Meet the Midwife
Brooke Francis CPM, LDM
My passion for birth began as a young child as a desire to become a labor and delivery nurse. During my Sophomore year in college, I was introduced to the world of out of hospital birth and midwives. I experienced a paradigm shift during this time and began to question the cultural norms that shape how we view birth in America. The birth environment I had been taught and raised to accept as the “norm” was one filled with fear, suffering, and a distrust in the human body. The more I learned about birth, the more it became clear that my passion, my calling, was midwifery. I felt an all-encompassing pull to this work and immediately changed my education plans. I applied to Birthingway College of Midwifery and began my education in the Spring of 2013. I completed my apprenticeship with Andaluz Water Birth Center in Portland, OR, where I attended 100 births. In June of 2018 I graduated with my Bachelors in Midwifery and obtained my license in the state of Oregon in January of 2019.
I am a married, mother of four, who enjoys spending time with my family when I am not doing birth work. We love to garden, go for walks and bike rides, spend time at the coast, cook & bake, and play games together. All of my children were born at home and I believe my experiences enhance the services I am able to provide to my clients. The care I received during my pregnancies was informative, comprehensive, and empowering. I was given the opportunity to learn about my body, my baby, and the strength women possess in their ability to create, grow, and birth their babies.
I truly believe that all women have everything they need to birth triumphantly with minimal intervention and without the use of pain medication. When they are surrounded by care providers that they trust and have created a deep connection with, they are able to find within themselves their innate power and strength.
My journey into motherhood has been my most exciting endeavor yet. Becoming a mother has taught me so much about myself, the meaning of life, and the importance of human interaction. Meeting my babies on my own terms, in my own home, surrounded by women I trusted, has given our family the best possible start.
Birth is a sacred event for each and every family and should be treated as such.
Midwifery is my calling. In becoming a midwife, I believe I am doing my part to increase access to quality, competent, and safe maternity care. Care in which the birthing mother has the ability to make informed, evidence based decisions that impact herself and her unborn baby. Every woman deserves to feel empowered in her ability to grow, birth, and care for a baby, just as nature intended.
