Brenda has nearly 30 years experience as a Midwife. She also practiced as an advanced EMT and National Ski Patroller in her community for 25 years. She started this practice in 1994 and has attended over 600 births.
Brenda was called to midwifery in 1982, when she gave birth to her first child at a small clinic in Norwood, Colorado. A year later she assisted a close friend with her birth at home. Her desire to become a midwife and increase childbirth service options for women was driven by the limited choices available for women in rural communities of Colorado.
Her second child was born on “The Farm” in Tennessee. These midwives were peaceful birth experts. Experiencing first hand the skill and competence of these midwives set her on the path of apprentice-trained midwifery.
She completed an apprenticeship with Barbara Prose in Maine from 1991-1994. She participated in an intensive practical midwifery program in El Paso Texas in 1994 and sat for the national exam for Certified Professional Midwives In 1995.
Brenda has served as a preceptor for students in the US, Jamaica and Senegal and has been an advocate for health promotion in communities at risk.
In 2005 after the wake of Hurricane Katrina she worked with the White Ribbon Alliance for Safe Motherhood on the Women and Infants Service Package.
In 2015 and 2016 Brenda travelled to her family’s homeland of Armenia to spend time assisting as a midwife in rural clinics outside of Yerevan. She did this in collaboration with the medical team from the Children of Armenia Fund. Brenda has been inspired and motivated by the holistic and comprehensive approach of the midwifery programs she has worked with.
She has started a non profit that will be providing complementary care for pregnant people in southwestern Maine. Stay tuned for more info on this soon.
Brenda does ongoing continuing education in her field and participates in local peer reviews. She is a Certified Professional Midwife and licensed in the state of Maine.
Brenda lives on a peaceful mini farm on the Saco River and also runs the Smoke Island Arts Studio. She enjoys creating art and going on exciting adventures with her family. Her children and partners gave her the highest honor of her life by asking her to attend them at their births. She has four amazing grandchildren all born at home. After all these years, she still loves her work with Maine families as they travel the path to parenthood!