession, to educate the public and to let our communities know that midwives are working for them in a responsible, reliable and loving manner. We also strive to give individual midwives a voice so they can communicate with and support each other, and become a genuine force for positive change in their communities and for society at large. 

In addition, we seek to unify midwives who are on varying paths. When we stand together, we form a powerful block. Let's work together to promote good, safe midwifery care, and to formulate good education strategies for those who aspire to our profession or to childbirth education. Together let's make midwifery the standard of care in the United States, as it is so successfully in many other countries.  Let's strengthen our ties to midwives around the world.

Midwifery is a profession and calling; it is also a state of mind and a way of life. It is wisdom, compassion, love, empowerment and trust.

Our priorities are clear:

• Midwives trust a woman's power to give birth successfully.
• Midwives are non-interventionists.
• Midwives emphasize good nutrition for their clients, beneficial education and useful information, natural birth and breastfeeding.
• Midwives are the guardians of normal birth.

We know that most midwives uphold these values. Midwifery Today is committed to supporting the midwifery model of care and assisting and supporting midwives, whoever they are and wherever they practice.

The past several decades of obstetrics has also taught us how to save lives. Midwives can blend the wise and restrained use of technology with good midwifery education and be prepared to meet just about any challenge that may present itself in a woman's pregnancy or birth. Midwives then tailor their care to the individual's own needs and beliefs. They take responsibility for educating clients about their choices and for making these choices as available as possible. Just as knowledge is power for midwives, so it is for the birthing woman. Midwifery Today gives practitioners the information, encouragement and inspiration to meet these characteristics, and helps them remain strong and supported in their work.

How do we do it?

• We strive to bring you information and opinions from various belief systems and from related fields.
• We give you "soft but competent" information.
• We give you hard facts.
• We give you references, reviews, real stories.
• We gather techniques, ask you if you agree or disagree, share our teachers with you, and ask you questions.
• We give you art and science, emotion and spirit.
• We show you all sides of an issue, and leave the decisions up to you. We accomplish this style both in our publications and at our conferences.

Midwifery Today is both for and by birth practitioners. Your active participation will to help us continue to grow, and in turn, help all midwives grow. We seek your suggestions, your feedback,  your written and artistic material, your goals, your commitment. If you tend to be conservative on midwifery care issues, stand up and be counted:  send us your supporting articles, opinions and birth critiques. If you tend to be liberal on issues, do the same. Midwifery Today cannot function as a network without hearing directly from attendants and educators in the field. We want to know what you think and what you have experienced. Join us!

Our writer's guidelines are online. If you would like a printed copy, please send a stamped, self-addressed business-size envelope to:

Midwifery Today
PO Box 2672
Eugene, OR 97402
USA