About the author
Catherine was born in Minot North Dakota, and at age of six her family moved west to Billings, Montana. Here she did her schooling instuction at catholic schools and graduated in 1969, with her twin brother, Chuck from Billings Central Catholic High School. She was blessed to have and raise four beautiful children. Two were born in the hospital and two in the home with midwives.
She completed practical nursing training in 1975 from Spokane Community College with her first degree, an AA degree. In 1985 she was awarded her BSN degree in nursing from WASHINGTON STATE UNIVERSITY IN PULLMAN WA. and became a Registered Nurse. She worked as a Labor and Delivery nurse at Deaconess Hospital in Spokane, Wa. where she became an ICEA-certified childbirth educator teaching classes at the hospital. In 1994 she began to pursue her midwifery degree from Frontier Midwifery School and Family Nursing, FSMFN. She obtained her Masters of Science in Nursing from Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland Ohio.
She has practiced her midwifery skills both in the hospital and at home. She became the Lead Midwife and Director of the Deaconess Women's Clinic in 1995 located in the west central community of Spokane Wa. She was appointed to this position by her midwifery colleagues.
She had an adamant intention to bring the Midwifery Model to the hospital in her community. Her everyday goal was to stop birth trauma for women, to bring quiet, peace, and respect to the mother and her birthing room. There she made outstanding achievements working the Midwifery Model into the Deaconess system. She also established a teaching/mentoring program for upcoming CNM/ MSN students. Catherine retired from her midwifery practice there in 2010. It wasn't long until she became Faculty at her Alma Mater Frontier Nursing University in Hyden Ky. in 2011. As a clinical regional faculty member, she was responsible for students throughout the country in satellite hands-on training programs.
Catherine's many successes practicing the midwifery model changed birth for all of those who were blessed to be with her.
She is now retired and lives in the beautiful North Idaho forest, on a creek, with her beloved husband, Edgar, and two dogs. She continues to write, practice yoga, and spend time with her precious family.