In the candle light of the little cabin, a woman labored and was surrounded by familiar women to support her, one of which was the midwife who was better known as "granny". It was a natural, but significant, life event that took place in the peaceful dwelling place of the home. Pregnancy and birth weren't treated as a disease, even though it was known to occasionally have complications. Rather, it was believed women were created for childbirth and to be mothers of the children they bore. And so it was in our heritage...
The philosophy of Family Heritage Midwifery encompasses the foundation of viewing birth as a normal life event with many variations. In keeping with this tradition and heritage, we offer individualized maternity care in the home while utilizing research and the current evidence-based practices to keep mothers and babies safe. Occasionally, a condition develops that steps outside what is normal. The training of a midwife involves recognizing when those evidence-based interventions and/or a higher level of care is needed. In those cases, she continues to guide a family by offering emotional and informational support. For the low risk, healthy mother seeking a home birth, Family Heritage Midwifery provides maternity care while walking with a family in their journey to meeting their little one. Integral parts of the care offered includes:
Practicing with informed decision making
Providing information regarding current evidence based practices
Counseling in nutrition and lifestyle choices to support a healthy pregnancy
Discussion regarding appropriate supplements and herbs in your pregnancy
Compassionate and personalized care that addresses specific desires and needs of the mother
Identifying conditions that require consultation and collaboration other providers
For more information on the services provided, click here.
Have more questions about Family Heritage Midwifery and Midwife Alyssa? Schedule your free consultation today here!
Owner of Family Heritage Midwifery
One September morning in 2011, the vision for Family Heritage Midwifery was born. Alyssa realized while working on her family farm that pregnancy, birth, and the baby animals were her favorite parts of farm life. As she prayed about her love for this area, the Lord grew a desire for her to become a midwife.
Not knowing where to begin her journey to becoming a midwife, a door opened for Alyssa to attend an introduction to midwifery class a year later. It was during the week-long training that her calling to midwifery was confirmed. Alyssa’s determination to become a midwife grew as she learned more about the role of a midwife and how she serves the community. A few years later, Alyssa continued her training by beginning a distance-based midwifery academics program with Charis Childbirth. Under the direct coaching of a well-experienced midwife, she became a doula, childbirth educator, and continued to learn in depth midwifery philosophy and skills through research and in person study.
Doors of opportunity continued to open in perfect timing on her midwifery journey. She attended her first birth on May 5, 2017, which is also known as International Midwives Day. She was then blessed to begin a clinical apprenticeship with Family Birth Services in Grand Prairie, Texas the following year. Over the course of her three and a half year training, she attended over 200 births. Alyssa realized through her training that every birth is different and her wide range of experiences helped to shape her into the midwife she is today.
Alyssa passed the NARM exam and became a Certified Professional Midwife (CPM) through the North American Registry of Midwives; became a licensed midwife in Tennessee; and founded Family Heritage Midwifery in 2022. She then joined with Lauren Stum at Upper Cumberland Midwifery Services in a fellowship, a as communtiy of midwives serving clients increases the quality care that is provided.
All facets of midwifery are enjoyable to Alyssa, but especially the fact that the care is personalized to each client. Throughout the pregnancy a relationship is built, which allows Alyssa to get to know each family and their specific desires and needs. It is especially meaningful when this occurs during the birth process and those desires come to fruition. There is immense reward when a mother looks into her baby’s eyes for the first time after working so hard to bring her baby into the world in the comfort of her own home!
Outside midwifery, Alyssa loves to spend time with the Lord, family, and friends. Crochet is one of her favorite hobbies, and her handiwork is seen when she weighs babies after their birth. The kitchen is another area where she likes spending time, especially with her family in their bakery, Laurel Mountain Bakery. To get to know Alyssa better, contact her for a free consultation here!
The compassionate care provided by Midwife Alyssa is tailored to the individual needs and desires of the client. Services provided by Family Heritage Midwifery are offered to families within a 1.5 hour radius of Wilder, TN, which includes the following counties: Fentress, Overton, Cumberland, Putnam, White, Morgan, Scott, Pickett, Clay, and Jackson counties.
Family Heritage Midwifery follows the Tennessee Midwives Association practice guidelines and community standards of care. Midwife Alyssa works within a fellowship with Upper Cumberland Midwifery Services to provide the following:
Prenatal care:
Family members, including children, are welcome to be involved in the care!
Labor and delivery:
Postpartum:
Clients With Insurance: At FHM and UCMS, we use a third party biller, Birth Professional Billing, that specializes in out-of-hospital midwifery billing. A free verification of benefits may be obtained from the biller at any time.
Clients Without Insurance: For those without insurance, the fee is $5,500. Following the initial deposit of $500, the remaining fee may be paid in full at any point in the care. Or, a payment plan is set up to have the fee paid in full by 34 weeks gestation.
Clients With Health-Share Programs: Some clients don’t have insurance but do have memberships with a reimbursement Health-Share Program such as “Medishare”, Samaritans, and Christian Health-share. If the client is a member of a Health-Share, then she will be considered as a Client Without Insurance and follow the payment plan setup for that. A statement is provided to the client to submit to the health-share program, who will reimburse for the costs of services.
Interested in receiving midwifery care through Family Heritage Midwifery? Contact us to schedule a free consultation!
Thank you for visiting! Services offered by Family Heritage Midwifery are provided to families within a 1.5 hour radius of Wilder, TN, which includes the following counties: Fentress, Overton, Cumberland, Putnam, White, Morgan, Scott, Pickett, Clay, and Jackson counties. If you are interested in a home birth, childbirth education classes, or other services offered, please fill out the form below or call:
Alyssa Willis CPM-TN
Phone Number: (931) 261-6085