I am a Licensed Direct-Entry Midwife/Certified Professional Midwife, bodyworker and women’s wellness coach. I have served the homebirth community in the Bitterroot Valley of western Montana since 2002. I am honored to help women and families confidently and consciously embrace their roles as creators and nurtures of Life. I combine a more than 25 year background in holistic health care and education with great compassion and insight to help my clients move toward more healthful behaviors and deeper connections with self, family and community.
From an early age, I was naturally curious about the body and health. In junior high and high school, I was the girl that friends came to with questions about their changing bodies because I was not afraid to go to the library and look things up. I spent a lot of time reading about reproduction, nutrition and herbs and learned to chart my fertility cycle at the age of 15. I loved digging deeper for answers and finding the most natural solution to challenges.
My interest in women and health care blossomed in college. I took opportunities to work with women’s health organizations, prison health care advocates, and single mothers’ shelters to learn about how to support and empower women in difficult circumstances. I was also a volunteer doula (labor assistant) for a very busy hospital in the Bronx, New York. All of the nurse midwives I worked with were wonderful women, but my favorites were the ones who had been homebirth midwives before moving into the hospital to work. I contemplated medical school but came to the realization that I really did not want to practice medicine or work in such a high stress environment… my heart was really with holistic health, women’s self-development and spirituality. Eventually I moved to Montana and continued to doula mostly for friends. It was my experience with homebirth midwives during my own pregnancies that solidified my resolve to become a midwife. In 1996, I embarked on a six year long apprenticeship with five different midwives and completed my education in midwifery. I am very humbled by this work, there is always something new to discover.
I share my life with an amazing man named Paul and our three sweet, strong and brilliant sons. I continue to love to read, but now it’s mostly for fun. I learned to downhill ski at the age of 40 and am so happy when I can get out for a snow day with my family. I like to cook and explore international cuisine, and occasionally binge on Netflix while I knit. I recently rediscovered my love of travel and people watching; we live in a truly beautiful and amazing world! My greatest love is to sit in reverence and awe of all that is…especially honoring the new families that invite me into their lives.
Credentials
In 1994, I received my Bachelor’s Degree from City University of New York. I completed my Montana License requirements in 2002 and became a CPM in 2003. I received my License in Idaho in 2016.
Because midwifery actually encompasses so many ways of supporting health and wellness, I have pursued additional education and certifications. I have advanced education and training in Perinatal Mood Disorders, Nutrition and Wellness Counseling, Prenatal and Postpartum Exercise, Perinatal Psychology Education and Feminine Embodiment Coaching. I am also a Montana Licensed Massage Therapist with certifications in Zero Balancing and Perinatal Massage. I continue to learn and grow, always excited to explore new ways to support growing families.