OUR TEAM
LAURIE BRAUNSTEIN, LM, CPM
Licensed Midwife, Owner
Owner and Founder of Wenatchee Midwife Service in 1985, Laurie has devoted her life to helping pregnant people and their families through pregnancy, birth and postpartum. She completed her nursing education in 1975 and graduated from Seattle Midwifery School in 1985. She is an active participant on the faculty of Seattle Midwifery School as a preceptor for midwives-in-training, and works on the board for Midwives Association of Washington State (MAWS). Laurie is the mother of three beautiful children. She is loved by many of the families in the Wenatchee Valley community. In her free time, she enjoys the great expanse of her garden, swimming, and skiing.
SONYA CHAMBERLAIN, LM, CPM
Licensed Midwife
Sonya is a Washington native who has spent the past 16 years in the Midwest. The first home birth of her own daughter led her into childbirth education and doula work, which then blossomed into midwifery training in central Minnesota. She has been practicing midwifery as a solo practioner since 2014, primarily in the rural home birth setting, and has a training background that includes apprenticeships with both Licensed Midwives and Certified Nurse Midwives as well as midwifery training abroad in Senegal, West Africa.
In addition to a deep love for midwifery work, Sonya is lucky to be married to husband Laurence and together they parent two high school aged children. She has been excited to learn that teenagers are as wonderful as babies! She is passionate about making good food, gardening, CrossFit, hiking and camping, international travel, and good books.
MIRANDA WENTLANDT, LM, CPM
Licensed Midwife
Originally from the Midwest, Miranda joined the Army National Guard at 18 and moved to Washington shortly after completing her training. She’s lived in Washington for over 17 years now and considers this her home. She has always been fascinated by the birth process and has very clear memories of wanting to attend births with her aunts and large extended family. Miranda did not fully understand her calling to midwifery until she attended births as a doula for some friends; she applied to Bastyr University later that same year. Miranda graduated with a Master’s of Science in Midwifery in 2018 and focused her graduate studies on botanical medicine.
Miranda respects the diversity and complexity that is childbirth while also trusting the body’s innate knowing of the process. Her training included time at a very busy birth center in Tacoma, as well as with a Naturopathic Doctor/Midwife who had a full home birth practice in Puyallup. She loves to provide relationship-based care and enjoys the educational aspect of clinical care. Miranda is honored to cover Eva’s maternity leave and is here to help growing families learn and thrive during the childbearing year.
When Miranda isn’t practicing midwifery she’s spending time with her three daughters, her hero of a husband, Jon, and their pets.
SUZIE ANDERSON, LM, CPM
Licensed Midwife
Born and raised in Washington state, Suzie fell in love with birth in 2011 when she participated in the home birth of a dear friend. She began attending births as a Wenatchee Midwife Service birth assistant in 2013 and couldn’t get enough. Once she had witnessed and assisted at nearly 100 births, the next step was clear. Suzie began her midwifery training at Midwives College of Utah and apprenticed as a student midwife at WMS. After 10 years in birth, her love for the work remains unchanged. She is continuously in awe of the power of birthing people and is passionate about providing babies a place to start their lives in peace. She feels honored to have the opportunity to be a part of such a transformative human experience.
When she is not catching babies, Suzie enjoys spending time with her family, gardening, dancing, and being in community
LIBBY HICKMAN
Office Manager
Wenatchee Midwife Service holds a special place in Libby’s heart. Her own babies were born at the birth center and in her home and were caught by Midwife Laurie (most of them are teenagers now!). Libby taught natural birthing classes in the valley and has assisted at births for over 15 years.
These days you'll find her working as our Office Manager. She is passionate about helping women to understand their bodies, their choices, and to birth their babies in their own way. She believes that giving birth to your baby has the potential to be one of the most wildly beautiful and deeply empowering experiences of your entire life.
