Who we are

  • ROSE WATSON-ORMOND, CNM

    Rose (she/her) has been a midwife for over 5 years and has been attending births in various capacities and settings for over a decade. Rose graduated with a bachelor’s degree from UNC-Chapel Hill in International Studies and Spanish, and a masters of public health from UNC’s Gilling’s School of Global Public Health in 2014.

    Rose completed her midwifery training at the Yale School of Nursing in Connecticut in 2019. She assisted and was mentored by several homebirth midwives before and during school, both CNMs and CPMs, and spent her last semester in school at the Women’s Birth and Wellness Center. Before opening HRM Rose worked at a federally qualified healthcare center and community hospital in Maryland and then as a part of the midwife service at UNC. She has attended over 600 births as a midwife.

    Rose was drawn to this work because of the magic of the birthing body and the desire to come alongside birthing people to remind them of their full power and voice. Rose had her own two babies at home, her first here in NC with a CNM and her second with a CPM while in midwifery school.

  • HANNAH SMITH, LCCE, manager, birth assistant

    Hannah (she/her) has been a Birth Doula since 2013 and a Lamaze Certified Childbirth Educator since 2021. She has served over 100 families in the triangle in hospital, birth center, and home birth settings. She has a strong sense of birth justice and bodily autonomy that helps guide her practice and teaching.

    Being an active participant in health/birth care and a strong belief in the physiological process of birth are what attract Hannah to home birth. Her background in small business management and economics means she can help Haw River Midwifery run as a conscientious community based practice.

    When she’s not in the office, Hannah lives in Hillsborough with her husband and two children, probably tending her houseplants or baking!

  • HEATHER GRISSOM, IBCLC, community liason, Birth Assistant

    Heather (she/her) has worked as a Doula for over 10 years and has worked as a Birth Assistant in community birth settings for the last 6 years, supporting hundreds of families during their births and postpartum.

    She has also recently been supporting families with their feeding goals as an International Board Certified Lactation Consultant. Heather loves the continuity of care and support that comes with home birth and is excited to bring that to this community.

    Outside of Haw River Midwifery, you can likely find Heather in her garden or off on an adventure. She lives in Saxapahaw with her husband, son, and too many animals!

  • AYDEN COX, LMBT

    Ayden (they/she) started attending births and supporting new families in 2009. Regardless of the role (Ayden has been a doula, a student midwife, a bodyworker and a childbirth educator) or setting, Ayden has always been in awe of the power of birthing people. As a licensed massage therapist since 2010, she has specialized in pediatric craniosacral therapy for the majority of her career, and believes access to early infant bodywork has a profound effect on the wellbeing of the newborn, and in turn, the whole family. Ayden had her two babies at home, and was lucky enough to have the newest one with Rose as midwife! When they’re not chasing their toddler they’re probably busy tattooing, making too much food, or riding their Harley.

PHILOSOPHY & VALUES

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    Haw River Midwifery is built on the Midwifery Model of Care, seeking to partner with clients in a spirit of trust and shared-decision making. We believe that birthing people and women always know the right choice for their bodies and their babies. We are privileged to come alongside clients, honoring their knowledge and intuition, and by providing informed consent, trauma-informed care, and always upholding bodily autonomy at every stage in care.
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    We believe birth is an inherently normal, non-pathologic process that has traditionally been attended by midwives, wise women and healers throughout history, mostly in the home or community setting. We believe that our bodies are not inherently broken or flawed and that birth best unfolds when the birthing person feels safe and held, and for many people that means birthing at home. We believe that community birth should not be a luxury, and we strive to make our home birth care as affordable as possible to as many people as possible.

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    We believe that many moments in our reproductive lives are sacred and can be moments of transformation and healing, not only birth, but also menarche, pregnancy, parenthood, sexual experience, and menopause. We support promoting health and wellness comprehensively, through prevention, treatment with herbs, integrative and functional therapies, as well as conventional or allopathic medicine; always providing best evidence along with risks and benefits to our clients.

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    We recognize that racism is literally killing black and indigenous people of color (BIPOC), and that the solutions to that are found in reparations and in handing power back to BIPOC communities. As white women, we recognize the power and privilege we hold and promise to trust black women and to do our part to acknowledge our own biases and ways we benefit from racism.

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    We recognize that folks of all genders become pregnant, have babies, feed their babies, and are parents. The pregnancy, birth, and parenthood journey can be deeply feminine and an important part of being a woman for many people, and also multiple beautiful narratives exist outside of the gender binary around pregnancy, birth, infant feeding, and parenthood, all of which are valued, valid, and supported by HRM.

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    HRM recognizes the many benefits of breast and chest feeding for both the baby and parent, while also recognizing the value, importance, and safety of formula. We believe there is no one right way to feed a baby. We are committed to non-judgemental support and helping parents reach their feeding goals, whatever they are.

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