Beautiful Things Midwifery and Lactation

06/06/2026

Everyone seems to prepare so well for labor and birth, but then the postpartum period takes them by surprise. This class is just as important if not more so than the birth prep. Whether you are newly postpartum or anywhere in pregnancy, this class is essential to having a smoother and more enjoyable postpartum. Amy Nicholson is a certified herbalist and postpartum doula as well as being a mama and editor of an herbal magazine. She has a wealth of information to share and you will be so glad you took the class. The class is coming up on June 13th, so sign up now 😊

06/06/2026

Happy International Homebirth Day!

June 6th is International Homebirth Day—a time to celebrate safe, supported birth at home and the families and midwives who make it possible. This day began in 2011 to raise awareness about homebirth as a safe, natural choice for healthy, low-risk pregnancies around the world.

Homebirth has been part of human history for thousands of years. Today, many people are returning to this option, choosing the midwifery model of care, which sees pregnancy and birth as normal life events—not medical emergencies. Midwives focus on personalized care, informed choice, and building strong, trusting relationships with families.

Our midwifery model includes:
✨ Longer prenatal visits
✨ Nutritional counseling
✨ Support for alternative, complementary, and holistic therapies
✨ Ongoing risk assessment and fewer medical interventions
✨ Continuous care during birth and postpartum
✨ Newborn care up to 6 weeks postpartum

For many, homebirth offers a peaceful, private, and empowering way to welcome a baby. But in many places, people still face limits on where and how they can give birth. That’s why International Homebirth Day is also a call for more access to safe birth choices.

Every family deserves the right to choose where they feel safest to give birth—whether at home, in a birth center, or in a hospital.

Let’s celebrate midwives, honor birth traditions, and support better options for all. 💪🏾💛

05/30/2026

Save the date for our 2nd Annual Nest Fest! August 1, at the Hound’s Rest in downtown Champaign, we’ll be raising funds to continue our mission of helping NICU families in our community. Watch for ticket sales coming soon!

05/27/2026

Check out this free resource for labor prep 💗

05/15/2026

This is a huge moment for birth access in Illinois.

✨Beautiful Things Midwifery & Lactation is now able to provide Medicaid-covered home birth services for eligible Illinois families.✨

For years, many families seeking physiologic, personalized maternity care have had to pay out of pocket for home birth services. Expanding Medicaid access helps move birth options toward greater equity and autonomy for families across our region.

We’re honored to be part of this change.

If you are pregnant and covered by Illinois Medicaid, you may now qualify for covered home birth care with our practice.

Accepting clients with due dates in October and beyond. Reach out to learn more about eligibility, timelines, and availability.

05/13/2026

Beef is one of the best sources of needed nutrition in pregnancy!

Every important macro and micronutrient needed is present in beef, except folate and vitamin c, which you need from other sources
Cheeseburgers and steaks are pregnancy super foods 🍖🍔 Did you know this??!

05/10/2026

We ❤️ moms 😘

As midwives, it is a privilege to witness the strength, vulnerability, intuition, and transformation that surround pregnancy, birth, postpartum, and family life. We are continually humbled by the trust families place in us during some of life’s most profound moments.

Sending gentleness and care today to all who are celebrating, remembering, missing, mothering, or being mothered.

With love,
Illinois Council of Certified Professional Midwives

05/10/2026

A 2023 "Expert Review” article was published in the American Journal of Obstetrics & Gynecology. The authors present the case:

"...fully integrating the midwifery model of care in philosophically aligned healthcare teams and institutions is a key strategy for addressing healthcare disparities and the maternity care crisis in the United States. Expanding the midwifery model of care would align the United States with peer nations that consistently demonstrate maternal and neonatal outcomes that are significantly better than those found in the United States."

The authors cite the approach to midwifery that is standard in other countries, especially in wealthy European nations, where women have as much as seven times the access to midwives that they do in the United States. They report that midwifery care has improved outcomes by 56 different measures — including lower morbidity and mortality among mothers and newborns, fewer preterm births and low birthweight infants, and reduced interventions in labor.

Source: Combellick, JL, Telfer, ML, et al. Midwifery care during labor and birth in the United States. American Journal of Obstetrics and Gynecology.

Source: Forman, R. Midwifery Review: Adding Care by Midwives Improves Birth Outcomes. Yale School of Medicine.

05/05/2026

Celebrating International Day of the Midwife, and thinking of all of the midwives who have impacted me and led the way in this wild calling.

Thank you for what you do- the hands you hold, the families you educate, and your commitment to women-centered care.

Tag a midwife you love below!

05/04/2026

Illinois Council of Certified Professional Midwives (ICCPM) is our statewide organization that promotes midwifery. We are so thankful for the work they have done over the years to help create a reality where every family has a midwife 💜

In honor of International Day of the Midwife on May 5, ICCPM is collecting short stories about what midwifery care has meant to people. If you’d like to share a sentence or two, we’d love to include your voice 💛

Submit here:
https://forms.gle/JLGxCSCcTMCWCU3G8