Meredith & baby Itzela!

Meredith Klein, CPM – I was drawn to midwifery for both personal and political reasons. Personal, because I believe in the family-centered model of care midwives provide, and finding midwifery was the convergence of many interests that are dear to my heart: working with families, preventative healthcare, nutrition, and herbalism.. I have a passionate belief in a woman’s capacity to make good choices for herself, and her right to chose to birth at home with trusted attendants by her side. The fact that this is not available to women everywhere, and that the viability of this option is misunderstood, even misrepresented, in our country makes it political.

I decided to become a midwife before I ever witnessed a birth in person, so strong was my yearning and commitment. Only after much study, when I began attending births, did I also come to know the profoundly spiritual aspects of birthing, and being in such sacred space with families is a great joy in my life. I could never have imagined how powerfully and personally this path has impacted me.

I started my formal training at the Oregon School of Midwifery in 1996. I moved to Austin 2 years later to apprentice with a seasoned midwife in her busy home birth and birth center practice. I earned my CPM and Texas license in 2000, and soon after started Full Circle Midwifery with a sister midwife.

Another part of my training for which I am grateful is the opportunity I had to work with midwives in both clinical and rural settings in Mexico. The perspective I gained while there, and the techniques I learned from the Mexican midwives have given a breadth to my style of practice which I might not have otherwise gained.

I’ve moved to Philadelphia in April 2008, and began doing births with Christy and other local midwives and am enjoying getting to know the community of birthing families in this region!