'Ōhi'a Midwifery & Wellness, LLC

MARGARET RAGEN CM-Rx, LM, MS (‘Ōhi’a Midwifery)

Margaret has been involved in health and healing for the past 30 years. Her vast experience in urban, rural, and international settings has prepared her to support families to build upon their strengths. Deeply relevant on Hawai’i, she has an understanding of rural healthcare, and has chosen to focus on mental health and prevention. The importance of empowering families when engaging in healthcare is fundamental to her service. The past few years Margaret has also been involved in community engagement to expand equitable access to midwifery care and pathways for Hawai’i-based midwifery students.

The recent Maui fires stirred memories of Margaret’s own entry into midwifery, 40 weeks pregnant during the crisis of 9/11 in NYC. The safe haven of having been prepared for a planned home-birth during total chaos ingrained in her how crucial is community based-care AND how valuable midwives are in a continuum of care…in all locations. That experience of feeling confident in herself and confident in her provider inspired Margaret to imagine she could offer that same service for others. She began work as a doula and then midwife assistant. She had a second child and eventually completed a graduate program in Midwifery from SUNY Downstate in 2018.

Margret has worked at the Brooklyn Birthing Center and Jazz Birth Center in NYC and the rural Southampton hospital on Long Island. During the pandemic in these birth centers and hospital, she learned a lot about the importance of access to care.

Margaret had been coming to visit family in Hawai’i since 1980. After the intensity of the pandemic and wanting a better life for her family, she finally moved to Hawai’i in 2022. Within a year she began looking into opening a birth center which is finally coming to life! The nonprofit Lehua Community Birth Center is projected to open by early 2027, where Margaret is volunteering her services as Administrator and Director of Midwifery. Margaret also provides full-scope care and home birth services via ‘Ōhi’a Midwifery & Wellness in Waimea.

TESTIMONIALS
“Mahalo nui for being that positive and strong energy during the birth of my second son. Thank you for supporting my decisions and listening intently with genuine love.”

“You really made an impact on our community. You went above and beyond to make connections. You did what it takes to bring services to the population we serve. These positive outcomes are what make it all worthwhile!”

“As both a burgeoning doula and birth assistant, the birth assistant program helped me develop confidence and experience to navigate the birth field. Their free training sessions demonstrate their passion and action to promote educational opportunities, community outreach programs, and network within the community.”

“Margaret has been a caring, supportive friend in some of my most life changing moments. Midwives in Hawai’i provide so much more than just the care during labor and birth. They dedicate so much to walking with women as they become mothers, preparing them to take on new lives of their own. I hope that many more women can be cared for in the future as I have been.”