Birth is a natural process and I am grateful to be an attendant at such a wonderful life experience. I began my midwifery career as an apprentice trained midwife 31 years ago in Norman, Oklahoma. For six years during the late 1970's and early 1980's I provided home birth midwifery care to women as part of a group called Sage Femme. We were women who were nurses or studying to be nurses who felt called to midwifery as an alternative to the invasive hospital birth practices of the time. Once I completed my Bachelor’s degree in Nursing, I worked as a birth nurse at two free-standing birthing centers in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. In addition, I worked as a Public Health Nurse. These experiences solidified my desire to continue my education in Midwifery. So, in 1987 I moved my family to Portland, Oregon where I could begin my Master’s degree work at Oregon Health Sciences University.

My first midwife position after completion of my Master’s degree was again at a free-standing birth center in a suburb of Portland, Oregon. For most of my midwifery career in the United States I was a hospital based midwife. Even in the hospital setting, being “with women” was fundamental to the care I gave. I enjoy being a midwife to women who have the means and desire to select midwifery for their birth care. Equally I enjoy assisting women who have limited resources and midwifery care was not necessarily their choice. Providing care to Spanish speaking women led me to travel to Nicaragua with Medical Teams International in the summer of 2009. I was in the remote mountainous area of La Dalia and while there I conducted an emergency skills workshop for 37 indigenous midwives.

One of my greatest pleasure as a midwife has been being a clinical instructor to many midwifery students. My experience with clinical precepting led me in the direction of academic teaching. I am now an Assistant Professor at Mount Royal University, and the first faculty member for the proposed Bachelor of Midwifery Program.

I have four adult children ages 21-30, Colleen, Bekah, Daniel and Austin. Their births also shaped my beliefs as a midwife. My daughter Colleen was a planned home birth, however, she was born by C/section for placenta previa. Bekah’s birth was an unmedicated hospital VBAC in 1982. Both of my sons were born at home while their sisters were present. Bekah at age 7 even cut the cord of my youngest son, Austin. I have a loving mid-husband, Jonathan whom I met when we were both 18. We have been married for 30 years. He has supported me through years of sleepless nights and even more importantly the day after those sleepless nights.

I am thankful to be a part of Birth Partnership and look forward to being a midwife with the wonderful midwives of the practice. I support the normalcy of pregnancy and birth while respecting the uniqueness of the woman and her family. I look forward to being involved in your family’s care.

Contact Debbie using our Contact Us Page.