Monthly meetings are held on the first Wednesday of every month from 10-12 at Tulsa Birth Center and via Zoom. Please join as a member to be added to our members-only Facebook group with detailed meeting information.
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MSO History & Why We Require Credentials for Midwife Membership
Midwives Society of Oklahoma (formerly “Heartland Midwives Association”) predates licensure in Oklahoma and has always served as a professional regulatory and accountability body for Traditional Midwives in the state. Initially, Midwife membership was open to anyone who could prove adequate training. Around 2012, the entire membership collectively decided that the CPM credential should be the minimum basic requirement for voting membership, since the level of training is the bare minimum anyone should have before attending births and all of us had attained a CPM despite not being required to. This decision was driven by a strong ethical commitment to ensuring that we, Traditional Midwives, were adequately prepared to manage both uncomplicated births and any emergencies that might arise, according to international standards.
It is important to emphasize that we are Traditional Midwives, trained in a tradition of Midwifery through direct apprenticeship and guided academic study. Historically, a “Traditional Midwife” always required many, many years of rigorous training and hands-on experience at the side of an experienced practitioner. It was never about just showing up to a birth with your heart and hands; it has always been about developing a profound depth of knowledge and skill that ensures the safety and well-being of both mother and child. We have developed more tools across the years, that any ethical Midwife would want to be able to use to keep people safe in the appropriate circumstances. The CPM credential represents this extensive training and expertise, ensuring that Midwives meet the MINIMUM standard of education and competency. So, we ask, “WHY would we allow voting members who did not feel the need to bother themselves with attaining the MINIMUM standard?”
When a journalist prompted the Oklahoma Attorney General to classify Midwifery as practicing medicine, the entire community of practicing Traditional Midwives in Oklahoma came together to ensure that our licensing laws would not significantly impact our clients or our ways of practice. We, the Traditional Midwives of Oklahoma, collectively voted on our leadership and our next steps, and came up with a plan that carved out the biggest, safest, most improvable area we could manage for the continued practice of legal midwifery. We also made exceptions for Unlicensed Midwives as long as they provide adequate informed consent about their level of training. Our efforts were successful, and we secured largely unrestricted practice while expanding the legal scope to allow Licensed Midwives (LMs) in Oklahoma to address more issues without needing to engage the medical establishment.
The current “Traditional Midwife vs. Licensed Midwife” drama in Oklahoma seems to be manufactured by people who are brand new to the area and wholly unfamiliar with our history. To clarify, the Licensed Midwives in Oklahoma are the same Unlicensed Midwives who were practicing before the state threatened the practice of Midwifery; who then fought to establish and protect and expand access to Direct-Entry Midwifery through positive legislation.
In summary, the Licensed Midwives in Oklahoma are the original Traditional Midwives who have successfully navigated the legal and professional landscape to ensure safe and competent Midwifery care. The distinction between “TM” and “LM” is a false dichotomy perpetuated by those who do not understand our history or commitment to excellence. Our tradition is rooted in extensive training, concrete accountability to our clients and our peers, and unwavering dedication to the highest standards of Midwifery.
We fervently welcome new Traditional Midwives and will work tirelessly beside them to help them get the documentation they need to verify their skills and training to access the OK Licensed. Anyone interested in this can contact our Educational Director, Sarah Foster LM CPM (sarah.foster@tulsabirthcenter.com), and she will work with you to outline a path that takes advantage of all of your existing skill and expertise. It is her passion she has been dedicated to it for decades.