Midwifery
The professional support and sacred space holding you need to have your dream birth.
Why Choose a certified professional midwife:
Are you searching for midwives who ensure you and your baby are given the safest care possible all while seeing you as a whole person and not a number on a chart? A team that understands that no one wants better for your baby than you and your partner and fully respects your preferences?
Experienced Midwives Offering Evidence Based Care.
A More Empowering Experience With Fewer Interventions.
Honoring the Natural
Process of Pregnancy
and Birth.
Highly Trained:
Our certified, professional midwives are certified by the National Association of Registered Midwives and licensed by the VA Board of Medicine. Our Certified Nurse Midwife is certified by the American Midwifery Certification Board and licensed by the VA Board of Nursing.
Experienced:
Collectively, we’ve had the joy of helping over 1000 families celebrate the birth of their babies in homes and birth centers around the country and the world. Whether you’re a first-time mom feeling anxious about what to expect or an experienced mom who has forgotten what it is like to be cared for, Embrace is for you.
Respectful:
Midwifery, at its core, is being fully present, listening deeply, laughing joyously, and holding sacred space for women and families, all while balancing excellent clinical care. We want you to bring your true self to each visit! We believe that respect, compassion, and inclusivity are hallmarks of excellent care.
What Our Clients Say
“Even my skeptical husband said afterward how much better it was than our first hospital birth.
I had such a wonderful experience at Embrace from prenatal care to the beautiful birth of my son to postpartum. I always felt my choices were heard and followed, and looked forward to appts which were like visiting friends! We love you guys soo much! Also shoutout to Corina for flipping my randomly breech babe at 37 weeks and saving me from a c-section.”
— Katie Hardcastle
Is a Certified, Professional Midwife Right For You?
A midwife may be right for you if...
• You are having a “low-risk” pregnancy.
• You are desiring a natural birth and/or water birth.
• You want a holistic approach and professional support for an unmedicated birth.
• You want to give birth out of the hospital setting.
An Ob-Gyn may be right for you if...
• You are having a “high-risk” pregnancy.
• You would like to deliver via C-section, have an epidural, or other medical pain management.
• You have complex pre-existing medical issues.
• You want or need to give birth in a hospital.
Welcome to out family!
Swipe to read about all our wonderful midwives!
Corina, she/her
CPM, LM
Corina is the visionary, founder, clinical director and senior midwife at Embrace.
She has served women in 3 countries, 4 states and several different cultures and religions, and believes that all women know how to birth intuitively- a midwives job is to hold space. She’s a bit famous for her big hair, big laughs and big hugs. She’s passionate about finding the balance between clinically safe care, client choice and autonomy, and a beautiful gentle birth. A mama to 3, a Mimi to 6, and a midwife to 100s, she wants your experience at Embrace to be one of joy and empowerment!
Cierra, she/her
Growing up with Corina for a mother, Cierra has been hearing about, assisting or apprenticing for birth for 15 years!
She VBAC’d her daughter in the Mermaid Room after her first homebirth turned into a necessary cesarean. She is committed to women finding their voice and supporting their choice! For four years she has been the Jill of All Trades at the birth center — med assist, birth assist, phlebotomist and housekeeper, to name a few. Between all her other roles she has moved through her training and she is currently ready to take her test and claim her Certified Professional Midwife title!
Marie, she/her
CNM
Marie is our Certified Nurse Midwife and came to midwifery after being an RN in a birth center in New Mexico. She has attended home, birth center and hospital births, and currently specialises in well woman care.
Marie is our go-to resource when we need medical advice and care with holistic support. She offers televisits for our clients and the community, making personal care available from home, and is in network with Medicaid and Tricare Select.
Cassaundra, she/her
PhD, CPM, LM, IBCLC
Cassaundra is a mom to 3 children and midwife to 100’s. She is dedicated to moving midwifery into a new era of accessibility, diversity, and equity.
After 3+ years as a midwife partner at Embrace, she was hired as the Executive Director of our National Association of Certified Professional Midwives, where she is changing policies and lives.
Cassaundra remains on staff at Embrace as a consultant and IBCLC for our clients with breastfeeding difficulties.
Staysha, she/her
Staysha is our staff midwife who truly understands- she’s had 7 out-of-hospital births herself!
She has worked in the birth world for over 15 years, and moved from doula to midwife after realizing she wanted to help women have the birth like the ones she had loved so much. Staysha runs a small homebirth practice in WV and is our Communications Midwife…lab and ultrasound results, portal messages and support calls often come from her desk. If you schedule a televisit, Staysha is likely to be on the other end with a smile and some words of wisdom.
Trinity, she/her
Student Midwife
Trinity has always been interested in birth and found her passion at just 14. She is the youngest CPM student in the country and attended over 100 births in Ohio before joining us at Embrace for 2 years of apprenticeship.
Her kindness, joy, and laughter make her loved by everyone. Passionate about excellent education for midwives, she is attending a Nationally Accredited Midwifery school and has attended multiple “bonus” trainings, making her a valuable part of our team.
Together, they encourage the use of herbs, massage, energy work, reflexology, chiropractic, nutrition, homeopathy, prayer/meditation and movement/exercise to maintain a healthy state of being and produce glowing, healthy pregnancies and safe, powerful, intuitive birthing.
The level of care to expect throughout
pregnancy, birth & beyond!
Embracing Your Pregnancy
PRENATAL CARE
Our clients spend an average of 25+ hours with us during their prenatal care! Every visit is full of tips, tricks, love, laughter and lots of evidence-based information to empower you.
Informed Choice:
Informed “consent” implies you will say yes, but informed CHOICE means just that… you get to choose. Our job is to provide great, evidence based information without bias. We’ve created lots of documents so you have up- to-date resources to read and research in the comfort of your own home.
Appropriate monitoring:
We’ll be monitoring you and your baby just as any provider would, making sure things are going smoothly. Belly checks, vital signs, labs, and ultrasounds, and we’ll always explain why we recommend something and what it means for your care.
Confidence in your body:
We want you to feel strong and believe in yourself! Knowledge is power- and we will give you lots of info about pregnancy, birth, newborn care, breastfeeding, and more. We’ll share tips on staying healthy and making choices that work for you.
Empowering Your Labor
BIRTH CARE
When you call, we’re ready! Our licensed, certified, professional midwives are on call every hour of every day, every day of the year. We want your baby to have the best entry into the world and for you to have a positive birth experience!
Natural techniques for comfort:
Coping with labor discomfort is easier with people who specialize in unmedicated birth and believe in you! We are fully stocked with birth balls and peanuts, aromatherapy, massage tools, bluetooth speakers, spacious tubs, and a full Comfort Cart with combs, stress balls and tens units! We’ve got all the tips and techniques to support you through a gentle, loving birth.
Clinical Safety:
We love offering all the safety you need with all the support you deserve! We have a full range of equipment and medications, including resuscitation equipment, medicines to treat hemorrhage, IVs for dehydration, oxygen, and more! We have EMS across the street and a hospital just 3 miles away. We never expect an emergency, but we are always ready for one.
Freedom and Guidance:
Midwives have skilled hands- and know when to sit on them! No one knows how to birth this baby better than you. In our safe, quiet, private birth suites your body will know how to move, how to wiggle, how to push. Our job is to monitor quietly, suggest gently, and keep you and your baby safe through the journey. Eat, drink, dance, move, walk, nap whatever helps you feel comfortable. We’re here to support and guide you, not dictate rules.
Want or need a hospital birth?
Every family deserves a midwife! We also offer Midwifery Care (Prenatal, Postpartum, and Newborn care) with Planned Hospital Delivery at Henrico Doctors Hospital.
Supporting The Newborn Stage
POSTPARTUM CARE
Our families LOVE our generous 6-weeks of postpartum care. Each appointment is like a visit with a friend who makes sure you and your newborn are thriving physically and mentally. Most hospitals discharge new families and tell them to follow up with their OB and pediatrician at 6-8 weeks. New babies and newly made mothers deserve so much more support than that!
New Baby:
We love taking care of our newborns for a full 6 weeks! Immediately after your birth, we are assessing APGARS and will do a full newborn exam on the bed next to you before discharge. At your first office visit, we offer metabolic, congenital heart defect and hearing screens.
We check your baby’s weight, reflexes, and development, discuss sleeping and nursing patterns, and have plenty of time to answer all those newborn questions for this new little one that didn’t come with instructions.
Joyful Visits:
We are excited to see you and your new baby just 1-2 days after birth, then again around 1 week, 2 weeks, and 6 weeks. We check in with you, physically and emotionally, making sure you are thriving. Breasts, bleeding, stitches, hemorrhoids, baby blues, sleep — your body and you are putting in some work!
With us, you are seen, you are heard, we coo and we awww and we snuggle and we support. We’ll make you a cup of tea or some infused water, and get you comfy. You are IMMEDIATELY cared for by people you know and trust.
Graduation Day:
Your graduation visit is a time to chat about your birth and make sure you are transitioning to this new season of your life. Of course, we will also offer you a PAP and labs, decide if you would like birth control, screen for postpartum depression or anxiety, and make any referrals you may need.
This is a bittersweet appointment, as we put your baby’s name on our Tree of Life and say goodbye- for now. Over 100 families have come back for babies 2, 3, and 4 and we hope you do too!
Take The Next Step!
Would you like to meet our team and see if you LOVE the energy of our joyful midwives and beautiful birth center? We’d love to meet you!
Every Wednesday at 11 am +
Every Saturday at 9 am.
12 questions to ask before you hire a birth professional
Birthkeepers, traditional midwives, CNMs, CPMs, LM, CMs…how do you know who to trust and what you need? In this handy guide, we’ll help you make an informed decision about who to hire.