Susanrachel Condon, CNM, LM

"I view pregnancy and the birth of a family as an extraordinary, sacred and private experience. As a midwife, I seek to honor the individuality of all women and families and their unique needs and desires for this transformative time in their lives. Giving birth to my three children with dignity and respectful care inspired me to offer the same to others."

Susanrachel, a.k.a. Birdie, graduated from the SUNY Health Science Center at Brooklyn Midwifery Program in 1998. She is a licensed in New York as a Midwife and Ob-Gyn Nurse Practitioner. She was also certified to teach childbirth preparation, newborn care and breastfeeding classes in 1996 by the Childbirth Education Association of Metropolitan New York (CEAMNY). She served two terms as President of the CEAMNY Board of Directors. Susanrachel has also been a licensed Massage Therapist since 1991. She served on the faculty of the Swedish Institute College of Massage Therapy & Allied Health Sciences for more than ten years and currently participates extensively in their continuing education program. Since 1994, she has taught Bodywork for the Childbearing Cycle, a nationally accredited certification course for massage and bodywork professionals. She and her husband Richard, a massage therapist and certified Rolfer, have produced an advanced techniques video on the subject in addition to a DVD for couples and childbirth professionals. They have also lectured widely as private consultants at conferences, hospitals, birth centers, schools and spas. Susanrachel holds a BFA in Art Therapy and has studied birth counseling with Gayle Peterson and counseling for pregnant survivors of sexual abuse with Penny Simkin. She is the mother of Hannah (14), Daniel (12) and Malcolm (6).

Susan Rannestad, CPM, CM, LM

"When I was a child and people would ask me what I wanted to be when I grew up, I would look up at my Mom, a little shy, and she would say “a teacher or a nurse“ then I would speak up and say “and a MOMMY.“ Now, as a Midwife I get to realize both my Mother's and my own dreams. Helping people learn more about their own healthcare and watching them make choices that are right for their families has been a gift to my own life. Being a Midwife means I get to watch women be good mothers. That is what I want for myself as well, to be a good Mother."

Susan is the mother of three grown children. After the hospital birth of her son Paul (25), Susan began her studies in maternity care in both Germany and the United States. In the past, she worked as a Childbirth Educator, La Leche League Leader and ICAN (International Cesarean Awareness Network) Board Member. She currently serves on the Board of The Midwives Alliance of New York. Susan finished her apprenticeship in Midwifery after the home births of her daughters Erica (20) and Michaela (18). Susan is a Certified Professional Midwife (CPM) through NARM, The North American Registry of Midwives, a Certified Midwife (CM) through ACNM, The American College of Nurse Midwives, and a Licensed Midwife (LM) in the State of New York. Currently Susan also serves on the faculty of The National College of Midwifery, where she earned her Bachelor of Science degree in Midwifery.

Jennifer Fegan-Szalay, CPM, CD

"A woman's experience of birth is an important part of her identity. By making informed choices about pregnancy and birth she gives herself, her baby, and her family the best gift she can give: a positive birth experience. I believe in empowering women and families through birth. I believe that birth is a spiritual experience and Rite of Passage. I believe in the beauty and power of birth."

Jennifer is the mother of two beautiful girls, one born in a hospital and the other at home. She began attending births in 1999 as a doula, and quickly realized that midwifery was her true calling. She attended the traditional birth attendant program through Hands of Light in Fitchburg, MA, and apprenticed with several experienced midwives in NY and VT. She became a Certified Professional Midwife through the North American Registry of Midwives in 2005 and is currently a student of the National College of Midwifery completing her Bachelors in Midwifery, working towards NYS licensure. Jennifer is currently researching the relationship between childhood sexual abuse and breastfeeding outcomes. She is especially interested in current research into the emotional life of infants. Jennifer is also a Reiki Master and a certified BirthTouch practitioner. Her sacred calling is providing loving, peaceful and gentle support for birthing families.

Ellen Harris-Braun

Ellen Harris-Braun is a midwifery student, an experienced doula (certified by DONA), and a teacher of childbirth classes that focus on the normal birth process (certified by Lamaze). She has been attending births since 2002, teaching about pregnancy and childbirth since 2000, and parenting since 1998 (certified by Will, born in a hospital with an OB, and Jesse, born in 2001 at a freestanding birth center with midwives). Ellen has a BA in anthropology and psychology and has studied midwifery at the Farm in Summertown TN and through Elizabeth Davis's Heart & Hands Midwifery Intensives. She serves as a member of the Commission for the Accreditation of Birth Centers (CABC), reviewing how well birth centers meet the standards of the American Association of Birth Centers. She also is involved with BirthNet in Albany and creates informational events about birth and midwifery in the Berkshires with her doula network, Berkshire-Columbia Doulas. In her "spare" time, she and her family are designing and building a strawbale house as part of the Quaker Intentional Village in East Chatham, New York.