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Motherwise Birth Center
The Bend, Oregon midwives at Motherwise Community Birth Center offer complete prenatal care, birth center or home birth, water birth, postpartum care, childbirth and prenatal yoga classes. Whole family care with our Family Nurse Practitioner. ____________________________ Please call or contact us for your free consultation and tour. 464 NE Norton Ave. Bend, Oregon 97701 (541) 318-6961 ____________________________ We Welcome Allison LiaBraaten, FNP to Motherwise!!! Now Open.... Motherwise Clinic in Prineville, located at the Prineville Associates Medical Building. FIND OUT MORE IN OUR NEWSLETTER. ___________________________ more

Nicole Tucker, CPM, LDM

Since 1996 Nicole has been serving women and their families of  Bend and Central Oregon.  Nicole is a graduate of the National College of Midwifery, a Certified Professional Midwife, a Licensed Midwife in Oregon, and the proud mother of three beautiful children. Inspired by a positive hospital birth  experience during the 1994 birth of her daughter, Nicole became a Certified Childbirth Educator and Doula in 1996. After attending her first homebirth in January of 1997, Nicole felt a strong calling to become a midwife. She began training under a highly skilled midwife the very next month. Her passion led her to Casa de Nacimiento—a high-volume birth center in El Paso, Texas—where she was a midwife-intern in 1999 and 2002. The natural birth philosophy is an integral part of Nicole's own life; she had wonderful waterbirth's at home with her own sons in 2000 and 2003. In 2002 Nicole opened Motherwise Midwifery Service. In 2007 Nicole fulfilled her long-held dream to open Motherwise Community Birth Center, and care for the women and families in the community where she was born and raised. “My experience as a mother and midwife has only heightened my admiration of the birthing process and the strong women I am blessed to serve.”
 

 

Christyn King, CPM, LDM, Cranialsacral Therapist

A lifelong quest to unearth her authentic role in society brought Christyn to Motherwise. She is thrilled to be learning from, serving, and growing with the women of Central Oregon. Christyn entered college as pre-med to pursue a childhood dream of becoming an obstetrician, but soon realized the limitations of the western medical model. After graduating from the University of Vermont with a degree in wildlife biology, she spent several years teaching environmental education to children and traveling the world. Her passion for serving women through the childbearing year resurfaced upon discovering the existence of the more holistic path of midwifery. After studying and working as a doula, Christyn welcomed the opportunity to move to Bend in 2007 with her husband, Matt and begin her clinical training. After several years of working under supervision, Christyn received her CPM credential and Oregon License in August 2009.   In September 2009 she welcomed her first daughter into the world, Sage Cathryn, born in the water at home into the loving arms of her mom and dad.

 

Dana Johnson, Assistant Midwife, BFW Mentor

Dana came to midwifery with a deep inner call to support women through pregnancy, birth and postpartum, while encompassing holistic living.  In 2000, Dana was pregnant with her first child and chose midwifery care with a Licensed Midwife.  In 2004 Dana's path to midwifery began, apprenticing with Nicole Tucker.  Dana went to countless prenatals, studied midwifery texts, attended midwifery conferences, doula training through DONA and participated in many beautiful births.  In 2006 Dana gave birth at home to her second child with Nicole, husband, six year old daughter and good friends.  Dana feels very blessed by grace to have experienced two amazing births and it is that joy she brings to every birth.  2007, Dana took on teaching childbirth classes at Motherwise and enrolled in The National College of Midwifery.  Today, Dana continues to assist at Motherwise, working towards her CMP/LM, mentor Birthing From Within childbirth classes and craft herbal tea’s for women ~ “MamaLove Apothecary”.  When not working, Dana loves to spend time with her two daughters and husband, belly dancing, practice yoga, bead, knit, garden, cooking healthy food and always growing as a person with love and grace. 

 Allison LiaBraaten, Family Nurse Practitioner

Allison is a Bend-native passionate about helping Central Oregon achieve a healthier life. Her practice is built upon the belief that health is a state of being. Incorporating modern medicine, education, diet, activity, spirituality, and lifestyle balance. She is passionate about the specialized care she provides to her patients and believes strongly in holistic and preventative health care in conjunction with modern medicine. Allison provides personalized care through routine or problem focused check-ups for women, children, babies and men. Her background includes extensive pediatric experience at UC Davis Medical Center and OHSU Doernbecher Children's Hospital in the pediatric emergency departments and pediatric intensive care units. Her focus as a family nurse practitioner is on emergency, immediate, and routine care in both pediatric and adult fields. She received her nursing degree from Sacramento State University and her Masters in Nursing from Washington State University, Vancouver. Allison and her husband, Nate, are active members in the community and and love spending their free time in the lakes, mountains, and parks of the Cascades. Allison's hobbies include cooking, exercise, travel and spending time with family and friends. Allison is delighted to join the Motherwise team, as they share an enthusiasm for providing excellent care and building valuable relationships with their clients. In addition to providing prenatal and postpartum care for patients of Motherwise, Allison sees patients for regular checkups and problem-focused appointments. She is available to see women before, during, and after pregnancy, as well as men and children.

Katie Silva, Student Midwife / Assistant

Katie's desire to become a midwife was inspired by the empowering experience of birthing her own children at home and in a birth center with the support of loving midwives. She comes to the work of midwifery with the commitment to support women in accessing their own inner wisdom and power within the natural process of pregnancy, birth, postpartum and parenting. Katie holds a bachelors degree in contemplative early childhood education and has been working with families for the past 25 years as a holistic preschool director and teacher and facilitator of the Love and Logic Parenting Techniques. Her love of natural health, healing and children has lead her to become certified in maya abdominal massage, prenatal, postpartum, infant and labor massage, doula care and clinical herbalism. After catching two babies while serving as a doula, she realized that all of her passions found a home in one place, Midwifery. Katie completed a one year midwifery apprenticeship in Idaho with a Certified professional midwife and a nine month apprenticeship with a certified professional and licensed midwife in Arizona. Katie is a student at National Midwifery Institute and she is delighted to be continuing her studies and joyful service to women and their families at Motherwise since April 2010! Katie Believes that birth is a sacred doorway, a precious and defining moment and that it should be protected and honored as such. She loves holding supportive, compassionate space for women to discover their own way of birthing and becoming  mothers. In her free time she enjoys doing yoga, dancing, gardening and camping with her family

 

River Foss, Student/Assistant

River Foss began her studies to become a direct entry midwife in 2007.  River moved from her home in Wisconsin to attend BirthwiseMidwiferySchool in Maine.  While at Birthwise, River felt her academics and knowledge of maternity care finally fostered her passion of caring for pregnant women and their families.  River believes, above all, that women deserve maternity care that educates and empowers.  Allowing women to advocate for themselves, their bodies, families and parenting decisions.  River is excited to be joining MotherwiseCommunityBirthCenter in April of 2010 and to be a part of the Bend community.  When taking time for herself, River enjoys swimming, cleaning and napping outside in the sun.

 

 

 

 

 

Robin Sappington-Lowrie, LMT, Doula

Robin’s path to heal herself led to becoming a Massage Therapist; her role as a mother led her to become a doula, midwifery student and childbirth educator. A third-generation Central Oregonian, Robin first graduated from OSU with a Bachelor of Science in Communication. She then went onto East West College of the Healing Arts in 1992. With the application of ancient healing arts, Robin focuses on prenatal, labor delivery, postpartum massage and doula care. She eases the pain of labor through massage, eye contact, acupressure points (for pain management and labor stimulation), aromatherapy, and positioning. Teaching massage-for-childbirth classes with Nicole and Dana for the last nine years has inspired Robin to become an advocate for families, one person at a time. In her massage practice, she uses reflexology, stimulating energy meridian, and muscle relaxation and stretching.