Becoming a Midwife in a Free-standing Birth Centre “I am the midwife I dreamed of becoming”

1. ASK a Midwife: Acquisition of Skills and Knowledge of Midwives in Free-Standing Birth Centres

 2. Sparks: Pathways into free-standing birth centre practice

 3. “I still felt like a student at first.” Stories of beginnings

 4. Becoming a part of birth stories: Attuning to the whole

 5. Opening up Pandora’s jar: Honouring the power in women’s stories

 6. Embodied practices: Giving voice to lived experience

 7. “I've arrived.” Welcoming babies into the world

 8. “They’re motivated and willing to work hard.” Experienced midwives’ lived experience of newly qualified midwives’ orientation

 9. “Not a good fit”: The challenge to feel at home in team care

10. “She was labouring in a rain barrel when we arrived!”: The surprising and awe-inspiring experiences of newly qualified midwives

11. “I was the last midwife to hear the fetal heartbeats.” Intrauterine death in midwifery practice

12. The power of reflection: Olivia’s story

13. “I am the midwife I dreamt of becoming”: Amelia’s story

14. Reclaiming presence

Biography

Nancy Iris Stone is an American-German midwife who has lived in Germany for nearly four decades. She has practised midwifery for 24 years in both hospital settings and a free-standing birth centre. Her research focuses on birth in free-standing birth centres, with particular attention to the lived experiences of women and birthing people, as well as midwives. Passionate about midwifery practice, she is committed to fostering the transmission of skills and knowledge between generations of midwives.

'Nancy Stone’s book comes at a critical time as societies around the world replace emotional relationship connections with wireless electronic messages and pieces of data. She gives examples of how midwifery education can identify therapeutic presence as the foundational essence of midwifery care and use it to turn birth into an empowering experience beyond the technology used, no matter what style of birth is chosen by the woman. The relational foundation of midwifery cannot be taught through texts or online modules. It needs to be experienced and felt and Stone gives us examples of how that can be modeled for students. Stone’s use of stories from Greek mythology brings midwifery back to the humanities, demonstrating that the feelings that need to be recognized and nurtured for pregnancy and birth are timeless. Stone’s book is a must read for midwifery teachers, practicing midwives, and student midwives.'

Cecilia M. Jevitt, Professor, Midwifery Program, Director, University of British Columbia 

"Dr. Nancy Stone’s manuscript reveals the deep physiological wisdom embedded in relational caregiving. Her work thoughtfully integrates the lived experience of midwifery with the science of oxytocin and autonomic regulation. It affirms that birth and caregiving are not only clinical processes but relational neurobiological events—shaped by co-regulation, safety, and trust. This is a timely and meaningful contribution to the fields of reproductive health and human connection."

Sue Carter, PhD, Distinguished Research Professor, Emerita Director of the Kinsey Institute, Indiana University, Professor of Psychology, University of Virginia

 

“In this methodologically rigorous and beautifully articulated manuscript, Dr. Nancy Stone offers a compelling examination of midwifery in free-standing birth canters. Her focus on relational care and embodied knowledge reflects the core principles of Polyvagal Theory—particularly the role of co-regulation, neuroception, and the social transmission of safety. This work makes a significant contribution to our understanding of how caregiving environments shape autonomic regulation and support human resilience.”

Stephen W. Porges, PhD, Originator of Polyvagal Theory, Distinguished University Scientist, founding Director of the Kinsey Institute Traumatic Stress Research Consortium, Indiana University, Professor of Psychiatry, University of North Carolina 

 

'Nancy Stone has written the smartest, most thoughtful, most data-based discussion of the difference between midwifery in medical settings and midwifery as an independent profession.'   

Barbara Katz Rothman, Professor of Sociology, Public Health, Disability Studies and Women's Studies, City University of New York