Episode 64: Amanda Chandler, CPM on Rural Birth and Indiana and Kentucky Firsts

Episode Summary

In 2018, Amanda Chandler became the first licensed Black Certified Professional Midwife in the state of Indiana. In 2020, the first in Kentucky. Amanda is a trailblazer, a nature lover, and the kind of birth geek you want in a room when the conversation gets serious.

We talk about how the closure of rural hospitals’ obstetric units is reshaping the work she does as a CPM, the realities of providing midwifery care in rural geographies, and the long view she carries into the everyday choices her clients are making. Amanda’s perspective is grounded in the work and clear about what is hard.

Useful for midwives, doulas, and any birth professional thinking about rural maternity care, and for anyone interested in the policy implications of OB unit closures.

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Mentioned in This Episode

Amanda Chandler, CPM in Indiana and Kentucky

Rural OB unit closures and midwifery practice