Licensed midwives who come to you — wherever you call home
Midwifery Care That Comes to You
Not every Florida family has a licensed midwife right around the corner. In rural counties, small towns, and areas between major cities, families who want home birth care often need to look beyond their immediate community. That is where Florida's traveling midwives come in.
Traveling midwives are experienced licensed practitioners who extend their service area beyond their home community to serve families who might otherwise not have access to midwifery care. They bring the same high-quality, evidence-based care to your birth — wherever you are in Florida.
Service Regions Across Florida
Florida's traveling midwives organize their coverage by region. Below are the primary service corridors. Contact the midwives listed in your nearest region to ask about specific county coverage.
North Florida & Panhandle
Traveling midwives serving Escambia, Santa Rosa, Okaloosa, Walton, Holmes, Jackson, Washington, Bay, Calhoun, Gulf, Franklin, Gadsden, Liberty, Leon, Jefferson, Madison, Taylor, and surrounding counties.
Coverage for Duval, Clay, Nassau, St. Johns, Putnam, Flagler, and Baker counties.
Central Florida
Midwives traveling to Orange, Osceola, Seminole, Lake, Polk, Marion, Citrus, Hernando, Sumter, Highlands, and surrounding Central Florida counties.
Southwest Florida
Service for Lee, Collier, Charlotte, Sarasota, Manatee, DeSoto, Hendry, Glades, and Hardee counties.
South Florida
Coverage for Miami-Dade, Broward, Palm Beach, Monroe, Martin, St. Lucie, Indian River, and Okeechobee counties.
Why Families Choose Traveling Midwives
Florida families in rural communities choose traveling midwives for many of the same reasons families in cities choose local midwives: the desire for personalized, relationship-centered care, the comfort of giving birth at home, and the presence of a skilled professional who knows them and their family.
What distinguishes a traveling midwife relationship is often the extra commitment involved. A midwife who drives two hours to attend your birth has made an extraordinary investment in your family's wellbeing. These relationships often become particularly deep and meaningful precisely because of the dedication they require on both sides.
How to Find a Traveling Midwife in Florida
Start with county pages: Check the county directory for your area. If no local midwife is listed, look at neighboring county pages for practitioners who may travel to your area.
Ask directly: Contact any Florida midwife and ask if they travel to your location. Many will travel further than their listed service area for families in need.
Use the Find a Midwife tool: Search our full statewide directory and filter for practitioners who list travel as part of their services.
Contact midwifery associations: The Florida Midwifery Association maintains a referral network that can connect you with practitioners serving your area.
Ask locally: Your OB, birth doula, or childbirth educator may know of traveling midwives serving your region even if they are not widely listed online.
Find a Midwife in Your Area
Browse our complete Florida midwife directory and find the right practitioner for your birth.
Travel range varies significantly by midwife. Many Florida traveling midwives cover a 50–100 mile radius from their home base. Some practitioners serve entire regions — all of North Florida, the Gulf Coast corridor, or the Treasure Coast area, for example.
Contact individual midwives to confirm their current service area. A midwife who lists "North Florida" as their territory may be based in Gainesville and travel to communities that lack local coverage. Don't hesitate to ask specifically whether they serve your town or county.
Policies vary. Many traveling midwives include travel within a defined radius — often 30–50 miles — in their standard fee. Travel beyond that range may incur a mileage fee, a flat travel surcharge, or a higher base fee to account for extended coverage area.
Always ask about travel costs when requesting a quote. Some midwives charge per mile beyond their base radius; others set a flat additional fee for rural service. Get this information in writing before signing your care agreement.
Professional traveling midwives maintain backup arrangements with other licensed midwives to ensure continuous coverage. If your primary midwife is attending another birth when you go into labor, a qualified backup will be dispatched to attend your birth.
Ask your midwife to introduce you to their backup midwife before your due date. Meet the backup in person or via video call so you are familiar with them before labor begins. This is standard practice for experienced Florida midwives.
Yes — traveling midwives hold the same Florida licensure and meet the same professional standards as local practitioners. Many traveling midwives are highly experienced professionals who have expanded their service area specifically to reach families in underserved communities.
Choosing a traveling midwife does not mean you are getting a less qualified practitioner. Verify their license status through the Florida Department of Health, ask about their birth experience, and check references just as you would with any midwife.
Rural Florida counties — particularly Lafayette, Liberty, Gilchrist, Hamilton, Madison, Taylor, Dixie, Calhoun, Gulf, and several Panhandle counties — often rely primarily on traveling midwives for home birth coverage. These communities have fewer local practitioners due to their smaller populations.
If you live in a rural county and cannot find a local midwife, search for traveling practitioners based in your nearest large city — Gainesville, Tallahassee, Jacksonville, Tampa, or Pensacola — and ask whether they serve your area.
Your midwife will provide a detailed supply list at your 36-week prenatal visit. Standard items include a birth kit (sterile supplies, underpads), clean towels and linens, a large plastic tarp or drop cloth for the floor, a well-lit space with accessible water, and a place for the midwife to set up equipment.
Make sure your home address is clear and easy to find — especially important in rural areas. Send your midwife your exact GPS coordinates or detailed directions, and ensure your driveway or road is accessible in various weather conditions.