Tracy Lough, LM, CPM
805.300.0475

Tracy Lough, LM, CPM
805.300.0475

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Tracy Lough, LM, CPM & Audrey Rees, LM, CPM

Licensed Midwife, Certified Professional Midwife,
Craniosacral Therapist and Herbalist

Offering Home Birth Midwifery & Craniosacral Therapy in the Sonoma County area

Illustration by Andrea Keating

We trust in the ability of women to choose how, where, and with whom to give birth and believe women possess instinctual, ancient knowledge about how to birth their own baby. We practice midwifery in an evidence-based way while keeping up on new research so that we can continue to give families thorough and accurate information to make informed choices.

 

Tracy Lough, LM, CPM

My journey to becoming a midwife began in the year 2000 while living in Berkeley, CA. I was studying at a local coffee shop one evening and as I got up to leave, someone had left a book called Midwives on the chair next to me. I remember looking at this book and having a strong feeling it was important for me to read it. I got married a few months later and my husband, Jeff and I, took off for Yellowstone to work in the park before settling into a teaching career. It was there that I read the book and began devouring anything and everything on the subject of home birth. I had my first daughter at home the following year with midwives by my side. The moment I reached down and lifted her into my arms, I felt such an inspiration to work with women and families around birth. As I began on my path to help empower women through this rite of passage I knew in my heart this was my calling.  

Bio

My midwifery journey began by becoming certified as a Bradley Method childbirth instructor and hypnobirth facilitator with a program called Hipbirth. I became a certified doula through ALACE and a placenta encapsulation specialist through Pbi. I birthed all three of my children at home with loving midwives. After becoming licensed in 2011, my son was born after an hour and a half labor into my 9 year old daughter’s hands. Having siblings at births and involving them in the process is a passion of mine!

Today, I have been a part of over 450 births. Seeing babies emerge full of life as they gaze into their mother’s eyes is my inspiration. I am proud to be a guardian and keeper of normal, healthy pregnancies and birth and am committed and skilled in providing an emotionally and physically safe space for women who choose to birth at home. I value building relationships of mutual trust with families through time spent together talking and sharing information during relaxed prenatal visits.

I have been blessed to have many incredible mentors along the way who have guided me to where I am today.  My formal training through National Midwifery Institute included an apprenticeship with 2 home birth midwives in LA. In 2010, I traveled to Bali, Indonesia for 2 months to work as a student midwife in a high volume birth clinic. Here I worked under the direct supervision of Robin Lim who was honored as the 2011 CNN Hero for her profound work as a midwife. I am certified as a California Licensed Midwife (LM) and nationally Certified Professional Midwife (CPM) and am certified in IV therapy and Neonatal Resuscitation. I love to include homeopathy, herbalism, and Craniosacral Therapy into my practice. Today, I am diving deeper into the work of Craniosacral Therapy through the Upledger Institute and writing a book which I hope will empower women to bring their baby into the world in a gentle and loving way. Writing about the families that birthed their babies on my Humboldt County homestead in The Birth Yurt gives me such joy as I reflect on each baby and family that touched my soul.

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Audrey Rees, LM, CPM

I was inspired into this work 11 years ago when welcomed into motherhood, guided by midwives. The birth of my son was the most challenging and influential experience of my life. The inspiration and transformation I received from this rite of passage has led me into birth work and my calling of becoming a homebirth midwife. My birth was long and hard and the trust, safety, and patience my midwives offered me was crucial to completing this great work. I know that I would not be who I am today, had I not had the opportunity to birth my baby the way I did. Birth was not at all how I thought it would be. The depths of strength and courage it took to bring my son into this world were incomprehensible until I was there. It was not pretty, nor graceful…the women with me in those days and hours believed in me and trusted my body and baby to find their way through. This trust, this support, and this wisdom they offered made me feel safe. Feeling safe was the key to surrendering deeper than I ever dreamed possible. 

Bio

I was inspired into this work 11 years ago when welcomed into motherhood, guided by midwives. The birth of my son was the most challenging and influential experience of my life. The inspiration and transformation I received from this rite of passage has led me into birth work and my calling of becoming a homebirth midwife. My birth was long and hard and the trust, safety, and patience my midwives offered me was crucial to completing this great work. I know that I would not be who I am today, had I not had the opportunity to birth my baby the way I did. Birth was not at all how I thought it would be. The depths of strength and courage it took to bring my son into this world were incomprehensible until I was there. It was not pretty, nor graceful...the women with me in those days and hours believed in me and trusted my body and baby to find their way through. This trust, this support, and this wisdom they offered made me feel safe. Feeling safe was the key to surrendering deeper than I ever dreamed possible. This surrender eventually led me all the way through the pain and darkness to the most amazing pleasure and relief of getting my baby out of my body and into my arms! The journey was rough for us both and my baby needed some help breathing. My midwife was calm and efficient and again, I knew we were safe. My experience taught me so much and has been a guide to me as I learn how to create a safe place for mothers and families to bring through new life.

I like to say "I work for babies," which is true and incredibly fulfilling. But the deeper truth is, that I believe with all my heart that Peace on Earth begins with birth and the way we bring our babies into this world deeply imprints them, as well as the parents and the communities they are a part of. This is the reason why I am deeply honored  and committed to this work and way of supporting this sacred time of life. 

For the last 10 years I have been on the journey of doula, student, assistant, and sacred gate keeper while attending close to 150 births. My window into the birth world began when I started offering placenta encapsulation and postpartum support to new mothers. Through this work, I heard many birth stories and became viscerally aware of the potential growth and also the trauma that this influential time brings. Each story I heard ignited a fire deep inside me to devote myself to this work and do my part in supporting mothers to birth in a way that will empower them to grow into the mother they were born to be. I believe that when a family is supported to birth in a way that they feel safe and held, then they will rise to the occasion and be forever changed. This ripple of empowerment spreads like wildfire and has the potential to change humanity for the better. Perhaps if our mothers are truly held and supported, we can become a race that supports our earth mother and all her children can heal and grow too.

I strive to be a midwife who mothers the mother and listens and responds to the needs and desires of the family. This requires time and deep listening throughout the pregnancy. I do my best to learn and offer the unique way I can be of best service to each person along the journey together. I love to include siblings and am in full support of the fathers and mothers catching their own babies. My goal is to hold a safe space and to be as hands on, or hands off as desired and needed in the moment.

To get where I am today, I completed the long and winding journey of midwifery school and close to 10 years of hands-on learning with many amazing mentors and midwives. In 2022 I became a Certified Professional Midwife (CPM) and a Licenced Midwife (LM) in California. I studied at The Farm in Tennessee with the College of Traditional Midwifery and learned alongside the legends who star in the famous stories from “Spiritual Midwifery” by Ina May Gaskin. I assisted Farm midwives in the Amish communities, and learned skills needed for extremely  rural births as well as how to be very culturally and spiritually respectful and aware. I witnessed birth stories and styles of living very unique and often with unusual challenges.

I graduated from National Midwifery Institute and Tracy Lough was one of my first mentors and teachers. The knowledge and wisdom learned from working with families has been irreplaceable and deeply imprinted in my heart, hands, and mind.  

 I believe that pregnancy, birth, and postpartum is a ripe time for transformative change in not only the birthing woman and her baby but also the community which she is a part of. The ripples created by birth being honored and held sacred stretch far and wide and generate healing for humanity and our planet. I am honored to be an instrument in this healing and am grateful to all the families who share this experience with me.
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