Catriona Munro, LM, CPM, LMP

My passion for birth began in 1994. When I was in massage school, a good friend invited me to attend her birth and massage her during labor. That day I learned what a life-altering event birth can be: often more challenging and rewarding than any other single life experience. I knew then that I wanted to play a part in helping women and their families achieve their unique goals for their births.

After opening a massage therapy business, I continued to work part time while I earned a B.A. degree in women's studies and health sciences at Western Washington University. Shortly after graduation, I enrolled in the Seattle Midwifery School.

Thus began an intensive, three-year program of study that included comprehensive medical courses, training in healthcare skills, and hands-on experiences in the science and art of midwifery. I attended over 100 births in a variety of settings here in the United States and also abroad.

When not on call, I enjoy sailing my tiny sailboat, bicycling, hiking, and escaping to Lummi Island. I truly love my home in Bellingham and feel so lucky to live in such an astoundingly beautiful place.

For those who have been awaiting news of Catriona's birth, she had a sweet baby girl on November 20th and her baby's blog is: rubyadeline.chriswebbpe.com

Kristin Effland, LM, CPM

My mother speaks proudly of the gift she gave her children and herself by choosing natural childbirth.  I grew up learning to trust the process of birth and in awe of the power women possess.  I chose to become a midwife because I believe that all women can find this same strength within themselves if offered nurturing support throughout pregnancy and labor.

I am honored to support women and their families as they prepare to birth their children, during the hard work that brings their baby into the world, and during the crucial time of pride, excitement, and new challenges that immediately follows.

I received a Bachelor of Arts in Philosophy and Women, Gender & Sexuality Studies from St. Mary’s College of Maryland. I trained in Seattle, WA and Portland, OR and I also worked briefly at a hospital in Nepal before moving to Bellingham in the Spring of 2008. Since then, I have attended home and birth center births in King, Snohomish, Skagit and Whatcom counties and I previously worked part time for the Midwifery Education Accreditation Council. I am also Vice President of the Board of Directors of the Midwives Association of Washington State www.washingtonmidwives.org.

At Gentle Hands Midwifery, we offer complete prenatal, birth and postpartum care with all the comforts of home. We practice the Midwives Model of Care: our clients participate in shared decision-making and can elect home or birth center births including water birth.

I joined Gentle Hands Midwifery full time in the Spring of 2009 and I enjoy working with Eloisa and Catriona as team. In my free time, I enjoy running, climbing and playing outdoors with my dog, Riley.

Eloisa Cary, LM, CPM

In my role as a midwife, I am honored to uphold the beauty and intimacy of birth, while being an unobtrusive guardian of safety for the mother and baby.  I believe deeply in the normalcy of birth and employ an appropriate use of technology and medicine in the preservation of my clients’ wellbeing.  Birth is a crucial moment in a woman’s life and it holds the potential for great amounts of growth and joy.

In my midwifery practice, I am able to draw on my background, which is a blend of science and somatics.  I have a BS in neuroscience from Smith College, and have studied and taught ballroom dance, karate, naturopathy, and yoga.

My interest in midwifery arose during the birth of my first child.  The experience of giving birth at home completely transformed my life.  I realized on a personal level that the setting in which a birth takes place predicts many features of the birth, and I got to experience first hand all the positive outcomes that resulted from the decision to have a home birth.  I was left with the question, “Who wouldn’t want to bring that sense of transformation to women and their families?”  I answered that question by becoming a licensed midwife.

Soon after my daughter’s birth, I started completing my prerequisites and went on to attend Seattle Midwifery School, doing internships with several different midwifery practices in Washington State.  I live in Bellingham with my husband and children.