My Mindful Birth, AZ

07/31/2025

“Good midwifery is a combination of art, science, experience, and instinct.” — Jennifer Worth

You blend clinical expertise with compassionate intuition, weaving evidence and empathy into every moment. Your experience guides you when science points the way, and your instinct speaks truth in the quiet seconds between contractions.

You honor the art of holding space, the science of safe care, and the wisdom born from every birth you witness.

06/27/2025

Going through some older posts. This one is one of my favorites!!!

06/07/2025

I was literally talking with new parents this afternoon about having regular fun and engaging date nights on a regular basis to reconnect, refuel, and reclaim some ‘us’ time.

04/15/2025

Hello, friends of My Mindful Birth, I’m happy to announce that after an almost 2 years hiatus, I’m reopening My Mindful Birth. As many of you know, I now live in Arizona and will be offering my services as a homebirth CNM in the East Mesa/Valley. I’m so excited to start this new chapter!

11/07/2023

It’s with much mixed emotions that I’m announcing the closing of My Mindful Birth. I’m so grateful for the opportunities so many families have given me over the years to serve them and the trust they placed in me during significant events in their lives. This past year has been challenging as I transitioned to a new chapter in my life. When I moved to Arizona earlier this summer, I was blessed to leave the practice in the skillful and loving hands of Certified Nurse Midwife Corinne Westing and Nurse/Student Midwife Shelli Mullins who has dedicated herself to the families of My Mindful Birth for the last 5 years.

The time has come to pass the pinard horn (an old fashion wooden tool that midwives use to listen to the fetal heartbeat) to these two wonderful and gifted ladies as Corinne is announcing the opening her own practice Birth Roots Community Midwifery. Corinne and Shelli will be joined by Corinne’s business partner, Cote Saez, doula and herbalist, who will be offering additional support for birth mentorship and postpartum closing. Please, visit their website Birth Roots Community Midwifery to learn about the many services these will offer. I’m confident that with them, the next phase of home birth in the Chicagoland will be a successful and joyful one. .
Again, thank you so much for your support through these years.
With love and gratitude,
Isabelle

https://www.facebook.com/birthrootscommunitymidwifery

We serve clients of the Chicagoland area seeking trauma-informed, evidence-based, holistic home birth, family building, and reproductive wellness midwifery care. Schedule a home birth consult here: https://calendly.com/d/cqzs-7wd-z5w

10/05/2023

This week, we celebrate Midwifery Week. Being a midwife is more than providing medical care; it’s about holding space for women to find the fullness of their power, to learn to truly trust, connect and listen to their bodies and to give birth and raise their children in a way that makes them feel seen, heard, safe, respected and strong. Never underestimate the difference midwives and birth workers make that spans well beyond births and the life they touched and how they can change a community!
Happy Midwifery Week to you all!

09/20/2023

Are you considering a home birth? This is our upcoming availability. Reach out for a consultation.

09/08/2023

Yes to this!

Many women want to see the same one or two midwives throughout, and want to chose where they give birth. And when the time comes, they want a vaginal birth, with less intervention.

08/23/2023

https://www.nytimes.com/2023/08/19/books/review/birth-control-allison-yarrow.html?smid=url-share

In “Birth Control,” Allison Yarrow argues that this country’s male-dominated medical industry prioritizes control instead of the autonomy — and safety — of pregnant patients.

07/09/2023

Are you interested in a home birth with the team at My Mindful Birth? We have a couple openings available if you’re considering joining us!

06/18/2023

If you've hung around for a bit you might know that I feel 𝘴𝘶𝘱𝘦𝘳 passionate about connecting you to the birth team who is the right fit for you. I take regular time out of my week to chat to expectant moms through DMs or over the phone to give them a custom recommendation on who I feel would fit them best -and I'm more than happy to do the same for you! No charge. Just shoot me a DM.

But in case you’re feeling shy, here are some factors for you to consider as you set up meet-the-midwife appointments 👇👇👇

𝗬𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗗𝘂𝗲 𝗗𝗮𝘁𝗲
How soon you are due can really impact your options. Midwives in the Upstate tend to book up 𝘷𝘦𝘳𝘺 quickly, especially those who offer birth center options, so it’s best to call around and set up interview appointments sooner rather than later. Some midwives also choose to have a smaller client load than others.

𝗬𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗨𝗻𝗶𝗾𝘂𝗲 𝗕𝗶𝗿𝘁𝗵 𝗚𝗼𝗮𝗹𝘀
Are you a momma who feels very comfortable with the birth process and wants a completely undisturbed birth? Or do you prefer a little more of a “guided” experience? When a potential complication arises, do you prefer someone who will watch and wait first or a midwife who will err on the side of caution? You might not be birthing in a hospital, but don’t make the mistake of believing that every midwife practices identically. Many mommas 𝘢𝘴𝘴𝘶𝘮𝘦 that their midwife naturally lines up with their birth goals, but ask about specific situations.

𝗖𝗣𝗠 𝗼𝗿 𝗖𝗡𝗠?
There are two kinds of midwives in the Upstate. “CNM” stands for “Certified Nurse Midwife” while “CPM” stands for “Certified Professional Midwife.” For a CNM, they will take up nursing as a degree and then are trained as a midwife later. For a CPM, they don't have any nursing degree as they are directly being trained to become midwives.
In addition to the things a CPM can do, a CNM can:
Prescribe medication
Use an IV if it’s needed in labor
Do stitches themselves
Take on VBAC clients (though some choose not to)

𝗦𝗵𝗮𝗿𝗲𝗱 𝗙𝗮𝗶𝘁𝗵
Let’s face it - birth is a very spiritual experience and wanting the people who share your birth space to believe similarly to you can make you feel more comfortable.

𝗧𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗰𝗲𝗿𝘁𝗮𝗶𝗻 𝗷𝗲 𝗻𝗲 𝘀𝗮𝗶𝘀 𝗾𝘂𝗼𝗶 🤌
This one is hard to quantify, but the midwife you should choose should just feel 𝘳𝘪𝘨𝘩𝘵. I've said it before: when you close your eyes and imagine your birth team at your birth, you should feel at peace & excited that they'll be there. Birth is an intimate experience and you want to feel really comfortable and at ease with your provider. If you don't, find someone else.

05/13/2023

I am thrilled to announce that Corinne Westing, CNM is returning to home birth and has joined My Mindful Birth. Corinne brings a decade of rich experiences providing midwifery care to families and individuals across the Chicagoland area, in birth settings ranging from hospital to home to free-standing birth center. Corinne's approach to midwifery is relational, thriving on building trust and rapport with clients through compassionate listening and client-led decision-making; ultimately empowering clients to craft the pregnancy, birth, postpartum, and parenting plans that best suit them. At births, Corinne brings quiet presence and support for the physiologic process; as well as capable attention to concerns. Corinne also enjoys connecting with clients beyond care during the childbearing cycle, with special interests in client-centered gynecologic and reproductive health-focused primary care and support for mental health across the lifespan.

Corinne graduated from University of Illinois at Chicago with a Master of Science degree specializing in midwifery, and received a Bachelor's degree in English at University of California at Berkeley; as well as completed a semester abroad in Chile as an undergraduate, studying literature. In free time, Corinne can be found reading a book; hiking the nearby forest preserve trails; baking bread and cooking; and enjoying time with Corinne's daughter who was born at home under the loving care of a local Certified Nurse Midwife. Se habla espanol.

Welcome, Corinne. We are so happy to have you with us.