Brianna is a midwifery student, nurse, and community (home, birth center, and postpartum) doula, serving clients in Southeast WI. Instagram
04/04/2026
This is what real out of hospital birth NRP training looks like.
Not just checking a box, but stepping into the moment.
Out of hospital midwives don’t just learn neonatal resuscitation… we practice it in the environments where birth actually happens.
Waterbirth. Tight spaces. Hands on. Cord intact.
Real life. Real decisions.
Because when a baby needs support transitioning earthside, there is no time to think twice, only to act with skill, presence, and evidence based care.
03/25/2026
🌿 Nuchal Cord Facts
🟢 1. Nuchal cords are extremely common
Occur in 20–30% of all births
That’s 1 in 4 babies
Most are loose and cause no problems
🟢 2. They are usually not dangerous
A nuchal cord is simply the cord around the baby’s neck.
Because of Wharton’s jelly and the cord’s structure, blood flow is usually well‑protected.
🟢 3. They rarely cause emergencies
A nuchal cord becomes concerning only if it causes:
significant cord compression
repetitive variable decelerations
signs of fetal distress
This is uncommon.
🟢 4. They are not a reason for induction or cesarean
Evidence shows:
Nuchal cords are not linked to stillbirth in healthy pregnancies
They are not an indication for early delivery
They are not a reason for automatic C‑section
🟢 5. Providers manage them easily at birth
Most of the time:
The cord is slipped over the baby’s head
Or the somersault maneuver is used
Both are simple, routine techniques.
🟢 6. Multiple loops are still often harmless
Even 2–3 loops can be normal.
What matters is tension, not the number of loops.
Starting to dream of a slow, low volume midwifery practice ⭕️ Surrounded by love and support.
Planning licensure sometime in May, and looking far out into 2026, I’ll be accepting just 1 client per month, and some months off call, in order to balance family life and sustainable midwifery.
If this sounds like something you’re interested in exploring this pregnancy, let’s set up a consultation ✨😌
Email via website is best!
03/16/2026
There is nothing quite like a rain/sleet/blizzard storm, double header birth to humble you, while simultaneously drain your adrenaline stores 🫠
I truly trust that the Lord puts me at all the births I’m supposed to be at and last night was a true testament to that. With the help of the team (shout out to Chelsey, Brittany, Fiona + Angela) I completed my final requirements of Phase 3, and can now submit paperwork my NARM exam.
By nothing short of serendipity, these births marked something extra special for me - my 99th and 100th career births - a milestone that I once only dreamed of achieving as a new doula. I am so grateful to these strong women, and all of the other families that I’ve been blessed to attend over the years.
So many thank you’s are in order, but for now I’m catching up on sleep and riding the high of two beautiful births, hours apart, in the dead of the night, because babies have zero cares about worldly things like snow storms. 🥹❄️
03/15/2026
Posting for a permanent spot on the ‘gram
Upcoming Birth Circles in SE WI
+ the lovely co-hosts
03/08/2026
The American College of Nurse-Midwives has released its updated Clinical Bulletin "Midwifery Provision of Home Birth Services" it has been published in the current edition of the Journal of Midwifery and Women's Health. Full online access is included with your ACNM membership.
This bulletin reflects the rigorous scholarship, clinical expertise, and policy leadership that define ACNM. It synthesizes evolving U.S. and international evidence demonstrating that planned home birth, when attended by an educated, skilled clinician within well-integrated systems of care, can be a safe, satisfying, ecologically sound, and cost-effective option for appropriately selected pregnant people.
For members, this resource offers:
Evidence-based guidance to support clinical decision-making
Authoritative language for hospital integration discussions
Data to inform payer and policy conversations
Clear framing for counseling patients about birth setting options
A professionally vetted document to strengthen advocacy efforts
Authored by Michelle Palmer, CNM, PhD, CNE, Victoria Gordon, CNM, RN, MSN, Joanna Bronkema, CNM, RN, NP, Andrea Christianson, CNM, MS, Priscilla Hall, CNM, PhD, RN and Developed under the guidance of ACNM’s Research and Standards Committee, with leadership from Karen Jefferson, Director of Professional Practice and Policy, and Melissa Avery, Editor-in-Chief of the Journal of Midwifery & Women's Health, this bulletin exemplifies the value of belonging to a national professional organization that invests in standards, scholarship, and the future of midwifery.
Your membership supports this work and gives you direct access to it.
Log in to your member portal to access JMWH and the full Clinical Bulletin.
03/04/2026
I can hardly believe I’m saying this…
I have just TWO births left before I can submit my paperwork to sit for my board exam through the North American Registry of Midwives.
This season has required everything of me — long nights, early mornings, missed birthdays and Mother’s Days, countless clinical hours, studying in true Brianna-cram fashion, tons of DoorDash, and holding space for families as they grow. It has really been a special calling to attend so many birthdays, and I know this work is more than just a “job”. It’s everything to you.
Becoming a CPM isn’t just a professional goal — it’s a calling rooted in protecting physiologic birth, safeguarding choice, and family-centered care.
If you’ve been blessed by my work, encouraged by this journey, or simply want to pour into a gal who is almost at the finish line, I would be so grateful for your support as I prepare for exam fees, licensing costs, equipment costs, and the final steps of this process.
You can support me here:
Venmo:
Or Google reviews to help families find care that resonates
Every share, prayer, and contribution means more than you know. 🤍✨
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There I am, the dark green crayon. Pregnant and working full time like most of you. I’m about 6 months in this picture. Instead of feeling hopeful for my baby, I felt lost. Seeing provider after provider within the healthcare network that I was employed by, not a single one spent more than 15 minutes with me. I knew whoever was on call would deliver my baby. When I voiced my concerns about vaccines during my pregnancy, a pretty valid concern, it was met with smug remarks. When I declined urine dip sticks at every visit, met with smug remarks. When I voiced my concerns about Glucola and asked if there were whole food alternatives, a pretty valid concern, again, smug remarks. This day in particular, I bawled my eyes out on the way home feeling so unsupported at this stage of my pregnancy - by everyone.
I was quite a sight for my partner as I burst through the door, a blubbering green crayon. (And a wet green crayon; it was also raining)
On one of my off weeks, I went to Babies’R Us for a free “Birth Options” class that was hosted by a local Milwaukee doula. She spoke of ‘birth centers’ and my life was changed. I walked through the doors of Well-Rounded Maternity Center the next night, and lined up an interview with a midwife the very next day. I’m pretty sure I asked my midwife 29 interview questions...TWENTY-NINE. But I fell in love with her, as everyone should fall in love with the person they entrust the life of them self and their newborn baby to. I was 32 weeks pregnant when I transferred care, scared, but also feeling like my spirit had known this was what I needed all along. For the first time in my pregnancy, I felt supported and integrated into my care.
After having two out-of-hospital births, and serving in the hospital setting for 4 years, I decided that my soul needed something more. I completed my doula training through Coral Slavin at Well-Rounded Maternity Center, and enrolled in midwifery school shortly thereafter. I am currently practicing part-time nursing at Zuza’s Way Integrative Care, while focusing my efforts on changing the ways in which birthing people are (or aren’t) supported during prenatal, birth, and beyond. I am privileged to offer birth and post-partum doula services from a unique angle, as a nurse, a doula, a mother and student midwife. I would be honored to stand witness to your birth, as well.
The reality is, you’re going to have a lot of people in life that don’t support your decisions. There is no room for them in your birth plan. As a Registered Nurse, I had no idea that birthing centers, informed choice, whole-patient and whole-family care were even a ‘thing’, until I set out looking for something more. Please look for that something if you feel that you need it. Read and scour every evidence based article you can find. Check out your library, gather your birth team, ask those hard questions, fire your OB if you need to at 32 weeks.
I promise, they won’t call you wondering where you are.
