Moonlight Midwifery

05/30/2026

I spotted a midwife or doula in there. Did you see it?

05/16/2026

What types of midwives are there?

In the US, we have several types of providers and the way they practice can vary significantly state to state. Each state has unique licensing, laws, etc. Even when it comes to Certified Nurse Midwives with state licensing, their level of autonomy varies.

The lack of well integrated midwifery care in the US influences access and overall US maternal child health stats.

Some terms overlap, might be used interchangeably, and definition can vary with context. Not listed in any particular order:

✨️ Certified Nurse Midwife (CNM) - has a bachelors in nursing and masters degree in midwifery, licensed on par with Nurse Practitioners
✨️ Certified Midwife (CM) - has a bachelors, but not in nursingn complete the same advanced degree CNMs complete
✨️Certified Professional Midwife (CPM) - completes an apprenticeship (may also attend midwifery school) and passes the NARM exam
✨️Direct Entry Midwife - might be used to refer to any non-nurse midwife, or describes a midwife who trained but did not pursue NARM accrediation
✨️Traditional Midwife - might be used to describe any midwife based on practice style, or might mean a midwife trained through apprenticeship only
✨️”Birth Keeper” - a term that is sometimes used by non midwives who attend births. There’s no formal midwifery training, may not have any birth emergency skills training, and might have attended only a few births

A birth keeper is not a midwife, but might market themselves as an alternative to a midwife. It is important for anyone seeking home birth care to make informed decisions and know the education, skill level, and experience of anyone they hire.

While CNM are more integrated into the US system this does not equate with better care when we consider the midwifery model as distinct from medicine.

All qualified and well trained birth attendants can safely play a role in maternity care.

The challenge in the US is there are not always clear terms, state laws, etc., so parents must do their due diligence.

REPOST(some edits)

I am a CNM, educated at Emory, licensed in GA, practicing traditional midwifery. -Crystal Bailey

05/10/2026

- This Mother’s Day, we’re celebrating every kind of mom 🤍
The new moms, the seasoned moms, the ones still waiting, and the ones holding their littles in heaven.

The stepmoms, single moms, bonus moms, pet moms, and the ones we carry in our hearts.

Every story matters. Every kind of love counts. 💐
Tag a mom who deserves to feel seen today.

flower w

05/03/2026

15years ago I was delivering babies at birth centers!
Dont’t be fooled by the judgement of CNMs not being best at physiologic birth care. What I didn’t learn at school, I learned in being a part of labor, asking God to reveal wisdom and in studying the ways of older midwives.

In CNM school they made us learn all that pharmacology and medical management and how to be excellent at suturing.

But when YOU 💜are the WOO ✨then it’s fine the school made you just learn the science.
Now I only care about science if it teaches me about the fascia 😆 and releasing the sacrum ✨.

So here’s my proof that I have lived up to “Voted most likely to succeed” back in high school because I have succeeded in sticking with my profession and going deeper and deeper into being an expert at it…. Not because I chose it, but because the babies called me to it.

04/29/2026

Someone get her an Uppababy

04/28/2026

So we did a thing… a Birthworker Retreat 💜✨

If you want to come to the Nashville one, the Fall GA one or the winter Costa Rica one… make sure you join my email list!
Www.crystal-bailey.com/retreat-info

04/22/2026

Nature shows what is helpful based on shape. Pineapple, dates, eggplant are all shaped like uterus’. Can you think of anything else that grows locally that would also be shaped like a uterus?

Interesting... "Third-trimester pineapple consumption was associated with improved cervical ripening, shorter labor duration, and higher rates of spontaneous vaginal delivery without adverse neonatal outcomes. These findings support further investigation of dietary influences on labor outcomes."
https://journals.lww.com/md-journal/fulltext/2026/04170/the_impact_of_pineapple_consumption_on_cervical.18.aspx

04/11/2026

1 week until our birthworker retreat! Sign up and let us know if you'll be joining us. April 18, 10-4, Canton. www.crystal-bailey.com/retreat-info

04/09/2026

Cats are so chill about labor. They give zero f’s. Who wouldn’t want this support during labor?

01/14/2026

https://www.facebook.com/share/v/1ARvHtoxfZ/