Biography
I began working with families over 20 years ago,
and am continuously amazed at how much they
have yet to teach me. I am pleased to serve folk and families throughout the life span, from well woman care to fertility support, to birth and beyond. I strive always to uphold the midwifery model of care, offering information and empowerment, so that my clients can look back on their accomplishments with pride and a deeper sense of their own true power and wisdom.
Training & Education:
I received a B.A. in Psychology (with a focus on life span development and parent-infant attachment) from Mills College in 1999. I immediately began my career in social work, working with high-risk pregnant and postpartum families at Early Head Start in Portland, Oregon. It became clear to me rather quickly that I felt more like a witness behind glass than a facilitator of any real healing or growth, and so I began my search for a truer calling. In 2001 I became a Birth and Postpartum Doula, and two years later I moved back to the Bay Area to begin my studies in midwifery. To support myself in the course of those studies, I worked as a Doula, facilitated parent's groups, and taught classes in newborn care and postpartum preparation at CPMC, Kaiser and Natural Resources. I studied with many amazing midwives, attended the National Midwifery Institute, apprenticed to Sue Baelen of Sacred Body Midwifery for three years, and received by my license to practice midwifery in California (LM) and my certification to practice nationally (CPM).
My Practice:
In 2010, Hearthstone Midwifery was born. I am now delighted to offer various support groups for Queer, Single and Prospective Parents, well-woman care (gynecological exams, STD testing and more, with a focus towards empowerment and safety for female-bodied folk), and homebirth midwifery care, including thorough and individualized prenatal care, labor and birth in the home, and attentive postpartum support. Since 2009 I have also had the pleasure of working with At Home Fertility to support Bay Area families by offering in home inseminations.
