Midwifery in Hawai'i & Maui
This page is to help give you the lay of the land in midwifery care, licensing, and state organizations in Hawaiʻi and on Maui.
Providers on Maui Island
Please see our Maui Directory for a list of Maui Midwives & Pale Keiki (not all midwives are listed there).
Please also see our list of sample interview questions at the bottom of the page linked above.
The Midwifery Model of Care
The Midwifery Model of Care is:
- A blend between art and science
- A women-centered approach
- Acknowledges the inter-connectedness & complexity of our environment, history, nourishment, physical & spiritual body and how they relate to one another to make up our overall well-being.
Image from Carol Gautchi, who is a Traditionally trained and licensed Midwife on the Washington Peninsula who developed and presented the framework for Classical Midwifery Care in the image above.
Pale Keiki - Native Hawaiian Midwife
There are traditional Native Hawaiian Midwives on island and throughout the state who utilize cultural knowledge, skills and practices to care for their community. If you are seeking care from a Native Hawaiian Midwife, please see our directory listing and look for Pale Keiki in their profile listing. Another resource is the Native Hawaiian birth workers group Kalauokekahuli.
Types of Midwives
There are several types of midwives, here is a list of acronyms to help you navigate.
Acronym Definitions
CPM—Certified Professional Midwife
CNM—Certified Nurse-Midwife
DEM—Direct Entry Midwife
Doula - a Non medical support person during pregnancy, birth, and postpartum
LM—Licensed Midwife
LMT—Licensed Massage Therapist
Montrice - offers support as a Doula but is also able to perform basic medical care under a primary midwife or doctor
ND—Naturopathic Doctor
RN—Registered Nurse
Pale Keiki - Native Hawaiian Midwife
State-Wide Organizations
Midwifery was recently legislated by the State of Hawaii in May of 2019. The Midwives Alliance of Hawaii strongly supported the bill while The Hawaii Midwifery Council opposed it. The Pacific Birth Collective did not take a formal stance on the bill as it was being reviewed. As a collective, we felt it was important to hold a neutral space as we have members who both opposed and supported the bill. In retrospect, we can see now, though the intention of the bill was to increase access to home birth and midwifery care, it is setting a prescriptive course for who and how our community can access services and that cultural practitioners, lay midwives, and pale keiki are limited by this bill in crippling ways.
To view the bill, visit: https://www.capitol.hawaii.gov/session2019/bills/SB1033_HD2_.pdf
Short article from Civil Beat: https://www.civilbeat.org/beat/new-act-establishes-licensure-of-midwives/