Steph’s Story
Hi!
I’m Steph. I’m a creator, midwife, lactation detective, doula, adventure seeker, life-long student, mother to two amazing boys, homeschool mom, coffee lover, whole food junkie and founder of The Green Stork.
I feel so blessed to be doing the work I love now. I recall a time when I was working 40-60 hours a week in the corporate world, traveling around the country visiting with multimillion dollar customers. I loved my work and responsibilities, but I longed for a more meaningful job.
After the birth of my first son, I found myself dreaming of this “mother-baby center” in my off-time: a place for mothers to connect, find support, and meet like-minded people. I spent hours plotting out a place for families to find the childbirth education that fit them best; a place for them to learn about ALL their options revolving around birth.
I dragged my husband along to look at two different buildings to purchase. We just couldn’t figure out how we would get started and support our growing family at the same time. I wanted so badly to bring resources to the southern, MN area. I found it hard for myself to find the support and care I needed with my first pregnancy. We had to drive well over an hour for our childbirth ed classes.
By the time my second pregnancy came along, I wanted that birth to be different. After my day job, I spent much of my time researching birth and connecting with other women. I had found my tribe. I discovered that birth can be different; I suddenly knew I had options that I was unaware existed with our first pregnancy and birth. I went against the grain and had a fully supported home birth.
Then LIFE hit our family hard.
We quickly learned in 2013 just how precious life is – how precious TIME is. Our then 13-month-old was diagnosed with infant leukemia (AML). I spent months living in the hospital with him, separated from my first-born and husband who held down the fort at home. I learned everything you could think of to help my baby survive. I strongly believed that we needed to support his entire being – mind, body, and spirit. We were told that the type of leukemia he had was very rare. We had a few different things going against us; chances of survival were slim, and I refused to believe it or to be sad. Of course, it was the hardest journey I’ve ever been on, but I remained faithful and happy in his presence. Sure, we were living in a hospital and away from home, but I was going to make the best of every day – he deserved that. With the help of my community, I was able to do this. My little survivor underwent many surgeries, bone marrow biopsies, spinal taps, three rounds of intense chemo, and a double cord stem cell transplant. Today he is a happy, whole, and healthy 12-year-old.
This journey changed me.
During this time, I learned the importance of taking control of your health care. It’s okay to question your providers because they are people too. It’s okay to work with them. It’s okay to speak up. I learned that just because I didn’t like one doctor one day, didn’t mean they wouldn’t be my favorite person the next week. I learned the importance of wellness care - what it truly means to care for yourself and your family. I learned that we can have a balance between alternative modalities and medical care. I learned the importance of true connection.
I learned that we can have a balance between alternative modalities and medical care. I learned the importance of true connection.
God gave me this beautiful opportunity to follow my dreams. Instead of just teaching childbirth education after working in the corporate office, I decided that THIS, The Green Stork, is what I would do. Along with devoting all my time to parenting my kiddos differently than we had before, differently than my husband I and were raised, and growing into the professional I wanted to be. And now, I’m living my dream of supporting families as their primary care provider, their midwife. I am so happy to be offering midwifery care, lactation support, doula services, and craniosacral therapy to Bemidji, MN, and the surrounding areas.
I’m currently living my dreams, following God’s plan, in the great, “up north,” MN. Life is good!
- Certified Bradley Method® Teacher & Doula 2011-2016
- Placenta Encapsulation Childbirth Collective November 2011
- Founded (with 10 others) Deep Valley Birth Collective in 2011
- Elected Treasurer of Deep Valley Birth Collective 2012-Present
- Midwifery Today 5 day Conference, Harrisburg, Pennsylvania April 2012
- Placenta Benefits Inc. Training August 2015
- Neonatal Resuscitation Certification with Karen Strange September 2015
- Birth Arts International Doula and Midwifery Assistant workshop with Erika Urban, November 2015
- Birth Arts International Certified Professional Doula Trainer 2016
- Evidence Based Birth® Professional Member Since 2016
- Organized and attended the Spinning Babies® Workshop in St. Peter, MN May 2017
- Neonatal Resuscitation Certification with Marijke van Roojen August 2017
- CPR Blended Health Care Certification August 2017
- Healthy Children Project Lactation Counselor Certification, October 2017
- Spinning Babies® Workshop in Minneapolis, MN October 2017
- Certified Hypnobabies® Doula March 2018
- President of Deep Valley Birth Collective 2018
- Spinning Babies® Certified Parent Educator (SpBCPE) 2018
- Craniosacral/Myofascial Level V Dynamic Body Balancing Certified, 2021
- Neonatal Resuscitation Certification with Marijke van Roojen 2021
- CPR Certified 2021
- Breech Without Borders Workshop, April 2022
- Birth Emergency Skills Training, June 2022
- Associates of Applied Science in Midwifery August 2024
- Certified Professional Midwife, CPM August 2024
- Licensed Tradition Midwife, LM, in MN September 2024