Hi! I'm Mary Lynn. Let me tell you a little about me.

First and foremost, I am a mother. 

Pregnancy and birth can be one of the most transformative experiences in a woman’s life. I know. Following the hospital births of my three children, with the last two being natural, physiologic births with the amazing midwife, Karen, my personal and professional world shifted to babies, mamas, and birth! 

Meeting the challenges in birth prepared me to walk into my new role as mother. 

The skills to get through labor are skills that Mothers hone throughout their children’s lives: listening, adapting, responding, expanding, evolving, surrendering, celebrating, loving. Even now with adult children who have left the nest, I am still learning self-care, patience, and embracing my imperfections. Thank you to my children for being such great teachers!

Motherhood: a sacred dance of giving, growing, and becoming!  

My own pregnancy, birth, and new role as mother led me to pursue a new passion: educating and caring for pregnant women and their families as a midwife.

Second, I am a trained midwife. 

As a midwife, I’ve practiced in two birth centers and in a hospital. While my midwifery training gave me a foundation in the clinical background in pregnancy and birth, it was my work in birth centers where I truly embraced the midwifery model of care: holistic, personalized, continuous care that sees birth as normal, informed consent as crucial, and the woman’s embodied wisdom as most important. Here I learned that the birth setting can make a difference for women, midwives, and women-led natural birth.

Midwife means “with woman” and, in this role, I have witnessed the transformative power of birth in my own and others again and again. Birth is a new life and a new beginning. 

I also have a graduate degree in theological studies. 

My lens into pregnancy and birth is a spiritual one. During my first pregnancy, I attended seminary in anticipation of becoming a minister. Quiet, meditative time with my baby connected me powerfully to the Creator. The sacred lessons that inspired me were an awareness of  the mystery of creation, the miracle of life itself, and realization of birth holding the power of life and death.  

Deep inside me, the voices that spoke were: Life is fragile and beautiful; new beginnings are moments of profound change, potential, and renewal; this journey of pregnancy, birth, and motherhood is a rich opportunity for spiritual awakening. 

After the birth of my daughter, instead of midwifing souls, I was drawn to midwifing babies! 

Motherhood, midwifery, and ministry are all paths of service. In this online space at Birth Wisdom Circle, I hope to serve women and their families through soulful online, educational offerings.