WHAT I BELIEVE

Evidence Based​

Women have the right to informed health care decisions. They deserve evidence-based care and support as they lead their own path into motherhood. I am a midwife because I believe in the sanctity of self-determination and autonomy in care. Every choice that is made in care is made by the mother - she is the leader in her journey. 

My Goal

My ethical duty as a midwife is to provide the most current, evidence-based data -the risks, benefits, and the alternatives- to every choice. Then it is up to the mother to choose her next best step, and up to me as a provider to support her within my scope of care. In this way, the boundaries and wishes of both the mother and midwife alike are honored.

Why Advanced Midwifery

I integrate intentional, intuitive educational classes into my comprehensive midwifery care model because it is sustainable, supportive, and the safest option for mothers and midwives alike. Giving birth is a rite of passage that a woman must do alone, for herself, through herself. But she does not need to be without support while she walks her path. Facing these rites of passage pulls deep on the sense of self, bravery, and capacity in every woman. Bravery is not an inherent skill. It is a learned skill that takes practice and coaching and support to master and employ in one’s life. By creating a space for education, social connection, and healing in combination with prenatal and postpartum care, mothers are being shown how to value and create community and sacred space in their lives, both with others and within themselves. And they don’t have to feel lonely, isolated, or scared while doing it! These women learn the strength that exists in leaning into each other. They learn that their mental and emotional health and sense of belonging are just as important to their health as coming in for a prenatal check-up. They learn the cycle of reciprocity - of giving and receiving of themselves, which in turn helps them to understand how to develop boundaries around their energy exchange in all of their relationships. They learn bravery, and through bravery, they develop a deeper sense of self worth and self love. 

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Jessica Johnston
Founder, CPM CDM

I am a woman in love with life. My phenomenal, midwife-loving husband Dan and I have two precocious, hilarious children, our son Asher and our daughter Lucy. We live a fun-filled life in East Anchorage, playing in the sun, growing veggies all summer long, hunting and fishing with the seasons, and traveling when we can. We are all born and raised Alaskans, and we plan to call this magnificent land our home forever.

When faced with the question, "Why midwifery?", all I can think to answer is this: My path to midwifery began as a result of my myriad path of life experience, adventures in holistic health, and an unshakable sense that our bodies are governed by an innate intelligence that deserves reverence and attention.

I earned my undergraduate degree as a pre-medical/biological and natural sciences student at UAA. I came to a cross roads - I adored science, but Western medicine was not the healing path toward which I was called. I took time, I followed my heart and traveled, spending months in India learning Reiki and energy healing modalities, and completing a teacher training in Kundalini yoga under Gurumukh Kaur Khalsa. I came back stateside and knew that following western medicine was not my next best step. I began to teach yoga in Anchorage, and fell deeply in love with prenatal yoga.

As I began to contemplate starting my own family, I found the practice of midwifery and I felt an absolute sacred YES ping for me. This was the quality of care that I saw in my mind's eye when I daydreamed about what healthcare should look like. I began my clinical and didactic training in professional midwifery in 2015 and I haven't stopped learning since! I earned my state and national certifications in 2018 and launched my intentional, sustainable, perfect-for-me boutique home birth practice. Additionally, in 2019, I co-founded the Pacific Birth Institute with the primary goal of educating, training, and activating the next generation of birth professionals, regionally and beyond. 

I truly live a blessed life - I educate, care for, and attend fantastic, healthy clients at home, so deeply honored to be a part of welcoming their babies Earthside. And when I'm not midwifing moms, I am pouring my love and attention into the Pacific Birth Institute, midwifing the legacy and longevity of midwifery and community birth in Alaska and beyond.

​Surrounded by the people I love, supported in the work I love, living on the land I love, I delight in the beauty of life and I am eternally grateful today and every day.

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Jessica is such a dedicated midwife, I know because I have seen her in action, we attended births together, and I have seen her compassion in action. She loves her “work” (more like a calling really), she has so much patience with women in labor, but most of all, her love and light shine thru and she has this ability to tune in and “click” with the energy of birth. Any woman will be lucky to have her as a midwife, I sure feel lucky to have her as a friend and sister midwife.-
​Chinmayo Forro