Homebirth Midwives in Southern California
Homebirth midwives provide complete maternity care services including prenatal care, labor and birth support in the clients home, breastfeeding support, postpartum care, and family planning services. Midwives are skilled in the management of normal childbirth and are trained to recognize abnormalities of pregnancy and childbirth. Homebirth midwives arrange for hospital and medical doctor consultation if transfer of care is necessary due to a complication. There are two types of midwives offering homebirth services: Licensed Midwives (LMs), are not nurses and train through supervised clinical training with senior midwives and specialized schooling. Some LMs may also be Certified Professional Midwives, a national certification offered by North American Registry of Midwives. Licensed Midwives are regulated by The California Medical Board Division of Midwifery Licensing. The other type of midwives offering homebirth are Certified Nurse-Midwives, who are Registered Nurses with advanced degrees in midwifery and women’s health care. They are regulated by the California Board of Registered Nursing and are accredited by The American College of Nurse Midwives.
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THE MIDWIVES
Seannie & Shelly
Los Angeles/ San Gabriel Valley/ San Fernando Valley/ Santa Monica/Topanga
Shelly Girard, LM, CPM, MPH
Licensed Midwife
Certified Professional Midwife
Master’s in Public Health
Seannie Gibson, LM, CPM, LLC
Licensed Midwife
Certified Professional Midwife
Childbirth At Home, A Labor of Love
496 Rainbow Ave.
Los Angeles, CA 90065
323-221-7822
fax: 323-221-8889
Email:
Email:
Web: Childbirth At Home: A Labor of Love
Shelly Girard, LM, CPM, MPH
Shelly Girard, LM, CPM, MPH is one of the most experienced midwives in Los Angeles. She has attended over 4500 births since 1972. She provides wholistic prenatal care, well-woman gynecology and childbirth at home. Insurance billing available. She is licensed by the California Medical Board and is a Certified Professional Midwife accredited by the North American Registry of Midwives. Shelly has a Masters in Public Health from UCLA. With a focus on wholistic health care, her areas of expertise include nutrition, herbology and exercise physiology. She is a massage therapist certified by the Institute of Psycho-Structural Balancing. Shelly has practiced yoga for over 45 years and has a black belt in Kenpo Karate from the International Kenpo Karate Association (IKKA). She has two grown sons, Chesed and Shawn, who were born at home.
Seannie Gibson, LM, CPM
Seannie Gibson, LM, CPM, LLC trained as an apprentice with Shelly, and is Licensed by the California Medical Board and is a Certified Professional Midwife accredited by the North American Registry of Midwives. She is a mother of three home-born children. She worked as a Monitrice for many years before becoming a midwife. She also offers Enhanced Labor /Monitrice Support for hospital birth.
Homebirth Preparation Classes
Cordelia Hanna-Cheruiyot, MPH, CHES, CCE, CBA
Email:
Cordelia Hanna-Cheruiyot, MPH, CHES, CCE, CBA
Certified Childbirth Educator, Certified Birth Assistant
Since 1991, Cordelia has taught many homebirth parents and has worked as an Assistant Midwife with several of Los Angeles’s homebirth midwives. She has a Masters in Public Health (Health Education and Promotion/Maternal Child Health) from Loma Linda University, and is Certified as a Childbirth
Educator and Birth Assistant by The Association of Labor Assistants and Childbirth Educators and is a Certified Health Education Specialist (CHES) accredited by NCHEC. Call or email for the dates of the next group class or to schedule private lessons. Go to Cordelia’s Childbirth Preparation Classes for more information. Expectant parents need not be clients of Shelly and Seannie to take these classes; Cordelia teaches many Los Angeles midwives’ clients.
Davi Khalsa, CNM
Los Angeles, Brentwood, Beverly Hills, Santa Monica, Long Beach, Los Feliz, Silverlake, Pasadena, San Fernando Valley
Davi Kaur Khalsa, CNM
Certified Nurse Midwife
Tender Loving Childbirth, Midwifery Services
1122 South Robertson Blvd., Suite 17
Los Angeles, California 90035
310-278-6333
Email: info@tlcwomanscenter.com
Web: www.tlcwomanscenter.com
Tender Loving Childbirth, is a conscious, caring opportunity for women seeking a safe, positive and empowering home birth experience.TLC offers the best in midwifery and gynecological care, including home birth, water birth, prenatal and postpartum care, breastfeeding support, nutritional counseling, well woman care, and childbirth education classes. TLC now offers a class called, “Everything You Ever Wanted to Know About Homebirth” for women thinking about homebirth and wanting more information. Download the flyer for the dates of the next seminar.
Lorri Walker, CNM, RNP
Orange County
Lorri Walker, CNP, CNM
Certified Nurse-Practitioner
Certified Nurse-Midwife
South Coast Midwifery and Women’s Health Care
4650 Barranca Parkway
Irvine, CA 92604
Phone: 949-654-2727
Fax: 949-654-2735
E-mail: info@southcoastmidwifery.com
Web: www.southcoastmidwifery.com
South Coast Midwifery & Women’s Health Care (SCM) is Orange County’s premier birth center. They are proud to be the very first and longest standing nationally accredited Birth Center in the area. When accredited through the Commission for Accreditation of Birth Centers (CABC), the childbearing family can be confident that the center has demonstrated adherence to standards of quality above that of basic licensure and that the center’s care is consistent with the philosophy of the American Association of Birth Centers. Accreditation is seen as a symbol of excellence by many. SCM have been servicing Orange and surrounding counties for over 16 years. Lorri Walker, the founder and director, is one of Southern California best known midwives. Lorri has created a warm, nurturing place for women and their families to come for personalized health care, support, empowerment, and social interaction with people of like mind. Birthing options include home, birth center and water birth. We accept most insurances, as well as offer a wide variety of payment plans and discount options. Call today for your complimentary consultation! South Coast Midwifery is also home to South Coast Milk Bank, Orange County’s first mother’s milk bank. Donations will be made available to acutely premature newborns in need of healthy human breast milk. Call 949.231.9813 or visit www.southcoastmilkbank.com today for more information on how you can help by becoming a donor.
Sue Wolcott, LM, CPM, RN
Long Beach to Pasadena
Sue Wolcott, LM, CPM, RN
Licensed Midwife
Certified Professional Midwife
Registered Nurse
Traditional Naturopathic Practitioner
Naturopathic Midwifery
562-334-5706
Email: suewolcott2001@yahoo.com
Web: www.homebirthwaterbirth.com
Offering holistic prenatal care, well-woman gynecology and childbirth at home including waterbirth and has attended well over 800 births since 1985. She is licensed by the State of California to practice midwifery and is certified by North American Registry of Midwives (NARM). She earned a RN degree in 2000. Sue earned her Naturopathic Practitioners Degree in June, 1995 from Clayton University. With a focus on holistic health care, her areas of expertise include nutrition, herbology and homeopathy. She also completed a Lactation Counseling (LC) certifying program in 2002. Sue has been practicing midwifery in Northern CA for the past 20 years, and has recently relocated to the Long Beach area. PPO Insurance billing is available.
Dr. Geeta Swamidass, LM
Orange County/Riverside County/San Bernardino/ Parts of Los Angeles County
Geeta Swamidass, MB, BS, LM
California Licensed Midwife
Licensed Physician, India
Birthing Care Center
2010 N. Tustin Ave. #D
Orange, CA 92865
Office: 714-637-9664
Cell: 714-726-4753
Fax: 714-633-4064
E-mail: doctorgeeta@yahoo.com
Geeta cares for the women and babies she serves as evidenced by the free clinics she has run for 18 years in Southern California. Available to patients are free consultations and pregnancy testing, low cost ultrasound and lab work and well-woman checks. Water births are no extra cost. Ob-Gyn hospital backup available. Having a medical background, Geeta is very well-qualified in taking care of emergencies. Her assistant is a licensed EMT and together they make a great team. Referrals for childbirth classes and nutritional consultation. References available upon request.
Karen Pecora, LM & Sue Scott-Gill, LM
Orange, Riverside, and San Bernardino Counties and parts of Southern Los Angeles county
Susan Scott Gill, LM, CPM
Licensed Midwife, Certified Professional Midwife
Karen Pecora, LM, CPM
Licensed Midwife, Certified Professional Midwife
Blessed Beginnings Midwifery
E-mail: susan@blessedbeginnings.net
714- 222-8759
E-mail: karen@blessedbeginnings.net
951- 970-Kids (5437)
Web: www.blessedbeginnings.net
Susan and Karen have been working together for 8 years to provide comprehensive and compassionate midwifery care in the privacy and comfort of your own home! They have their own private midwifery practices offering a free initial consultation, homebirth, waterbirth, and VBAC support. A birth kit and use of a birthing tub and accessories are included. Other services available through Blessed Beginnings Midwifery include childbirth classes, doula services, photography, and lactation support!
San Gabriel Valley of Los Angeles, North Orange County, Inland Empire, San Bernardino and Riverside Counties
Joyce Moxley-Thomas, LM
Joyce Moxley Thomas, LM, CPM, MHA
Licensed Midwife
Certified Professional Midwife
Masters in Health Administration
Certified Perinatal Massage Therapist
AquaNatal Birth Center and Amazing Babies Midwifery Services
Grandview Medical Plaza
13768 Roswell Avenue, Suite 209
Chino, CA 91710
909- 591-2924
Email: info@aquanatalbirthcenter.com
Web: www.AquaNatalBirthCenter.com and www.amazing-babies.com
Offering holistic prenatal care, well-woman gynecology, childbirth at home, and they are proud to announce the opening of their new waterbirth center. Free seminar on waterbirth offered. Call for details. Insurance accepted. Focusing on holistic care for all women and their newly born children, Joyce’s areas of expertise include nutrition and herbology. Joyce is also a Certified Perinatal Massage Therapist. Joyce provides birth control also. Joyce has four children. Her daughter Lyn is a midwifery student working in the practice. Joyce and Lyn have created a birth environment for personalized health care, support, and empowerment. Fees include 6-week childbirth education program and prenatal/postpartum massage. Joyce is licensed by the State of California Medical Board and is a Certified Professional Midwife, certified by the North American Registry of Midwives (NARM). Joyce earned her Master’s Degree in Healthcare Administration from the University of LaVerne.
Ventura and Santa Barbara Counties and Northern Los Angeles County
Sue Turner, LM & Dawn Dana, LM
Sue Turner, LM
Licensed Midwife
Dawn Dana, LM
Licensed Midwife
The Ventura Birth Center
3458 Loma Vista Rd.
Ventura, CA 93003
(805 ) 667-Baby (2229)
Email: stmidwife@aol.com
Web: venturabirthcenter.net
Sue Turner and Dawn Dana, California Medical Board Licensed Midwives, have had the privilege and honor of being with families as they welcome their newborns peacefully and respectfully. Sue and Dawn began working together as the Ventura Birth Center in 1998. Since that time, they have attended over 500 births at home, at the birth center, and in water.
Sue Turner is a Licensed Midwife and graduate of the National College of Midwifery, and is an instructor for the school. She has attended births in various settings including home, birth center and the hospital. Other certifications and training include Neonatal Resuscitation, CPR, IV Certification and Fetal Monitoring. Sue believes that each and every baby is a blessing and a gift from God. She is also a wife and mother.
Dawn Dana’s interest in midwifery began when she read Midwife Ina May Gaskin’s Spiritual Midwifery in high school. This inspirational book resonated with her implicit faith in the natural and healthy workings of women’s bodies, and her belief in honoring the emotional, spiritual, and physical aspects of birthing. She took the prerequisites for nursing, planning to become a Nurse-Midwife. While she earned a Master’s degree from UC Santa Barbara in Counseling Psychology, the beliefs she held so strongly about women, birthing, and families sang quietly in her heart. Her calling to midwifery was reinspired. After looking into all the paths to midwifery, Dawn chose a traditional apprenticeship as the most fitting way for her to acquire the art, knowledge, and technical skills that comprise midwifery. She began a formal apprenticeship with a homebirth practice in 1993. As Dawn’s skills, experience, and confidence grew, she took on increasing responsibilities toward the culmination of her apprenticeship in 1996. In 1997, she became a Licensed Midwife.
Los Angeles and Orange County
Sarah Maust, CNM
Sarah Maust, CNM
Certified Nurse-Midwife
GreenLeaf Midwifery
(562) 328-9936
Fax: (562) 789-9880
Email: sarah.maust@midwives.org
Web: greenleafmidwifery.com
Sarah Maust is a certified nurse-midwife with over 10 years experience in women’s health. Sarah offers homebirth, waterbirth, and well-woman services and provides all care in your home. Sarah is honored to partner with women and their families during their pregnancy, birth, and initiation into parenthood. As a midwife, Sarah’s desire is to support and empower women and their families, by helping them embrace the sacredness and normalcy of pregnancy and the birth process. Insurance billing is available.
Angela Burwick, LM, CPM
Angela Burwick is a graduate of National Midwifery Institute, and is licensed by the California Medical Board and certified by the North American Registry of Midwives. She is also a credentialed waterbirth provider and a DONA-certified doula. Angela is a mother of six and an avid proponent of natural birth and holistic care.Claremont Midwifery offers comprehensive midwifery services including prenatal and postpartum care, well-woman appointments, home birth, water birth, and VBAC. We have convenient evening and weekend hours in our Claremont office. We also provide newborn care for the first six weeks and breastfeeding support. Our belief is that birth is a normal, healthy physical and emotional process, and a pivotal experience in a woman’s life. We are privileged to accompany women and their families through the experience of pregnancy and birth, offering personalized care to each of our clients. If you’re considering home birth, we invite you schedule a complimentary consultation.
This directory lists selected birth support providers who support the ideals of natural childbirth. If you are midwife and wish to be listed here, please email:
For answers to your childbirth related questions, or a Birth Options Consultation, email us at:
Or, call: 626-388-2191
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