Aly Folin, CPM, LM
North Star Midwifery aly@northstarmidwifery.com
Phone: 651-587-7029
1854 Grand Ave, suite 200, St Paul, MN 55105
For me, the first time I really heard the word “midwife” I knew what I was called to do. The idea of women supporting women in their innate ability to give birth resonated with me deeply. The wisdom that women are designed to give birth and do best when they are comfortable, and surrounded by those they love, blossomed in my mind. The years on my path into midwifery and growing into the role of midwife have proven this wisdom to be true. My job as midwife is to provide information, support, and love, so women can make the choices for themselves and their families that are right for them and be confident in their abilities to grow, birth, and nurture their babies.
My education to be a midwife began at the Seattle Midwifery School, an intensive 3-year program with both academic and hands-on learning. SMS is one of the oldest accredited midwifery programs in the country and the rigorous curriculum there is taught by current or former practicing midwives, often with decades of experience. In the apprenticeship piece of my training, I was privileged to work with a small homebirth practice in Boston, a larger two-midwife practice in Western Massachusetts, a busy homebirth practice in Pensacola, Florida, and a nurse practitioner doing well-woman care. I also completed a one month international rotation in a hospital in St. Lucia. In 2004 I completed my training and graduated from SMS.
In the summer of 2004 I sat for and passed the North American Registry of Midwives (NARM) exam to become a Certified Professional Midwife. I am also a Licensed Midwife in MN and in WI. As a certified and licensed midwife, I am required to participate in peer review, and I follow a written standard of care, created by the midwives of this community to protect mothers and babies.
I was blessed to be able to have my own daughter at home in 2007 and cherish her birth as one of the peak experiences of my life.
Outside of midwifery, I enjoy spending time with my family, reading, going to movies (when I can!), and I am learning to garden (when I can!).