Sacopee Midwives

Sacopee Midwives S**opee Primary Midwives are Brenda Surabian Emerson CPM, Grace Pease CPM, NHCM, Danielle Mason, CPM, NHCM and Acadia Gantz CPM, NHCM

Comprehensive midwifery care for families in greater Portland and south western Maine

Send us your holiday cards! We would love to receive updates and photos from our families this season; our office addres...
12/13/2025

Send us your holiday cards! We would love to receive updates and photos from our families this season; our office address is 1200 Pequawket Trail, Steep Falls ME 04085 ✨💕🌲

And meet Danielle - the latest addition to the S**opee Midwives team!Before finding her way to midwifery, Danielle studi...
12/07/2025

And meet Danielle - the latest addition to the S**opee Midwives team!

Before finding her way to midwifery, Danielle studied Sociology and Spanish at the University of New Hampshire. She then spent several years living in Spain, where she taught English and supported exchange students. Although she loved working with young people, she continued to feel a pull toward birth work.

Danielle began her midwifery journey in 2021 as a student at Birthwise and later completed her education through the National College of Midwifery. Her clinical training was rich and diverse: she began in her home state of NH, spent six months at a birth center on the U.S.–Mexico border—an experience that brought together her passions for reproductive health and the Spanish language—and completed an internship in the Philippines.

She joined S**opee Midwives in the spring of 2024 as an assistant midwife and became a licensed CPM in October of that year. Born and raised in Tamworth, NH, Danielle is delighted to be serving her home community as well as the one she has grown to love in the S**opee Valley.

Outside of midwifery, Danielle enjoys gardening, traveling, spending time with family and friends, exploring creative projects, and just about any activity that gets her outdoors.

Meet Brenda!After giving birth to her first child in 1982 and assisting a close friend with her homebirth in 1983, Bren...
12/06/2025

Meet Brenda!

After giving birth to her first child in 1982 and assisting a close friend with her homebirth in 1983, Brenda felt a profound calling to the field of midwifery. She gave birth herself at “The Farm” in Tennessee, completed her apprentice training in Maine, started S**opee Midwives in 1994 and became a Certified Professional Midwife in 1995.

Since then, Brenda has been part of the care for over a thousand families both in the U.S. and internationally, dedicating herself to expanding birth options in rural and underserved communities. While she’s no longer attending as many births directly, Brenda remains deeply engaged by consulting with other midwives, offering prenatal and postpartum care, and counseling for pelvic floor health.

She’s also the founder of , a nonprofit dedicated to supporting rural families through the postpartum period. Brenda has had the honor of attending all four of her grandchildren’s home births. In her free time, she loves being with family, kayaking, and creating art.

Meet Grace!Grace was born and raised on her family’s farm in the S**opee Valley. She graduated from Bennington College i...
12/05/2025

Meet Grace!

Grace was born and raised on her family’s farm in the S**opee Valley. She graduated from Bennington College in Vermont, where she studied medical anthropology and public action, with a focus on global health.

For several years, Grace volunteered and worked with healthcare organizations around the world- from Madagascar to Myanmar- but eventually returned to Maine to attend Birthwise Midwifery School in 2018. In 2022, Grace graduated from Birthwise, joined S**opee Midwives, and became a licensed CPM.

Grace is passionate about providing evidence based, respectful, and client-centered care to her local community. She is committed to growing as a CPM through continuing education, and loves learning from her practice partners and the families she works with. She is excited to complete coursework in IUI and hopes to be offering preconception care and IUI services alongside Danielle in the near future!

Brenda was there the day Grace was born, so it feels like a natural fit that they are now working together in the community!

Grace and her husband welcomed their own baby into the world at home in 2025, with Acadia, Brenda and Danielle all in attendance!

When not doing birth work, she enjoys farming with her family on Merrifield Farm (find them at Portland farmers’ market), making flower arrangements for weddings and friends, and eating lots of ice cream.

Meet Acadia!Acadia (she/her) grew up in Utah and found her way to Maine in 2015 to study at Birthwise Midwifery School. ...
12/03/2025

Meet Acadia!

Acadia (she/her) grew up in Utah and found her way to Maine in 2015 to study at Birthwise Midwifery School. Before midwifery, she trained as an EMT, but it was the call to support families through pregnancy, birth, and early parenting that truly resonated. Acadia is passionate about the relationships she builds with her clients and believes deeply that thoughtful, informed, and individualized care helps families step into parenthood with confidence and power.

She joined S**opee Midwives in 2019, completed her Birthwise training in early 2020, and became a licensed Maine midwife later that spring. Her early education took her to birth centers and home birth practices across Maine, New Hampshire, and Idaho, and she continues learning every year through continuing education and the collective wisdom shared by her midwifery partners.

Outside of midwifery, running is her second great love. Acadia coaches athletes (pregnant and not!), races ultra-marathons, and writes about running—especially the intersection of endurance sport and pregnancy.

Acadia lives in Brownfield with her partner who is endlessly supportive of unpredictable birth schedules, and her two dogs, who are decidedly not.

To learn more about Acadia’s running check out her website: www.canyonwrencoaching.com

Throwback! Our little midwife crew has changed many times over the years but our dedication to the families we serve sta...
12/01/2025

Throwback! Our little midwife crew has changed many times over the years but our dedication to the families we serve stays the same. So grateful for the hands and hearts that have built and sustained this practice!

Invitation to past clients to cozy up with a cup of tea one of these chilly November evenings and recall your birth stor...
11/15/2025

Invitation to past clients to cozy up with a cup of tea one of these chilly November evenings and recall your birth story.

It’s so helpful for new parents and families curious about midwifery care and homebirth to hear your stories. So, if you’re willing to share, we’d love to get your story out there!

Hi all! We are all booked through March but if you’re considering a homebirth this spring (or even early summer) we are ...
11/07/2025

Hi all! We are all booked through March but if you’re considering a homebirth this spring (or even early summer) we are ready to hear from you! Give us a call at 207-329-2111 or send us an email at sacopeemidwives@gmail.com to set up a consultation.

We look forward to connecting with you!

Today at the .me parent group in Tamworth we talked all about the importance of reading with little ones for enhancing e...
11/06/2025

Today at the .me parent group in Tamworth we talked all about the importance of reading with little ones for enhancing early literacy, supporting emotional intelligence and improving language skills.

Thanks to Amy from the Cook Memorial Library for spending the morning with us and for the gift of books from the Children’s Literacy Foundation! These little S**opee babies were so excited to explore their new reading material!

See you at 10!
11/06/2025

See you at 10!

When you hire S**opee Midwives, you hire a team. A team that cares deeply for you, and for one another. When you come in...
10/31/2025

When you hire S**opee Midwives, you hire a team. A team that cares deeply for you, and for one another.

When you come into our care, you will get to know all of us individually over the course of your pregnancy. Our appointments are an hour long, and there is plenty of time to chat and build relationships. When it comes time for your birth, you will have at least two of us in attendance. Postpartum care extends to 12 weeks, allowing space for lots of connection following the birth.

We communicate almost daily, and have scheduled meetings twice a week to review charts and keep each other up to date. We love the group practice model, as it allows us to collaborate as a team to provide the best care!

Exciting announcement for current and future New Hampshire clients! Starting January 2026, we will start doing some visi...
10/30/2025

Exciting announcement for current and future New Hampshire clients!

Starting January 2026, we will start doing some visits at the Tamworth Community Nurse Association.

We have loved hosting monthly parent groups in this beautiful new facility over the past 6 months and are excited about the opportunity to expand our practice in this way that we hope will increase convenience for our granite staters.

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Portland, ME
04049

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Our Story

Home birth midwifery and wellcare for families in Maine

S**opee Valley Birthing Services

was born in 1994 and is now collectively managed by four midwives. Brenda Surabian, Lindsay Bushnell, Jodie Kaufman and Robin Illian share the responsibility equally which allows us to make midwifery sustainable for our families and provide you with experienced, client centered care.

The practice name describes the the Abenaki lands of the S**o and Ossipee River Valley where the practice started. We are grateful to be able to visit with our clients at one of our home offices near the confluence of the S**o and Ossipee Rivers. This area is peaceful, yet powerful...as birth is.