About Apple Blossom Midwifery:

Amanda Sheffler & Ellen Benek are homebirth midwives serving Western Pennsylvania and Ohio.

Please note that we are no longer serving families in the City of Pittsburgh. As much as we love our Pittsburgh mamas, it has become too far to travel. Contact one of our sister midwives here.

Amanda Sheffler, CPM & Ellen Benek, CPM

*We are certified through the North American Registry of Midwives (NARM) as Certified Professional Midwives (CPMs)

*We provide wholistic prenatal, birth, breastfeeding, and postpartum care to women who want to have a peaceful & empowering birth experience in the comfort of their own home.

*We are trained and certified in NRP (neonatal resuscitation) through the American Academy of Pediatrics

*We are trained in vaginal breech birth through Breech Without Borders

*We enjoy serving all types of people including the Amish community. We are comfortable doing births in a very minimalistic space (ie. in the warmth of a woodstove and the light of an oil lamp)

Ellen’s Story…

In the 1970’s a lot of young people were not happy with the normal American life style. There was a big “back to the land” movement. My husband, Bob, and I were part of that and found our little homestead. We started gardening and raising chickens, goats and horses. In this same “Do it yourself” philosophy we became aware that there was a renaissance of midwifery sweeping across the country as well. My friend and “sister in homesteading” shared her copy of Ina May’s Spiritual Midwifery with me. We then helped each other with our first births. As other friends and neighbors heard I had helped my friend, they asked me to help them with their births.

This was based on having the faith in our bodies to birth our babies. We listened to the babies with a fetascope, which is still one of the tools in my bag, though I have a doppler now too, and we kept track of mom’s blood pressure. If anything did not seem normal we would transport to the hospital, which did not happen very often.

I also have worked with several midwives in the past 40 years. It has been an honor and a pleasure and I have learned and continue to learn many things from them. We regularly have local meetings to share knowledge and experiences. In all that time I have experienced over 1,500 deliveries, studied regularly, attended midwifery workshops and acquired my Certified Professional Midwife (CPM) Certification in 2001. The CPM is a national certification program established by and for midwives like me who learned in the traditional way of apprenticeship and self-study.

I still practice the same philosophy of birth even after all the study, experience and accreditation. We support the mom, encourage her, let her know everything is normal and help her to know she can birth her baby! Birth is a sacred rite of passage for a woman. It is a treasure of an experience that can empower a woman for a lifetime. We need more empowered women on this planet. By supporting one woman at a time to birth her own baby in the calm, peaceful environment of her own home, I feel I am making the world a better place. As my mentor, Jeannine Parvati said, “Healing Birth is Healing Our Earth.”

After raising a family of 5 children with 2 sets of twins my time is split between catching babies and operating a homestead where we grow organically 80-90% of the produce, meat and eggs that we consume. These are passions that keep me active and engaged in life and also help me to follow a philosophy of living simply on The Earth.

Best wishes on choosing the paths that are right for you and may you simply have a beautiful, blessed birth.

Amanda’s Story…

When my daughter was still nursing I signed up to be a licensed midwife apprentice. I knew I wanted to be a midwife since I first experienced homebirth in my own home in rural South Carolina in July of 2000. After graduating with a Bachelor of Science from Westminster College I didn’t really know what I wanted to do with my degree. Luckily my husband-to-be swept me off my feet and I decided to follow him to South Carolina. He was in chiropractic school there and we were surrounded by people who believed in the “innate wisdom” of the body. When we found out we were having a baby I easily found midwives that I connected with and decided to have a homebirth. I had total confidence in my ability to birth and so did my midwives. They were knowledgeable about herbs, homeopathy, and women’s health. They were home schoolers and chiropractic advocates. They grew their own food and knew how to grow healthy babies and families. They helped me grow my trust in my mothering instinct. It was freeing and empowering to be able to start our family in this way. My daughter’s birth was surprisingly fast and furious (in a good way :) and it was such a transformative experience that I wanted to open other women’s eyes to this possibility.

When women birth at home they are free to let go of all inhibition and let their babies be born into sweat, tears, & song. Some women birth in the water. Some women catch their own babies and dads hold their newborn skin to skin immediately after the birth. Siblings can watch wide eyed as their brother or sister is being born. Whatever feels right for you and your family is how we want to support you.

Over the years I have apprenticed under many different (and all excellent) midwives in Pennsylvania and in South Carolina. I was a birth & postpartum doula, worked for years in the mental health field doing behavioral therapy for children with autism, helped my husband run his chiropractic office and worked in an acupuncture and nutrition office. We had 3 homebirths and I breastfed my babies for 2 years. I love working with people and doing home health care. Even though I began training as a midwife in 2000 I didn’t receive my CPM until June of 2022! Life is a journey and especially when you are raising children and caring for a family. My experiences in a variety of fields helped me to become more patient and empathetic to where people are in their own life journey. I feel blessed and honored to be given the opportunity to share in your birthing journey.

"Birth is not only about making babies. Birth is about making mothers...strong, competent, capable mothers who trust themselves and know their inner strength." Barbara Katz Rothman, PhD