About Us
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Misty Ward, MidwifeI began my path to midwifery at the age of 16 after attending the birth of my nephew. When I was supposed to be doing my algebra homework I was reading pregnancy related books! For Christmas 2000 my dear friend Melaine Copeland gave me a copy of Spiritual Midwifery by Ina May Gaskin. I was immediately hooked and knew that midwifery outside of the hospital was where I belonged.Soon after, I began my midwifery studies while also completing my bachelors degree at Eastern Mennonite University, getting married, and giving birth to my own two children! Those were busy years and so very precious. My midwifery training has been a reflection of my commitment to caring service: I have worked with 9 different Virginia midwives, volunteered with Medical Ministry International (Dominican Republic), African Birth Collective (Senegal), interned at Casa de Nacimiento (El Paso, TX), and birth assisted at Heartland Health Clinic (Dayton, VA). I have attended over 150 births and hundreds of prenatal and postpartum visits. I also sit on the board of Birth Matters Virginia and direct our local chapter. I am the regional representative for Commonwealth Midwives Alliance. |
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Heather Brown, Office and Birth AssistantHeather Brown is a Harrisonburg native and the sister of Misty Ward, Brookhaven's owner and midwife. Heather gave birth to both of her sons with the loving care of midwives at Rockingham Memorial Hospital. She is a natural childbirth and breastfeeding advocate. She is excited to be birth assisting at Brookhaven and to help around the office. She is current in Neonatal Resuscitation and Cardio-Pulmonary Resuscitation. |
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Lynn Leischner, Doula
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Lynn Leischner is a Texas native who moved to the Shenandoah Valley
25 years ago. She’s married to Mark and has two young adult children.
With her youngest child graduating from college in the Spring of 2010,
Lynn is leaving her current job, which will allow her to follow her own
desire of becoming a doula. Over the past few years Lynn has cultivated relationships with several young families. As a result of these relationships, she realized often, these women did not receive the support needed to experience the births they desired. During this time, Lynn also read Anita Diamant’s book, “The Red Tent.” After its completion, she realized that she wanted to be involved in the birth process, actively supporting women and their partners. Bringing her well honed skills of encouragement and support to the job of a doula, Lynn is eager to begin this new chapter in her life. As a result, Lynn knew she wanted to be professionally trained and certified as a doula. In March 2010, Lynn attended toLabor’s training workshop. After researching several national doula organizations, she decided that toLabor’s mission seemed to suit herself best. toLabor “encourages trust in the birth process, respects it as a woman-centered passage, and is dedicated to supporting women’s birth choices.” Not only did Lynn receive quality training as a result of the workshop, but she also had the opportunity to build relationships and network with other persons in support of healthy births. Lynn expects to complete the doula certification requirements by Fall 2010. |