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Bethany and her family make their home in Cedar Rapids. You can read her birth stories here: Liana (hospital birth); Arianna (home birth); Talitha (home birth turned into unplanned unassisted birth); and Gemma (home birth).
Bethany attends church in Cedar Rapids. She homeschools her children (Bethany was homeschooled as well!) and is active in politics, serving on local and state committees as well as formerly serving as a member of the Vinton City Council. Bethany's hobbies include reading, running, drinking coffee, getting outside as much as possible, listening to (and singing loudly along with) music, and learning Spanish. Most recently, Bethany spent many days in Des Moines (2022, 2023) working to advance midwifery licensure legislation, which was finally signed into law in June 2023! Bethany is a member of the Iowa Midwives Association. Bethany first became interested in the birth field after her first home birth. Seeing the difference between standard hospital care and the specialized care of home birth midwives, she felt she wanted to make a difference and be a source of encouragement to women seeking a more natural experience. Bethany became a certified doula in 2011. A year later, she decided she wanted to head down the path of becoming a home birth midwife, and pursued an apprenticeship with Certified Professional Midwives. She completed her midwifery apprenticeship in spring 2017, sat for and passed the NARM CPM exam in March of 2017, and received her NARM certification in April 2017. Additionally, Bethany received the US MERA Midwifery Bridge Certificate in 2020. Bethany believes that birth is a normal and natural physiological process, and that most of the time birth will work as designed. Midwives are trained to recognize when something is no longer within normal parameters, and are able to facilitate appropriate transfer and care to medical facilities when necessary. Bethany knows the evidence shows that home births, when attended by trained midwives, are a safe and natural choice for low-risk pregnancies. Ultimately, each family will need to make the decision about what is the best option for them, and Bethany is a strong proponent of supporting women wherever they choose to give birth. |
