The Team
For safety and support, we always go to births with two people, the Midwife and a Birth Assistant. All of my Birth Assistants and Student Midwives are required to learn Neonatal Resuscitation, CPR & Birth Emergency Skills.
McKayla Vanderpool
Student Certified Professional Midwife, Doula & Birth Tub Rentals
My name is McKayla Vanderpool, I am a student midwife with a passion for home birth. My husband and I have been married for nearly 10 years and we have 4 children, 8 years old and under. Three girls and a boy!
My first was born in hospital with a local midwife group, after my experience I knew that I wanted more support and a gentler birth experience, so I opted to have my next at home!
It was most definitely the best experience I could have ever asked for and it was a miracle my midwife even made it in time to catch my son! After that, I knew home birth was meant for me, my other two kids had the blessing of being caught by their daddy.
As for my work in the birth world;
I have been studying birth since I began my first pregnancy and I have been serving in the birth world for the last six years; first as a doula then finally as a student midwife and birth assistant for the last three years.
My goal is to complete my training and education within the next year.
I am greatly looking forward to continuing to serve Des Moines and its surrounding areas; bringing quality family centered care into the homes of Iowa families.
Katherine Ward
Student Certified Professional Midwife, Massage Therapist, Doula & Birth Tub Rentals
I am an Iowa Girl with a passion for birth and babies! For as long as I can remember, I’ve been fascinated with pregnancy and birth. I became a labor doula right out of high school and I quickly realized birth work was for me.
Then, I decided to combine my excitement for birth with my passion for wellness and became a licensed massage therapist in 2019, specializing in prenatal, postpartum, and infant massage. I am also a trained postpartum doula, placenta encapsulator, and Stillbirthday bereavement doula. I trained with Stillbirthday in honor of my miscarried son, James.
Outside of birth & babies, I’ve taught piano for 10+ years and dream of owning a homestead. I enjoy spending time with my electrician husband, Connor, and busy little girls, Remi and Maisie. We love dancing (country or vintage swing) and cooking up tasty eats for entertaining guests.