About Us
Our Philosophy

It is the belief of the Community Childbearing Institute, and its associated entitles, including Sage Femme Midwifery and Education Center that our mission is to be guided by the following philosophy:

1. Pregnancy, childbirth and parenting are exquisitely important experiences in the lives of women, children, their families and society at large.

2. Qualified midwives (both nurse and direct entry), have been shown by numerous research studies to be the preferred caregivers for the majority of childbearing women. Thus, independent midwives (who provide care, which is appropriate to the needs, health status and desires of such women), should offer women whom so desire the option of care. This standard of care is fully endorsed by the World Health Organization.

3. Pregnancy and childbirth are physiologic and safe events for a majority of women (especially when midwifery care is offered). The system of care offered by Sage Femme Midwifery Service is a readily available collaborative relationship with qualified physicians (who possess knowledge and skill in obstetrics, gynecology, and/or pediatric/neonatal care). This also includes a cooperative relationship with the perinatal services of local hospitals. These institutions are available to care for women and/or infants should a need to transfer arise.

The components of this system in care are to share a common philosophy of respect for pregnant women's rights to autonomy, fully informed consent and choices for her and her infant's care. Non-judgmental attitudes towards the women and the choices they make are essential. This system also needs to include access to the information and education a woman may require to enable her to exercise her right to autonomy and freedom of choice.

4. No drugs, anesthetic agents, or obstetrical technological interventions have been proven through unbiased, large-scale research, to be absolutely safe or desirable for the majority of mothers or babies. These should be reserved for use only with documented medical need.

5. The use of obstetrical technology, medications and interventions should be required to stand the test of evidence-based practice and research before being widely used on healthy women and/or their babies. When the use of these are found to be necessary, they should be employed only in a manner, which is respectful of a woman's rights to fully, informed consent and choice. As much as possible, such interventions should strive to maintain respect for the natural process of childbearing. All such drugs and interventions, technologies should never be utilized in a routine manner, but reserved for use by those 10-25% of women for whom there is medical indication. Additionally, only the minimal required amount of intervention into the process should be employed.

6. Maintaining the optimal health of pregnant women and their families (through nutrition & education, discouraging the use of alcohol, nicotine, illicit drugs, minimizing emotional or psychological stress with vigilant monitoring of the mother and baby's health has been shown to be most effective in preventing complications such as pre-term birth, maternal illness or death). Midwifery care is less expensive, less invasive and safer than the routine employment of technology in obstetrics. Midwifery care has, at the core of its philosophy, the ideas of this belief and, research has validated this midwifery model. Additionally, "woman centered care" as opposed to care centered in the "medical model" is empowering as well as safe.

7. The uncontrolled and unnecessary use of technology in health care, and in obstetrics care in particular, has added immeasurable cost to the health care budget in this country and has diverted many forms of necessary preventative measure such as providing adequate food, housing, and other types of support to the women in need. Midwifery care has actually been proven to be cost effective, due to the emphasis on "low-tech, high-touch care" and educational model.