Eloisa Cary, LM, CPM
Gentle Hands Midwifery
2430 Cornwall Ave.
Bellingham, WA 98225
(360) 752-2229
www.ghmidwifery.com

In my role as a midwife, I am honored to uphold the beauty and intimacy of birth, while being an unobtrusive guardian of safety for the mother and baby.  I believe deeply in the normalcy of birth and employ an appropriate use of technology and medicine in the preservation of my clients’ wellbeing.  Birth is a crucial moment in a woman’s life and it holds the potential for great amounts of growth and joy.

In my midwifery practice, I am able to draw on my background, which is a blend of science and somatics.  I have a BS in neuroscience from Smith College, and have studied and taught ballroom dance, karate, naturopathy, and yoga.

My interest in midwifery arose during the birth of my first child.  The experience of giving birth at home completely transformed my life.  I realized on a personal level that the setting in which a birth takes place predicts many features of the birth, and I got to experience first hand all the positive outcomes that resulted from the decision to have a home birth.  I was left with the question, “Who wouldn’t want to bring that sense of transformation to women and their families?”  I answered that question by becoming a licensed midwife.

Soon after my daughter’s birth, I started completing my prerequisites and went on to attend Seattle Midwifery School, doing internships with several different midwifery practices in Washington State.  I live in Bellingham with my husband and children.

Kristin Effland, LM, CPM
2430 Cornwall Ave
Bellingham, WA 98225
(360) 752-2229

My mother speaks proudly of the gift she gave her children and herself by choosing natural childbirth.  I grew up learning to trust the process of birth and in awe of the power women possess.  I chose to become a midwife because I believe that all women can find this same strength within themselves if offered nurturing support throughout pregnancy and labor.

I am honored to support women and their families as they prepare to birth their children, during the hard work that brings their baby into the world, and during the crucial time of pride, excitement, and new challenges that immediately follows.

I received a Bachelor of Arts in Philosophy and Women, Gender & Sexuality Studies from St. Mary’s College of Maryland. I trained in Seattle, WA and Portland, OR and I also worked briefly at a hospital in Nepal before moving to Bellingham in the Spring of 2008. Since then, I have attended home and birth center births in King, Snohomish, Skagit and Whatcom counties and I previously worked part time for the Midwifery Education Accreditation Council. I am also Vice President of the Board of Directors of the Midwives Association of Washington State www.washingtonmidwives.org.

At Gentle Hands Midwifery, we offer complete prenatal, birth and postpartum care with all the comforts of home. We practice the Midwives Model of Care: our clients participate in shared decision-making and can elect home or birth center births including water birth.

I joined Gentle Hands Midwifery full time in the Spring of 2009 and I enjoy working with Eloisa and Catriona as team. In my free time, I enjoy running, climbing and playing outdoors with my dog, Riley.

Ann Tive, LM
Birthroot Midwifery Service
2429 Elm Street
Bellingham, WA 98225
(360) 734-2182

I was born in 1962, number two out of a set of triplets. My family valued education and lively debate. From my parents I learned the importance of having passion for oneās work. In college, I studied philosophy, science and languages. After college I knew 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 homebirth of my sisterās first child in rural New Mexico.

In 1987, I enrolled in the Seattle Midwifery School. After completing midwifery training with internships in St. Lucia and Seattle, in 1990, I moved to Bellingham and began my practice, Birthroot Midwifery Service. I have been a clinical preceptor for many midwifery students over the years. I have been active in the Midwives Association of Washington State, and have served on the WA State Midwifery Advisory Committee.

My husband, Tim, daughter Olivia and I live in Bellingham where we enjoy hiking, gardening, reading, knitting, cinema and other family activities. My son Bless, is an artist currently living in New York City

The Bellingham Birth Center is a wonderful addition to birthing options available in our community. And I look forward to providing midwifery care for women who choose to birth there.

Winni McNamara, LM, ARNP
1903 D Street
Bellingham, WA 98225

827 South Burlington Boulevard
Burlington, WA 98025
(360) 766-6686

Shortly after completing a Bachelor of Science degree in 1973, I heard the word midwife and knew that this was my path. I completed my midwifery studies at the University of New Mexico School of Medicine in 1976, followed by an intensive internship in Kentucky, working with low-income patients at a government funded clinic.

I have been working in Skagit and Whatcom counties since 1980. In June of 2004, I graduated from the Hahnemann College of Homeopathy. I am also a nurse practitioner and do Well Woman Gynecology care.

I specialize in out of hospital deliveries. I believe that birth is a pivotal life event for both the mother and the baby, and that the care and company of the midwife must support the mother during her pregnancy and birth. It is the goal of the midwifery practice to care for the mother and protect the natural process of birth.

I have been married since 1973. My husband, Paul, is a Chiropractor. I have one son who was born in 1979. I love the outdoors and spend a lot of my free time hiking and gardening.

Michelle Antonich, ND, LM
Skagit Natural Family Medicine, LLC
916 3rd Street, Suite #114
Mount Vernon, WA 98273
(360) 336-5658

www.skagitdocs.net

I practice naturopathic medicine and midwifery in Mount Vernon, WA and attend birth center and home births. My naturopathic medicine focus is on primary care women's and pediatric health.

Currently, I am a faculty member at Bastyr University's teaching clinic. I graduated with a doctorate degree in Naturopathic Medicine and certificate in midwifery as well as completed my residency at Bastyr Center for Natural Health.

I practice medicine with my husband who is also a naturopathic physician, Seth Cowan, ND. We have two wonderful children, Abigail and Sean, and a yellow Labrador Retriever named Cooper.

Kimberley Bauer, ND, LM
London Health Center, Inc.
2376 Main Street, Suite 3
Ferndale, WA 98248
(360) 384-2900

Kimberley came to the Pacific Northwest to attend Bastyr University in 2000, and has happily called the beautiful Northwest home ever since.  As a Naturopathic Physician and Midwife, Kim specializes in natural health care for the whole family, for she loves working with patients of all ages, from infanthood to elderhood, and feels honored to be able to assist childbearing women.  Kim often says if she lived a century ago, she would have been a country doctor, traveling by horse drawn carriage from home to home.  Modern times being what they are, she now drives to her patients homes for births instead, but they will still find the same open, kind, and compassionate bedside manner of old.  Kim is well-known for her clear explanations of treatments and her ability to meet each woman where they are at during the life changing time of the childbearing year. Outside of delivering babies and doctoring, Kim enjoys hiking, gardening, baking, and teaching about medicinal plants, both locally and at Bastyr University in Seattle where she graduated from in 2005. 

Kim is a member of the following professional organizations:  AANP (American Assn of Naturopathic Physicians), WANP (WA Assn of Naturopathic Physicians), AANM (American Assn of Naturopathic Midwives), MANA (Midwives Association of North America), MAWS (Midwives Assn of WA State), and AHG (American Herbalists Guild). 

Sharon M. Avolio LM, RM
1513 E Street Bellingham, WA 98225
(360) 933-4442

My interest in midwifery began when I was pregnant with my son Jesse. I have been attending births in a variety of capacities since 1996, working as a doula, social worker, student midwife, assistant midwife, licensed and registered midwife.

The last job I held prior to attending midwifery school was as a resident manager at a homeless shelter in Bellevue for pregnant and newly parenting women and their young children. The residents were a surprisingly diverse group of women hailing from Mexico, Ethiopia, St. Lucia, Guam, Canada, Kenya and the United States.

I graduated from Seattle Midwifery School and became licensed to practice midwifery in Washington State in 2005. The vast majority of my midwifery training and experience has been working with women who have chosen to have home births and free-standing birth center births. I became a registered midwife in British Columbia in 2007, where I moved to and practiced primarily in the hospital setting for a year. I returned to Bellingham with a renewed desire to provide services to families who want access to the midwifery model of care in an out-of-hospital setting.

I believe every woman deserves to have caring midwives attend their birth and it is a huge honor and blessing to be included in such a very important time in their lives.

Check out her website: www.sharonavolio.com