Like most women, I wear many hats! I am wife to
Richard (my high school sweetheart), and we are the proud parents of four children; Robert, Alexander, Katherine and Gwendolyn. When I'm not supporting others in their roles as women and mothers, I can be found driving my kids around to their activities (although recently the third one got her drivers' license!). My oldest son is now a cadet at the United States Military Academy at West Point, and my second son is a sophomore at the University of Pittsburgh, so my time away from home is usually to visit them.
I have lived in the Youngstown, Ohio area for most of my life. I attended Youngstown Christian School from 1st to 12th grade, and after just one year of college at the University of Pittsburgh, I got married and settled back here in Youngstown. I attended Youngstown State University, and graduated in 1994 with a
bachelor's degree in nursing. Both of my boys were born while I attended YSU.
After graduation, I worked at Sharon Regional Health System as an RN. I did medical/surgical nursing, and later taught leadership in the school of nursing. When my girls were born, I worked part-time for a home health agency. In 1998 I started at St. Elizabeth Hospital, where I stayed for eight years. During my
time there, I worked in the med/surg float pool for two years, then as a clinical manager/nursing supervisor for three years, then in the emergency room for one year, and finally in labor and delivery. I quit there after I started midwifery school, and had to be on call to catch babies!
I also worked as an RN per-diem at Doughty View Midwifery Center in Millersburg, Ohio. This is
an out-of-hospital birth center that caters to Amish and
Mennonite women.
I attended midwifery school at the Frontier School of Midwifery and Family Nursing, and at Case Western Reserve University. My clinical rotation was at the Center for Women in Canfield Ohio, with deliveries at Beeghly Women's and Infant's Pavilion. I have a certificate in nurse-midwifery from Frontier, and a
master's degree in nursing from Case. I am certified through the American Midwifery Certification Board, and licensed through the State of Ohio. I have delivery privileges at both St. Elizabeth Hospital and Northside Hospital.
Why midwifery? I think I always wanted to be around pregnant women and babies! I thought that nursing school would give me that opportunity, but what I learned there was so far from what I'd imagined. By the time I went to labor and delivery as a student nurse, I'd already had two babies of my own, and I
definitely didn't agree with how things were done! I wanted to walk around in labor, and to have some control over how things went, but I didn't have anyone who could advocate for me. I knew I could have a baby without drugs, if only I had someone who would rub my back, and talk me through the contractions;
someone who would tell me how to breathe when I couldn't remember how. I had two healthy, uncomplicated deliveries, but yet I was treated as if I had a medical illness or disease!!
Fortunately, I found a nurse-midwife to assist with the delivery of my third and fourth children, and it was a completely different experience. I became a midwife because I wanted to do for other women what she did for me.
What I believe: I believe in pregnancy and birth! While not always pleasant, in most cases they are normal. I don't believe in interfering with the natural process unless there is a reason to do
so...I won't do anything just because it is routine.
I believe that women have the right to actively participate in the decisions that affect them, and that means they need information to make an informed decision. I think that educating patients is
one of my most important roles.
I believe in undisturbed birth, and although I believe that a vaginal birth is the preferred route into this world, there are times that this is not possible. When labor and birth fall outside the realm of normal, I thank God that there is another way for babies to be born!
I believe that planned out-of-hospital birth can be as safe as a hospital birth, yet I only attend deliveries in the hospital. I like to refer to my births as "home-style", because I do my best to make it a home-like environment.
I believe in patient choice. If my patients want an epidural, of course they can have one, but many find that the continuous labor support I offer is enough to get them through labor without medication.
I believe that breast is best, as the benefits of breastfeeding both in terms of food and bonding are well documented.
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