Birth is not black and white. Your options shouldn’t be either.
There is a lot of misinformation out there about pregnancy, birth, and the role of birth workers. In our current culture and medical system, it’s easy to feel like you're not the one in charge of the process, or like hospital birth or an over medicalized home birth are your only options.
Indie Birth is a collective of women committed to disproving this myth. We believe the family and the community should honor birth on every level – physical, mental, emotional, and spiritual. It’s our mission to make sure you have the education and support you need as a mama exploring home birth or as a birth worker supporting mamas on their journey.
I have been a midwife for 4 years and attending births for nine. I also apprenticed with Maryn for five years and attended a distance learning midwifery program. I currently run my own midwifery practice in Duluth, Minnesota.
Qualifications
I came to the world of pregnancy, birth, and babies before ever being pregnant myself. In graduate school, I began studying the legislation of midwifery and mothers’ childbirth choices in the US from a reproductive rights perspective.
As I learned more about the current state of pregnancy and birth, I saw very clearly the ways in which the state and the medical world actively try to control and subdue the elemental forces of pregnancy and childbirth. I quickly realized I didn’t just want to study the issues, I wanted to be a part of the change. So I caught the birth bug, met Maryn, and started joining her on all kinds of birthy adventures– including two of my own home births! I haven’t been able to stop reading, talking or writing about birth since (remember this before inviting me to dinner!).
Birth Attendant/Independent Midwife
And I’m Margo Nelson.
I was educated in the apprenticeship model, and completed a 4 year apprenticeship. I’ve completed formal midwifery studies and obtained a midwifery license in Arizona (which I later gave back, but that’s another great story!). I’ve held the Certified Professional Midwife (CPM) certification since 2009 and have run my own homebirth midwifery practice for nearly 12 years.
Qualifications
My journey into the world of birth actually began with the birth of my first child in a hospital. I didn’t even know home birth was an option. I was frustrated with the hospital experience I had and began searching for other options for my second birth. I eventually connected with a doula who introduced me to the idea of home birth, and alongside the midwife I hired last minute, guided me safely through a loving second birth experience. I decided to become a midwife to help women in the same way.
I co-founded Indie Birth and our various offerings to inform, educate, and support women on their path. I feel divinely lucky to be intimately a part of the life cycle. I live with my husband of 22 years and our 10 children (yes, you read that right) in Kentucky. I work freely as a traditional midwife in Kentucky under a PMA (Private Membership Association), serving a specific group of women that have resonant spiritual beliefs about birth and life as a sacred process. Life is good!
Traditional Midwife
