A MIDWIFERY PARTNERSHIP

The model of care at Foothills Midwifery includes many different team members, including you! You are the most important part of our partnership. Midwifery care emphasizes the importance of client-centered care and client-informed choices, you get to decide what's best for you and your family.

In addition to you as the primary team member, we have found that having a team of professionals offers more sustainable care and more services to meet the needs of our clients. Instead of a solo midwife practice, you have the opportunity of having two birth midwives, which ensures that whoever ends up at your birth, will be someone you already know. Midwife Terah and Midwife Heather are the two main birth midwives at Foothills Midwifery

Other team members include: Midwife Brooke, who is a wellness provider. She offers wellness care to women outside of pregnancy, which includes gynecological care, annual exams, laboratory testing, contraceptive care, and more. Midwife Christa is a nurse midwife who does prenatal and postpartum care, and comes to births as an assistant to Midwife Heather or Midwife Terah. Ilya is our ultrasound technician who comes on Saturday afternoons offering ultrasounds for pregnancy and non-pregnancy. We also have birth assistants who are advanced students training to be midwives, you can read about everyone's bios below!

MIDWIVES

MIDWIFE TERAH

Licensed & Certified Professional Midwife

When I had my first daughter at 16 years old, I later learned how fortunate I was to be treated with respect and dignity, and to have had an empowering experience. Midwifery care changed my life. As a single, teen parent, I set off on a journey to support my daughter and I. I worked as a medical assistant while attending midwifery school and now I have attended well over 700 births as a midwife. I feel so fortunate to have been a part of midwifery for the last 15 years and in healthcare for the last 20 years.

I have gone on to have five children who were all born with midwives! If I'm not helping people have a baby, you'd find me studying! I'm currently pursuing additional degrees in Spanish and Psychology for future medical school. I am also proud to identify as Latina and Diné. I also enjoy traveling, growing my garden, knitting, and yoga.

I have personally seen how important midwifery is for myself and I am truly honored to walk beside you on this journey into parenthood.

MIDWIFE HEATHER

Licensed & Certified Professional Midwife

Birth work has been my passion since my son’s birth in 1997. My midwife modeled a style of care that I bloomed under and desired to replicate for others.

My training began the following year as a volunteer doula in the prison system where I lived. In 2006, I had the privilege to volunteer at a charity birth center in Davao Philippines while studying midwifery through the National college of Midwifery and Newlife International School of Midwifery. As I volunteered under the supervision of the tireless Filipina staff midwives, I had the opportunity to experience a high volume of births. The families that I served and grew to love taught me so much about the strength of the birth process and beauty of each moment of life.

After completing my education I remained in the Philippines with my family to participate as a staff midwife with Newlife International School of Midwifery and Mercy Maternity. As the charity clinic served the poorest of the poor in our area with quality out of hospital care, I was able to participate in the training of 50+ midwives and interns from all over the world. After spending 8 amazing years in Davao my family and I returned home to serve the Northwest.

Since 2014 I have served in homes and birth centers in Snohomish and King County, while continuing to train aspiring midwives. I’ve had 1600+ births to shape my desire to offer personalized care to families near me.

My husband and I have made our home in Maple Valley with our 5 children and 1 grandbaby with hopefully more to come. In my time off call I enjoy traveling and spending time with family.

Christa is a certified nurse midwife who attends birth as a birth assistant and does appointments with our clients. She'll be with us from October to March.

Christa is a member of the Diné tribe. She is Red Running into the Water clan (Táchii’nii) and born for the Honey Combed Rock People clan (Tsénjíkiní). Her maternal grandparents are Bitter water clan (Tódich’nii’ii) and paternal grandparents are Water’s Edge clan (Tábááhí). Christa grew up on the Navajo Nation reservation. She has experience in supporting and caring for birthing parents and infants in prenatal, birth and postpartum since 2012. She continues to support mothers in finding their innate wisdom and through their newborn’s feeding journey. She’s interested in reclaiming traditional birth practices, plant medicine and using complementary forms of healing to restore the body’s balance. She offers care and counseling based on the foundation of informed consent, options, personalized, client-centered, compassion and support. She aspires to bring high quality care and increase access to alternative forms of healing to help decrease health concerns.

Brooke is on call for births one weekend per month and will be offering some gynecologic and women's health needs to clients beyond the 6-8 week postpartum period.

"The spark that ignited my passion for midwifery began 26 years ago sitting in a sacred women’s circle where a midwife shared the magic of assisting new life onto this planet. This was soon after my son was born and the midwife’s words of empowerment spoke to me. Although I did not have a challenging birth experience, it was not what I wanted and I did not feel empowered. I clearly knew, listening to the midwife that night, that I had found my vocation to support others during this great transition. I lived in Maryland at the time, where nurse-midwifery was much more prevalent than certified professional midwifery, and so I began my journey to become a nurse. In 1999, I became a RN and also became a single mom. I worked many years as a labor nurse, going to school part time, and finally graduated in 2011 with my Master’s Degree from Shenandoah University/Johns Hopkins University and became a Certified Nurse-Midwife. My training included both in and out of hospital birth. After graduation, I began a midwifery practice within a OB group in a rural part of MD which quickly grew to have 3 midwives and 25-30 births per month. It was very difficult to move on from my Maryland birthing community, but I was feeling the call to move west and to work with the First Peoples of the US. I was offered a position on the great Navajo Nation, where it has been a privilege to provide midwifery services for the last 6 years. I have attended over 1000 births in my 11 years, caring for both high and low risk clients. I am now heeding the call to the Pacific Northwest and am grateful for the opportunity to get back to my roots of out of hospital birth. I am honored to join the Foothills Midwifery group and support your family during your journey. "

"Outside of my part time work at Foothills Midwifery, I am launching my Energy Healing Business called Journey with Brooke, offering spiritual and energetic support for all your reproductive needs, including conception, pregnancy, labor, birth, and beyond, as well as offering support to those experiencing transition in their lives. The work is offered in person or virtually. I am so appreciative of you perusing the site and feel free to take advantage of the FREE 30 min consultation."

MIDWIFE BROOKE

Certified Nurse Midwife

At every birth, we bring two assistants, who are typically students actively enrolled in a midwifery program . Our students & assistants are professionally trained to offer some labor support, although their primary responsibility is to be a second set of hands for the midwife. Nearly all of the time, you will meet your birth assistant(s) before your birth.

MIDWIFE CHRISTA

Certified Nurse Midwife

AMANDA

Senior Midwifery Student Assistant

Amanda: Student/Assistant February 2023 - Current

My name is Amanda Ayotte. I live in Kent with my husband, 1 year old daughter Petra, and our two rambunctious Australian shepherds. I am also expecting a baby boy in mid-June, which we are very excited about. I enjoy hiking, gardening, cross-stitching, and reading books in my spare time.

I have always been fascinated by birth and remember when my mom was laboring with my youngest sister. Unfortunately, my Aunt thought it was too intense for me to stay in the birth room, so I did not get to witness my sister’s birth. However, later in life, I babysat for a lady who was planning a home birth and she heard I was considering becoming a midwife, so she invited me to her water birth when I was 16. It was the most incredible experience! I decided in that moment I wanted to become a midwife.

I started out doing birth work as a doula in 2017, and was accepted into midwifery school in 2019. Now I am in the final year of my midwifery program. I am passionate about supporting women to have the birth experience they desire and watching them be transformed and empowered by their birth experience. I am so excited to be a part of the Foothills team! It is a privilege to join you all on your birth journeys.

ASHLEY

Senior Midwifery Student Assistant

Ashley: Student/Assistant March 2023 - Current

"After having a negative experience with providers following the loss of my first pregnancy, I was determined to have a better experience when I became pregnant the second time with my daughter. This was when I first became introduced to midwifery. My midwives advocated for me during my birth and held my hand throughout my entire pregnancy and postpartum journey. I’ve heard so many traumatic birth stories from friends and family members and felt so deeply that a positive birth story like mine should not be an anomaly. Thus, a midwife was born! In 2020, I started the Master of Science in Midwifery program at Bastyr University and am preparing to graduate June 2023. I’ve known that I wanted to be in healthcare since I was a child and pursued pre-med and nursing school, but it never seemed to be the right fit. Before midwifery, I worked as a CNA for many years and also dabbled in childbirth education and doula work. In addition to my program, I also study herbal medicine and am a Certified Lactation Educator hoping to eventually become a lactation consultant. I’m glad that I’ve found my passion in midwifery and hope to provide safe, supportive, and exceptional care to all individuals regardless of their race, beliefs, social status, sexual orientation or identity.

When I’m not catching babies, you’ll catch me crocheting, drawing, reading, studying, caring for my bunnies, or chasing after my 4 year old daughter, Niyomi! I reside in Federal Way with her and my husband and grandpa. I proudly identify as a Filipino and Chinese woman and hope to travel after graduation to learn more about my roots and culture. I’m excited to learn from the midwives at Foothills Midwifery and know that their knowledge, skills, and experience will help me become the midwife I want to be!"

ADDITIONAL TEAM MEMBERS

HEIDI

Office Assistant
& Per Diem Birth Assistant

Heidi: Student/Assistant September 2021 - Current

"I just finished my second year at Mercy in Action College of Midwifery. I have gained observational experience over the past 5 years in birthwork, and after training to be a Doula, I started my journey into midwifery in 2019. Born at home myself, I had the dream to be a midwife from the tender age of 8 and I'm now thankful to be on track for that dream to come true. I am passionate about assisting in making safe and empowering birth experiences for midwifery clients. I have spent most of my life in the Northwest. I enjoy the outdoors, flower gardening, crafts, knitting baby hats, and writing music in my spare time. Besides this, I also serve as president of a non-profit young adult organization." -Heidi

HANNAH

Future Foothills Midwife (July '23)

Hannah: Student/Assistant September 2021 - Current

“I place the responsibility for sparking my interest in birth on my grandma, who, instead of babysitting me as planned, sent this wide-eyed three and a half year old along to her younger brother’s birth. From then on, I was fascinated by babies and birth, but it was years before midwifery appeared on my radar. Growing up in a naturally minded but also medical home in a rural part of Canada, I got lots of experience responding to medical emergencies as well as learning how to foster good health through simple, natural methods. After taking a step back from pre-nursing to reevaluate my chosen profession, I discovered midwifery. As I learned about the principles by which midwives practice, I knew instinctively that this was exactly what I had been looking for — client-centered continuity of care with emphasis on safeguarding the natural, healthy body processes. When the opportunity presented me to job shadow a midwife, I was overjoyed to accept, and I’ve been hooked ever since. I started training with Mercy In Action College of Midwifery in 2019, and I am excited to be joining the Foothills Midwifery team as a learner, a witness, and a guardian of the miracle of birth." -Hannah

ILYA

Ultrasound Technologist

BIRTH ASSISTANTS

FORMER STUDENTS & STAFF

"The Midwives Model of Care is based on the fact that pregnancy and birth are normal life processes.

The Midwives Model of Care includes:

Monitoring the physical, psychological, and social well-being of the mother throughout the childbearing cycle
Providing the mother with individualized education, counseling, and prenatal care, continuous hands-on assistance during labor and delivery, and postpartum support
Minimizing technological interventions
Identifying and referring women who require obstetrical attention

The application of this woman-centered model of care has been proven to reduce the incidence of birth injury, trauma, and cesarean section."

MIDWIVES MODEL OF CARE

WHY MIDWIFERY?

Families choose out-of-hospital birth for a wide variety of reasons. Among those reasons include: safety, the desire for decreased intervention, and to have more control of their birth.

When women and their babies are screened well and “low-risk” is established, they are candidates for midwifery care. Midwives spend a tremendous amount of time with their clients, increasing safety for their client and their baby with thorough screening as well as developing a relationship that leads to a compatible and cohesive team for a woman’s birth.

MIDWIVES ASSOCIATION OF WASHINGTON STATE

The Midwives Association of Washington State has set up guidelines for Licensed Midwives of Washington to reference. I agree with these standards and under nearly all circumstances, will adhere to their guidelines. I also support The Midwives Association of Washington State through my annual membership.

This wonderful article was written by an Australian MD. "Western, medicalized, high tech maternity care under obstetric control usually dehumanizes, often leads to unnecessary, costly, dangerous, invasive obstetric interventions and should never be exported to developing countries. Midwives and planned out-of-hospital births are perfectly safe for low-risk births."

FISH CAN'T SEE WATER

This study’s data concludes several lower values of interventions compared to hospital birth, including a 4.7% epidural rate and a 3.7% cesarean rate.

BMJ STUDY

Here is a 20 minute talk between a local obstetrician and former MAWS president/midwife Valerie Sasson discussing the differences of home birth and hospital birth.

KUOW