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.    

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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.

EVA LORENZ, LM, CPM, MSM

Licensed Midwife

Eva still keeps the diary from when she was 13 years old where she wrote that she wanted to be a midwife. She attended her first birth as a doula in 2011, and knew as soon as the baby emerged that this was meant to be her life’s work. During her years as a doula, she also worked as a co-teacher in a preschool, a daycare provider, and private nanny. Her experience with young children and new babies has given her a particular passion for including siblings in the pregnancy and birth process.

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Her dream came to fruition when she left her home state of Virginia to attend Bastyr University where she received her Master's of Science in Midwifery. She came to the Wenatchee Birth Center as an advanced student. During that time, she completed her Master's thesis on the safety, efficacy, and standardization of fetal heart rate monitoring of babies in the birth center or home setting. She was hired by Wenatchee Midwife Service the day she graduated.

Eva has been catching babies at our birth center since 2016. In her spare time, she enjoys canning and preserving from her garden, knitting, skincare, and bubble baths.

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Eva is currently on maternity leave with her first child until 2023!

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.

LIBBY HICKMAN

Office Manager, Birth Assistant

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.

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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.

SUZIE ANDERSON

Student Midwife

Suzie began attending births over seven years ago as our birth assistant. After attending over 60 births, she decided it was time to take the next step and began midwifery school at Midwives College of Utah in 2019. In January 2021, she began taking on new tasks at the birth center as our student midwife. She is continuously in awe of the power and strength women possess in birth 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. Her own babies were born at home with Midwives Danelle and Eva.

When she is not attending births, Suzie enjoys gardening, spending time in nature, and taking roadtrips with her family.