Our Team
Beth Cannon, LM, CPM
My first inspiration on the path of normal birth occurred in 1983, when I was 12
years old. My oldest sister Mary decided to have a home birth. Her choice to do so
gave me the advantage of trusting birth from an early age. She exposed me to Ina
May Gaskin and Spiritual Midwifery. What an incredible gift this was…
Little did I know at that point of my life that I would be called to become a midwife!
In 1990, I was primary labor support to one of my other sisters, Jackie. Attending
the hospital birth of her son opened my eyes to the reality of the medical model of
birth. I was shocked at the routine and impersonal care that she and her son
received. That made an imprint in my mind with images that will never be
forgotten.
When I became pregnant in 2000, I knew that I wanted to be present in my body for the birth of my child. I knew that I would seek out midwifery care, and that I wanted to actively participate in my radical rite of passage into motherhood. My first daughter was born gently into water on Winter solstice and we had a beautiful birth center birth!
I am an advocate for birth options and informed choices. I was called to midwifery after the home water birth of my son in 2004. As luck would have it, doors opened for me naturally and I was asked to apprentice with the midwives who were present during my son’s birth. I accepted their offer, and jumped in! I enrolled in school atThe National Midwifery Institute and juggled the demands of apprenticing with a busy midwifery practice in Los Angeles, being a wife, raising my children as well as giving birth to another daughter (this time, on land!), finishing school, passing theNorth American Registry of Midwives (NARM) Exam in 2009 to become a CertifiedProfessional Midwife (CPM), and becoming a Licensed Midwife (LM) by theCalifornia Medical Board in 2011.
It has been quite the journey, and I feel fortunate and blessed to be at every birth that I am called to be at. I currently attend births with many midwives in LosAngeles, both Licensed Midwives, and Certified Nurse Midwives, as well as assistingDr. Stuart Fischbein, an OB/GYN who attends breech and twin home births in greater Los Angeles and Southern California vicinity.
Teaching student midwives is another passion of mine. As well as having student midwives on my team, I host monthly student skills labs and have a wonderful cohort of students! I am a NARM approved preceptor and precept students fromNational Midwifery Institute, Midwives College of Utah, Nizhoni Institute andNational College of Midwifery.
Catalina Clark, LM, CPM
After several disempowering experiences with my own health care I began seeking alternatives to the western medical model. Through my own transformational journey with yoga, meditation and a community of healers I discovered a new path for myself which led to my calling as a gentle birth keeper. With my background in prenatal yoga and over 6 years of experience as a birth doula I have seen the ways in which a birthing person’s emotions link directly to their physical being. Therefore, a peaceful mind is a peaceful body and thus leads to a graceful birth. I truly believe that peace on earth begins at birth and that every baby born into the loving arms of a conscious family and supportive care provider brings us all one step closer to world peace.
I see birth as a sacred, ceremonial and transcendental event in a person’s life. With midwifery care we are stepping into a relationship of trust and respect with each other, ourselves and the divine. I provide an integrative approach to pregnancy, labor, birth and postpartum that encompasses mind, body and spirit. As a midwife I stand at the portal between life and death to hold space, witness, guide and create a safe container for self-empowerment, magic and transformation to occur. While at the same time accepting that anything can happen in the birth experience.
After apprenticing as a student midwife for 4 years I graduated from the National MidwiferyInstitute (NMI) in 2020 and received my license as a Certified Professional Midwife (CPM) andLicensed Midwife (LM) in the state of California.
Haize Hawke, Student Midwife
I am a Heart Led Spiritual Mentor Facilitator and Master Doula. My training began with ACHI and completed with ALACE. I focus on birth as spiritual, as a way to connect with all that is. Spiritual birthing and all that it entails is a way to release fear and emotional blocks in a way that allows for the most supportive, conscious and aware birth. Spiritual birth is connecting with yourself and Source. I also bring if desired an emphasis on nutrition, aromatherapy and lifestyle during pregnancy, birth and delivery. I am an hands on coach for birth parents and an extra set of eyes.
I feel that pregnancy is a spiritual, emotional, mental and physical journey. A Birth Family’s thoughts and emotions, the emotional changes witnessed by the Partner and the
physical/emotional changes the Birth Mother feels within her body, all impact how she chooses to birth her baby, which will set the tone for their future lives. These sessions help to provide the mother with a safe place, a haven where she can ask questions, speak freely, and gain advice and support. I hold the counsel of women in their journey at this most sacred time of life, giving guidance through the emotional aspect of pregnancy and labor.
In private sessions, I offer birth counseling for birth related issues, including preconception and planning your pregnancy, fear in labor, fear of death in labor, birth trauma (yours or your mother's) and postpartum concerns. I also work with couples fortifying their relationships Phone and Skype sessions are available for those not able to meet in person for a fee.
I am here to serve, I am here to be a blessing to everyone with whom I come into contact by sharing my gifts. That might happen through music, teaching, arts, healing, dancing, writing, speaking, cooking and even a gentle smile. I will be everything I have come to the planet to be always striving to show the magnificence of the Divine. Truly everyone I meet is the Divine and together we can change the world.I offer to you the sum total of everything I’ve learned as a world traveler, educator, circle facilitator and leader of Sister Circles and Coming of Age Sister Circles and Rites of Passage, and mother - as it pertains to raising and mentoring girls and women to be profoundly activated, in tuned, strong, loving, grounded, luminescent in their lives.
Lindsey Rei, Student Midwife
Hi! I’m Lindsey!
I am a Los Angeles native who is passionate about advocating for and empowering pregnant people and parents. As an educator, mommy and me teacher, and coach, I have been supporting families in various forms since 2001. After the birth of my own daughter, I discovered how truly important it is to have a support system and village in place during these life changing moments. This experience ignited my passion for birthwork and initiated
my journey as a birth worker.
Hi! I’m Lindsey!
I am a Los Angeles native who is passionate about advocating for and empowering pregnant people and parents. As an educator, mommy and me teacher, and coach, I have been supporting families in various forms since 2001. After the birth of my own daughter, I discovered how truly important it is to have a support system and village in place during these life changing moments. This experience ignited my passion for birthwork and initiated
my journey as a birth worker.
Being an advocate and educator means that my goal is to make sure that pregnant people feel supported in their pregnancy and birth experience. I want parents-to-be to feel heard and supported with this portion of their journey to parenthood.Throughout my time as a doula, it became very clear that I wanted to be able to offer birthing people more options. When the need for more midwives became abundantly clear, I heard that calling loud and clear and immediately enrolled myself into midwifery school. I am currently in my first year at National Midwifery Institute. I am humbled and honored to be learning from Beth and to be a part of the Birthing Rhythm Team.
Jennifer Buonamassa
I was born and raised in Pittsburgh, PA and I am the eldest of 4 siblings and 16 grandchildren. My mother was a Lamaze instructor and taught childbirth
classes in our home, so I grew up surrounded by expectant couples and was
well educated on the journey of natural childbirth. I was so intrigued by birth
that as a child, I would study my mother's birthing books and would memorize
her lectures. The seeds of becoming a birth worker were planted early in my
life.
My husband and I were married in 2002 and we couldn't wait to become
parents. We read everything we could get our hands on regarding pregnancy
and enthusiastically took Bradley Method childbirth classes. Our experience during those classes brought us closer together and really opened my eyes to the challenges of having an unmedicated birth in a hospital setting. With the support and guidance of a wonderful doula, I had the unmedicated births I wanted and we welcomed our boys into the world in 2004 and 2006.
After working in various creative and administrative positions throughout my career, I decided that I needed a change. I wanted to forge a new path that provided me with the opportunity to make a positive impact in the world and empower women in the process. It was through my own birthing experiences that I came to the decision to become a birth and postpartum doula. I furthered my education by becoming a childbirth, lactation, and newborn care educator. I'm passionate about educating and empowering the families that I work with to have the birthing experience they want, and have experience with a variety of birthing methods including the Bradley Method, Spinning Babies, and Hypnobirthing. My call to midwifery began first as a whisper and then gradually grew as I continued to witness the challenges that families face when birthing in a clinical setting. I enrolled in the National Midwifery Institute and am loving the journey of becoming a midwife. It is the most rewarding work I have ever known. I have a servant's heart and nothing fills me with more joy than supporting the families that we care for. I am so honored to be a member of the Birthing Rhythm Team.
Stephanie Ricaldi , Student Midwife
Stephanie was born and raised in the Los Angeles area. As a young girl she knew she wanted to help pregnant people through their journey of welcoming their babies into this world when she watched her first birth video in the 9th grade. Furthering her education, Stephanie earned her Bachelor’s Degree from UCLA in Biology and minored in LGBTQ studies.
While in UCLA, Stephanie began to involve herself within the medical community. She volunteered in the Mattel’s Children’s Hospital in UCLA where she cared for the psychosocial aspects and needs of children. In addition, she worked as a Lead Clinic Assistant Intern at the Venice Family Clinic serving both those in need of primary health care and women’s health and pregnancy.
After graduation, she took some time to work and travel the world: Brazil, Paraguay, Mexico,Hungary, Austria, Germany, and Spain, where she learned about the history, culture, language and tried new foods.
Upon returning, Stephanie came across midwifery. Everything was falling right into place. She became a doula to gain her experience. With this experience, she realized the birth community was not only rewarding but a movement to better women’s health care, in which she now gets to become a part of. Stephanie is now in her second year at Nizhoni Institute of Midwifery in San Diego. She is a licensed phlebotomist and is BLS and NRP certified. She is currently working on placenta encapsulation.
“Breaking down barriers, eliminating fear and giving pregnant people a choice and a voice.”
Jessica Cremin, Student Midwife
Although Jessica had not previously been exposed to birth work or pregnancy, she knew from the time she was a younger teenager that it was something she was passionate about. Once she was finally able to put a name to the profession she had been called to, Jessica worked toward being admitted into the University of Vermont, College of Nursing and Health Sciences as a nursing major, where she began my studies in the fall of 2016. Throughout her first year there she loved being exposed to healthcare in detail, but she felt that something was missing from the medical and nursing models of care. Jessica ended up asking some midwives in Los Angeles if she could work with them to see how the midwifery model of care truly worked. She never would have dreamed that Beth would take her on as a
junior student and mentee, and has been lucky enough to work with her since the summer of 2017 during school breaks. Having been witness to home births and the midwifery model, Jessica's eyes were opened to a form of care that she didn’t know she could provide. Skills she's been developing with Beth and the other midwives on the team have made it increasingly easy to care for patients and clients, while prioritizing their autonomy and sense of self. She is always excited to incorporate what she learns with the midwives into her nursing practice at school. In addition to being a student both with UVM and Birthing Rhythm, Jessica completed her Doula Training in June of 2018 and was ecstatic to adopt that role as well. Working with the midwives at Birthing Rhythm has been a life-changing experience personally, spiritually, and professionally. She is forever grateful to work with women who share such a great passion with her, and to bear witness to personable, gentle, and well-rounded care for women and families. Jessica awaits her future work and studies eagerly.
Juli Anderson, Midwife Assistant
I am the mother of two (now grown) children, and my own experience of having hospital births left me disappointed and disempowered. I was called to be a part of the growing movement that led me to step fully into the alternative birth world and become a homebirth midwife. I wanted to be of service to birthing families, and empower them with more choices around their births. Your birth will be without a doubt one of the most profound experiences of your life, and choosing your birth professionals is one of the most important decisions you will make. I believe that it is important that expectant parents and birth professionals connect on a deep level to insure that the birth experience is as positive as possible.
I believe passionately that birth is a spiritual process. Ultimately, I trust that birth is a natural process and if left uninterrupted, happens beautifully and gracefully. Each birth has a story and that story has already been written - I’m here to hold space for you and remind you of your strength as a family. Parents connect with me because I believe that birth is a spiritual journey, and everything that is involved with birth; preconception, conception, pregnancy, delivery, postpartum, etc. is a spiritual journey.