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OUR STAFF (actually, just those that have written their bios) Midwives Catching Babies Tracy Ryan, CNM, Owner
 Tracy and Joel  I am a 1996 Bachelor’s of Science in Nursing graduate of the University of the Incarnate Word in San Antonio, TX. I worked for three years in various hospitals on the Labor and Delivery floor. In 2002 I received my Certificate in Nurse-Midwifery from the Frontier School of Midwifery and Family Nursing in Hyden, KY. Also in 2002 I completed my MS in Midwifery from Philadelphia University where my thesis concentrated on nutrition/supplementation and it’s role in preeclampsia. During this time we added four more sons to our clan, the last three being born at home with the help of midwives.
After 4 years as the only Nurse-Midwife to attend births at home, I was able to open the birth center. Now the midwifery model of care will be available to many more women in the Denver area and we are able to expand into holistic well-woman care as well. I look forward to nuturing you and your family through your pregnancy/birth process and beyond! Nancy Acheff, CNM, IBCLC  Welcome to Mountain Midwifery Center!! My name is Nancy and I am one of the midwives at the center. I have wanted to be a midwife since the birth of my 1st child (Melissa). She was delivered at the Denver Birth Center with a Certified Nurse-Midwife many years ago. That is when I knew that I wanted to be with women throughout the life process and especially during birth. There is nothing like it!! Soon after my first daughter (Melissa) came Delia and then Eric. In 1995 I received my BSN at Colorado University and in 2000 earned my MSN in Midwifery also from C.U.. My first job as a CNM was with Kaiser where I worked mostly with mothers after birth and their newborns. That is where I began my interest as a lactation consultant and earned my IBCLC (International Board Certified Lactation Consultants). I spent some time at a Free standing birth center in the Philippines and then worked PRN at Colorado University Hospital delivering babies. I joined Mountain Midwifery in May 2007 which is my dream job. I love out of hospital birthing and feel blessed to be able to practice what I believe in. That birth is a normal part of a women's life and needs to be supported and encouraged. The above picture is of my husband (Dan) and I at the top of Bierstadt. It was our first 14er. I look forward to getting to know each of you!! Cassie Hart, CNM  Hello beautiful mamas and families. My name is Cassie Hart and I am one of the nurse midwives here at Mountain Midwifery Center (MMC). My journey to this place as a Certified Nurse Midwife (CNM) has been an interesting one. I spent the first 8 years or so of my nursing career as an ER nurse, but at about 4 years in I knew that I was not made to be an ER nurse, but rather a midwife…. In the world of emergency medicine most are terrified of any woman with a baby in her belly, so needless to say, not many ER nurses become midwives. But let me tell you, I am absolutely passionate about midwifery and I am so thankful that a midwife is who I am.
During my schooling I started assisting Tracy at home births, then joined the team to get MMC going. I love this place and this model of care. There is nothing else like it in Colorado, and I am so proud to be a part of it.
A little personal note- I currently live in Denver with my love Will Hart, our 2 pups and our new baby girl. We share our home with two of our best friends, choosing to live in community as we believe this life is meant to be shared. Thanks so much for your interest in Mountain Midwifery and I hope to meet you soon!! Sarah Stone, CNM  Hello lovely ladies and their families and friends. I am glad you’re interested in Mountain Midwifery Center. I can thank my son for leading me to the birth center. I started as a client during my pregnancy with him and the respect and care I received affected me so much that I was overjoyed to be able to work here. Now I share its security and comfort with other families. Prior to starting at MMC I attended births for five years in hospitals here in Denver and in Davenport, Iowa. The experience I gained during that time and my education at Yale School of Nursing prepared me well to attend families at the birth center. I believe women should be listened to, and I enjoy sharing stories. It’s a midwife’s job to hold a safe space for a mother and baby to labor, without interfering, but keeping a watchful eye open for complications. Guiding a woman and her family though labor and seeing her emerge into motherhood triumphant brings me great peace and happiness. I am so lucky. When I’m not working I spend my time with my husband Scott and our son Matthew, sometimes in the garden, sometimes on snowboards (well it’ll be a few years before the little shredder hits the slopes, but a girl can dream), sometimes just fixing things around the house. Nurses and Supporting Midwives Laura Hess, CNM, WHCNP (Womens HealthCare Nurse Practitioner)  Let me first say how proud I am to be a part of Colorado's only birth center! I love being a midwife and feel blessed to be a part of each family's journey that comes to Mountain Midwifery. My interest in midwifery began at the birth of my brother, Nick, in 1994. It was a typical hospital birth, with the tools that are commonly used. I remember thinking to myself that there must be a more natural way of providing family-centered care to mothers and babies.
I am originally from the Berkshires in Western Massachusetts, and have been living in Colordo for three years. My first degree is in Neuroscience and Spanish from Skidmore College in upstate New York. My training in nursing and midwifery was done at the University of Colorado. I have worked as a mother/baby nurse, in family planning, and in a variety of hospital settings. I obtained my master's in midwifery from CU in 2008 as well as my post-master's degree as a Women's Health Care Nurse Practitioner. I am working towards my Doctorate in Nursing Practice, which I hope to complete in 2010. In my spare time, I enjoy skiing, baking, swimming, and playing in the mountains. I am a huge Red Sox fan, and am always hoping for another World Series Championship! I also love to travel, and have been on many interesting trips including studying-abroad in New Zealand. Tiffany Buss, RN, Student Nurse Midwife (SNM) Hello Everyone! My name is Tiffany. I am a nurse at Mountain Midwifery Center and I am also the instructor for the Hypnobabies classes offered here. My journey to MMC started after the birth of my first daughter in 2004. I had the typical hospital birth with lots of interventions. When I became pregnant with my second daughter I knew there had to be a better way. I started doing my research and found Hypnobabies which helped empower me to have a wonderful intervention free birth. After her birth I decided that I wanted to help women have the birth they desire in as natural of an environment as possible. I became a Hypnobabies instructor and then started working here at the Birth Center in 2007. I have found such a wonderful place here at MMC and truly feel blessed to be here and share in so many beautiful births. I look forward to meeting you and wish you all the best. Amy Lynch, RN, Bradley Instructor  Hello, my name is Amy, I'm one of the nurses here at MMC. I have nursing experience in the Pediatric Intensive Care Unit, for 6 years, and pediatric phone triage for the past year. I graduated from Franciscan University in 2003. In my spare time, I enjoy running, spending time outdoors, gardening, and scrapbooking.
I originally went to nursing school so that I could become a Certified Nurse Midwife, but instead started having babies of my own! My husband and I have 3 beautiful boys and I love my job as a Mom. I became invested in birthing when I was pregnant with my oldest son. When I was pregnant with my third baby and after already having had 2 natural births I decided it was time that I started teaching others that they too could have the beautiful experience of natural birth. In 2008 I became a Bradley Method natural birth educator. I currently teach classes at MMC as well as work as a nurse at our birth center. I also love my job teaching and being present as men and women become Moms and Dads. It is truly rewarding. Kate Martinez, RN, Student Nurse Midwife (SNM), Breastfeeding Instructor  I am one of the nurses here. I have been working at MMC since moving to Colorado in June 2008. I wanted to become nurse and midwife since I was about 13 years old, but did different things for a while such as chemical engineering and even worked as a pastry cook. I moved to the USA in 2000, became registered nurse, and now I am a student nurse- midwife at Frontier School of Midwifery and Family Nursing. I have 3 children, all born at home with midwives. I have a loving husband Angel who is a stay-at home dad. In my free time I like to do yoga, ski, play guitar and spent time outdoors with my family. I am very proud to be a member of the MMC family. Laura Thielke, RN, Student Nurse Midwife  My name is Laura Thielke and I am one of the nurses here at the Mountain Midwifery Center. I recently had the joy of delivering my daughter at the birth center. It was an experience that impacted me greatly. The atmosphere was calm, relaxing and supportive. You can get a glimpse of this from the documentary available on this website through KBDI. Soon after her birth, I started working here as a nurse and I am thrilled to be working with such a great group of people.
I did my undergraduate at The University Of Iowa and I am currently getting my master’s in nursing at The University of Colorado with plans of being a midwife. I also work as a nurse at The Children’s Hospital. On a more personal note, I am married to my wonderful husband, Jason. We have a busy boy and a little girl: Jaden and Willow. I enjoy being with my family, reading, snowboarding, biking and running in my free time. Caitlin Wait, RN, Student Nurse Midwife (SNM)  My name is Caitlin Wait - newly Wait as I was married on a beautiful day last August in my hometown of Cedar Falls, Iowa, to my wonderful husband Seth. We moved here to Colorado July of '07 from Minnesota and are definitely enjoying our days closer to the miracles brought by the mountains. Joys in my life include enjoying the outdoors with my husband, running around with our rescue dogs Kaia (a Weimaraner) and Coulee (a Great Dane), running, cycling, and coffee or wine enjoyment with girlfriends. I am currently studying to be a nurse-midwife with the Frontier School of Midwifery and Family Nursing fulfilling my dream and mission to provide the care women and children deserve. Hope to see you all here soon! Clinic Staff Our clinic staff is a real asset to MMC. In addition to working hard on your schedule, insurance eligiblity, referrals, etc., all our ladies in the office really support the clinic. Don't be surprised if you call thinking you need to speak with a midwife and instead get a full & complete answer from Heather, other Heather, Colleen or Lynn. Their bios help explain why... Heather Scott, CLD, CCCE (Education and Doula Coordinator, Client Services)  Greetings! My name is Heather Scott. Over the past 10 years I have walked out my journey of giving birth and parenting four lively children. Through my personal experiences, a calling awakened within me as I realized my passion for birth and began looking for ways to work hands-on with women and their families during the childbearing year. As a casual "hobby" I was sharing my experiential knowledge with friends in my community and was invited along to births. I quickly began to find my way as both a childbirth educator and labor doula.
I completed my training and certification through CAPPA in 2003 and 2004 respectively. I became a member of the Colorado Doulas Association in 2004 and currently serve as a board member assisting in the mentoring program. During this same timeframe I met Jen Matera and partnered with her to work in a grant funded program offering childbirth classes and doula services for families in Clear Creek County. Out of this opportunity Cocoon Enterprises formed and we have been blessed to see an expansion that serves families in Clear Creek, Summit, Grand, Gilpin, Jeffco and Park counties along with Mountain Midwifery families. Currently, I work at Mountain Midwifery assisting with the various duties to help run the office along with teaching childbirth education classes and offering doula services. I am also taking steps to pursue my long-held goal of midwifery, and with four home-schooled kids by my side this has been a baby step process! Heather Thompson, PhD, CPD, CLE (Client Services, Postpartum Doula) Welcome to Mountain Midwifery Center! My name is Heather Thompson and I work in the office, teach Newborn Care and offer postpartum doula support services to our Mountain Midwifery clients. Like many women who pursue both a career and motherhood, my journey to my current work with birthing families was not a direct route, but filled with twists and turns.  In my early 20s, I felt a gentle pull to become a midwife, but for various reasons decided to pursue graduate studies in Physiology instead. During these years in graduate school, I executed experiments in the lab by day, but during the rest of my time, I found myself using every excuse possible to support both birthing parents and families with new babies. In 2002, I received my doctorate in Molecular and Cellular Biology from the University of Massachusetts and taught at Smith College for several years. Then, in 2004, I realized the dream of returning my home state of Colorado and, while working at the University of Colorado Health Sciences Center, discovered I was pregnant.
The journey to the amazing home birth of my daughter in the fall of 2005 changed my life in many ways. My daughter's birth reminded me of my passion for natural birth and the demands of being a mom led me to shift my position at the Health Sciences Center to a Project Manager position. My son was born at MMC in the spring of 2008 and by our 6 wk postpartum visit, I had begun steps to pursue my passion for working with birthing and postpartum families. That fall, I pursued certification through CAPPA as a postpartum doula (CPD) and lactation educator (CLE) and started my own business providing postpartum doula, lactation and babywearing support to new and growing families. At the end of 2008, I joined the team at MMC and feel blessed to work with so many talented people who share my passion for providing a place for Coloradoans to birth naturally and holistically. For me, the process of tapping into my inner voice and strength through childbirth and parenting has been transformative. I always feel honored to support new families in this amazing time of change and growth. Colleen Flowers, HRHP student, Billing Manager  Colleen with hubby Josh Currently, I'm enrolled in a distance-learning program with a Canadian organization, Justisse Healthworks for Women, in order to become a Holistic Reproductive Health Practitioner (HRHP). I want to teach fertility awareness to all girls and women so that they can better know their own bodies. Fertility awareness can be used as a tool to monitor your own gynecological and reproductive health, and also to avoid or achieve pregnancy. For many women, alternative and holistic therapies will be the answer they seek for their health concerns (and I want to offer them that avenue). For others, Western medicine will be the answer for them (and I want them to feel educated, encouraged, and empowered as they navigate that system). I believe there is no right or wrong way, only the best way for each woman to resolve her own issues and be supported in that way. I'm originally from Southeastern Pennsylvania. After I graduated college, I transplanted myself to the mountains of Colorado where I was a white-water raft guide for 4 summers. We recently moved to Denver so that my husband and I could better pursue our lifework; however, you'll still find us in the mountains every chance we can get hiking, mountain biking, backpacking, snowboarding, hotspring-ing, and visiting family and friends. Lynn Till, CLC, CLC, RMT, Herbalist (and Clinic Assistant)  Lynn with Scooter
I'm blessed with a little boy, who I still can't believe is already in elementary school, and married to my love Jonathan Till. We live in Denver with a couple of corgi dogs. Aside from spending time with friends and family I enjoy gardening, music, reading, crafts, cooking and being outdoors.
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