After college I wanted to combine my critical thinking and problem solving skills with more intuitive ways of knowing and nurturing. Like many midwives, I heard the call of midwifery the very first time I attended a birth. In 1984, I was present at the home birth of my sister’s first child in rural New Mexico.

In 1985 I had my first child and in 1987 I enrolled in the Seattle Midwifery School. After completing midwifery classes and hands on training which included internships in St. Lucia and Seattle, I moved to Bellingham in 1990 and began my practice, Birthroot Midwifery Service. I have served as a clinical preceptor for many student midwives. I am active in the Midwives Association of Washington State, and have served on the Washington State Midwifery Advisory Committee. In 2014 I purchased, renovated, and opened Birthroot Birth Center.

My love for our community and its people is intertwined with my love for my work as a midwife in Northwest Washington. For three decades I have had the unique privilege to assist families and help them grow across generations. I have driven to many corners of the city and county at all hours of the day and night to attend births, or visit a new family. I recognize the important role I play as a community midwife and I actively accept the responsibilities and joys that come with this important work. I am honored to partner with Sarah and Krissy as we continue the long tradition of collaborative, nurturing, midwifery care for the families of Whatcom County.

When I’m off call I enjoy spending time as a grandma, and a basketball mom. I also enjoy visiting close family, playing in my garden, and going on adventures with my husband and teenaged daughter.

She was doing the most normal human thing, the thing that brought every single one of us into being, but I had never seen it before. I had been searching for my vocation desiring work that mattered. First Political Science during my undergrad, then social justice and advocacy work fresh out of university, and lately I had been considering clinical psychology. But birth was magic. And when I first witnessed it in 2010, I was hooked.

I attended Bastyr University, and in 2014, received my Masters of Science in Midwifery. I was Ann’s student at the time, right as Birthroot Birth Center opened. My first son was born at home with the care of midwives during grad school (we joke that he was my final practicum) and I had my second son at home a year after graduation.

Supporting families as they navigate pregnancy, birth, and life with a newborn is one of my greatest joys. How a family is treated during that particularly vulnerable and momentous time of life is never forgotten. I’m so proud of the incredible work midwives do and I believe every person deserves attentive, tender, and empowering care.

When I’m not bettering the world with Birthroot Midwives, I love a good outdoor playtime with my family and our friends. We can be found biking Galbraith, skiing or hiking at Baker, or kayaking in the beautiful San Juans. I also enjoy a good cup of coffee on a rainy day with a podcast and recently have taken up knitting to survive our PNW grey winters. My husband and I both grew up here in Bellingham and consider it a privilege to get to work in our community and raise our children here.

Following graduation, I traveled throughout the Western US guiding rafts in the spring and summer, and chasing snow in the winter. The experiences I had during this time continue to influence and inspire the way that I live my life today.

In 2013, I completed my Registered Nurse degree at Bellingham Technical College and then began my nursing career in the Emergency Department at St Joseph’s Hospital in Tacoma. After three years in Tacoma, my husband and I found out we were pregnant with our first child. With this exciting news, we decided that we wanted to move back to Bellingham to be surrounded by the people and places we love so dearly.

I had my children in 2017 and 2019 with Birthroot Midwives, and I can say without a doubt, that both experiences forever changed me. The respect, support, and kindness that I received impacted me deeply. I felt held during my prenatal and postpartum visits. I was given gentle guidance and asked what I wanted instead of being told what was going to be done to me. Receiving this type of holistic care changed how I practice as a nurse, and ultimately changed the direction of my career from Emergency medicine to Hospice care.

When Birthroot approached me about working as a birth assistant, I was honored and humbled. Of course I wanted to do this work! The role of a birth assistant allows me to combine my ten years of clinical nursing experience to support the midwives and families. I believe that birthing people deserve choices, support and respect during this most transformative time. How we are born matters and how we perceive our birth experience can impact us for the rest of our lives. It is with great honor that I get to support these wonderful, wise women and the lovely birthing people in our beloved community.