About
MATRIA Holistic Midwifery is rooted in a calling to protect and honor the physiology of birth with attentiveness and respect.
Shaped through the work and experience of midwife Rachel Fracassa, the practice is grounded in the conviction that the body reflects intentional order — and that birth unfolds best when given thoughtful care, appropriate space, and wise support.
As a mother of five, Rachel’s own experiences have shaped her understanding of what it means to grow, birth, and raise a family within a whole-person framework of care. Those experiences live at the center of MATRIA’s philosophy: that birth is both physiological and deeply personal, woven into the fabric of family life itself.
Each birth space is approached with the skills of a trained midwife and the lived perspective of a mother — honoring the profound transformations of pregnancy, birth, and the ongoing work of mothering with humility and steadiness.
Foundations in Midwifery
Before formal midwifery training, Rachel Fracassa lived many of the questions she now helps other women navigate. Several of her own births were self-directed, giving her a firsthand understanding of discernment, responsibility, and the weight of decision-making in pregnancy and birth. Those experiences continue to shape the way she approaches care today.
Her midwifery education unfolded through apprenticeship with midwives across Central Missouri and the Kansas City area. Each mentor brought a distinct style and philosophy, reinforcing a core truth that has stayed with her: skilled midwifery is responsive, relational, and grounded in both sound clinical knowledge and lived experience.
Long before entering midwifery, Rachel worked with women and families around nutrition and daily habits beginning in 2007. This early work focused on practical shifts — noticing how food, rest, stress, and routine influence energy, cycles, and overall well-being. That attentiveness to rhythm and whole-person care continues to inform her midwifery practice.
Her background in hands-on bodywork further deepened this perspective. Regular incorporation of gentle touch, positional awareness, and tissue support during pregnancy allows care to be both attentive and practical, addressing comfort, alignment, and adaptation without over-managing the natural process of birth.
Rather than directing or controlling birth, her approach emphasizes steady presence, thoughtful assessment, and skilled intervention only when truly needed.
Focused Skills and Practice
Rachel’s background in hands-on care naturally led her to specialize in supporting babies in unique positions. She is a Spinning Babies® Aware Practitioner and has pursued additional training in breech support, offering a gentle, midwife-led approach to breech presentation that may complement or precede medical options such as ECV.
Her approach incorporates thoughtful positioning, gravity, movement, and skilled hands to create space and encourage optimal orientation when possible. This work is offered with respect for both the mother’s body and the baby’s timing, without force or coercion.
Rachel maintains ongoing education through Breech Without Borders and related trainings, supporting families seeking both skilled breech support and the option of a physiological vaginal breech birth.
Recognizing the inherent unpredictability of birth, Rachel has built a strong foundation in emergency response. She is certified in NRP (Neonatal Resuscitation Program) and CPR, has completed B.E.S.T. (Birth Emergency Skills Training), and is EMT-trained, preparation that allows her to bring calm, capable support if birth takes an unexpected turn.
Over the years, she has attended a wide range of home births, including VBAC, twin, and breech births, while continually deepening her clinical judgment and hands-on skills.
For Rachel, midwifery means tending both the practical and the profound, holding readiness for the unexpected while honoring the weight and significance of each family’s story.
Philosophy
Rachel believes every mother deserves care that respects her instincts while remaining grounded in thoughtful stewardship and clear safety. She approaches birth with reverence for the body’s natural order and an understanding that it is not something to control, but something to tend carefully.
Her role is to offer guidance when it is helpful, skill when it is needed, and restraint when it is wise.
Some births ask very little of a midwife, while others call for a steadier, more hands-on presence. Her intention is not to impose a philosophy onto birth, but to meet each family with what the moment requires. No more and no less.
Central to her care is discernment: listening closely, assessing carefully, and responding with humility to the unfolding of each labor.
Guiding Commitments
At the heart of this work are a few commitments that shape how families are cared for:
• A calm, grounded presence so each woman feels steady and supported throughout pregnancy and birth
• Commitment to physiological birth, with the skill and preparation to respond promptly and wisely if complications arise
• Collaborative care rooted in shared discernment, where families are fully informed and decisions are made thoughtfully together
• Hands-on skills used with restraint and respect, intervening only when truly needed
• Ongoing education and specialized experience in breech and complex variations of normal, expanding options for families seeking skilled support
• A whole-person approach that considers comfort, positioning, and practical body support as part of attentive midwifery care
Autonomy in Practice
Care in this practice is collaborative and rooted in shared responsibility. Every family comes to pregnancy with their own history, values, and way of knowing. My role as a midwife is to walk alongside you with steadiness and clarit, offering clinical judgment, thoughtful guidance, and respect for your instincts.
Autonomy here is not about isolation or independence from care.
It is about being fully informed, actively involved, and thoughtfully supported in each decision. It means conversations that are honest and thorough, recommendations that are clear, and space to weigh options without pressure.
In practical terms, this looks like:
• Real dialogue and shared discernment
• Clear explanation of risks, benefits, and alternatives
• Physiological birth as the foundation, with readiness to act when needed
• Care that respects your pace and preferences while maintaining shared safety standards
• A calm, attentive presence throughout pregnancy and birth
Some families desire more guidance. Others prefer more space. This model allows for both, within the framework of responsible, safety-conscious midwifery care.
If you would like to explore what this approach feels like in practice, we can talk through your questions and hopes in a consultation.
Where the Work Took Root
Rachel’s path into midwifery has been shaped by both lived experience and dedicated training. This work began through motherhood, learning firsthand the weight of responsibility, the strength of instinct, and the importance of discernment in pregnancy and birth. Later, through apprenticeship with midwives across central Missouri and the Kansas City metro area, she developed the skills and clinical judgment that now ground her practice.
Her continuing education has focused on areas where families are often left without options: breech, twins, and other variations of normal that deserve safe, skilled support. She has also been deeply influenced by traditional midwives whose teachings affirm that midwifery is both practical skill and reverent service.
At the center of this work is Rachel’s faith. She believes birth reflects intentional design, marked by order, purpose, and limits. Each unfolding labor and each first breath stand as reminders of life entrusted, not controlled. This conviction shapes her practice: attentiveness to the body, readiness for the unexpected, and humility before the weight of what is unfolding.
What Grounds This Practice
Through years of experience, birth has revealed itself as both sacred and sobering, a place where mystery and order meet.
It invites awe and requires attentiveness.
It has the power to shape, to teach, and to humble everyone who encounters it.
To be invited into that space is an honor. Every family’s story is distinct, yet each carries the same entrusted reality of life unfolding.
This work is not about control, but about careful tending, bearing witness, holding reverence, and offering skilled hands only when truly needed.
Reach out and connect.
If you think we might be a good match, let’s connect and see! Zoom calls, coffee shops, and my kitchen table are all options. Let’s chat!