Shiphrah Birth Services

05/05/2026

It's International Day of the Midwife, and just like every year around this time I've spent part of my week reminiscing about my own midwifery journey as well as the state of Iowa's midwifery path. This week marks the anniversary of the midwife licensure bill being passed here in Iowa (2023!), and I always get a little teary thinking about the positive impacts the licensure bill has already had on our state.

I love being a midwife. I love working with women and their families and offering safe, evidence-based maternity care. I love being in community with other midwives who also practice safe, evidence-based care. I love training students so they can eventually become midwives providing the same evidence-based care.

We are in desperate need of more maternity care providers (both midwives and OB's) here in Iowa and around the world. I will continue fighting for legislative improvements and better relationships with our local hospitals that make Iowa a better place for midwives to practice and, even more importantly, changes that makes Iowa a safer place for my daughters and your daughters.

04/15/2026

***Shared with Permission***

Congratulations to Hannah and Joel on the birth of Theodore Roland, born at home in December of 2025, weighing 8 lb. 11 oz and measuring 20 and 1/2 in. long!

We loved getting to work with this precious family, and their sweet little guy has the most caring and loving parents. Welcome, sweet baby Theo. We're glad you're here!

Hannah's review:

"I am so thankful for Bethany, Samantha, and Sheila! They are great to work with and took excellent care of me and my baby. Even with some complications after delivering at home, I wasn’t concerned because I knew I was in good hands with them. I highly recommend their services! They are objective when answering questions and concerns that may arise during the prenatal and postpartum periods. They simply provide information so you can make informed decisions without pressure, which I greatly appreciate."

04/10/2026

Help us congratulate Samantha, who is now a NARM registered preceptor! 🥳🎉🙌

Iowa is better off for having Samantha practicing here, and her preceptor certification means that students will get to specifically benefit from her incredible knowledge and skills.

Way to go, Samantha!

04/07/2026

Yesterday was my (Bethany’s) 9 year “You’re a Midwife!” Anniversary! It has been a busy 9 years, with many moms and babies cared for, 2 students trained and graduated out under the tutelage of Anna and myself, new relationships with hospitals and hospital providers formed, and so much advocacy done on behalf of women, babies, and midwives. I am incredibly grateful for all of the families who have chosen us to walk with them through such precious times.

Over the past several years we’ve seen Midwife licensure enacted, birth center legislation changes (so we can actually open birth centers here in Iowa), and a huge increase in nurse midwives and physicians who are actively advocating for improved transfer protocols and integration so that the care we provide is safer, better, and more compassionate for Iowa women and their babies.

For all of the positive changes, Iowa continues to face a severe maternity provider shortage, and maternal mortality rates that have gone up instead of down. Many Iowa labor and delivery units have closed, meaning that for a significant number of counties, home birth midwives are the closest maternity care providers. In many counties, there are zero options for maternity care.

There’s so much more work to do, and I’m here for it.

📸 Photo credit goes to the woman we had grab a quick picture of Samantha and I on the way home today from a meeting with a local hospital. We mean it when we say that we are working hard to improve care for women in our state. There are incredible teams of hospital-based providers who are working just as hard, and we are so grateful for them.

04/06/2026

Bonus Easter picture from your local midwives, but on the other end of the day! Much warmer this time 😅

04/05/2026

When it’s the middle of the night and 35° but Bethany makes you pose for a selfie before heading home!

Happy Easter from all of us here at Shiphrah Birth Services.

He is risen!

03/04/2026

***Shared with Permission***

Congratulations to Rachel, Kory, and big sisters on the birth of Amos! Amos was born at home in December, the day after some messy wintry weather (the midwives appreciate that he waited for the roads to be cleared!). This family was an absolute joy to work with, and we loved seeing the support Rachel received from her family during pregnancy, labor, birth, and postpartum. We truly get to work with the most amazing people!

03/02/2026

We talk regularly with our clients about nutrition and, while we can't out-eat every possible pregnancy complication (that's another topic-hello placenta!), we can help our bodies feel healthy and strong by making good choices in the kitchen.

We are proponents of eating a wide variety of protein, good fats, lots of veggies (especially the dark green and leafy sort), low-glyemic fruits, and whole grains. This is an example of a fairly quick and delicious way to get a good breakfast or lunch into your day.

Cut onion and peppers sauteed with spiralized zucchini (you can add spinach at the end, too), with a couple eggs scrambled into it, and an avocado (I use a whole one, don't judge me, ha!) cut up on top of the whole thing. Don't forget to use Himalayan or Celtic salt! For those who need a little more (pregnant or breastfeeding??), adding a slice of sprouted or whole grain toast, small sweet potato, or quinoa alongside is a great way to get some low-glycemic carbs into the day while helping your blood sugar stay stable.

What I love about this (because I eat some variation most days) is you can add almost anything you have on-hand for veggies, and you can add leftover meat, too, to change up the flavor profile.

02/21/2026

This is why, in our practice, we don’t discount white coat hypertension as a benign finding. Our goal is to provide evidence based care, always. We know that our state has some of the worst outcomes for pregnant women and their babies, and are motivated to ensure that we are providing appropriate care. This means having conversations with our clients about the evidence and data, as well as making recommendations that are intended to keep mom and baby as safe as possible.

02/12/2026

Midwife Bethany is back at it, advocating for legislation that allows midwives to better serve Iowa women.

It was great to visit with Bethany to learn more about the services our Iowa midwives provide.