My journey to midwifery was a winding one. I come to this work from a varied background in healthcare and education. After college I worked as a phlebotomist and lab assistant where I developed an appreciation for the way appropriately evaluated labs can guide and optimize care. I am a natural educator, which comes both from my background (I grew up amongst a family of educators) and my own experience teaching phlebotomy, babywearing, and hypnosis for childbirth. My background, combined with my extensive education in the art and science of midwifery, contributes to the holistic care I provide to my clients.  

Following the birth of my second child, I embarked upon birth doula work, serving mostly clients in the hospital setting. While I tried to provide a buffer and protect my client’s vision of what they wanted for their birth, more often than not I found myself in an uphill battle against a system that allows for only one kind of birth, regardless of what is best for each individual mom/baby. The hospital system in our country seems designed largely to only cater to birthing within the timeline/position/setting that they determine. This frustration, more than anything else, pushed me to make the leap into midwifery. I felt at a certain point I had to stop participating in a broken system and provide women with a better option for safe care that is meaningfully tailored to the individual.

I translated that feeling into a passion to support other women in their pregnancy, birth, and postpartum period. I have never felt like there is one singular “good” birth, but that we are the most comfortable and in our own power when we feel safe, supported, and have a provider who recognizes that we are the key decision maker in our own care. This core passion is still what drives my care today.

Background:

• Birth Doula - Nov 2011 - June 2021

• Opened Mind Body Birth, offering birth doula services & childbirth education - 2012

• Hypnobabies Childbirth Hypnosis Instructor - 2012 - current

• Co-Founder and Co-President of Central Missouri Babywearers - 2012 - 2016

• South Central Regional Director for Babywearing International, Inc - 2014 - 2015

• 2+ years of academic midwifery coursework at Birthwise Midwifery School (a MEAC accredited midwifery school) - 2016 - 2019

• Certified in Neonatal Resuscitation and Basic Life Support for Healthcare Workers, both certifications kept current

• 1.5 years of advanced clinical training with Salmonberry Birth Center and True North Birth Center - 2019 - 2021

• Graduation from Birthwise Midwifery School in Spring 2021

• CPM credentialed in June 2021

• Continued training with True North Birth Center while accumulating experience required to apply for licensure in Washington State

• Licensed Midwife in Washington State - July 2021

• Moved back to Missouri in July 2022 and re-opened Mind Body Birth as a home birth midwifery practice

• Opened Mind Body Birth Midwifery Clinic in Washington, MO in August 2023

• Registered NARM Preceptor - August 2024

Fun facts:

• I have 4 children and a supportive husband. I wouldn’t be able to sustainably do this work without my family behind me. My own births have included 2 hospital births and 2 home births.

• What fuels my passion for this work is that my clients feel prepared, supported, and seen. That is the part of this work I feel most attached to.

• I love chickens. I think they’re hilarious and thoroughly enjoy their antics.

• I love to bake. I find joy in baking for family and friends. I joke that I show love with baked goods, coffee, or wine.

• I played soccer from age 5 through college and my freshman college team was inducted into the Missouri Sports Hall of Fame.

• I delight in gardening. It’s my happy place.