Meet the Midwife
MICHELLE INGRAM-SANDERS, ASM, CDEM, CPM
As a child, I was fascinated with babies, birth, and health. As a teenager, I read a copy of Prescription for Nutritional Healing (yes, for fun) and at age 17, I found a midwifery textbook at my local library and read it cover to cover. I was so intrigued with midwifery but the time had not yet come. My husband and I married in 1999 and started a family. Our first daughter was born at a nearby hospital where our experience was not what we had hoped for. Our son and second daughter were born at home attended by a midwife. The hospital and home birth experiences were like night and day, and my calling to be a midwife grew stronger. I read voraciously about birth for years waiting for the right time. When our youngest daughter was 15 months old, the opportunity to become a birth assistant presented itself and my midwifery journey really began.
I have been attending births at home since 2007: first as birth assistant and apprentice midwife then as primary midwife. During my training, I attended births with three midwives in southern Indiana. I also attended a 5-week clinical placement at a birth center in Utah for additional experience with five more midwives. I completed the Portfolio Evaluation Process and was granted the Certified Professional Midwife credential by the North American Registry of Midwives in 2010. I later enrolled in the CPM bridge program at the Midwives College of Utah where I graduated magna cum laude. I applied to become a Certified Direct Entry Midwife (licensed midwife) in Indiana as soon as licensure became available. I maintain training in both Neonatal Resuscitation (NRP) and Basic Life Support (BLS/CPR) and enjoy attending additional trainings such Birth Emergency Skills Training (B.E.S.T.) whenever possible.
I currently serve as President of the Indiana Midwives Association (IMA) and am a member of the National Association of Certified Professional Midwives (NACPM) and Midwives Alliance of North America (MANA).
I live in a fabulous neighborhood just outside of Bedford with my husband and our three teenagers, 3 cats, and 1 dog. In my spare time I enjoy reading, finding new ways to be active, and spending time with family and friends.
HEATHER SPAIN, STUDENT MIDWIFE
Heather has been an apprentice with Mother Nurtured Midwifery since February 2018 and is enrolled in the midwifery program at National College of Midwifery. She lives near Evansville, Indiana with her husband and four children, and plans to open a practice serving the Evansville area in 2021.