Today we’d like to introduce you to Ann Kilroy.
Ann, let’s start with your story. We’d love to hear how you got started and how the journey has been so far.
I don’t work. I float along the river of life, the river that carries me along, winding into the hearts and homes of wonderful families along the way. I am privileged to serve as a midwife for families in Massachusetts who desire to welcome their babies in the peacefulness of their own homes.
I’ve been on this journey for over twenty-five years now. I, too, was blessed to have skilled, caring midwives caring for me as I became a mother for the first time in 1986, and went on to have five more children. I remember discovering that I, too, was drawn to become a midwife, after the birth of my second child. I started down the path and never looked back.
Many people are not aware that home birth is alive and well in Massachusetts, and always has been. But there exists a network of midwives, doulas, doctors and nurses, all of whom have a deep-seated belief in the natural birth process. As a CPM (Certified Professional Midwife), I attend home births anywhere in Eastern Massachusetts. I also function as a Doula, for clients who wish to birth in hospitals or birthing centers. I work in conjunction with CNM’s and OB’s, Family Practitioners and Pediatricians, and Acupuncturists, Naturopathic Doctors and Chiropractors, to ensure the best possible care for my clients. My goal as a midwife is to create a safe, peaceful, uninterrupted space for my clients to optimize their birthing experience, no matter where they choose to have their babies.
Has it been a smooth road?
The most difficult part of being a midwife has been working to get Massachusetts to join the 32 other states in the US that license CPM’s. After submitting legislation that would ensure minimum standards for consumers for over twenty years, Massachusetts still hasn’t signed on to guarantee consumers will be able to have some confidence that the midwives attending them will be following accepted protocols, with accountability procedures in place.
So let’s switch gears a bit and go into the Home Midwifery Services story. Tell us more about the business.
As a midwife, I attend two to four births per month, most at home, some planned hospital births as a doula. I provide complete prenatal care for my clients, including lab work and ultrasound screenings. I see my clients either in their homes, or in my office in Arlington. I travel anywhere in Eastern Mass. My practice also incorporates the modalities of homeopathy, herbs, massage, and guided meditation to support healthy pregnancies and births. We offer water births, and have birthing tubs available for rental. I also provide support for the postpartum period, helping with early breastfeeding and parenting of newborns.
Above all, I value the relationships that develop with my clients, that very often last years after the babies are born.
How do you think the industry will change over the next decade?
Midwifery care has been greatly expanding in the US in the last few years, and Massachusetts will follow suit, especially if licensing of CPM’s happens this year. States that have licensed midwives have seen a significant increase in families choosing to birth at home, with concurrent decreases in insurance expenses. Consumers who choose midwives experience healthier pregnancies, fewer inductions, fewer interventions in labor, and a much lower cesarean section rate. As they say, Midwifery is catching.
Contact Info:
- Website: homemidwifeannkilroy.com
- Phone: 617-875-8791
- Email: annk3838@gmail.com
- Facebook: @AnnKilroyCPM
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