Morgan Conway-O’Neill
I was born in my great grandmother’s bedroom under the redwoods in Cazadero, making homebirth part of the foundation of who I am. I’ve always been struck by the inexplicably miraculous and yet wholly ordinary nature of our bodies during our fertility cycles, pregnancy, and birth. It has been my great pleasure to be raised within a family and community who have contributed to my trust in and reverence for our bodies’ natural processes.
Eight years after becoming a mother myself, I began my path to become a Licensed Midwife with the encouragement and support of my community. In 2014 I began my studies at National Midwifery Institute as well as my long-term apprenticeship in a midwifery practice in Sebastopol. It was in that time where I had the incredible opportunity to witness and care for pregnant people in a loving, supportive and co-creative environment and learn the intricacies of homebirth midwifery care. I graduated from NMI in Spring 2019 and received my Certified Professional Midwife and California Licensed Midwife credentials shortly thereafter.
I am passionate about reproductive rights and offer full spectrum support and options counseling. Access to high quality, individualized, client-led care is at the core of my values. I also deeply believe in the importance of body literacy and fertility awareness as a means of empowering us to feel safe and confident in our bodies.
I’m excited for the opportunity to support you as you navigate the intricacies and moments of vulnerability and growth in your reproductive journey.
Brigette Barnato
As a child growing up, my next-door-neighbor’s mother was a midwife. On her daughter’s birthday, I was invited to join the family in viewing the videotape of her birth, a yearly ritual their family tuned into with such ease and normalcy. I was in awe, having never seen anything like it. It was in this moment that I was called into this work.
Many years later, I studied Gender and Women’s Studies at UC Berkeley and my interest in supporting birthing people was re-ignited through this deep study of feminisms. After graduation, I completed a Doula training wherein I found the sense of purpose I was looking for- birthwork was for me.
In 2017, I attended midwifery school at the National Midwifery Institute and apprenticed under Kara Engelbrecht of Mothercraft Midwifery. I am now a Licensed Midwife (LM) under the Medical Board of California and a Certified Professional Midwife (CPM) under the North America Registry of Midwives.
Since 2013, I have attended hundreds of births inside homes as well as in the hospital, witnessing and supporting birthing folks bringing new life into this world. It is an incredible privilege and honor for me to work with all birthing people. However, it is important for me to note that I feel a purpose to work alongside those who have been and are still fighting for the reproductive rights, autonomy and dignity of those most marginalized by society. For me, this informs my intention to prioritize care for the queer community.
Clover Brown
Some might say that my introduction to the world of midwifery came when I was welcomed into the world by midwives at home in Berkeley! My mother, a lifelong believer in women and homebirth, instilled in me a deep trust in the wisdom of all bodies to birth babies safely without much intervention. Raised in a community with many healers and auntie midwives, I always believed birth to be a normal life event to be celebrated not feared.
In college, I studied public health with a focus on maternal health outcomes. While I began as a pre-med student, after shadowing both doctors and midwives, I found that my philosophy of care aligned best with the community midwifery model. After some years working as a doula and reproductive health counselor, I began my official midwifery education with Midwives College of Utah. I completed my clinical training in both a busy birth center in the East Bay and later in a homebirth practice in Sonoma County. I am a Licensed Midwife (LM) under the Medical Board of California and a Certified Professional Midwife (CPM) under the North America Registry of Midwives.
As a midwife, I strive to center client autonomy and believe strongly that you are the expert in your own experience. I have a profound respect for the wisdom of the body and its capacity for healing. For me, midwifery is a devotional practice. It is the path that grounds me in the deep mystery of the human experience. I give gratitude to every family that has welcomed me into their birth space and allowed me to learn through witnessing them in their own unfolding.