Meet the Midwives

Imagine a team of midwives who work together fluidly, who are like-minded and like-hearted in their work of honoring and caring for women and babies. With mutual respect and open communication, they alternate days on and off call, helping one another to take care of themselves so that they can be at their best in serving you. Imagine this small team (2-3 midwives, plus a couple students) each being invested in your care. You will grow a relationship of trust and confidence as you meet with each of them throughout pregnancy. That relationship will continue to grow and flourish throughout labor, birth, the postpartum period and beyond.

Hannah Dunford, Licensed Midwife

• Certified Professional Midwife (CPM)

• Licensed to Practice in Utah (LDEM)

• Certified in Neonatal Resuscitation 

• Certified BLS/CPR

• Nationally Certified & State Licensed EMT

• Certified Prenatal Yoga Teacher

• 40 Hr Sexual Assault Advocacy Training

I went to my first home birth when I was just 4 years old (my little sister) and I haven't stopped attending births since then. There is a certain feeling and energy about birth that I haven't experienced anywhere else, I suppose you could say that I am addicted to it!

This life-long love and deep interest in childbirth and women's health felt like a calling to me and became more of a reality when I became a doula and started studying midwifery at age eighteen. I apprenticed with many midwives (CPM's and CNM's) in Utah, Oregon and Arizona assisting in many home births and birth-centers births. In 2010 I had beautiful experiences doing midwifery volunteer work in and out of hospitals in Haiti and The Domincan Republic. I finished clinicals and midwifery education and became a CPM (Certified Professional Midwife) through the North American Registry of Midwives in 2012. 

After moving to Utah I became licensed to practice midwifery (LDEM) here in the state of Utah. I practiced as a staff midwife at the Birthing Your Way birth center for nearly two years, where I gained great experience and had the opportunity to serve many women. As a licensed midwife I am required to have up-to-date CPR, NRP (neonatal resuscitation), fetal heart monitoring and other emergency skills. With a license I can also administer IV fluids, draw blood, give certain medications and other medical skills. That being said, I like to mention that I have great respect and am very comfortable with herbs, homeopathics, nutrition, exercise and other natural remedies as my first-step in addressing health.  In 2016 I went through the education and training to become a nationally certified and state licensed EMT (Emergency Medical Technician). My main purpose in becoming an EMT was to improve communication with first responders in the case of a transport of a home birth to the hospital. I am also on a committee called the Out-of Hospital Birth Project (OOH Birth Project) of the Utah Woman and Newborn Quality Collaborative (UWNQC) through the state health department. The main goal of the OOH Birth Project (learn more) is to improve communications between midwives and hospital providers during the transport of care. Great steps have been taken to iron out some of the wrinkles in the system and we are hopeful for the future.

I went through the 40 Hour Advocacy training with the Rape Recovery Center to deepen my understanding of how to help survivors of abuse, whether that be sexual or domestic violence, through the child-bearing process and beyond. In attending this and other trainings and in working with survivors, I've learned that the effect that abuse can have on pregnancy, birth and the postpartum period can be vast. I found that taking time to build a trusting relationship with mothers and helping them prepare for some of the potentially triggering things that can arise can make a monumental difference. The difference is in creating an atmosphere that is empowering versus an atmosphere that is potentially re-traumatizing. This situation requires a delicate and educated provider that will give kind and informed care to help a survivor prepare effectively for their birth.  

Another one of my life-long loves is yoga, dancing, rhythm and movement of the body in general. I have been blessed to participate in and teach dance most of my life. I finished the 85-hour Prenatal Yoga Teacher Training through Utah Prenatal Yoga early in 2016 and have thoroughly enjoyed teaching yoga ever since! I especially love to see all of the positive benefits that prenatal yoga, correct body alignment, breathing and movement have had on expecting mothers. See the prenatal yoga page for more info on classes nearby.

As a side note, I have always had great interest in serving underprivileged women and families. I have recently loved serving with the incredible people on The Briana Project. This project helps to find the needs of and provide respectful maternity care to low-income, refugee and homeless women locally and abroad. It's a grass roots movement made up of midwives, doulas and other excited volunteers that is always looking for more help and volunteers, click here if you are interested in learning more. 

Krista Miracle, Midwife, LDEM

Krista has completed her didactic degree work at Midwives College of Utah and plans to sit for CPM (NARM) testing in Spring 2018 after which she will seek Utah state licensing.  As a doula and midwife Krista has attended more than 100 families in labor and birth!

Krista is proud to be a wife, mother of 6 (between the ages of 6 and 26) and Stage IV Cancer Survivor. Before attending midwifery college, she was a doula and childbirth educator for 13 years. Krista is the owner of Miracle Midwifery. She has written a full training manual for postpartum doulas and commonly mentors doulas and midwives in areas of start-up, marketing and business development. She also maintains ongoing certification in Adult CPR and Neonatal Resuscitation. Krista is a certified Mayoga Prenatal Yoga Instructor and regularly hosts teaching and educational series for both birth professionals and new parents. 

Krista believes it is her calling, to impart in all women their faith in themselves, their bodies and most importantly their birth. She is an advocate for change in the birth and postpartum world and a partner to many. And yes, her last name really is Miracle. 

OUR PHILOSOPHY 

Our philosophy concerning birth is that we were created to experience love, joy, pain, happiness, suffering and peace. Pregnancy and birth, will take us on a journey through the full range of emotions—yet, in the end, will bring us greater joy when allowed to run its natural course. Our job is to not get too much in the way of a process that is already so perfect and beautiful on its own. Our job is to educate, thoughtfully guide, lovingly nurture, and provide individualized care to help you on your path in discovering what is the best course of action for you and your family. I decided to become a midwife and continue serving women in this  capacity, because I believe that an empowered birth has the ability to bond families together in a powerful way that is beyond compare. Birth is expanding. Birth is healing. Birth is uniting.