Our Philosophy...
The journey of pregnancy, birthing and parenting is a very intimate and intense adventure. The foundation of our care is RESPECT, HONESTY, and TRUST. Each woman has a very individual experience and deserves reverence and celebration. A woman has the right to choose where and with whom she feels the safest, most empowered and secure, to have the experience she desires.
We are dedicated to providing the highest standard of care, offering an intricate balance of tradition and technology. Midwives are the facilitators of natural process and reserve intervention, invasive testing and procedures for situations outside the parameters of normal. We allow as much time as needed to listen, interact and educate — encouraging families to be proactive, to make truly informed decisions about their care.
Kate Hartwell NHCM, CPM - Owner
Kate is a New Hampshire Certified Midwife and a nationally Certified Professional Midwife. Her training was almost exclusively apprentice-model care, which is a valuable, traditional path to licensure where the student is immersed in hands-on practice under senior midwives. She has been attending births since 2007 and she has attended many births in diverse settings – home, birth center and hospital- working with various NH, ME and VT midwives. Kate is a contemporary midwife offering the current recommended standards of practice, testing, and procedures, while upholding the traditional midwifery model of care. Pregnancy and birth is statistically low-risk and requires little or no medical intervention, and Kate is skilled at recognizing when intervention is necessary. The safe passage of mother and baby is of paramount importance. Kate offers much time and attention to ask questions and discuss concerns during clinic and home visits. Her emphasis is on educating, identifying and preventing problems, allowing families to make their own informed decisions regarding care.
Kate is a NH native and lives in Concord with her partner and their two daughters. When she is not on call, Kate is soaking in all the beauty NH has to offer – hiking its many mountains, playing in the lakes and ocean (or sleeping!).
Cindy Owen NHCM, CPM
Cindy has been attending births since 1999, first as a student and assistant, then as a licensed midwife since 2004. She graduated from Birthwise Midwifery School in Bridgton, ME and apprenticed with several home birth midwives, a birthing center in Texas, and a Family Practice. Cindy completed a year long Herbal apprenticeship in 1996 and uses natural healing methods in her midwifery practice. She has a good background in nutrition and breastfeeding support. In 2010 she joined in practice with Kate Hartwell at the Concord Birth Center. Together they run a thriving midwifery practice, attending birthing women at home and at the Concord Birth Center. They offer complete prenatal care, labor and birth support, and postpartum home visits for moms and newborns. Cindy believes that birth is a normal life process; that every woman should have the right to bring her baby into the world her own way. She practices by informed choice, offering the standards of maternity care, and listening to parent's opinions and requests. Cindy believes that family centered care is beneficial and educational for all involved. Children and partners are always welcome to attend appointments. As our practice grows by leaps and bounds, Cindy supports Kate in creating The River Guild next to the Birth Center. A spacious gathering place to bring holistic care, classes, and workshops to the wider community. Cindy lives with her family on 140 acres of conservation woodlands and fields. She and her husband have 6 adult children out in the world, and a teenage daughter at home. Cindy enjoys fiber arts, gardening, and homesteading.