Who is the Mendocino Midwife?

I was born in Dover, New Jersey and moved to Sarasota, Florida at the age of seven. I graduated from Sarasota High School, later moving to New York City, and eventually, in 1976, to Berkeley, California. I became interested in midwifery after the birth of my daughter, Bess.

I received my Bachelor of Science degree in nursing and after graduating I was trained and worked at Alta Bates hospital in the Nursery Intensive Care Unit for two years. Then I went to Hyden, Kentucky to attend the Frontier Nursing Service, where I received my degrees as a Certified Nurse Midwife and Family Nurse Practitioner.

In 1981 I moved to Mendocino, California and began caring for pregnant women having both home and hospital births. Since 1994 I have had a homebirth practice, advocating for women seeking alternative birth options, water birth, and empowerment through intuitive birthing. Through my family health care service I also provide general health care for women and children.