Training

Kate considers all her work - from early nannying to doula work in New Orleans and witnessing her mother naturally birth - formative in her midwifery training. Academically, Kate attended Columbia University’s Nurse-Midwifery Program in New York, graduating in 2010 and beginning practice in 2011. She is an Advanced Practice Registered Nurse, Licensed in Arizona, and Board-Certified in Nurse-Midwifery. She worked in a hospital-based group midwifery practice in Arizona for several years, honing her skills with a team of CNMs and Obstetricians - doing everything from prenatal care to catching babies to first-assisting in Cesarean surgical birth. Her next practice was an in-hospital birth center in Louisiana, and her love for natural birth options truly blossomed here. The Pharmacy Museum asked her to curate an exhibit on Midwifery in Louisiana, and you can visit it next time you’re in the French Quarter. She finally reached her goal of working out of hospital in a freestanding birth center in Arizona in 2018 and obtained her second midwifery certification as a CPM (Certified Professional Midwife). Her sweet midwife colleagues supported her during the simple homebirth of her child, which became a new experiential lesson in birth and mothering.

Approach

Kate’s personal midwifery craft is a combination of careful listening along with attentive assessment, study of evidence-based care, and experiential wisdom. She loves practicing midwifery and especially working at a sustainable, calm pace! She’s committed to providing affirming care that celebrates people of all different backgrounds - be that ethnicity, race, gender, faith, body size, trauma background, or substance history - you will receive non-judgmental, kind, attentive care in her office.

She loves to help people accomplish their goals by working in a collaborative space - whether that’s planning for motherhood, waterbirth, sobriety, getting anxiety under control, or just maintaining health. She feels that you carry the expertise on your body, and she brings her clinical education and experience. She looks forward to getting to know you, to supporting you along on your life journey towards flourishing health.

Wendi is passionate about justice and advocacy. In fact, that passion helped her finish law school in two years and pass the bar with flying colors. She now advocates for women who have experienced obstetrical violence, educates doulas, midwives, friends and families what their rights are in the birthing space, and works toward changes at the policy level so that birthing people feel safe and cared for throughout the childbirth years. Wendi also serves on several boards including: the former Director of Advocacy and Policy on the Midwives Alliance of North America Board of Directors, the former Vice President of Postpartum Support International, Arizona Board of Directors, a current board member and former President, Vice President, and Secretary of the Arizona Association of Midwives, and former board member of MLC Medicaid Innovations.  

Wendi loves the sun and the earth, and enjoys coaxing new life out of the Arizona ground in her gardens. She continues to study herbalism and a number of other healing modalities. Wendi recently opened Mill Ave Midwives in downtown Tempe lending it as a hub for social justice and reproductive justice work locally, nationally, and internationally. Wendi is always looking for the next adventure overseas to help women and families in under-served areas of the world. 

Don’t believe what your eyes are telling you. All they show is limitation. Look with your understanding, find out what you already know, and you’ll see the way to fly.”

-Richard Bach

Articles featuring Wendi:

• PHX Magazine

• AZ Central

• AZ Family

• EV Tribune

• PHX New Times