Midwife Bios
Heather Chorley
LM, CPM
First Influences
My path to midwifery started as a child, when I discovered a fascination with birth by seeing pictures in books at our local library.
Education and Experience
I received my BS degree in Biology from Guilford College. Following college, I completed the Physician Assistant Program at Bowman Gray School of Medicine in Winston-Salem, NC. After working as a PA in oncology for 5 years, I moved to Seattle in 1994. Once here, I volunteered in a community health clinic for a year where I found myself once again drawn to the power of birth.
I graduated from Seattle Midwifery School in 1999 and, along with Wendy Rowe, started Welcome Home Midwifery Service in Seattle (I was our first client). In 2005 we closed our practice when Wendy returned home to Vermont (I was our last client).
Seattle Home Maternity
I joined Seattle Home Maternity in January 2006, at the invitation of pioneer midwives Suzy and Marge and in January 2014, I became the new owner of SHM.
Teaching
Besides my clinical practice, I have also been on the faculty at Seattle Midwifery School, where I co-taught several courses.
Certifications
I am a Licensed Midwife (LM) and a Certified Professional Midwife (CPM).
Family
I am blessed with a beautiful family: husband Fred, and children Isla (1999) and Linus (2005), both born at home. The attentive midwifery care I received during the births of my children deepened my commitment to providing such care to other childbearing people and families.
Katherine Sauerlender
LM, CPM, MSM
First Influences
When I was younger, I wanted to be a marine biologist. At some point in my college years, I realized I was far too interested in people–their experiences, their stories, their struggles, their power, their resilience–to continue to study clams and jellyfish in a lab. But my fascination with the natural world, as well as a curiosity about how things work, very much remain with me today in my work as a midwife.
Though my aunt gave birth at home in Washington with the help of a midwife when I was a teenager, I was first personally exposed to midwifery and birth abroad, during a community health course in Northeast Brazil. Over the next few years to come, midwifery kept knocking on my door until I finally let it in!
Education and Experience
I obtained a BA in Anthropology from the University of Washington, worked as a bilingual Spanish-English childbirth educator, lactation educator, and doula in a community birth center in the Bronx, NY, and graduated from Bastyr University’s three-year Master’s of Science in Midwifery program. Throughout my training, I was lucky to work with many wonderful nurse-midwives and licensed midwives in San Francisco, Kirkland, Bellingham, and Seattle. I have supported hundreds of families through pregnancy and birth, helping them to welcome their babies at home, in birth centers, and in hospitals.
Seattle Home Maternity
I have long admired the important legacy of Seattle Home Maternity, as well as its longstanding reputation for inclusiveness and excellence in community midwifery. Prior to joining SHM, I practiced as a solo community midwife in Seattle. While I enjoyed the intimacy of practicing this way, I also dreamed of one day finding a team. In 2018, I received an email from Heather Chorley, and I joined SHM shortly thereafter. In 2019, I birthed my first baby at home under the loving care of SHM midwives Heather and Brooks. I cannot imagine a better team nor a more welcoming midwifery “family” than SHM.
Certifications
I am a Licensed Midwife (LM) and a Certified Professional Midwife (CPM).
Teaching
In addition to clinical teaching, I have had the pleasure of serving on the faculty at Bastyr University, where I have taught for several years and assisted with clinical examinations.
Personal
In my free time, I enjoy swimming, hiking, creating in the kitchen, finding solitude and beauty in nature, and spending quality time with my partner, toddler, family, and friends.
Brooks Siegal
LM, CPM, MSM
First Influences
Born and raised in the Seattle area, I grew up steeped in my mother’s stories of the wonder and power of the natural birth process. I began my journey as a midwife following the birth of my fourth baby, who was lovingly welcomed at home by the team at SHM.
Education and Experience
I received an undergraduate degree in philosophy from Trinity College in Hartford CT, a PhD in philosophy from Washington University in St. Louis, and a Masters of Science in Midwifery from Bastyr University. I also hold a certificate in Botanical Medicine for Midwifery Care from Bastyr University, having studied herbalism in the childbearing year through a specialized track through the Department of Midwifery. Following graduation, I had the privilege of working for several years as a staff midwife with the Center for Birth Midwives here in Seattle.
In my philosophical studies, I was interested in the concept of autonomy and choice-making within the context of feminine socialization. I was drawn to midwifery to understand and honor body-based sources of knowledge and intuition that I came to appreciate through giving birth to and mothering my four children. I view embodiment as a source of empowerment and deep autonomy, and I hold this grounding perspective for those I serve throughout their pregnancy, birth, and postpartum journeys. I love helping individuals and families grow through their childbearing years by practicing holistic, evidence-based, and heart-centered midwifery.
Seattle Home Maternity
Having been a client and also a midwifery student at SHM, I have a deep appreciation for their legacy of excellence in community midwifery. I am honored to be part of the team of midwives at SHM and the community of birthing people and families who also call SHM home.
Certifications
I am a Licensed Midwife (LM) and a Certified Professional Midwife (CPM).
Personal
Outside of midwifery, I enjoy running, gardening, time in the woods, and adventures with my partner of 24 years, much loved 4 children, 2 dogs, and variable number of chickens.