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Our midwifery practice consists of a team of three wonderful women; two licensed midwives and an apprentice midwife who is a student completing the clinical part of her studies. For more information on each of us, please read the bios below. We really enjoy working together.

The Midwifery Model of Care

The midwifery model of care is centered on trusting birth as a normal and healthy process. The midwifery model is outlined by Citizens for Midwifery and 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.

Heather Hack-Sullivan, LDM, CPM

headshot-280x300-280x300I am a licensed direct entry midwife (LDM) in the state of Oregon and a Certified Professional Midwife as certified by the North American Registry of Midwives. I was trained as an apprentice as part of my completion of my Bachelor’s of Science degree from Birthingway College of Midwifery in Portland, OR where I have been an instructor for over 11 years. I have been attending births since 2000 and have been honored to be a part of over 300 births. I also have two beautiful children of my own.

My path to midwifery started when I was a child and was fascinated with my mother’s pregnancies. I vividly remember feeling my younger sister moving around in my mom’s belly. When I went bowling as a kid I remember pretending that the ball coming back through the contraption was a baby being born and I had to catch it.

When I had my own babies I was even more in love with the transformative process that my body, heart, and soul went through. I loved the care I received from my midwives and having my son in the spare room of my house with my daughter present was such an amazing day. I was asked to apprentice my midwife when my son was a year old and have been attending births ever since. Every birth is different as every woman and baby has her own story. I am proud to support each woman’s individual wishes and visions. I am honored to witness women’s strength, men’s tenderness, siblings’ excitement, and the sacred presence of new babies. I am humbled at each and every birth to be a guardian of this process and all it entails. Birth contains all of life–blood & sweat, tears & laughter-but most of all pure love and joy.

When I’m not attending births I am teaching at the local midwifery college, volunteering at my kids’ schools, hanging out with my wonderful family, going to concerts, singing karaoke, knitting or eating sushi.

Emilia Smith, LDM, CPM, IBCLC

I am a licensed direct-entry midwife (LDM) in the State of Oregon and a Certified Professional Midwife (CPM) as certified by the North American Registry of Midwives.  I completed my coursework at Birthingway College of Midwifery in the fall of 2012 and graduated with a Bachelors in Science in Midwifery in the Spring of 2015. I have been attending births with Rosehip Midwifery since June of 2012. It is an honor to work alongside Heather, my mentor and dear friend. I am also an International Board Certified Lactation Consultant (IBCLC) with a private in-home practice – Sisu Lactation, www.sisulactation.com, and a faculty member for the Lactation Program at Birthingway College of Midwifery.

I believe that pregnancy, birth and breastfeeding embody both the normal and miraculous in life. They are processes that have the potential to be powerful and transformative for women and their families. I believe that when given the opportunity, a woman can begin her life as a mother with confidence in her body, a belief in the power of her intuition, and the knowledge that with adequate information, she can make the best choices for her child. This allows women to begin motherhood with optimal grace and strength.

During my process of becoming a midwife I also became a mother. I am mama to two amazing and strong girls. Becoming a mother for the first time in 2009 was a transformative experience. I was at once myself and new; motherhood felt simultaneously foreign and familiar. My daughters are constantly teaching me new things about myself and the world and I am so grateful for their presence in my life.

Rachel Slade

Rachel Slade is a student at Birthingway College of Midwifery and has been working as an apprentice with Rosehip Midwifery since September 2014. She has known midwifery was her life path since age 12 and  has been moving in the direction of caring for families, mothers, children and babies ever since. She has Associates degrees in Early Childhood Education and Social Sciences and worked for several years as a preschool teacher before moving to Portland from Santa Cruz, California, her hometown.

Rachel believes that like midwifery, birth is timeless, and in most circumstances a woman’s body is capable of birthing the life she created inside her. She believes in trust, compassion, and honesty as being thorough aspects of the pregnancy and birthing process. In her spare time Rachel also loves to pass time outdoors and spent six years working as a river rafting guide.

She has been enjoying learning about herbal medicine through her own self-studies as well as at the midwifery college and looks forward to incorporating this into midwifery care. She looks forward to being a part of your birth team and thanks you so much for the opportunity!