Our Mission & Vision
At Mammana Midwifery, we know that pregnancy, birth, and postpartum care need to be personal and respectful. We are a homebirth practice serving Albuquerque and the surrounding areas. Our clients lead their care, grounded in evidence. We welcome everyone. We listen to the needs, values, and experiences of every family we work with.
Our work is about more than just caring for one person at a time. Families and communities do better with real support, education, and choices. Our mission is to make midwifery care easier to access and more fair for everyone. We do this through education, advocacy, training new midwives, caring for the environment, and working with local partners. We stand with families and community groups to remove barriers to safe and respectful maternity care.
Why This Work Matters
New Mexico has a culture of strong families and communities. Still, many people cannot get the maternity care they need. Rural areas, Indigenous, Hispanic, and LGBTQIA+ families, and other groups often struggle to find prenatal care, community birth options, postpartum support, and care that respects their culture. We believe that helping families is how we make real change. Midwifery care is built on relationships and can improve outcomes and experiences. It can also lower costs and reduce unnecessary interventions for low-risk pregnancies. When we make midwifery more available, communities have more choices for pregnancy, birth, and postpartum care. Through education, advocacy, partnerships, and community support, Mammana is working to open more doors for New Mexico families.
Why did they pick the name Mammana Midwifery?
Rachel and Marissa share Sicilian ancestry; this is why they chose the name Mammana. In Sicilian, mammana literally translates to "midwife”. Derived from mamma (mother), it historically referred to the wise neighborhood women who delivered babies, provided postpartum care, and acted as a foundational matriarchal pillar in rural Sicilian villages.
Did you notice the little red ribbon on our logo, tied around the prickly pear cactus?
In Sicilian and Southern Italian folk tradition, midwives and family members used a red ribbon, red string, or red cloth to protect newborns and mothers from il malocchio (the evil eye). We tied it around the prickly pear cactus because it also grows in Sicily and Southern Italy, making it a beautiful symbol of our connection to both our Italian roots and our home here in New Mexico.