I began serving expectant families in 1989 as a childbirth educator, doula, and lactation counselor in Virginia Beach, VA, where I served hundreds of families. During that time, I received some midwifery training and education and worked for ten years with a dedicated group of citizens to help successfully legalize direct-entry midwifery in Virginia. After moving to Florida in 2007, I decided to complete all the requirements to become a Florida licensed midwife and Certified Professional Midwife and I graduated from “Commonsense Childbirth School of Midwifery”.
I am also fulfilling a dream to improve maternity care and birth outcomes around the world as the executive director of “Charis Childbirth”, an international school for midwives, childbirth educators, doulas, and lactation counselors that I founded in January of 2003.My husband Todd and I have four homeschooled children, two grown and two still at home, and three grandchildren. My first baby was born in the hospital in 1987, the last three were all born safely and peacefully at home with midwives (two born in the water).