Practice Philosophy

Currently, we are a practice of three Certified Professional Midwives (CPMs) having welcomed Debbie Wong, CPM in November 2010. We enjoy being a practice of three midwives. As midwives we each bring unique experience, complimentary skills and personality to the care we provide. We are also able to insure midwife coverage for every birth, even if more than one woman is in labor.

Brynne has been a primary midwife in home birth practice since 2002 and earned her CPM in 2005. She has been involved in Midwifery politics since 1995. She was the major force in passing Midwifery legislation in 2005 and is a highly respected (and sought after) midwifery activist nationwide. Since 2006, Brynne has served on the Board of the North American Registry of Midwives (NARM), the certifying agency that sets the standards for the CPM credential. She is the Director of Public Relations for the Commonwealth Midwives Alliance, serving as liaison for all Virginia midwives in the political arena. In 2008 Birth Matters Virginia honored Brynne for her significant contributions to midwifery. Brynne continues to be actively involved in statewide midwifery politics and works to improve access to, and the quality of midwifery care in Virginia.

Deren has been a primary midwife in home birth practice since 1989 and was among the first group of midwives in North America to become a CPM in 1996. Deren has been involved in Midwifery politics for most of her career working to increase understanding of home birth and improving physician midwife relationships. Deren has a doctorate in Public Health. Deren currently serves as the Chair of the Midwifery Advisory Board to the Virginia Board of Medicine. She is respected in the fields of Midwifery and Maternal & Child Health and is frequently called upon to provide expert testimony related to Midwifery issues in Virginia.

Ideally, giving birth is a joyful deeply personal experience which leaves a woman in awe of her own strength and in love with her baby. As midwives we are privileged to support women and their families through this experience. Our role as midwives is to encourage a woman in her own ways of moving through pregnancy, labor, and birth. We work with her to promote a healthy pregnancy, and provide education to help her make informed decisions about her own care. We carefully monitor the progress of the pregnancy and labor, and recommend appropriate management if complications arise.

We consider the mother and child an integral unit at home, and give family bonding priority over routine procedures. Birth is a powerful and very intimate event; as midwives we wish to protect that intimacy and increase a woman’s sense of strength as she makes the transition into motherhood.