About Us
 

Wendy Pinter

My name is Wendy Pinter. I started my doula service after finding out I was pregnant with my third child in 2001, although I had worked with people during their births for 5 years prior to that. I found that needing support for my own pregnancy really ignited a fire in me to learn about and share with others how to have a normal birth. The information and medical research I gathered to assist in my own birth has gone on to help scores of families during their births.  It was during this time that I also saw the need for a home birth midwife in North Oakland County. I knew that if I ever came across the chance to gain the training I would need to provide this service, I would definitely take it on. It was thrilling to me when the right time came along and I started an apprenticeship in midwifery. I studied the art of midwifery for three years, sitting under the supervision of a variety of midwives in order to find the style and technique that would suit my practice best. Having completed the North American Registry of Midwives educational and experience requirements that are needed in order to sit for the certification exam, I am now providing primary midwifery care.

I am certified in infant, child and adult CPR, as well as neonatal resuscitation. I have received birth doula certification and postpartum doula training from DONA International. I am a Lamaze certified childbirth educator. As a trained RTS perinatal grief support person, I provide birth assistance free of charge to families that have experienced early to late term miscarriage, the death of their unborn or born infant, or another devastating diagnosis during pregnancy. This service is supported by financial donations from my clients.

 I am the mother of three beautiful and witty school aged children, two boys and a girl. My husband and I were high school sweethearts have been married since 1993. We live in a home in White Lake that we built behind the house I grew up in. We are surrounded by several other family members and horses... a few raccoons… and skunks. I enjoy growing a thriving weed garden every summer, with hopes of finding a bean or tomato every so often. We are members of Baptist Fellowship Church in Waterford.

My little plug for Christa:

Christa Bartley, currently assisting me, has been the glue that holds me together. Her organizational skills and vast absorbent knowledge of textbook information and up to date research findings help to keep our practice at the cutting edge of evidence based care. She and I have worked together for three years planning the BirthNetwork conference at Oakland University, as well as attending births at home together. I trust her with all I have, and think she is the most thoughtful and fun person I know. It won’t take you long to feel the same way. She is working hard in her midwifery apprenticeship and will be sharing call with me when that is completed. 

Christa Bartley

I have a college background in health services and began working in the health care field in 1994. I started my midwifery studies in the Spring of 2006, when I took the Introduction to Midwifery course through Ancient Arts Midwifery Institute, received my birth doula training through DONA, and began a midwifery apprenticeship. Wendy and I apprenticed together for 1 year before I joined her practice in June of 2007.  Because I did not think raising 3 small children, doulaing hospital births, and assisting Wendy at homebirths was enough to do, I also started working with Stacia Proefrock of Trillium Birth Services in Ann Arbor.  In Stacia's practice, I'm beginning to practice as a primary midwife under supervision.  I am very grateful to my mentors for the knowledge and skills they share with me, as I work to complete the necessary steps to become a Certified Professional Midwife through the North American Registry of Midwives (NARM). I am certified in adult, pediatric, and infant CPR, neonatal resuscitation, and adult and pediatric advanced cardiac life support.

I live in Madison Heights and am happily married to my husband Mike, whom I started dating as a teenager.  Together we have 3 rambunctious children who fill my life with work but my heart with joy. My first was a hospital birth filled with unnecessary intervention and my second was born at home, where I caught my own baby underwater.  Wendy was present for my third, a gentle hospital birth where our baby was caught by my husband. With each birth, my interest in childbirth intensified and brought me to where I am today. We attend Our Shepherd Lutheran Church in Birmingham. My favorite things to do are spend time with family and friends and travel. 

Wendy and I met in 2002 and have such a history together that she can frequently read my mind. We have worked together in a variety of capacities, setting the foundation for the good teamwork we have. I have been fortunate to attend births with her since my entry into midwifery.  We each have different strengths that mesh together nicely. We have the same philosophy about birth and midwifery care, and even better, the same crazy sense of humor. She has been an outstanding friend to me and continuously amazes me in many aspects of life, and I love to laugh, listen, and learn from her.

Advocates for better birth

Wendy and Christa are committed to ensuring every woman has access to evidence based birthing care.  Both are active in the homebirth and hospital community.  Wendy is the editor for the Michigan Midwives Association newsletter, Expectations.  She is also on the planning committee for the Midwives Association of North America conference that will be held in Traverse City in October 2008. Christa is the Vice President of BirthNetwork National. For the past 3 years, Christa and Wendy have worked together to plan BirthNetwork's annual conference.  The conference has made a positive impact by changing policies in some local hospitals.  Currently, Christa is involved with developing an inservice program for labor and delivery nurses that will be used for teaching purposes.

Wendy and Christa also enjoy mentoring others new to the childbirth profession. They have worked with interns and nursing students from Oakland University and the University of Michigan, as well as guide and train new doulas.  Wendy is also involved with teaching childbirth education classes for teen moms.

They also enjoy writing about birth.  Wendy's work has been published in MMA's Expectations, and Christa's in the journal, Midwifery Today and The Birth Project. They have both been mentioned in newspaper articles.  Wendy has also been interviewed on a Windsor radio station.  Christa has spoken on panel discussions related to birth at Oakland University and the University of Michigan, as well as at an event in Ohio sponsored by Citizens for Midwifery.

We are members of:

DONA (Doulas of North America)

BirthNetwork National

Michigan Midwives Association

MANA (Midwives Alliance of North America)

Lamaze International (Wendy)

We've also endorsed the Mother-Friendly Childbirth Initiative

We have had the amazing opportunity to study under some of the finest area midwives.  The benefit to learning from multiple midwives are reflected in the various skills and strengths we have learned from them and bring to our practice.  We are active in the midwifery community and do not hesitate to call on each other when we need a hand.  We have had the opportunity to attend prenatals and births with:

Kathy Milosch

 Statistics:

We participate in the MANA Statistics Project.  This Project collects data on birth and associated perinatal care and outcomes, focusing on out-of-hospital births attended by midwives. This data set is intended to support research on midwifery practice and normal birth with the goal of improving care of women and babies and increasing the choices available to childbearing families.

This is a project of the Division of Research of the Midwives Alliance of North America (www.mana.org), an organization inclusive of all forms of midwifery.

MANA midwives have been collecting their statistics for research purposes for many years. MANA midwives contributed data to a significant study of planned homebirths, "Outcomes of planned home births with certified professional midwives: large prospective study in North America," published June 18, 2005 in the British Medical Journal.

Once you begin care with us, you will receive information and a consent form to be included in this Project.  You have the option of participating or declining.