Welcome!
My name is Maria B’alam,
I am a community midwife born and raised in Los Angeles also known as Tongva territory. I come from a lineage of indigenous midwives and family members born at home. My cultural upbringings taught me that birth is a natural physiological progress, a rite of passage, an experience to be celebrated. Growing up bi-nationally and in a bilingual home I learned to code-switch. This is why I can be both a traditional midwife & a formally trained licensed & certified professional midwife.
Midwifery is my calling, my activism, and my service work to humanity. I was born a midwife and will forever be a midwife. My formal midwifery education began when I studied with a traditional midwife in Mexico in 2010 and since then I have dedicated my time to master the art + science of midwifery.
My midwifery praxis is informed by deeply rooted indigenous principles as well as evidence based research using the Midwifery model of care. As a midwife, I am grounded, gentle, intuitive, and collaborative.
My vision is to restore community midwifery for families that are ready to receive relationship-based care that is centered in trust, love and connection.
Restoring ancestral traditions for modern families
About tHE bUSINESS
La Ceiba midwifery is named after the Maya tree of life. The Ceiba tree represents the past, present, and future generations.
We honor the legacy of traditional Native American and African midwives that paved the way for midwives to practice in the U.S.
La Ceiba midwifery is a woman of color owned business.
I love being a midwife because it allows me to witness families grow. I get to see how you weave the foundation for your children. A foundation that we hope will help them to flourish into becoming healthy humans on earth.
My path to midwifery is rooted in ancestral wisdom, community weaving and my ceremonial life.
Midwifery Education + Training
I am currently licensed by the medical board of California and nationally certified by the North American Registry of Midwives. I received my formal midwifery education at the National College of Midwifery. Since 2010, I have worked with thousands of families from preconception and beyond. As a midwife I have attended hundreds of births in various settings from homebirth practice, to high-volume birth centers and hospital settings. I have supported families in having healthy birth outcomes including vaginal breech birth and twin homebirth in California and Texas.
My training includes certifications in advanced midwifery skills, lactation, spinning babies and various indigenous midwifery modalities. I am currently fulfilling my requirements to become an internationally board certified lactation consultant.
My experience is equally important as your own innate wisdom and family traditions. My clients are my biggest teachers- together we create a new paradigm in the care provider to “patient” relationship.
Maria B’alam
Midwife. Partera. Comadrona. Iyom.
About LA ceiba Midwifery
Mission
Celebrating the community by honoring all rites of passage from birth and beyond.
Vision
La Ceiba Midwifery honors birth as a sacred rite of passage by providing relationship based full-spectrum midwifery care. We aim to restore community midwifery for modern families.
Increasing better birth outcomes
La Ceiba Midwifery believes in providing safe, evidenced-based and culturally congruent care. We acknowledge the health disparities impacting families of color. La Ceiba Midwifery aims to support in helping to increase better birth outcomes for the community regardless of where the baby is born. The community needs skilled providers that are ready for the challenge. La Ceiba Midwifery is committed to passing on the traditions of indigenous midwifery and the science of modern day midwifery.