Our Advisors and Board Members
Honorary Advisors
Marsden Wagner, M.D., M.S., was the Director of Women’s and Children’s Health for the World Health Organization (WHO) for 15 years. He is a nationally and internationally recognized, much respected birth professional who has earned degrees (B.S., M.D., M.S.) from UCLA. He’s received numerous honors and awards. His publications are many, including 15 scientific books published in 12 different languages.
Television interviews include: (in the U.S.) on Dateline NBC, CBS Boston & New York & San Francisco, Good Morning America, Phil Donahue, and others in Great Britain, Canada, Denmark, Sweden, Germany, Spain, Albania. Children’s Health for the World Health Organization (WHO) for 15 years. He is a nationally and internationally recognized, much respected birth professional who has earned degrees (B.S., M.D., M.S.) from UCLA. He’s received numerous honors and awards. His publications are many, including 15 scientific books published in 12 different languages.
Television interviews include: (in the U.S.) on Dateline NBC, CBS Boston & New York & San Francisco, Good Morning America, Phil Donahue, and others in Great Britain, Canada, Denmark, Sweden, Germany, Spain, Albania.
We miss and honor you, Dr. Marsden Wagner. Thank you for all you did for our Association and accomplished for so many birthing women, babies, and families around the world.
Advisors
Suzanne Arms is an internationally acclaimed author with 7 ground-breaking books on pregnancy, birth, breastfeeding, bonding, and adoption. She is also a photo journalist, filmmaker, speaker, teacher, practical visionary and advocate. As an activist, Suzanne co-founded one of the first freestanding birth centers in the United States, a founding and active board member of aTLC (the Alliance for Transforming the Lives of Children: atlc.org) and Planetree Model Hospital Project, actively involved at the start of the Coalition to Improve Maternity Services.
Suzanne is a powerful international speaker-teacher and frequently invited to give keynote talks. In 2003 she was urged by professionals and parents to start the nonprofit Birthing The Future(R), which she still directs (see BirthingTheFuture.org), where she also coordinates The Time Is Now project, a global grassroots campaign to transform Birth and the “Primal Period”.
Nancy Wainer is a Certified Professional Midwife who coined the word VBAC which is now used internationally and wrote the first book on the subject. She co-founded the first cesarean awareness organization in the world and was instrumental in the formation of the Cesarean Prevention Movement. She is an advisor to many birth organizations. She was selected in 2011 as MOTHERING Magazine’s ” Living Treasure” and her work was selected to be archived at the Schlesinger Womens’ Health History Library at Harvard University. She is currently writing her third book, entitled ” Birthquake: A Childbirth Book for Strong Women and Women Who Want To Be Strong”; her first book won The Best Book in the Field of Health and Medicine award by the American Library Association the year it was written and was written up as the “Bible of Cesarean Prevention” on the first page of the Wall Street Journal. Nancy was the first midwife in the United States to become certified to teach HypnoBirthing. She teaches childbirth classes and is a preceptor for student midwives. She has been privileged to witness/attend somewhere-in-the-vicinity-of 1600 births since the beginning of her training. She leads numerous workshops and seminars including ” Creating A Positive Birth Experience”, “Healing Your Birth Tears: Grieving and Healing After A Disappointing, Upsetting or Traumatic Birth” and “Teaching More Effective Childbirth Classes.” She has a blog attached to her website: http://www.birthdaymidwifery.com She has recently been filmed for a documentary about her entitled, “Nancy Wainer, Live!” http://www.birthdaymidwifery.com
Barbara Harper, a former obstetric and neonatal nurse, is a midwife, doula and childbirth educator. An internationally recognized expert on waterbirth and childbirth reform, she teaches and consults within hospitals, universities and community groups worldwide. She was recognized in 2002 by Lamaze International for her contributions to promoting normal birth on an international level. She is the author of Gentle Birth Choices book and DVD and producer of Birth Into Being: The Russian Waterbirth Experience. Barbara is working on two new books, Secrets of Successful Waterbirth, and Embracing the Miracle: How Pregnancy, Birth and the First Hour Influence Human Potential. Barbara has dedicated her life to helping heal the way we welcome babies into the world and to help parents and providers understand the benefits of warm water immersion during labour. The mother of three adult children (two youngest sons born at home in water), she lives in Ft. Lauderdale, Florida where she is active in her community as a volunteer, a midwifery and doula mentor and teacher.
http://www.waterbirth.org andhttp://www.gentlebirthguardians.com
Sarah is a GP/family physician mother of four homeborn children and currently a full-time writer on pregnancy, birth and parenting.
Sarah’s articles have been published all over the world, including in Mothering magazine (US), MIDIRS Midwifery Digest (UK), Wellbeing magazine (Australia) and The Compleat Mother (Canada), and she is author of the bestselling book Gentle Birth, Gentle Mothering, with a new edition published in 2009.
Sarah’s work critiques current practices in pregnancy, birth and parenting from the widest possible perspectives, including scientific, evolutionary, psychological and personal.
Sarah has a special interest in the hormones of labor and birth, and her 2002 article “Ecstatic Birth: Nature’s Hormonal Blueprint for Labor”, based on scientific evidence for the superb design of our female bodies in labor and birth, was one of the most popular-ever in Mothering magazine. She has continued to research and share this topic with parents and professionals worldwide.
Sarah encourages us all to be well informed, to listen to our hearts and instincts, and to take our rightful place as the real experts in our bodies, our babies and our families. She lives in Brisbane, Australia. http://www.sarahjbuckley.com
Dr. Ira Crawford graduated from Western States Chiropractic College in Portland, OR in 1998 with highest honors. He has been happily married for 18 years and has four wonderful children.
Dr. Crawford has special training in Natural Alternative Medicines such as herbs and vitamin/mineral nutrition. He is certified in Acupuncture after an additional year of training. Ira has also received training in muscle work techniques such as Nimmo trigger point therapy and in muscle release techniques.
Dr Ira Crawford believes that taking care of spine is one part of one’s overall well being and that it is important to work as a team with the patient to be proactive in improving their health. Ira incorporates stretches and strengthening activities as part of his treatment plans and loves to see progress made.
Kristin Hodson is Founder and Executive Director of The Healing Group. She practices as a Licensed Clinical Social Worker and a co-author of the newly published book Real Intimacy: A Couples Guide for Genuine, Healthy Sexuality. She is passionate about helping women find their authentic self by working through areas where they feel stuck. She believes in empowering women to own and take charge of their growth and healing. She does this by working beside them in a collaborative and professional way offering reflective insight, experience and expertise. Clients often say they feel supported and safe to express and explore thoughts, emotions and vulnerabilities — bringing about new understanding, fulfilling changes and personal joy. She is a mother and wife and lives life passionately out loud.
Board Members
Jennetta Billhimer is the Founding Director of the Association for Wise Childbearing, an Association for Wise Childbearing Childbirth mentor and has been a birth doula for many years certified with Dona International.
She is the author of Wise Childbearing, What You’ll Want to Know as You Make Your Birth Choices. Jennetta Billhimer is a Personal Mentor and a speaker and writer on a variety of subjects involving childbirth, family development, and living a joyful and successful life challenges and all. She and her husband are graduates of Brigham Young University and are the parents of six children.
As the grateful mother of eight children, Mylie has worked as an Association for Wise Childbirth Certified Childbirth Educator and doula between having children and home educating over the past decade or so. She has a passion for educating women about the choices they have in giving birth and parenting. She loves being the wife of her wonderful husband. She has had many different kinds of birth experiences and recently gave birth to twins at a birthing suite.
Other Advisors
James B Moore is the Founder of Websites That Inspire.com. He has been helping entrepreneur and authors with setting up their web sites with WordPress for 6 yrs. He enjoys looking at life and website creation from all angles. He really enjoys helping others share their messages of light and hope on the web.
