I want to speak to the women who are frustrated with the way in which Midwifery is heading. If this does not resonate with you, please disregard it. 

 

Almost everywhere I go some feel like they have to become a nurse to be able to do this work, whether subliminally being persuaded by the clothes in which we wear, the things we feel obligated to do, or the way in which we think; or overtly by medical mandates or regional regulations and laws.  Much has to do with our foundations: who trained us or what most influenced us. We can use a gentler form of care in every model of Birth.

 

However, I’m speaking to those who are not satisfied with the state of Midwifery, because I believe there was once a model of Midwifery that was the original model that was sacred and genuine, focused on tender time-spent care of mamababy, and family. All we need to do is read even one memoir from the past. Or look at the art, sculptures, carvings, and paintings from every culture and age depicting midwives doing their work. You can almost feel the tenderness in the moment within each image. I believe deeply there was. And I want to awaken those that want to remember and engage our roots and creatively restore a beautiful Midwifery that once was. I call it "Classical Midwifery". Classical Midwives practice “health”-care, which is preventative and watchful, rather than “medical”-care, which is often causative and interventive. 

 

 

TEACHING THE CLASSICAL WAY

I want to present my sentiments to those who want to be set apart and pursue the ancient spiritual calling of Midwifery and how it once was. I’m not saying we eliminate anything that is of value from our modern day. Rather I want to express that there is a Classical way of Midwifery that is being diminished which we can remember and intentionally preserve in our present day practices. Classical Midwifery is Holistic and Spiritual, with rich traditions that have been held dearly. It is an art and passion to wholly serve Mamababy.

 

For the sake of preserving, remembering, restoring, and promoting Classical Midwifery, it is my joy to invite you to our Second International Classical Midwifery Conference, to be held in Tbilisi, Georgia, May 20–24, 2027.

There could hardly be a more fitting place to gather. Nestled between Europe and Asia, Georgia has long been a crossroads of cultures, traditions, and ancient wisdom. It is a beautiful setting in which to come together as birth keepers from around the world—to learn from one another, to encourage one another, and to recover the heart of midwifery.

This conference is about much more than skills. It is about remembering who we are.

 

WHAT IS CLASSICAL MIDWIFERY?

Classical Midwifery seeks to blend the best of contemporary midwifery with the timeless wisdom that has served women and babies for generations. It is rooted in relationship, continuity of care, prevention, discernment, hands-on skill, and deep respect for the miraculous collaboration between the mamababy. It recognizes birth as a profound human mystery—a sacred inheritance entrusted to us with humility, wisdom, and love.

 

Throughout the conference we will hear from experienced midwives, physicians, and educators from many nations. Together we will explore physiological birth, breech birth, nutrition, traditional healing wisdom, practical skills, prevention of complications, Indigenous and historical perspectives and the relational foundations that have always distinguished excellent midwifery. We desire to honor the wisdom of those who have gone before us while carefully discerning what is true, life-giving, and worthy of passing on to future generations.

 

Around the world, many of the treasures that once characterized midwifery have slowly been replaced by increasing intervention, standardization, and fragmentation of care. While we are deeply grateful for the life-saving role of modern medicine when it is genuinely needed, we also recognize that many women and babies are longing for something more—continuity of care, trust, presence, patience, preventative health, and a caregiver who sees and serves the whole person: spirit, soul, and body.

 

VISION

Our desire is not to return to the past for nostalgia’s sake, nor to reject the genuine advances that have blessed mothers and babies. Rather, we seek to recover the treasures that should never have been lost and to faithfully carry them forward for generations to come.

 

If this vision resonates with you, I warmly invite you to join us in Tbilisi. Whether you are a midwife, physician, student, doula, birth worker, educator, or a family passionate about protecting physiological birth, we would be honored to have you with us. Together, let us remember our roots, strengthen one another, and help restore a culture of birth that is deeply relational, profoundly respectful, and centered on the flourishing of the whole mamababy.

 

May we be granted humility to keep learning, courage to stand for what is good and true, wisdom to discern rightly, and grace to serve women and families with skill, compassion, and love.