Home Birth Midwives in Pennsylvania 16 source-checked listings, Costs, Licensing, and Insurance
Who can attend a home birth here, what it usually costs, and whether Medical Assistance will pay, in plain language.
The short version
In Pennsylvania you can hire a certified nurse-midwife (CNM), who is licensed by the state, or a certified professional midwife (CPM) or traditional midwife, who is not state-licensed.3 Medical Assistance can pay a CNM but not the others, and a 2021 national survey found home birth midwife fees averaged $4,650.910 Start looking early, because experienced midwives around Philadelphia and Pittsburgh often book 3 to 5 months out.
Jump to what fits your situation
Who can attend a home birth in Pennsylvania
You'll meet three kinds of home birth midwife in Pennsylvania today, and a fourth license is on the way. The differences matter mostly for two things: who oversees her practice, and whether Medical Assistance can pay her. They don't tell you who will be the best fit for your family. That comes from meeting her.
| Credential | Licensed in PA? | Medical Assistance? | How to check |
|---|---|---|---|
| Certified nurse-midwife (CNM) | Yes, by the State Board of Medicine3 | Yes, if she's enrolled with your plan9 | Search her license at pals.pa.gov |
| Certified midwife (CM) | New in 2026, rules still being written8 | Not set out yet | Ask the State Board of Medicine when licenses open |
| Certified professional midwife (CPM) | No. Holds the national NARM credential | No, families pay her directly4 | Check her certification with NARM |
| Traditional midwife | No | No, families pay her directly | Ask about her training, experience and emergency plan |
Many Pennsylvania families choose CPMs and traditional midwives, especially in rural areas and Plain communities, and CPMs train and certify to national NARM standards. Because no state board oversees CPMs or traditional midwives, and Pennsylvania publishes no home birth equipment list, ask every midwife, whatever her credential, what equipment and medications she brings to each birth.
Is home birth an option for you?
Research on planned home birth looks at families with low-risk pregnancies who have a trained midwife and a plan for reaching a hospital. In that group, two large reviews found no clear difference in newborn deaths between planned home and planned hospital birth, and fewer interventions such as cesareans for families who planned to give birth at home.12 Most of those studies come from countries where home birth midwives are well connected to hospitals, so a good transfer plan matters here.
- It's usually an option if you're healthy, carrying one baby who is head-down, and don't have complications such as preeclampsia, placenta previa or diabetes that needs insulin. First-time parents can be good candidates too.
- Had a cesarean before? Some Pennsylvania midwives attend home VBACs and some don't. Uterine rupture happens in about 0.5 to 0.9 percent of planned VBACs, so look for a midwife with real out-of-hospital VBAC experience and a clear transfer plan.5
- Prefer somewhere in between? Birth centers staffed by CNMs are another option. Check that a center is still open: the Lifecycle Wellness and Birth Center in Bryn Mawr closed in 2026.7
The midwives in our Pennsylvania directory
Here's what we know from our own listings, and what we don't yet. Tap a town to see who's there.
16 midwives in 13 towns
Every Pennsylvania listing we've checked against a public source, as of Nov 10, 2026.
Not sure where to start?
Tell us your due date, ZIP code and insurance. We'll introduce you by email to midwives who may have space. It's free for families.
What a home birth costs in Pennsylvania
of 129 US home birth practices10
That's the average package fee, which usually covers prenatal visits, the birth and care afterwards. The survey covered practices in 49 states: the median was $4,400 and fees ranged from $2,000 to $9,921. The 20 practices in the Northeast averaged $5,299.10 Nobody has published a Pennsylvania-only survey, and fees may have changed since 2021, so ask each midwife for her current fees in writing.
| Home birth | Hospital birth (vaginal) | |
|---|---|---|
| Midwife or provider fee | About $4,650 on average, usually out of network10 | Billed to insurance |
| Prenatal visits | Usually included in the package | Billed per visit |
| Care after the birth | Home visits included | One office visit at about 6 weeks, billed separately |
| What families paid out of pocket | Depends on what insurance reimburses | $2,743 on average with large employer plans6 |
Hospital figure: average out-of-pocket cost for pregnancy, birth and postpartum care for people with large employer coverage. High-deductible plans can cost families more.6
You can use HSA and FSA funds for midwife fees. Our home birth cost guide explains what's usually included and how to compare it with your own plan.
Medical Assistance and insurance
Medical Assistance, Pennsylvania's Medicaid program, pays for care from midwives licensed in Pennsylvania, and its rules don't exclude births at home, so a CNM's home birth care can be covered.9 Most families on Medical Assistance are in a HealthChoices plan such as UPMC for You, AmeriHealth Caritas, Geisinger Health Plan, Highmark Wholecare or Keystone First. Whether yours pays for a home birth depends on whether your CNM is enrolled with it, so get the answer in writing. CPM care isn't covered.4
- Are you licensed by the Pennsylvania State Board of Medicine?
- Are you enrolled with my HealthChoices plan, and will it pay for a planned home birth?
Our Pennsylvania Medical Assistance guide walks through it step by step, including what to do if no CNM near you attends home births.
If you have private insurance
I'm planning an out-of-hospital birth with a licensed midwife. What is my coverage for CPT codes 59400 through 59410, and what do you reimburse for out-of-network providers? Please send me that in writing.
Naming the codes means the representative has to look up the actual policy, and a written answer is something you can rely on later. If a claim is turned down the first time, ask your midwife for a superbill (an itemized receipt) and resubmit it. First denials aren't always final.
How the months unfold
- Weeks 8 to 12Contact 3 to 5 midwives at once. Around Philadelphia and Pittsburgh, experienced midwives often book 3 to 5 months out.
- Weeks 10 to 16Consultations, often free and 30 to 60 minutes. This is your chance to interview her. If you're a good fit for each other, you sign a contract and usually pay a deposit. Ask for the refund terms in writing.
- Weeks 10 to 36Prenatal visits, often in your home: monthly, then every two weeks from about 28 weeks. Around 36 weeks she checks that home birth is still right for you.
- Weeks 36 to 42Weekly visits. From about 38 weeks she's on call for you around the clock.
- The birthShe arrives in active labor with an assistant and emergency equipment, and usually stays 2 to 4 hours afterwards, until you, your baby and feeding are settled.
- The first 6 weeksA home visit within 24 to 48 hours, then visits around day 3, day 7 and often weeks 2 to 3, with a final visit at 4 to 6 weeks.
Questions to ask before you hire
Most Pennsylvania midwives welcome detailed questions, and clear, specific answers tell you a lot. Bring this list to every consultation.
- What credential do you hold, and how can I check it?pals.pa.gov for CNMs, NARM for CPMs.
- How many births have you attended, and how many in the last 12 months?
- How often do your clients transfer to hospital, and why?Research puts transfer rates at about 22 to 45 percent for first births and about 10 percent for later births. Our transfer rate guide explains why.
- Who comes to the birth with you, and what's their training?
- What happens if two clients are in labor at the same time?
- Which hospital do you transfer to, and do you know the staff there?
- What emergency equipment and medications do you bring?Ask specifically about oxygen, newborn resuscitation equipment and medication for postpartum bleeding.
- How do you decide whether home birth suits my health history?
- If I've had a cesarean: how many VBACs have you attended out of hospital, and what's your plan if something changes?
- What are your fees, deposit and refund terms, in writing?
- Could I talk to two or three recent clients?
If you need to go to hospital
Most planned home births don't end in a transfer, but every plan should name a hospital. These hospitals commonly receive transfers in each region. Ask your midwife which one she uses, and drive the route once before your due date.
Lancaster County and Plain communities
Lancaster, Chester and Berks counties are home to large Amish and Mennonite communities, where home birth has been part of family life for generations. Families there are served by CNMs, CPMs and traditional midwives, many with long experience in the community. Act 14 adds a license for graduates of board-approved midwifery programs. It doesn't create a license for CPMs.8
Whichever midwife you choose, what matters is knowing which kind of midwife you're hiring, how many births she has attended, and how she gets you to a hospital if you need one.
Why I attend home births
Stephanie Tracey, a certified nurse-midwife, on why she chose home birth and what she wants families to know. Read her story
Ready to talk to a midwife?
We'll introduce you to Pennsylvania midwives who may have space near your due date. Free for families, and you choose who to contact.
How we made this page
Written by the Home Birth Partners editorial team. We used AI tools to help research and draft this page, and a person on our team edited it and checked each law and coverage rule against the statute or the state's own page. Directory numbers come from our own listings.- Laws checked: Pennsylvania licensing rules (State Board of Medicine, Act 14 of 2026) and Medical Assistance rules (55 Pa. Code ch. 1142), Oct 26, 2026. Cost figures come from one source, the 2021 national survey by Anderson and Gilkison.10
- Midwife review: not yet reviewed by a midwife. We'd welcome review from Pennsylvania midwives and will name reviewers here once they have.
- Spot something wrong? Send us a correction. Midwives can also claim their listing for free.
Sources
- 1Hutton EK, et al. (2019). Perinatal or neonatal mortality among women who intend to give birth at home. eClinicalMedicine (The Lancet).Supports: no clear difference in newborn deaths for low-risk planned home births (international meta-analysis).
- 2Reitsma A, et al. (2020). Maternal outcomes and birth interventions among women who begin labour intending to give birth at home. eClinicalMedicine (The Lancet).Supports: fewer interventions, such as cesareans, with planned home birth among low-risk families.
- 3Pennsylvania Department of State (2026). Midwives - Pennsylvania Department of State. Commonwealth of Pennsylvania.Supports: who is licensed in Pennsylvania (CNMs by the State Board of Medicine; no CPM license).
- 4National Association of Certified Professional Midwives (2025). Medicaid Reimbursement Rates by State. NACPM.Supports: Pennsylvania Medical Assistance doesn't cover CPM care.
- 5American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (2017). ACOG Practice Bulletin No. 184: Vaginal Birth After Cesarean Delivery. Obstetrics & Gynecology.Supports: the 0.5 to 0.9 percent uterine rupture figure for planned VBAC.
- 6Peterson-KFF Health System Tracker (2025). Health costs associated with pregnancy, childbirth, and postpartum care. Peterson Center on Healthcare and KFF.Supports: the $2,743 average out-of-pocket cost for hospital birth with large employer coverage.
- 7WHYY News (2026). After 16,000 babies and nearly 48 years, Bryn Mawr says goodbye to birth center. WHYY.Supports: the 2026 closure of the Bryn Mawr birth center.
- 8Pennsylvania General Assembly (2026). Act 14 of 2026 (Senate Bill 507): Certified Midwife licensure.Supports: Act 14 of 2026 created the Certified Midwife license, signed May 6, 2026, with rules due within two years.
- 9Pennsylvania Department of Human Services. 55 Pa. Code Chapter 1142: Midwives' Services. Pennsylvania Code.Supports: Medical Assistance pays Pennsylvania-licensed midwives and its rules don't exclude home births.
- 10Anderson DA, Gilkison GM (2021). The Cost of Home Birth in the United States. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health.Supports: every cost figure on this page ($4,650 average, $4,400 median, $2,000 to $9,921 range, $5,299 Northeast average). Fees were collected in 2021 and may be an upper bound, since many midwives reduce fees for families with low incomes.