FAQ

I'm Abby. Mother of ten. Traditional midwife. Birth freedom advocate. Born-again Christian. Philly area native.

I started studying midwifery in 2010 after the birth of my fifth child — our first homebirth. My training spanned five years under local midwifery elders in the traditional apprenticeship model. I've been attending births professionally since 2013.

I've given birth ten times. Four in hospital, six at home — three with a midwife, three unassisted. Baby ten arrived July 2024.

I'm not a credential on a wall. I'm someone who has lived this. In the same region I serve. With the same convictions my clients hold.

No. I am not licensed by the state of Pennsylvania. I'm a traditional midwife — trained through apprenticeship, not through a nursing program or state board.

Pennsylvania has no licensing pathway for direct-entry midwives. There is no license to hold. What exists instead is a legal grey zone that the state uses selectively — and I write about that in detail on my Substack.

What I am: trained, experienced, transparent, and deeply committed to every family I serve.

You have the right to choose who attends your birth. Full stop.

A CNM (Certified Nurse-Midwife) is a licensed nurse with graduate-level midwifery training. They typically work in hospitals or clinical settings under physician oversight.

A CPM (Certified Professional Midwife) holds a credential through the North American Registry of Midwives. They're licensed in many states — but not in Pennsylvania, because Pennsylvania has no pathway for them.

A traditional midwife — what I am — is trained through apprenticeship. Our knowledge comes from doing the work alongside experienced practitioners, not from a classroom or a standardized exam.

Different paths. Different philosophies. Different legal standing.

Do your research. Ask hard questions. Know who you're inviting into your birth.

It means we take your rights seriously.

Informed consent. Informed refusal. Your authority over your own body, your baby, and your birth.

We offer free birth planning resources, guidance on navigating hospital systems, and steady support for families who've been pressured, dismissed, or outright threatened by providers who forgot whose birth it is.

It's your pregnancy. Your body. Your baby. We don't let anyone forget that.

Yes.

Every pregnancy is sacred from the moment of conception. We walk alongside families through loss with faith-based, non-clinical support — presence, prayer, and care.

We do not offer or refer for abortion.

Functional medicine looks at the whole person — not just the symptom in front of you.

Nutrition. Sleep. Environment. Root cause. We apply that lens throughout pregnancy and postpartum — because a well-nourished, well-supported mother is the single greatest safeguard in any birth.

We offer customized wellness plans, natural fertility support, nutritional guidance, and breastfeeding care grounded in both evidence and tradition.

Yes. I've been teaching birth workers for years.

We offer self-paced doula training with over 100 hours of structured education — home birth, hospital birth, and cesarean support, plus business setup. No live calls. No deadlines. Certificate upon completion.

I also offer professional mentorship, legal contract review, and direct consultation for midwives navigating Pennsylvania's legal landscape.

See the Services page for current offerings.

We start with a consultation call. If it's a fit, we begin prenatal care — regular in-home visits, labs, monitoring, and real conversation about your birth vision.

When labor begins, we come to you. We stay through active labor, delivery, and the hours after. We don't watch the clock. We watch you.

After the birth, we follow up with home visits for newborn assessment, breastfeeding support, and maternal recovery. We don't disappear after the baby comes.

No hospital clock. No strangers in the room. No one telling you what your body can't do.

We prepare for that.

Every birth I attend, I arrive ready to respond to hemorrhage, neonatal distress, and anything that falls outside normal parameters. I have protocols. I have equipment. I know when to transfer — and I never hesitate when the answer is yes.

Transfer is not failure. Transfer is good midwifery.

Part of our intake process involves identifying your nearest appropriate hospital and making sure you and your family understand exactly how that would work.

Yes. We discuss this during prenatal care and help you set up your space. We've done plenty of them.

A birth center is a dedicated out-of-hospital facility staffed by midwives. A home birth is in your home — your space, your bed, your kitchen, your bathroom, your dog on the floor if that's what you want.

For most of our families, home is the point. It's not just a setting — it's the whole philosophy.

Cardinal Birth attends home births. If a birth center is what you're looking for, we're happy to point you in the right direction.

Schedule a call. That's it.

We'll talk through your situation, your vision for your birth, and whether Cardinal Birth is the right fit. No pressure. No commitment. Just a conversation.

Book at pamidwife.com or call (610) 216-2910.

Early is better — first trimester gives us the most time to build a relationship and provide full prenatal care.

But we know that's not always how it works. Some families find us at 30 weeks. Some later. Reach out wherever you are. We'll figure out what's possible.

No. Because we operate outside the state licensing system, we're not set up to bill insurance.

We offer flexible payment arrangements and discounts for military families and those with financial need. Money should not be the reason a family can't access good birth support. Talk to us.

Yes. Absolutely yes.

We are a family-centered practice. Children at prenatals and births are normal here. We built this practice around real family life — because we know what that looks like. We have ten kids.

Yes. I'm a born-again Christian. My faith is not a marketing angle — it's the foundation of everything I do.

I believe God designed the body for birth. I believe that design works when we honor it, nourish it, and leave it largely undisturbed. I believe birth is sacred. I believe families have divine authority over their own children.

Cardinal Birth serves families of all backgrounds with respect and without judgment. What we share with our clients isn't always the same theology — it's the same conviction that birth belongs to the family, not to the institution.

You are the lead. Not me. Not a hospital. Not a protocol.

My job is to bring knowledge, skill, and presence. Your job is to make the decisions about your body and your baby. I give you real information. You decide what to do with it.

We don't take that power from you. We make sure no one else does either.

No.

I'm anti-coercion. I'm anti-fear tactics. I'm anti-stripping a woman of her decision-making in the most vulnerable moment of her life.

Hospitals save lives. Transfers happen and I support them without hesitation when they're needed. What I oppose is a system that treats birth like a liability and mothers like passive patients.

Informed consent is not a courtesy. It's a right.

Cardinal means something of profound, essential importance.

Birth is that.

The Northern Cardinal is also one of Pennsylvania's most familiar birds — brilliant red against grey winter skies, impossible to miss. The male feeds and cares for his nesting mate as she tends the nest and brings new life into the world.

That image is the midwife's work in a nutshell. Steady presence. Fierce protection. Quietly holding space for something holy to happen.

Your birth matters. It should stand out in your heart for the rest of your life. That's what we're here for.