2010

Jessica Jordan, CNM, Richmond/Kilmarnock
Jessica has had a long history of working with women as an educator, nurse, midwife and advocate. She has spent most of her years in Richmond where she attended births in the hospital and working towards expanding birth options for women as the facilitator for a pilot program birth center in Emporia, VA. She has been a main force in recent years behind the Virginia Chapter of the American College of Nurse-Midwives, legislative efforts in Virginia to "free" midwives (both CPMs and CNMs), and the establishment of birth centers under the Virginia Pilot Program for Obstetrical Care in Medically Underserved Areas. She has worked tirelessly to keep midwifery alive and expanding in Virginia at great personal cost. She has taken every possible opportunity to meet with legislators and policy makers to educate them about the needs of women and newborns and the barriers that CNMs face in order to practice. As a member of the OB task force formed in 2004 she was apart of the development and passing of HB 2656. She initiated Centering Pregnancy group prenatal care in two outreach locations in the Northern Neck in 2007. She was involved in the program development and design of the Family Maternity Center and now holds the title of clinical director. Jessica was paramount in establishing collaborative protocols with physicians and receiving OB pilot project approval from the Board of Health. Because of her leadership and dedication, the Birth Center became accredited by the Commission on Accreditation of Birth Centers in May  2010, and the center opened its doors June 1, 2010. Through, the Family Maternity Center Northern Neck, she has worked to restore prenatal and delivery services to the area which had lost delivery services in 2004 causing all women to travel 85 miles to the nearest hospital. She is credited with reducing fears surrounding birth, promoting an optimal birth experience, reducing premature births and promoting healthy mothers and healthy babies. I can't think of anyone else who has been more of an encouragement to me to "stay the course" for midwifery than Jessica Jordan.

Christine Isaacs, MD Richmond
Christine is on the faculty at VCU Medical Center and holds the position of Director of General Obstetrics & Gynecology Division as well as the Director of Midwifery Services. She left private practice after the birth of her first baby to return to the public sector so she could be involved in the education of residents and to offer a voice to those women who were not only wanting quality care but perhaps a more natural way of birth..
Her presence on the staff has helped to facilitate physiological childbirth at VCU. She encourages the residents to flow with birth in what ever position the mom might be comfortable. She helps to facilitate educational opportunities for the staff such as taking residents to see The Business of Being Born, Robbie Davis Floyd's lecture to the staff after the BMV event last year and again this year. Christine is the liaison doctor for the CNM's and is fully supportive of what they do. She has pioneered a family centered Cesarean Section. One mother's experience follows: "The lights were dimmed.  A CD mix my husband and I had made to welcome our daughter into the world which included songs as varied as Ani DiFranco, Neil Diamond and A Tribe Called Quest blared out of the CD player.  My husband and my midwife were present for nearly everything.  Most importantly, when my daughter was taken out of my uterus, she was handed directly to ME.  I was already breast feeding before Christine finished sewing me up. I had an amazing and spiritual experience in that OR." Personally, despite intense resistance from the powers that be at VCU, Christine chose to have a home birth with her second baby. Birth clearly matters to her, not only in providing excellent medical care but making sure that the mother, the baby and the entire family has an experience that they feel empowered by. It takes quite a bit of work to push the edges of all involved and make the changes happen.


2009


Leslie Fehan is a graduate of Bloomsburg University in Pennsylvania and trained as a certified nurse-midwife at Frontier School of Midwifery and Family Nursing. She obtained her master's degree as a women's health nurse practitioner from Virginia Commonwealth University's Medical College of Virginia, where she later became adjunct faculty and practiced nurse-midwifery and as a women's health nurse practitioner. Ms. Fehan is well known in Richmond, where she has participated in community, nursing and medical education, as well as direct care for hundreds of new families.

Since February of 2006, Leslie has worked as a CNM at St. Francis Hospital in Richmond, making hospital-based midwifery care available to countless families in our community. She works continually to support women in birthing with less intervention and in receiving evidenced-based maternity care. Birthing options in the Richmond area would be seriously lacking if not for Leslie Fehan's triumphant efforts to create and maintain a practice of hospital-based midwives. Her dedication to serving the wellness of Richmond's women and families now spans decades in our community. Most especially, Leslie's commitment to midwifery care for families birthing in the hospital is incredible. Her spirit of support and encouragement has seen innumerable women through the trials and triumphs of labor and birth. In addition to creating an option for families in maternity care; Leslie has also actualized the opportunity for other midwives to practice their passion in the Richmond hospital environment. In doing so, she has truly created a haven for families desiring hospital midwifery care in the Richmond area.

Despite hardship in the past, Leslie has worked tirelessly, refusing to be deterred in her mission of making supportive midwifery are a reality for Richmond parents-to-be. Her constant availability to her clients, patiently standing with them, advocating continually for the normalcy of birth in a hospital which does not always understand birth as normal, recalls the truest origins of midwifery care. As a community, we are truly and deeply grateful for her willingness to stand on the line again and again and again, in the face of doubt, disbelief, and adversity saying, "Yes. Birth is normal. And you can do it!"


Sara Krivanec in 2001, was a young mom with a baby on her hip and a thought in her head that reverberated deep into her heart that just would not go away. She had had a cesarean section with her son TJ yet she felt that it was not medically necessary. She wanted to understand the why of it and what she could do to help herself so that she could avoid repeating the experience if possible. She wanted to be better educated and to have clarity of what options existed. But she was not satisfied with just her own self healing; she wanted to support and pass on this education in order to encourage other women to feel their strength. The birth of TJ, as “traumatic” as it seemed to be, began a journey for Sara that has not just benefited her but so many women and families in her community and throughout the state.

Her passion is educating others about natural childbirth with a special interest in supporting those in the community who want a VBAC. She is past leader and avid supporter of ICAN of Richmond, a cesarean and VBAC support group. Sara is a certified birth doula, as well as, a postpartum doula. She has attended dozens of births, helping women and their partners to be active participants in their birth experiences as she informed them of the options, choices and alternatives that exist so that they could make truly informed decisions. Many, many women, men and babies have benefited from having known Sara’s care.

As President of Virginia Friends of Midwives, she worked tirelessly to help get passage of the legislation that finally recognized Certified Professional Midwives in Virginia. She currently chairs the VABirthPAC; a group that works to impact evidence-based Maternal/Child health policies for the citizens of the Commonwealth of Virginia.

Throughout all of this work she continued her academic studies, recently receiving her B.A. in Women's Studies from Virginia Commonwealth University.

Sara is mother to three wonderful kids; Thomas, Mia a successful hospital VBAC and Aidan, born at home. Sam has been her supportive partner and husband throughout this transition.
It has been a privilege to walk with Sara on this amazing path and see the personal and professional growth she has achieved.


2008

Thérèse Hak-Kuhn of Richmond~ Thérèse Hak-Kuhn has been involved with birth since her first daughter was born in 1980. She gave birth to 5 more children, all at home, over the next twelve years. In 1992, she began attending births professionally, and has since attended hundreds of births both at home and in hospital in her capacity as a midwife's assistant and labor assistant. Since 1996, she has been facilitating and teaching labor assistant and doula training workshops through the international group, ALACE (Assoc. of Labor Assistants and Childbirth Educators.) In addition to her work as a midwife's assistant, educator of both pregnant mamas and future professionals, prenatal counselor and provider of labor and post-partum support, Thérèse has also been the compassionate facilitator of the Richmond Home Birth Circle for many years. Thérèse is an advocate for women in general and birth education specifically; an advocate for women's choices surrounding birth--home or hospital based. She is a kind and responsive teacher. She is a vessel from which many, many women have drunk and they have walked away changed and enlightened. She has given selflessly and generously and has inspired the birth community in Virginia, and elsewhere, for 16 years. Birth is her passion. Thérèse lives her passion, works for her passion and shares her passion every single day. She is a remarkable example of the fact that we CAN truly make a difference in the way women are treated and the way birth is viewed.

Brynne Potter, CPM, of Charlottesville is a Certified Professional Midwife, CPM, living and practicing in Charlottesville, VA. She is married to John and has two sons, Max and Jeremy. Brynne has practiced midwifery for several years. For the last 6 years or so, she has worked as the political liaison for Commonwealth Midwives Alliance with the General Assembly. She has spent countless hours eating, sleeping, and working on midwifery legislation across the Commonwealth and in Richmond during legislative sessions, as CPMs have gained licensure. She continues to be a strong political presence there as CPMs continue to work through the legislative maze she so skillfully negotiates. We honor her as a mother and wife, a midwife, our negotiator extraordinaire, and a woman. View her acceptance speech: When an Unstoppable Force Meets an Immovable Object. 

2007

Kristine “Francesca” Lauria - Fort Valley , VA Francesca is a long time (18 years) homebirth midwife and mother of 7 year old Alessandro. Francesca takes her years of international experience and shares it with midwives and student midwives locally by making herself available for consultation at any time. She also offers numerous hands-on workshops for students and midwives to learn new skills or keep their skills current. We have no other source for such readily available hands-on clinical skills practice in the state. During her career Francesca has seen many complicated pregnancies and births handled out-of-hospital, has attended numerous twin and breech births, and offers her knowledge and experience to midwives and their mother/clients without hesitation.

Nancy Giglio, CNM - Richmond , VA For over 20 continuous years Nancy, as she is known to all her client mothers, has offered an incredible service to the families of the Richmond area. Nancy has built a sole homebirth midwifery practice with an incredible record of exemplary outcomes and a legacy of empowering women in birth. Nancy ’s gentle hands and light touch have served so many women throughout their childbearing cycle; from the early, nervous initial appointments to the postpartum checkup, Nancy takes as much time as each woman needs to support her through that stage. Her thorough care and genuine love and understanding of mothers and babies has guided hundreds of families through their childbirth experience.

2006

Leslie Payne was nominated because of her diplomacy, commitment and nurturing guidance of the Advisory Board on Midwifery. She received a second nomination from the women in her community where she serves as a midwife.

Dawn Kubik was nominated for her work to change the birth culture in southwest Virginia. She founded an ICAN chapter and works to educate her community about how to avoid a Cesarean section.

2005 Midwifery Options for Mothers' Awardees

Tammi McKinley received the MOM award for her commitment to Virginia grassroots organizations.

Loudoun Community Midwives: Wendy Dotson, Margie Brandquist and Paula Senner provide the Midwives Model of Care in a hospital setting.

Zan Ruby works as a public health nurse in Winchester. Her wisdom and commitment to birth empower whole communities of women.

2004

Juliana Fehr is director of the graduate midwifery program at Shenandoah University, author of Diary of a Midwife and a retired homebirth midwife.

Commonwealth Midwives Alliance is a grassroots group advocating for professional midwifery.
www.commonwealthmidwives.org

2003

Alice Bailes is a founding midwife of BirthCare in Alexandria, a practice that provides maternity care at their birth center and in clients' homes.

Chauncey Stokes is an obstetrician who practiced in Loudoun County and backed homebirth midwives and employed midwives in his practice.

2002

Dallas Cooley provided back-up for homebirth midwives, practiced low intervention obstetrics and has served on the MOM board.

Warren Johnson, a retired family practitioner, provided home birth services and backed up homebirth midwives.

Deborah Snarr has worked in maternal health for many years and has made a career of encouraging, educating and empowering the women in her care.

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