MEET THE SANTA CRUZ MIDWIVES TEAM

SHARON POTTEIGER, LM, CPM

As a small child, both my grandmothers were labor and delivery nurses … and I have amazing memories of them drinking tea and discussing birth while I played with my dolls at their feet. Little did I realize the impact they were having on me.

I found my life’s calling after attending my first home birth in Santa Cruz when I was 18 years old. In the years that followed, I attended births in whatever capacity was needed. First, I provided childcare and served as a doula. Soon after, I found myself “catching babies.” (Including one in a Grateful Dead show parking lot!)

I have been licensed by the California medical board since 2009, and have a thriving midwifery practice. I draw on my many years of practice and study of midwifery, herbs, homeopathy, aromatherapy acupressure, massage and — last but not least — motherhood.

SERENA RUSSELL, LM, CPM

I became passionate about birth after the homebirth of my daughter in 1993. Over the course of almost a decade, while relishing in the early years of raising my daughter, I honed my skills through extensive apprenticeship training as well as through clinical experiences in Jamaica and the Philippines.

In 2001 I began taking clients and have continued to serve a diverse array of women and their families in their homes since then. In 2014, as political and cultural climates shifted, and in order to serve families in a greater capacity, I made the decision to apply for California licensure.

In order to facilitate this, I had the opportunity to spend 10 months in a busy water birth center in northern California, working alongside other experienced midwives while completing an extensive academic program through the National Midwifery Institute.

STEPHANIE KERWIN, STUDENT MIDWIFE

Following the birth of my son 17 years ago I was inspired to begin training as a doula and attending births. My doula work led me to midwifery care and a home birth for my second child’s birth. It was an incredible experience and I knew that I wanted to one day be a midwife myself.

I want all birthing persons to know and understand their choices in childbirth and to feel supported and empowered in the choices they make, just as I was during my pregnancy, labor and postpartum period. In the fall of 2018, I enrolled at Midwives College of Utah and began my journey to become a midwife and have been attending home births as a student midwife ever since.

In addition to my midwifery work, I serve on the board of directors of Birth Network Santa Cruz. This volunteer position gives me the opportunity to help develop and plan birth-related events in our community, as well as interact with parents and other care providers.

KEM WHITE, CLINICAL HERBALIST & LYMPHATIC CARE

In 1996 Kem White had her first of three home births which started her on a journey of health and wellness. She was fortunate to have both Sharon Pottieger, LM, CPM and Raven Lang, LAc and OMD as teachers. They introduced Kem to Traditional Chinese Medicine and Eastern-Western Herbalism.

She went on to intern at The American School of Herbalism. She studies Ayurveda in Sebastopol with DeAnna Batdorff and has completed The Clinical Ayurvedic Program. She combines Lymphatic Massage, Eastern-Western Herbalism, Tibetan Palate and Cranial Release, and Ayurveda.

KARA O’LOUGHLIN, LM, CPM

Kara is our backup assistant while she finishes her Masters in acupuncture.

I began my midwifery training in Ireland in 2006, working in Trinity College Dublin and the Coombe Women and Infants University Hospital. My work at Coombe was especially demanding, as it is the busiest maternity hospital in Europe … delivering more than 10,000 babies a year.

Through this rigorous and fast-paced working environment, I gained experience attending a diverse population of women. My passion for midwifery remained firmly in the ethos of home birth.

After graduation as a Registered Midwife in 2012, I immigrated to the US, where I gained the out of hospital experience necessary to qualify as a California Licensed Midwife. I have attended over 90 out of hospital births as the primary midwife and over 200 as a midwife on the labor ward.

Through my previous qualification and experience as an acupuncturist I combine my knowledge of Chinese medicine with my midwifery training to provide an integrative approach to the health and wellbeing of my clients.

I am accredited by the North American Registry of Midwives (NARM) and California Medical Board.