A birth that feels like coming home.
In a historic cottage between the forest and the Salish Sea, Cottage Community offers deeply personal, midwife-led care — water birth, home birth, and the freedom to bring your baby into the world your way.
Not a ward. Not a suite. A cottage.
Our birth center lives in one of Sequim’s historic homes — white picket fence, wide porch, ocean air. Inside: a peaceful waiting room, a comfortable exam room, and a spacious birth suite with a deep tub, a birthing ladder, and room to move.
Families tell us the same thing again and again: the moment they walk through the door, their shoulders drop. That’s not an accident — it’s the design. Calm bodies labor better.
One midwife. The whole journey.
From your first prenatal visit to your last postpartum check, you’re cared for by the person who will actually be at your birth — not a rotation of strangers.
Prenatal care
Unhurried visits — often an hour, not seven minutes — with the midwife who will be at your birth. All standard labs and ultrasounds included.
Birth, your way
Labor in water, stretch on the birthing ladder, walk, eat, move freely. At the cottage or in your own home — no strict timelines, no unnecessary intervention.
Water birth
Deep tubs for labor and birth. Warm water eases contractions, softens the transition from womb to world, and lowers the odds of tearing and intervention.
Postpartum & newborn care
Care doesn't end at the birth. Newborn exams at your bedside, breastfeeding support, and postpartum visits for the months that follow.
Childbirth education
Over twenty years of teaching families what to expect — birth planning for home, birth center, or hospital, plus holistic nutrition guidance.
Well-woman care
Holistic well-woman visits, nutritional counseling, and referrals to trusted allied health professionals when you need them.
Chemin Pérez, LM · CPM
Chemin has attended more than 2,000 births across Washington, California, and Colorado — twins, breech, VBACs — and founded three birth centers along the way. The first licensed Mexican midwife in California, she has taught childbirth education for over twenty years and mentors student midwives as a professor for multiple midwifery and nursing programs.
From twins and breech births to vaginal births after cesarean, each family's story has shaped me as a midwife. Supporting this generation of families is a true privilege and a labor of love.
Warm water changes everything.
Buoyancy takes your body weight so you can move; warmth eases contractions and lowers blood pressure; privacy quiets the mind so labor can do its work. Water softens the perineum, reducing tearing — and for your baby, arriving into warm water is a gentle landing from a world that felt much the same.
- Natural pain relief without medication
- Freedom of movement and position
- Fewer interventions, fewer cesareans
- A gentle womb-to-world transition for baby
Free midwifery care for Forks.
Families on the west end of the Peninsula drive 44+ miles for basic maternity care. We run a free clinic in Forks so they don’t have to — prenatal visits, labs, education, and a full year of postpartum support. At no cost.
Honest answers, before you even call.
Is giving birth at a birth center safe?
For healthy, low-risk pregnancies, research consistently shows freestanding birth centers deliver excellent outcomes with far fewer interventions — dramatically lower cesarean and episiotomy rates. Your midwife monitors you and baby throughout, and if anything calls for hospital-level care, she facilitates the transfer and stays part of your care team.
Does insurance cover a birth center birth?
Most insurance plans cover birth center care, and it typically costs a fraction of a hospital birth. Call us and we'll check your specific plan together — 360-808-1865.
Can I have a water birth?
Yes. The cottage has deep tubs for laboring and birthing in warm water, and water birth is also available at home births we attend across the Olympic Peninsula.
Do you support VBAC (vaginal birth after cesarean)?
Yes. Chemin has attended VBACs, twins, and breech births across her 2,000+ births. Every VBAC begins with an honest, individualized conversation about your history and your options.
What areas do you serve?
The birth center is in Sequim, and we attend home births across the Olympic Peninsula — Port Angeles, Port Townsend, and surrounding Clallam and Jefferson County communities. We also run a free midwifery clinic in Forks.
What if I don't speak English?
Chemin is fluent in Spanish and has served Spanish-speaking families her entire career. Se habla español — llámenos con confianza.
Don’t settle for less than the birth you deserve.
Come walk through the cottage, meet Chemin, and ask every question you have. Tours are free, and so is the conversation.
or call 360-808-1865 — you’ll talk to a midwife, not a phone tree