Anne Pico, "Midwyf"

Anne Pico is passionate about midwifery.   She has been assisting women and their families through pregnancy, birth and the postpartum period since 1991. She has worked with birthing families in Nevada, Montana, Texas and Utah both through home birth, and in a busy freestanding birth center.   She is also the Utah state representative for Christian Midwives International.

She loves her job.

Utah Childbirth recently caught up with Anne to find out more about her and her Cache Valley midwifery practice.

Utah Childbirth: You have worked with birthing families in many different states.  Was there anything distinctively different about birthing perceptions in other states that has deepened your understanding of birth?

Anne: In the west in general I have noticed a kind of natural rugged individualism and determination. In every state there are all kinds of people. I am blessed to have gotten to know so many caring, intelligent and strong women and families through the years. Fear is the enemy. We find and fight it everywhere.

Utah Childbirth: You are very involved in midwifery advocacy on the state, national and international level.  Does this ever interfere with your job as a midwife, or does it help you?  If so, how?

Anne: No. Anything I can do to educate others about natural and out of hospital birth is time well spent. It helps me, and my children, and all of us in the long run.

Utah Childbirth: Having worked in a free standing birth center, are there any major differences between that and a home birth?

Beautiful Waterbirth

Anne: A birth center is generally a more socially acceptable choice. It is more convenient for the midwife. There is an illusion of a birth center being safer. I have never understood this though, because there is basically no difference between home birth and birth center birth (same person(s), same skills, same equipment) except the location.

It is more likely that home birth is actually safer, because the mother is in her own environment and therefore less likely to feel stressed. Stress hormones are well known to interfere with labor.

No matter how homelike a birth center is, it is still not “home.” The exception to this, is those who live a great distance to a hospital and have the option of birth center close to one.  I feel this is an area that we need to work on educating people about.

Utah Childbirth: You mentioned that you enjoy raising livestock?  What do you raise?  Are there any experiences you have had in caring for animals that have helped you learn more about life in general?

Anne: We used to run a small working cattle ranch. We have raised almost every kind of farm animal at one time or another. Our children have worked to earn the money for their own horses. We now have 5 horses, 1 Jersey cow and calf, 1 beef cow, 6 momma sheep, 8 lambs, 2 dogs, 4 cats, assorted fish and a gecko. Raising animals has given me many insights into life in general.

Although I have never assisted a human mother with  twins, triplets, or a breech baby, I have assisted many animal mothers in these situations over the years. Working with livestock has taught me  a lot of patience, and  gentleness.

Any farmer knows that a laboring cow or horse must not be disturbed. Every vet knows that it is unwise to move a laboring animal or subject it to unfamiliar sights or sounds. They come to their “patient.” They know the value of good nutrition and carefully chosen supplements for pregnant animals, yet many of these same concepts seem lost in conventional medicine…

Utah Childbirth: How do you find time to do all that you do?

Anne: I have a wonderful family! They understand that this is my ministry and have made many sacrifices for it and for me through the years. I have learned that there are many seasons in life. When our children were small I was much more limited in my midwifery.

In some societies, women were not considered eligible for midwifery until they had raised their own family. I believe it is true that: “God doesn’t call the qualified, He calls the willing, and then He qualifies them.”

Utah Childbirth: You mentioned you are working on becoming a Certified Family Herbalist.  Do you use herbs in your midwifery practice?

Anne: Yes, herbs are a wonderful first line of defense. It is important to choose them and use them carefully though, since some of them have risks.

Utah Childbirth: Is there any one experience you have had in your years working with women that you could share with readers that would inspire them to consider homebirth?

Anne: I would encourage women to do their own research. Learn about all the options. All credible scientific research for the past 30 years bears out the safety of midwifery and home birth. We all have to choose the risks we are willing to accept.

Hospital birth is definitely not risk free – just different risks. As a new mother, people would often say to me: “you’re so brave to have a home birth.” I would reply: “you’re braver to have a hospital birth.”

We need to be where we are the most comfortable during birth, unless there is a very compelling reason to be somewhere else. I wish I could capture and share with the world the joy and strength I have witnessed in many home births. Birth can be a very empowering and healing experience that affects us for the rest of our lives.

Visit Olive Branch Midwifery online or contact Anne via email anne@olivebranchmidwifery.com or call 435-770-6868.

Anne Pico, LDEM, CPM, CCE, CD, lives in Cache Valley, Utah with her husband and their six children. Anne is a nationally Certified Professional Midwife,  a Licensed Direct Entry Midwife in both Utah and Idaho, a Certified Childbirth Educator, Doula, and Monitrice. She holds a degree in midwifery through the National College of Midwifery, a MEAC accreditited college in New Mexico.

She has worked with birthing families in Nevada, Montana, Texas and Utah both through home birth, and in a busy freestanding birth center. She encourages families to birth in their own way, supports water births, children at birth, and dads “catching” etc. Her desire is to serve, educate, and empower others “as unto the Lord Jesus Christ” Colossians 3:23-24.

A CPM is a direct-entry midwifery practitioner who has met all the certification standards set by the North American Registry of Midwives (NARM). What distinguishes a CPM from other nationally certified midwives is that CPMs primarily attend to out-of-hospital births and are trained via a competency-based model of education. NARM recognizes competency-based education as the optimal model for educating maternity care providers practicing in out-of-hospital settings because it is the only model that requires clinical experience in out-of-hospital settings, continuity of care, and risk assessment skills, which are required to determine when referral, collaboration or consultation with a physician is necessary.

Richelle Jolley
CPM

Benevolent Birth

Office Phone: work801-369-9178

Work Email:
INTERNETrichellejolley@yahoo.com

Categories: CPM, Salt Lake and Utah Valley Area Providers Add to Address Book Updated 20 hours ago

Melissa Mayo
CPM

Work Phone: work801-553-9233

Work Email:
INTERNETmelissamw@qwestoffice.net

Melissa Mayo works with Chris Miller, and they were mentioned in the Standard-Examiner online in an article about midwifery.

Categories: CPM, Salt Lake and Utah Valley Area Providers Add to Address Book Updated 20 hours ago

Cathy OBryant
CPM, LDEM

Enlightened Birth Midwifery

Work

593 South 300 East

Payson  Ut  84651
work

Work Phone: work801-465-4021

Work Email:
INTERNETebms@sisna.com

Website: http://www.enlightenedbirth.com

I am a Licensed Direct Entry Midwife (LDEM) as well as a CPM. I have been delivering babies at home in Utah for the past 27 years. I am the mother of ten children, three of which were birthed at home.

I became involved in midwifery in 1982. I took classes from the Utah School of Midwifery (now Midwives College of Utah) and graduated from the school in 1987 as a Certified Midwife. I apprenticed with a senior midwife for approximately two years before assuming any clients of my own. In 1994, I took the North American Registry of Midwives (NARM) exam and in 1996, I became certified with NARM as a Certified Professional Midwife. Most recently (2006) I became licensed with the state of Utah as a Licensed Direct Entry Midwife.

Categories: CPM, LDEM or DEM, Salt Lake and Utah Valley Area Providers Add to Address Book Updated 20 hours ago

Anne Pico
LDEM, CPM, CCE, CD

Olive Branch Midwifery

Work
Cache Valley  Utah  work

Work Phone: work435-770-6868

Work Email:
INTERNETanne@olivebranchmidwifery.com

Website: http://www.olivebranchmidwifery.com

Anne Pico LDEM, CPM, CCE, CD of Olive Branch Midwifery, lives in Cache Valley, Utah with her husband and their six children. Anne is a nationally Certified Professional Midwife,  a Licensed Direct Entry Midwife in both Utah and Idaho, a Certified Childbirth Educator, Doula, and Monitrice. She holds a degree in midwifery through the National College of Midwifery, a MEAC accreditited college in New Mexico. She is a member of several midwifery organizations and the Utah state representative for Christian Midwives International. Anne is committed to lifelong learning, and enjoys staying current on the many issues surrounding pregnancy, birthing and parenting. She is currently studying to become a Certified Family Herbalist.

Anne became passionate about out of hospital birth and midwifery, through the birth of her own children. Four of her children were born at home.  Her youngest child was born at home in 2000. She has been assisting women and their families through pregnancy, birth and the postpartum period since 1991. She has worked with birthing families in Nevada, Montana, Texas and Utah both through home birth, and in a busy freestanding birth center. She encourages families to birth in their own way, supports water births, children at birth, and dads “catching” etc. Her desire is to serve, educate, and empower others “as unto the Lord Jesus Christ” Colossians 3:23-24.

When not attending childbearing women, Anne enjoys spending time with her family, reading, writing, baking, raising livestock, and traveling.

Categories: CPM, Doulas, LDEM or DEM, Northern Utah Providers Add to Address Book Updated 20 hours ago

Elizabeth Camp Smith
CPM, LDEM

Baby Biz Liz

Work
St. George  Ut  work

Work Phone: work435-673-9898

Work Email:
INTERNETinfo@babybizliz.com

After experiencing my first home birth with my third child, I felt the spiritual calling to become a midwife.  Prior to that, my ambition had always been to be a nurse.

I later learned that I had come from a long blood line of prominent midwives and that my life’s journey had guided me here.  After years of home study and two years of college nursing classes, I began my apprenticeship in November of 1985.

Since that time, I have attended 1,065 successful births, including 12 sets of twins and 11 breech deliveries.

I cannot think of any textbook complication that I have not dealt with.  I love people, expecially babies. I love doing what is right, being involved in a great cause. I love the fulfillment of seeing parents bond with their babies and the joy they feel in their home births.

I love the “love” and lasting friendships. I love the relationship I have developed with my Father in Heaven. I love how midwifery has allowed me to work from home, to pack along nursing babies and to often work while the kids sleep, enabling me to be a good mother at the same time.

I have grown in my understanding of God and truth. I have learned much from the many people with whom I have been privileged to associate.

Midwifery has made me stronger in every way. I have learned that I CAN love anyone through service.

I have been blessed beyond measure.

I look forward to many more years and many more babies!

Categories: CPM, LDEM or DEM, Southern Utah Providers Add to Address Book Updated 20 hours ago

Suzanne Smith
CPM, LDEM

Better Birth

Office

560 South State Street, Suite D2

Orem  UT 84058  work

Office

3098 S Highland Dr Suite #394

Salt Lake City  Ut  84106
work

Office Phone: workSalt Lake: (801) 363-2448 Orem: 801-225-5668

Work Email:
INTERNETinfo@betterbirth.com

Website: http://www.betterbirth.com

Suzanne holds Bachelor and Master of Science degrees in Midwifery from the Midwives College of Utah, a Bachelor's degree in Human Biology from Stanford University, and was the first licensed direct-entry midwife in Utah. She founded BetterBirthLLC in 1994, and lives in Orem with her husband and two children. Suzanne habla español.

Categories: CPM, LDEM or DEM, Salt Lake and Utah Valley Area Providers Add to Address Book Updated 20 hours ago

Trinette Thompson
CPM, LDEM

Better Birth

Office

560 South State Street, Suite D2

Orem  UT 84058  work

Office

3098 S Highland Dr Suite #394

Salt Lake City  Ut  84106
work

Office Phone: workSalt Lake: (801) 363-2448 Orem: 801-225-5668

Work Email:
INTERNETinfo@betterbirth.com

Website: http://www.betterbirth.com

Trinette received her midwifery training and graduated from Midwives College of Utah. She remains active in special projects for the college and is continuing to pursue an advanced degree. Trinette is an extraordinarily compassionate and attentive midwife. She lives in Saratoga Springs with her husband and six children, all homeborn.

Categories: CPM, LDEM or DEM, Salt Lake and Utah Valley Area Providers Add to Address Book Updated 20 hours ago

Tara Tulley
CPM

Select

1156 S State Street Suite 106

Orem  Ut  84651
home

Office Phone: work(801)380-3247

Work Email:
INTERNETinfo@balancedfamilies.com

Website: http://balancedfamilies.com

Tara Tulley is a Certified Professional Midwife and holds a Bachelor's Degree from the Midwives College of Utah. Tara is dedicated to providing the safest possible care, while offering a loving, gentle environment. She believes strongly in parents rights to choose their birth place and care provider. Tara has also been an instructor for the American Red Cross, and currently holds certification in Neonatal Resuscitation, and CPR. Tara is a past president of the Utah Midwives Association(2005-2007) and is an advocate for preserving the art of midwifery. Tara has three children who were born at home and loves helping women have empowering births

Categories: CPM, Salt Lake and Utah Valley Area Providers Add to Address Book Updated 20 hours ago

BirthRite Women Center

BirthRite Women’s Center (formerly Balanced Families), is located in Orem, Utah, and is operated by Tara Tulley, a Certified Professional Midwife with a Bachelor’s Degree from the Midwives College of Utah.

Tara is dedicated to providing the safest possible care, while offering a loving, gentle environment. She believes strongly in parents rights to choose their birth place and care provider. Tara has also been an instructor for the American Red Cross, and currently holds certification in Neonatal Resuscitation, and CPR. Tara is a past president of the Utah Midwives Association(2005-2007) and is an advocate for preserving the art of midwifery. Tara has three children who were born at home and loves helping women have empowering births

From the BirthRite website:

Imagine coming to your first prenatal appointment greeted with soft, warm smiles. You feel like a queen because in our eyes, you are! Every concern you have is listened to and answered. We hand you a beautiful Pregnancy and Birth Bag with informational material to help you prepare for the months ahead, along with a few extras to help with your comfort.

At each visit, special care and attention is given to see that your wonderful body and baby are in harmony, enabling you to have a stress free experience during your journey. In preparation for your loving birth, all your supplies and birth tub are sent directly to you

You’re now in the privacy of your own home. Calming music is playing in the background. Aromas you love, that help empower your female senses, fill the room that’s filtered with warm sunlight or muted in the soft glow of candlelight. In addition you may choose to have a professional photographer(optional) at your birth. These photos are then tenderly and artistically arranged to produce a precious keepsake for you and your baby to remember this day forever(DVD or video).

You are given a Postpartum Care Kit to help you get started with diapers, information, and breast-feeding support. You have nothing to worry about. You are free to enjoy bonding with your newborn. When you call with questions or return for your postpartum visits, you will receive answers and solutions. We are here for you!

We help you all along the way by offering, support, education and resources. The midwives and staff at BirthRite Women’s Center are highly trained professionals, with a gentle loving touch. We offer a variety of packages to fulfill your dream.

BirthRite Women’s Center Contact Information:

1156 S State Street Suite 106 |Orem, UT 84651 | (801)380-3247

Email: info@balancedfamilies.com