INTERNATIONAL ACADEMY OF THE ART OF MIDWIFERY

To elevate and honour midwifery as a living lineage—an art, a calling, and a sacred commitment that has accompanied humanity since ancient times.

Traditional midwifery is alive.

It lives in the hands, in the bodies, in the memory of those who continue to practice and pass it on. It lives in cultures where the lineage has never been broken—and in places where it is now reawakening.

We envision a world where:

• midwifery is recognized as a sacrament and a profession
• birth is respected as a physioloagical, emotional, and spiritual process
• traditional knowledge and modern science are woven together
• the wisdom of the body is trusted
• and midwives stand as guardians of life, continuity, and transformation

The mission of the Academy is to gather, preserve, and transmit the knowledge, skills, and spirit of midwifery across generations and cultures.

Midwifery is more than a trade.
It is an oath, a devotion, and a responsibility.

We honour all who have carried this knowledge before us, and all who continue to practice it today.

The Academy was founded to:

• assemble and share both traditional midwifery knowledge and modern scientific research
• support the revival of midwifery traditions where they have been lost
• create a space where learning happens through body, practice, and relationship

We are committed to:

• Honouring midwifery as a calling
• Bridging tradition and science
• Teaching through embodiment and experience
• Deepening understanding of physiology and the endocrine system in birth
• Upholding ethical, respectful care
• Preparing practitioners for the full spectrum of birth and pregnancy care

I remember very vividly when my life turned to the direction of midwifery. I was only 19 years old, a young creative person, searching for myself in art, painting and music. That day, my friends and I went to a cinema and saw a documentary about water births, Mild Witchcraft, staring our wonderful Lithuanian midwife Jurgita Švedienė. It was a short film, but it changed my life forever. New horizons opened in front of my eyes and in my heart. Something in me changed in a big way!

I suddenly understood what birth should really be! I became a radical. I decided I will give birth only in water and no other way! At the age of 19, I said to myself that I would never give birth in a hospital. When I felt pregnant, I immediately found the wonderful midwife from the film… I was preparing my body, diving in a pool, and doing prenatal yoga. I was in the seventh heaven, in love with my pregnancy, a pregnant Goddess who could do anything.

But ironically, fate had a different destiny for me. When labour started, the wonderful fairy midwife was away. My husband and I were left alone, the baby needed some help, and I had to travel to the hospital I never wanted to go to. And, oh my God, what a difference, what a change it was! The coziness of home suddenly turned into hell. In the maternity hospital, I felt abused and humiliated, there was no tenderness or real live conversations, and I was treated like a soulless piece of meat. When the baby was born, I was told that he was doing badly, his brain was swollen and therefore he would be retarded… And, first and foremost, it was all my fault because, as I was told by staff, I was a very bad mother…

However, my son has grown into a healthy and intelligent young man. But my birth experience was indeed traumatic and the memory of it never left me. So, with my second child, the fairy midwife was already by my side, yet I was still mentally preparing myself to go to the hospital in case of need. Fortunately, I didn’t have to!

Giving birth to my third son, I felt I was able to listen to my body, to work as a team with the baby, to hear both of us, and to have a smooth communication between us and the helpers. More than that, I also felt it was my calling to help other women who were giving birth!

But at that time, traditional midwifery was not allowed by law in Lithuania. So, we, moms who wanted to give birth cozily and lovingly at home, had nothing left but assist each other. After I helped a friend to give birth at home, I was invited to help another one, then another and another. The avalanche of requests started. With the invitations came the sense of responsibility and the need to learn. The calling alone was not enough, and I had many questions and doubts.

For a long time I could not find an answer why I, an artist by profession, was constantly directed towards midwifery. But I loved it and surrendered the fate going where my overwhelming calling led me. It gave me a wonderful peace of mind when I found out that my great-grandmother was a traditional midwife and a healer. Soon my road took me to Angelina Martinez Miranda in Mexico, where I was surrounded by radiance, love and care of traditional midwifery. This experience shines brightly in my life giving me even more calm and trust in this amazing calling and the journey to the essence of the expecting family.

I am happy to feel the responsibility to my great-grandmother as well as to the families who call me. So I do not hesitate anymore, I embrace all my experiences, and I walk boldly, open-heartedly with you! I am a midwife and I love my work!

Sincerely Yours, Ingula Rin