Podcasts about nurse midwifery

Dr. Michelle Collins CNM has been a midwife for 22 years and is currently the Dean of the College of Nursing and Health at Loyola University in New Orleans, LA. In this episode, we talk about Michelle's journey and experiences as a CNM, as well as how she started a nurse-midwifery program at Loyola in 2023. If you are an aspiring midwife, and looking for a university, take a listen as Michelle offers in-depth information on Loyola's program. (Hint--it sounds fantastic!!) Here's the link for more information on Loyola's Nurse-Midwifery program https://www.loyno.edu/academics/colleges/college-nursing-health/master-science-nursing-nurse-midwifery

This episode is sponsored by HCA Midwest Health. One of the first of many decisions you'll have to make once you find out you're having a baby is choosing a healthcare practitioner. Some women choose an obstetrician, while others opt for a midwife. Today we are chatting with Kim Boote, a Certified Nurse Midwife with Kansas City Women's Clinic, part of HCA Midwest Health, to learn about the benefits of choosing a midwife. Meet Kim Boote Kim Boote, CNM, MSN, C-EFM is a Certified Nurse Midwife with Kansas City Women's Clinic seeing patients in Kansas City, Olathe, and Lansing, KS. She is affiliated with Overland Park Regional Medical Center. Kim is a member of the American College of Nurse-Midwives (ACNM), the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG), and the American Society for Colposcopy and Cervical Pathology (ASCCP). She received her Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN) from the University of Iowa, her Master of Science in Nursing (MSN) from Case Western Reserve University, and her Nurse-Midwifery certificate from Frontier Nursing University. Kim and her family enjoy vacationing in warm climates where they can hike, snorkel, or just enjoy the ocean. She loves learning where all her patients have traveled to update her bucket list for new destinations. Kim has four kids that keep her busy! Connect with Megan and Sarah We would love to hear from you! Send us an e-mail or find us on Instagram or Facebook!        

In this episode, Gina sits down with Heather Helton, a certified nurse midwife in North Carolina.  Heather uses social media to educate patients on pre-conception, conception, pregnancy, and more, as everyone deserves the same access to care and education to make informed decisions on their own experiences.  She shares how you can optimize your time with your OB provider, especially if you have limited time at your appointments with them, and how you can use other resources to provide you the general information about pregnancy and birth.  Heather shares how you can weed through misinformation on social media (and also how to figure out if your provider is not the best option for you).   In This Episode:  00:00 Introduction to the MamasteFit Podcast 02:00 Meet the Midwife, Heather 02:28 Heather's Journey and Philosophy as a Midwife 03:06 The Importance of Individualized Birth Experiences 04:00 Challenges in Clinical and Hospital Settings 05:01 The Importance of Birth Education and Advocacy 06:54 The Role of Doulas in Birth 07:59 The Collective Team in Pregnancy, Labor, and Birth 09:06 The Importance of Birth Location and Provider Choice 17:23 The Role of Social Media in Birth Education 19:39 The Importance of Evidence-Based Information 26:16 The Role of Research in Birth Preparation 36:01 Advice for Birth Professionals Using Social Media 42:41 Conclusion and Resources —— Heather's Links:  Find Heather's Practice Here: https://tp4w.com/heather-helton Heather Helton, CNM, MSN, began working in obstetrics in 2001.  As a Certified Nurse Midwife, Heather enjoys working in Triangle Physicians for Women's positive, collaborative and open-minded clinic environment. Originally from Iowa, Heather earned her Bachelors of Science in Nursing at the University of Wisconsin and has practiced at hospitals in Iowa and Illinois before coming east to North Carolina.  As a top graduate from East Carolina University's Masters in Nurse Midwifery program, Heather provides full-scope midwifery care to low and moderately high-risk women. She is a member of Sigma Theta Tau and Golden Key honor societies and was a member of Alpha Phi Omega service organization. Her professional interests include non-pharmacological therapies, deep-relaxation labor techniques, postpartum depression, and teen pregnancy. When not caring for women, Heather enjoys time at the beach, crafts, coaching her daughter's softball team, and spending time with her husband and two active children. Email Heather Here: heather@amodernmidwife.com  Find Heather on Instagram Here:  https://www.instagram.com/amodernmidwife/?hl=en Or her educational content being created during her doctorate program here: https://www.instagram.com/amodernmidwifemama/ ----- This podcast is sponsored by Needed, a nutrition company focused on optimal nourishment for your perinatal journey. ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Use code MAMASTEPOD for 20% off your first order or three months of subscription.⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ 

Join us in some Time for the Soul as Yale University Chaplain Sharon Kugler and Heather Reynolds, Lecturer in Nurse-Midwifery and Minority Student Coordinator at Yale School of Nursing, discuss what it means to continue to hold grace despite it all.

Certified nurse-midwives (CNM) are advanced practice nurses who offer women continuity of care throughout adulthood, including during labor and delivery. Shelia Lopez and Anna Floyd, CNMs, join Dr. Huh to discuss the relaunch of the nurse-midwifery pathway at the UAB School of Nursing, and what it could mean for women's health in our state. Learn more about the broad scope of care CNMs offer and how they work with other OB/GYN providers as the “gatekeepers of normal physiologic birth.”

In this podcast, Drs. Holt and Clements examine the related factors toward this increase risk for IPV occur during pregnancy, including the increased stress and potential for loss of control after the birth. Additionally, they explore what can we do as nurses and other direct providers to enhance assessment and promote safety. Ultimately, the most critically important first step is to screen for violence during interface with any pregnant person. 44% of all women in the United States report experiencing unwanted sexual contact. However, in spite of this significantly high rate, currently, only 16% of nurses report regularly screening for violence. The CDC's national and annual examinations of pregnancy and homicide have been lauded by public health experts for recognizing this pervasively overlooked phenomenon. Dovetailing with the Healthy People 2030 objective/target regarding the reduction of physical abuse of assaults by a current or former intimate partner for people aged 12 years or older (U.S. Department of Health and Human Services [USDHHS], 2020, it is imperative for nurses and other care providers to expand their awareness of this often overlooked group in significant need for targeted and consistent assessment and referral. Dr. Karyn Holt is a Professor in Residence at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas in the School of Nursing. She is an Advanced Practice Nurse in the field of nurse midwifery (CNM) earning her Masters in Nursing with a specialization in Nurse Midwifery at Georgetown University and her Doctor of Philosophy degree from Touro University, New York. Holt spent the first part of her nurse midwifery career delivering over 1000 newborns while in the Air Force. While serving in the Air Force, she began teaching in the maternal child arena within higher education and developed a passion for playing a part in assisting in students' educational endeavors as well as her obstetric midwifery practice. She shares many stories about these times. Dr. Paul Thomas Clements is a forensic psychiatric clinical specialist, and Certified in Danger Assessment. Clements has provided hospital consultation for EMT's, Child Protective Agency personnel, trauma/emergency nurses, psychiatric providers, hospital systems, and corporate executives - each regarding vulnerability risk assessment, bullying, and decreasing the number of violent incidents in the workplace. Clements has three edited textbooks, including: Violence against women: Contemporary examination of intimate partner violence (co-authored with Dr. Holt) and he has numerous peer review publications and conference presentations. Clements has also spent time in Bolivia, working with provincial judges, prosecutors and forensic psychologists regarding enhanced assessment and intervention with children victimized by sexual aggression and other forms of violence. Resources: RAINN (Rape, Abuse, and Incest National Network) the nation's largest anti-sexual violence organization, helps survivors recover through the National Sexual Assault Hotline (1-800-656-HOPE or 4673) and the Department of Defense (DoD) Safe Helpline (877-995-5247).

Phebe has worked in labor and delivery and women's healthcare for over 10 years. She offers pregnancy, birth, and postpartum services to give moms the birth that they want. edenbirthandwellness.com @edenbirthandwellness

Join us on this episode of the Strong As A Mother Podcast as we discuss the journey of Maureen and Susan's careers as Midwives, where they have devoted their lives to helping women through their pregnancy and the birthing process. They provide 1:1 care for each woman to tailor their birthing experience as they wish. Greenville Midwifery is the first Nurse-Midwifery practicing in Greenville County to deliver in the Upstate in a long time and were the first of their scope to have hospital privileges. The term Midwife translates to "With Woman" and in this episode, they will explain the benefits of working closely with a Midwife during your pregnancy and what the relationship will look like for you. Major Points Covered: Defining a "Midwife" vs a Doula What sets Greenville Midwifery apart? OBGYN care vs Midwifery Care Postpartum process with Greenville Midwifery How do you work closely with providers in the Greenville area?

Elena met Jeanie during her Griefcation™ in Bali, two months after her father passed in 2016. Jeanie was instrumental in teaching Elena the mythology of the Hero's Journey as taught by Joseph Campbell. How can we use the framework of the Hero's Journey to see ourselves within our own mythology? Can we use these stories to provide comfort and perspective as we embark on a grief journey, profound change, and life initiations? We discuss:a synopsis of the Hero's Journey (Joseph Campbell) The Hero with A Thousand Facesthe mythology that spans culturesthe threshold between the known world into the UNKNOWN worldreceiving the magical tools, knowledge, and blessings on your journey (you're not alone)the quest for the ultimate goalbringing the knowledge back to the world as a changed persongoing through multiple versions of the Hero's Journey in lifeThe Fool's JourneyJeanie's near-death experience as her call to adventure giving birth as a clarifying moment for Jeanie responding to her purpose acknowledging help for anxiety and mental health support during challenging timesJeanie's tools to aid a hero's journey: gratitude, yoga, community feminine power/shakti/ creative power and reclamation of birthing what we're being called to birth -- following our calling, as a duty to ourselves. About Jeanie Schuerman:Follow her on IG @thejeaniebeanVisit her website at jeanieschuerman.comJeanie is passionate about sustainable development, art, nerding out and adventuring with her baby girl. She is certified as a registered yoga teacher (E-RYT 200) and a continuing education provider (YACEP, aka teacher of yoga teachers) with Yoga Alliance. She is the creator of Samadhi yoga. She has traveled to 27 countries and lived in six. She has spent her entire adult life teaching in one capacity or another, including teaching high school, teaching languages, teaching scuba, and teaching maternal/child health. She is currently deepening her relationship to life and holistic health as a graduate nursing student on her way to becoming a certified nurse-midwife (CNM). Resources:The Hero with A Thousand Faces book by Joseph CampbellCacao Ceremonies and Music by @elahandausierra -- @ausierra.go.forth @elahscottSupport the showBuy your copy of Elena's book "Grieve Outside the Box"Follow on IG @elenabox

Nicole Marshall holds a bachelor's degree from Fordham University and dual master's degrees in Nurse-Midwifery and Women's Health from Columbia University. Nicole's interest in women's health combined with her passion for social justice and women's rights drew her to a career in midwifery. She currently works as a staff midwife in a high volume urban hospital serving a resource poor community in Paterson, New Jersey. Since beginning her career in 2006, Nicole has worked in many settings including as a research clinician at Albert Einstein College of Medicine, as a health educator in Uganda, and as a midwife in a small midwife-owned private practice in New York City. Nicole provides holistic women's health care and is passionate about reproductive justice.

"I think a lot of our problems with our health, when it comes to women, is how we're valued or not valued in our communities." — Nicolle L. Gonzalez In this episode of Moonwise, we speak with Diné nurse and midwife Nicolle L. Gonzales about her mission to make birth sacred again. We talk about birth equity, trauma and weaving traditional practices with medical care. Nicolle shares her experience of growing up with ceremony, birthing her own children, the challenges of leadership and carving her own path to promote reproductive wellness and community care. We also talk about: Systemic racism and inequity in maternal care Engaging a community in preparing for birth The benefits of culturally appropriate care The challenges of work/life balance as a midwife Speaking up and self worth as a woman The importance of sharing women's joy Nicolle L. Gonzales is the Founder of Changing Woman Initiative whose non-profit mission is to “renew cultural birth knowledge to empower and reclaim indigenous sovereignty of women's medicine and life way teachings to promote reproductive wellness, healing through holistic approaches.” She received her Bachelor's of Nursing and her Masters of Nurse-Midwifery at the University of New Mexico. She is a member of the American College of Nurse Midwives and is certified with the American Midwifery Certification Board. She has over 12 years' experience as a nurse and has worked as a Nurse-Midwife doing full-scope midwifery for the last 10 years. Links: Changing Woman Initiative Rooted pregnancy journal —> Leave us a written review on Apple Podcasts, and get a shout out on the show! —> Enjoy the show? Get access to bonus content, seasonal herb guides, meditations and more by joining our community on Patreon: patreon.com/moonwise Thank you for your support! --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/moonwise/message

On today's podcast, we're going to talk with Dr. Stephanie Mitchell about starting a midwifery-led birth center.  Dr. Mitchell is a certified nurse-midwife who earned her BSN from Curry College, along with her MSN and her doctorate of Nursing Practice from Frontier Nursing University. Dr. Mitchell is the founder of The Birth Sanctuary of Gainesville, Alabama, a freestanding birth center under development that will be the first Black-owned birth center in the state. She is actively involved in teaching others on Instagram as @doctormidwife. We will talk about Dr. Mitchell's journey to becoming a nurse-midwife and her passion for restoring Black-led midwifery care to the people of Alabama. We also talk about how Dr. Mitchell calls out harmful obstetric practices against Black birthing bodies, and how she advocates for the importance of creating safer and affirmative services in perinatal healthcare.  **Content warning: We talk about implicit bias and racism.**

Part 1: Carrie Levine CNM, founder of Whole Woman Health & Beautiful Messy Wholeness, is a Certified Nurse Midwife & Functional Medicine Practitioner with over 20 years of combined clinical experience working with thousands of women.  In this episode, she dispels the myths many think about when they think of Nurse Midwives and explains how they can help a woman not just during pregnancy, but through their whole life.  She also discusses how functional medicine helps to get to the root cause of illness & disease to help people heal and live life fully. Known for her ability to relate to her patients, Carrie welcomes the beautiful mess in each of them. Her process is centered around nutrition and lifestyle by understanding the biochemistry of physiological imbalances, recognizing symptom patterns, honoring each individual, and allowing space for mystery.  Carrie addresses health issues at every stage of a woman’s life: From teenage hormone imbalances to pre- and post-pregnancy challenges, menopause, digestive issues, depression and everything in between. Her ability to hold space for women, connect the dots of seemingly unrelated symptoms, and identify underlying causes, allows her patients to thrive – emotionally, spiritually, and physically.  This show aired originally on WLOB radio on 5/9/21.  We had a lot to talk about so we continued the show off air and spoke in depth about the Covid vaccination.  This is the full episode including that off air discussion.  Enjoy!

In this episode, we raise awareness about a forgotten, yet extremely vulnerable population at high risk for traumatic brain injury (TBI). What are ways that we can better screen for patients who have experienced intimate partner violence (IPV)? How are types of brain injuries unique in this population? Are there neuroimaging techniques that can more accurately detect IPV-related TBIs?  Deb York is a board certified Psychiatric-Mental Health Nurse Practitioner practicing in Colorado Springs, CO.  She completed her research certification as a Certified Clinical Research Associate at the Association of Clinical Research Professionals. Deb has a clinical focus in endocrine psychiatry for the treatment of a variety of psychiatric illnesses with specialized expertise in treatments for mood disorders involving menopause, andropause, PMS, PMDD and post-partum depression.  Her research focuses on conducting clinical trials to identify and evaluate novel psychopharmacological and neuroradiological interventions for traumatic brain injury, mood disorders, and pediatric psychiatric illnesses. Additionally, Deb is certified in Bioidentical Hormone Replacement Therapy through the Academy for Preventive and Innovative Medicine by WorldLink Medical. Deb has over 25 years in the clinical trials industry conducting clinical research in pharmaceuticals & biologics, with a specialty in Women’s Health, CNS & psychiatric clinical trials. Deb completed her Bachelor of Science in Nursing at the University of Missouri-St. Louis Barnes College of Nursing-Washington University.  She completed her Master’s Degree at the University of Cincinnati in Nurse Midwifery and her Post-Master’s Certification from the University of Cincinnati in Psychiatry-Mental Health. Additionally, Deb is an Adjunct Professor at the College of Nursing at the University of Cincinnati and Director of Clinical Research at Mountain Mind.  

Join us for a short message and then a panel with medical professionals from Capital City Church. They cover the novel Coronavirus, what to look for, how we can help and serve others, and how to think about this as Christians. Panel members: Dave Haglund - MD Josiah Allen - Genomics Researcher and Pharmacy student Aubrey Monson - RN and Nurse Midwifery graduate student.

In this episode, I talk with certified nurse midwife Liane MacPherson. Liane has been working in women’s health for over 32 years - initially as a labor and delivery nurse, and for the past 19 years as a CNM. She is also a lactation consultant, a childbirth educator, and a midwifery professor with the Georgetown University graduate midwifery program, into which she introduced Evidence Based Birth’s Higher Ed resources. Liane is taking doctorate studies, and she has trained in a variety of places - including Canada, Haiti, Germany, England, Ireland - as well as the U.S. She served in a collaborative private practice in Texas for ten years, and is now currently the certified nurse midwife director for a large OB hospitalist program. Liane and I discuss the career trajectory of certified nurse midwives in the U.S., and she compares the American systemic viewpoint of midwives to those in other countries. We also talk about options for students pursuing nurse midwifery in today’s health care system, and the evidence surrounding the midwife/physician collaborative model. For more information and news about Evidence Based Birth®, visit www.ebbirth.com. Find us on Facebook, Instagram, and Pinterest. Ready to get involved? Check out our Professional membership (including scholarship options) and our Instructor program. Find an EBB Instructor here, and click here to learn more about the Evidence Based Birth® Childbirth Class.

In this episode, Julie and Kara discuss nurse-midwifery in more detail. They also discuss the requirement of a collaboration agreement in order to practice their chosen profession and how this unfairly and negatively affects access to care.

We talk with Dr. Pitts, Director of Vanderbilt University's Family Nurse Practitioner Program and Co-Director, Nurse Midwifery and Family Nurse Practitioner Dual Program, about her path to Jackson State and advice for aspiring nurses.

Shantrice King and I talk about her speech patterns and being a doula- specifically black women's reproductive health! She also talks about living in Paris, her Fulbright research, and the barriers black women face when it comes to decisions about their bodies. We constantly hear that "black women are dying at alarming rates during and after childbirth", but Shantrice wants us to go beyond that narrative. Thus, she will embark on her Masters in Nurse-Midwifery from Yale University this upcoming fall semester to achieve her dream of opening a birthing center. Please listen, ya gonna learn soooooo much!!! #BlackGirlMagic #ReproductiveHealth #Podcast #WomenStudiesMajor #Paris #Brooklyn #Doulas #ChildBirth #HealthCare #Equity --- This episode is sponsored by · Anchor: The easiest way to make a podcast. https://anchor.fm/app Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/delmard/support

How have your personal experiences launched you into a certain line of work or the pursuit of a passion? Today’s show is about someone who used the tough and challenging journey into motherhood to find ways to help others through their difficulties. If your road to motherhood has been anything but smooth sailing, then you don’t want to miss today’s show!   Mellisa Reeves is a doula, coach, and the co-founder of the Motherbirth podcast and community. She shares her personal story around postpartum anxiety and the difficulties that caused in connecting with her son, along with the subsequent loss, birth trauma, and milestones that came and went. She shares about what she had to overcome and how she felt disconnected after the birth of her son and how her experiences have shaped the work she does today. Mellisa works with women who have experienced pregnancy loss and want to trust their bodies again, helping them find their path to hope and healing through the innate intuition they each possess. Brought up with an innate love for simple, natural, rhythmic living, Mellisa’s perspective on motherhood and life comes from a slow reawakening to the depth of feminine wisdom through her experience of stillbirth, multiple miscarriages, and postpartum anxiety. Mellisa is based in Portland but travels semi-fulltime with her husband and two children.    Show Highlights:   How Mellisa’s interest in perinatal wellness was sparked by her first pregnancy loss, and then intensified with a difficult postpartum period with her son and the stillbirth of her second son As the oldest of ten siblings, she grew up on a farm in Canada with a hippie mother who was either pregnant or breastfeeding for Mellisa’s entire childhood and youth How her mother was very intentional, thoughtful, and present as a mom, and how Mellisa drew confidence from her about the manual aspects of motherhood, but felt severely lacking in the emotional preparation The challenges with a difficult birth, postpartum, and bonding issues with her son How she struggled with postpartum anxiety and felt like that trying time period would NEVER end How she was so overwhelmed that she couldn’t comprehend having more children, lacked any peer support, and lacked connection with her intuition and inner voice How her son reacted with force to her attempts to control him and she thought she would never have a connected relationship with him She got pregnant with her second son when her oldest was 3, and she still had high anxiety and felt the darkness of that time Why she couldn’t reconcile her “different lives” as mother to her oldest as she was pregnant with her second, who was stillborn at 42 weeks; this became the turning point in the healing of the relationship with her oldest Now, when he is 9 years old, they have a difficult relationship, but a beautiful and dynamic one in which they both sense what it takes to stay connected How the healing happens in a non-linear way Mellisa’s journey into doula care and birth advocacy, supporting women and coaching them through pregnancy loss and birth trauma How her personal experiences have resonated and taken her into certain fields where she finds passion to help others How a doula supports mental health for mothers where relationships and connection are usually lacking How we can change the first few months of motherhood to impact the rest of a woman’s journey The experience after Mellisa’s daughter was born last year, despite a difficult postpartum and multiple losses previously Why it’s difficult to admit that our relationships with our children are less than ideal because of what it says about us as mothers How her podcast shares stories and experiences of women and the significant identity shift that takes place with the birth of the firstborn How the podcast shares stories of the transition to motherhood and its themes and narratives that are common and shared Her co-host, Laura, is finishing up her doctorate in Nurse Midwifery and focuses on the power of storytelling and group coaching   Resources: The Conscious Parent by Shefali Tsabary Find Mellisa online, along with her courses and group coaching:  www.trustyourbodyagain.com Find the Motherbirth podcast:  www.motherbirth.co Connect with Mellisa on Instagram

Dr. Shaughanassee Williams, DNP, CNM is an emerging trailblazer looking to establish positive change in her community and around the globe. She is a Certified Nurse Midwife holding a Doctor of Nursing Practice from Frontier Nursing University, a Masters and Bachelors of Science in Nursing from Old Dominion University and a Nurse Midwifery endorsement from Shenandoah University. She has extensive leadership experience working in the healthcare arena as the visionary and director of HealthyHER Center for Women’s Care, a nurse midwife at Bon Secours Medical Group and also an adjunct nursing professor at Norfolk State University. Her passion lies in leadership development and carrying on the long-standing entrepreneurial spirit of her family. She is also the think tank behind Midwife Speaks– her platform to educate and empower women regarding holistic health. She has been coined "the people's choice for women's health". Through transparency and with authenticity, Midwife Speaks is the bridge between patients and providers by giving women, and their families, the necessary tools to holistically empower their physical, mental and spiritual health. Shaughanassee remains active within her community. As a Christian minister, she counts it an honor to serve through teaching and volunteerism. Additionally, she has served on the Board of Directors for organizations such as the Urban League of Hampton Roads Young Professionals and the YWCA Va Peninsula. She has performed numerous speaking engagements at Old Dominion University, Hampton University, the Urban League of Hampton Roads and many other organizations. Shaughanassee enjoys spending time with loved ones, traveling, laughing and making others smile. Her life motto is “I live to inspire.”   October is Pregnancy and Infant Loss Awareness Month.  To honor our Angel Babies gone to heaven too soon, we created MyBabyExisted.com where we are posting pictures to show that our babies did exist.  Visit MyBabyExisted.com for more information on how to download your Meme and post pictures of your baby bump, pregnancy tests, ultrasounds, or babies to show that they did exist.  All month long we will repost pictures using the hashtag #mybabyexisted to Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.  Our babies did exist and now exist forever in our hearts in minds.  

Patricia Harman has spent over thirty years caring for women as a midwife, first as a lay-midwife, delivering babies in cabins and on communal farms in West Virginia, and later as a nurse-midwife in teaching hospitals and in a community hospital birthing center. She spent over a decade in the sixties and seventies in her wild youth living in rural communes in Washington, Connecticut and Minnesota. During the Vietnam years, she and her husband, Tom Harman, traveled the country, often hitch-hiking, as they looked for a place to settle. In 1974 they purchased a farm with a group of like-minded friends on top of a ridge in Roane County, West Virginia. Here on the commune, they built log houses, dug a pond, grew and preserved their own food and started the Growing Tree Natural Foods Cooperative. It was during this time that Patsy attended her first home birth, more or less by accident. “Some people are destined,” she has written. “I was staying at a woman friend’s commune when she went into labor and I ended up delivering my first baby.” Soon after, Harman traveled to Austin, Texas to train with a collective of home-birth midwives. When she returned, she became one of the founding members of The West Virginia Cooperative of Midwives. Her passion for caring for women and babies led her to become an RN as the first step in getting licensed as certified nurse midwife. In 1985, with her children, a yowling cat and her husband she traveled north, pulling a broken down trailer to begin her training at the University of Minnesota where she received her MSN in Nurse-Midwifery. Find out the rest of Patsy's story on the next DivaTalkRadio with Kelli Claypool and Gina Parris.

In line with continuing the Web Site Membership Drive - I am thrilled to annoucne that in this week's show I will be interviewing my friend and colleague, Valerie Ozsu, MSN CNM NP, Nutrition Response Testing, Pro-EFT Practitioner. Valerie specializes in Women’s Health Issues including hormone balancing, health promotion, and weight release. But to hear who she is in her own words ... “I have a Master’s Degree in Nursing and certificates in Nurse-Midwifery and OB/GYN Nurse Practitioner. My specialty is in Women’s Health. I have always practiced my profession in a Holistic Manner by including alternative choices for women to heal. Successes in my career are numerous from detecting cancers as well as treating problems in pregnant patients, women having difficulties with PMS, Menopause and numerous other health problems. Using the same holistic philosophy while raising my own children- I attribute their good health on my efforts, God’s Blessings and their own desire to be healthy and active.”