Moira Weitz and Allie Kubik, Certified Nurse Midwives and owners of Rooted in Love Midwifery help Megan Swanson deliver her first baby in her home in Cedar Rapids, Iowa on Thursday, Sept. 21, 2023. Swanson said her home birth experience was empowering and she would do it again in a heartbeat, “I trusted them with my care and knew that they would do what was best for me,” she said. Weitz has been a practicing midwife for 19 years serving people in and around Cedar Rapids. Her practice, Rooted in Love Midwifery, previously served a 40-mile radius but has moved toward a tighter margin in recent years as demand has grown. (Emily Nyberg/The Daily Iowan)

The former Keokuk Hospital is seen in Keokuk, Iowa on Sunday, Sept 23, 2023. The hospital closed its doors in October 2021 due to low demand for inpatient services, 18 months after being purchased by Blessing Health from UnityPoint Health. In August, the national nonprofit organization March of Dimes — dedicated to improving the health of mothers and babies in the U.S. — released a report designating a third of Iowa’s counties as maternity care deserts, meaning they have no obstetrics and gynecology services or birthing hospitals. Hospital closures, like Keokuk, are contributing to this care deficit. (Emily Nyberg/The Daily Iowan)

Analee Heckart checks out a guest at the Best Budget Inn in Marshalltown, Iowa on Monday, Sept. 25, 2023. Heckart’s family lives in and operates the motel. She and her husband have four children, with a fifth due in November. All four of her children were delivered at home with the assistance of a midwife, and Heckart intends for the same with her fifth. (Emily Nyberg/The Daily Iowan)

Jane Durney, squishes her face at the dinner table in Iowa City, on Wednesday, Sept. 20, 2023. Her mother, Heather Durney has worked with certified professional midwives Moira Weitz and Allie Kubik throughout her sixth pregnancy. Her five other children were delivered at the hospital. (Emily Nyberg/The Daily Iowan)

Moira Weitz, a Certified Nurse Midwife with Rooted in Love Midwifery digs turmeric out of her home garden in Marion, Iowa on Saturday, Sept. 24, 2023. She uses the herbs and other crops she grows to create holistic medicine, which she shares with friends, family, and clients. Weitz delivered all of her children at home with the help of a midwife and, after her fourth child, she started to look into the process of becoming a midwife herself. She has been a practicing midwife for 19 years, working in Cedar Rapids and surrounding areas. Weitz said she loves her work, but it requires her to have backup plans at all points in the day, in case a client were to go into labor, “Sometimes it affects your sleep if you know that a mama is just kind of tending toward labor. Sometimes you're a little more anxious,” Weitz said. (Emily Nyberg/The Daily Iowan)

Certified Nurse Midwives Allie Kubik and Moira Weitz help Megan Swanson deliver her first child at her home in Cedar Rapids, Iowa on Thursday, Sept. 21, 2023. Weitz and Kubik are the owners of Rooted in Love Midwifery, based out of Marion, Iowa. Swanson said she had a positive experience while receiving care from Weitz and Kubik, “They cared about me as a whole person. So I felt really close to my midwives,” she said. (Emily Nyberg/The Daily Iowan)

Eliza, 10, and Lucy, 8, Durney run through their yard in Iowa City on Wednesday, Sept. 20, 2023. Their mother, Heather Durney has worked with certified professional midwives Moira Weitz and Allie Kubik through her sixth pregnancy. Her five other children were delivered at the hospital. (Emily Nyberg/The Daily Iowan)

Chickens are seen at Certified Nurse Midwife Moira Weitz's home in Marion. Iowa on Saturday, Sept. 24, 2023. When she is not working, Weitz enjoys spending time in her garden where she grows herbs and vegetables that she uses to make holistic medicine and natural foods. (Emily Nyberg/The Daily Iowan)

Israel, 2, and Ezeriah, 1, Heckart play at their home in Marshalltown, Iowa on Monday, Sept. 25, 2023. Their mother, Analee Heckart, and her husband are expecting their fifth child in November. All four of her children were delivered at home with the assistance of a midwife, and Heckart intends for the same with her fifth. (Emily Nyberg/The Daily Iowan)

New mother Megan Swanson looks through a “Baby’s Firsts” book after her 24-hour post-birth appointment on Friday, Sept. 22, 2023. At the appointment, Certified Nurse Midwife Allie Kubik and her business partner Moira Weitz checked on the well being of Swanson and her son, and answered any questions the Swansons had. (Emily Nyberg/The Daily Iowan)

Midwife Moira Weitz helps Megan Swanson deliver her placenta after delivering her and her husband James’ first child in their home in Cedar Rapids, Iowa on Thursday, Sept. 21, 2023. Weitz along with her friend and business partner Allie Kubik aided Swanson in her delivery and throughout her pregnancy. Swanson had appointments with her midwives once a month for the first seven months of her pregnancy, after which the frequency steadily increased until her delivery. (Emily Nyberg/The Daily Iowan)

A road is seen in rural Iowa on Saturday, Sept. 23, 2023. According to March of Dimes, the farther a woman travels to receive maternity care, the higher the risk of maternal morbidity and poor outcomes for infants. In Iowa, 14 percent of women live more than 30 minutes from a birthing hospital compared to the U.S. average of 9.7 percent. (Emily Nyberg/The Daily Iowan)

Abby and Carson attend a prenatal appointment with Kayla Harajli, a Certified Professional Midwife with With Women Midwifery out of West Des Moines on Sept. 19, 2023. Harajli walked the couple through their first sonogram of their first child. Harajli said the scope of care midwives can provide is much broader than people realize, “It's not just delivering babies… that is definitely a highlight of it, but we can really care for women throughout their lifespan,” she said. (Emily Nyberg/The Daily Iowan)

Analee Heckart reads a book to three of her kids at their home in Marshalltown, Iowa on Monday, Sept. 25, 2023. Heckart home-schools her four children while managing the Best Budget Inn where her family lives. She is expecting her fifth child in November and plans to deliver at home with the assistance of a midwife. (Emily Nyberg/The Daily Iowan)