The birth team always consists of at least two people - at least one of
whom is always a licensed midwife. We work as a team is to provide you with
the best care possible, remembering that once baby is born there are two people
who may need care and attention, so a minimum of two people would be necessary
to ensure that this care can be provided.
Although there will always be two people at your birth, who those two are
is up to you! If you bond with one person more than the other, you can always
request that she be at your birth.
STUDENT MIDWIVES
We believe strongly in the apprenticeship model of training future midwives
and believe that book-learning is only the very beginning of what it takes to
be a good midwife.
Students always act under the direct supervision of a licensed midwife.
As students get close to licensure their skills increase and the amount of
responsibility they may assume increase as well. We do our best to ensure
that you are comfortable with the care you are being provided - and welcome
feedback (positive and negative) regarding your care. If there is a student
you do not bond with, she will not be at your birth. Likewise, if there is a
student you feel very close and comfortable with, we can ensure that she will
be at your birth.
Once a student has reached a certain level of training, she may even be
prepared to provide the majority of your care (under the supervision of a
licensed midwife, of course). If there is a senior student that you would
like to provide the majority of your care, simply speak to the licensed
midwife to arrange this - often there are financial discounts for such an
arrangement. Keep in mind that all care provided by Nurturing Hearts Birth
Services is under a midwife's supervision and she is ultimately responsible
for all aspects of your care!
Stephanie Soderblom, LM, CPM
Stephanie is a licensed midwife, wife and mother of five (the last 3 of
whom were born at home). She is a certified doula, certified childbirth
educator, and certified breastfeeding counselor who has been attending births
since 1995.
Born and raised in Arizona, she is a 5th generation Arizonian who is
proud to be assisting families through the most important time of their
lives.
"It is an honor every time I'm asked to care for a family through this
most intimate time in their lives. I will always do my best to respect this
sacred time and work with families to provide the best care I can in all
capacities - medically as well as emotionally."
Jennifer Bass
Senior Student
Jennifer is preparing to graduate from our practice as a student as of
December, 2011 and will not be attending births as a student after that
point. We are looking forward to her returning to NHBS as a LICENSED
MIDWIFE as of the Summer of 2012!
Jennifer realized her calling to midwifery during the pregnancies and
births of her own four children - one in a freestanding birth center
and three at home. Along the way, she applied to medical school,
became an Emergency Medical Technician, worked in an Intensive Care
Unit, and completed a Master's degree in Public Health. She was born
and raised in Alaska, educated in Vermont and Iowa, and moved to Mesa
in November of 2006. She is currently a senior student midwife with
Nurturing Hearts Birth Services.
Krystel Viehmann
Senior Student
Krystel has always been interested in holistic women's healthcare and
it was this passion that led her to midwifery.She grew up just outside
of Olympia, Washington hearing her mother talk frequently about her
two natural births in a hospital birth center with midwives. During
her senior year in college, she attended a CAPPA Labor Doula course on
the recommendation of a friend and learned about homebirth for the
first time. Shortly thereafter, she attended her first birth as a
doula and left feeling irrevocably called to become a midwife. She
began attending Birthwise Midwifery School in Maine in the fall of
2009 and since then has attended two years of classes as well as
preceptorships with two homebirth practices. She is very excited to be
joining Nurturing Hearts Birth Services.
Crystal Pena
Sophomore Student
Crystal is happily married and the proud mom of three fun little boys.
After the birth of her second son in 2007 she found that she could not
get enough information about all things related to pregnancy, childbirth,
and early parenting and realized that she had a calling to work in the
birth field. It has been her passion since that realization to become
a doula and ultimately a midwife. She attended a DONA approved Labor
Support Course for Birth Doulas through the Simkin Center for Birth
Vocations at Bastyr University in the Seattle area and is now a student
midwife with Nurturing Hearts Birth Services.
Rose Day
Freshman Student
Bio coming soon.
