Midwifing Mercy: Reimagining Birth Culture with Strategy and Sacred Purpose by Vicki Penwell

In a world where too many mothers and babies still die from preventable causes, Midwifing Mercy: Reimagining Birth Culture with Strategy and Sacred Purpose offers a bold and hopeful vision for transforming maternity care. Drawing from nearly fifty years of frontline midwifery experience and almost 20,000 births through Mercy In Action, Vicki Penwell shares a model of care rooted not only in clinical skill, but in empathy, dignity, intentionality, and deep purpose. Blending powerful stories with practical frameworks, this book equips midwives, birth workers, healthcare leaders, and advocates to rethink systems, lead with mercy, and create cultures of care that improve outcomes for mothers and babies around the world. From servant leadership and radical hospitality to innovation, disaster response, and global capacity building, Midwifing Mercy explores what becomes possible when birth is treated as both sacred and transformational. This inspiring and practical guide is a call to action for anyone committed to reimagining birth culture with courage, creativity, and compassion.