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Aloha, Maui families! I’m Kris Statler, co-founder and board member of Pacific Birth Collective. With 25 years of experience as a doula, monitrice, and home birth assistant, I’ve had the privilege of supporting many families through the incredible journey of childbirth. From catching a few babies myself to gaining in-depth knowledge of both physiologic birth and the ins and outs of birthing at Maui Memorial Medical Center and in out-of-hospital settings, it has been an honor

Dear PBC friends and family, I first encountered Pacific Birth Collective in 2020 after the events of the year inspired a very serious soul searching and new creative energy. At the time, I was a single woman with no children, and was talking story with a dear pregnant friend about her most recent home birth and the birth that she was currently anticipating. She casually mentioned how she found her midwife on the PBC directory, and I didn’t think of it again until I became pr

A threat to reproductive justice anywhere is a threat to reproductive justice everywhere. SisterSong  defines  reproductive justice as "the human right to maintain personal bodily autonomy, have children, not have children, and parent the children we have in safe and sustainable communities."  The continued terrorist attacks on the Palestinian people, the historical and current violence against Jews in Israel and around the globe, and the hate crimes that have increased as a

Pacific Birth Collective board member and pale keiki Kiʻi Kahoʻohanohano and cultural practitioner Laulani Teale are in Geneva, Switzerland at the United Nations with the Center for Reproductive Rights. They presented a report on the human rights violation involving Hawaiʻiʻs criminalization of traditional midwifery among other issues involving the maternal healthcare crisis in the United States. For history on this topic, please read here. Kiʻi and Laulani are working alongs

As the weeks go on, the immediate crisis of the fires has settled into the ongoing struggle for displaced families to survive. The stories have shifted from families outrunning the fires to emergency births in hotel rooms, postpartum mamas leaving the hospital with no place to go, and families with small children struggling to meet their basic needs. Maui has faded from the national spotlight, but we are still here. Pacific Birth Collective, along with our community partners

Less than two weeks ago, Maui woke up to the horrific news that our beloved Lāhainā town, birthplace of kings and queens and hometown to many deeply-rooted local families, had burned to the ground. Fueled by shock, we, alongside our community, jumped into action to support survivors. Over a week later, the around-the-clock efforts by our board, staff, and volunteers have resulted in a coordinated and dedicated effort fueled by grief, love, and our knowledge of the immense nee

It’s been 72 hours since the Lāhainā fires. The stories have flooded in: Families who fled with no warning through pitch-black smoke with only their children, parents who jumped into the ocean with kids in their arms to escape the flames, and a single mom who spent two nights stranded, sleeping in her car with her baby with no supplies. In those hours, the Maui community mobilized in force. There have been countless hands, seen and unseen, sharing skills, items, food, hugs, h

As of July 2023 the State of Hawai'i has mandated Midwifery Education through programs that are not accessible to Hawai'i Residents meaning that we have no Native Hawaiian Licensed Midwives in the entire state. Additionally they have denies access a nationally recognized Apprenticeship Training Pathway which would help local women to become midwives and access midwives in their own communities.    In the January 2023 Legislative Session:   HB955   and Companion bill  SB1047

by Haley Callahan, PBC Board Member As a home birth Mama of two, I will be the first to tell you that I am by no means a hospital birth expert. But I have supported a number of birthers at Maui Memorial Hospital–and walked quite a few women through their healing journeys afterward–and I’ve learned a few things through those experiences that I feel are valuable. To start, it must be said that people choose to birth out of the home for many reasons. Whether you are choosing to

By Mariah Strong, PBC Board Member This poem was inspired by the life-long work of my mother, who is my deepest inspiration and teacher. My mom has served families on Maui for over 40 years as their ally and midwife in autonomous birth. She has birthed her eight children at home, with fellow midwives, her friends and family, into water, or into her own hands. She has welcomed her grandchildren in the same way, with the same values. Her life work has been to hold space for bir

By Kiana Rowley, PBC Board Member This organization was started with love and dedication for our community by a group of women experiencing what it was like to be in our childbearing years and mothering here in the islands of Hawaiʻi in the 2000s. Most of us were and are struggling on many fronts to juggle the needs of our growing families, make a living, navigate relationships, and within the mix of it all find time for the things that bring us joy. Daily reminders told us t