About Us and Our Home Birth Philosophy

Catherine Bailey, CPM, LDM (she, her, hers)
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Catherine graduated from Birthingway College of Midwifery in Portland, Oregon in 2013 with a Bachelors of Science in Midwifery (BSM) and has been a Certified Professional Midwife (CPM) since 2013.  She has been a Licensed Direct-Entry Midwife (LDM) in the state of Oregon since January, 2014.  Catherine was the Secretary of the Oregon Midwifery Council from 2014 - 2016. 

She was born and raised in Dallas, Texas and moved to New York after high school where she received a BA in Liberal Arts with concentrations in Studio Art and Child Development from Sarah Lawrence College.   When she was living in Austin, Texas and working in education, Catherine was first exposed to midwifery and began attending births in 2008.

Catherine moved to Portland in 2009 to attend Birthingway and has found a wonderful community here.  She had the pleasure of apprenticing for two and a half years at a busy birth center in Portland from 2011 to 2013 where she had the opportunity to learn from many different midwives.  Since her apprenticeship Catherine has worked both in private practice attending home births and as a midwife at a birth center.  She has attended just over 170 births.  Catherine can’t imagine any career that is more suited to her skills than midwifery and is so grateful to have found this rich, inspiring, and powerful work.

Catherine was born via cesarean section to a mother who was never told that having a VBAC (vaginal birth after cesarean) was an option for her.  She is particularly passionate about supporting clients through VBACs and ensuring that all people have choices in the way that they have their babies. 

Catherine enjoys the sunshine, anything outdoors, knitting, hiking, gardening, and spending time with her family, friends, and 12 year old son.  

Sarah's photo taken by: Sommessa Photography
Sarah Dinger, Student Midwife (she, her, hers)

Sarah Dinger is a student midwife attending Birthingway College of Midwifery.  She is a doula and has three homeschooled children, two of whom were born at home. Her background is in art and design, but she finally found her calling in working with pregnant people, families, and babies. She has a passion for evidence-based care, connection, and for supporting clients' agency as they navigate health care choices. Sarah wants everyone she works with to feel held and supported as they apply their own values to their journey into birth and parenting. She also loves to offer help with breastfeeding. She is grateful for the opportunity to learn from the midwives at Unfurling Birth, and she also apprentices with a rural practice in Canby, OR. When she has time, she enjoys bicycling, making pottery, being with her dog and cats, and using herbs to make medicine. 

​Philosophy of care/homebirth:

At Unfurling Birth and Midwifery, we offer personal, individualized care for all fertility, pregnancy, childbirth, and postpartum needs.  We believe that birth is a natural, physiological process.  At births, we are present to think quickly when changes need to be made to protect the well-being of the birthing parent and/or baby, but most of the time we are simply quiet witnesses to the physiological process of birth.  We believe that people hold great intuitive knowledge about their bodies and well-being and we respect and support the clients' role in their care.  Informed choice is a key aspect of our midwifery care in which we offer information and support so that you can make your own health care decisions for you and your baby.  We enjoy working with families of all types and structures, and from all cultures and faiths.  We strive for authenticity and integrity in our midwifery practice and are committed to using open, honest, and compassionate communication.  We believe that all families deserve quality midwifery care and the option to have a home birth with a midwife as a safe alternative to hospital birth, and we are honored to be a part of their journeys. 

Maura Jansen, CPM, LDM (she, her, hers)

Like so many Portlanders, Maura moved to Portland seeking something new.  Maura followed a calling to become a midwife and moved here in 2008 to start her journey at Birthingway College of Midwifery.  As is so common in life, this path involved many twists and turns, comings and goings.  Love was found, school was finished, a baby was born.  The life changing adventure of parenting began.  Maura took some time off to be a mom before finding her way back to midwifery. 

More than anything else, becoming a parent has strengthened Maura's belief that parents need compassionate midwifery care through this process of creating and growing a family.  Maura is a passionate advocate for clients being able to make the choices they know are best for themselves and their families. 

Before becoming a midwife, Maura spent 8 years as a Montessori teacher in a lower elementary classroom in Chicago.  She has worked with children in a variety of settings for 20 years.  She is a committed ally to children, honoring their wisdom, feelings, joy, and their ability and need to play!
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Parenting, with its many challenges, has called Maura to also become an ally for parents.  She believes they need the support of other parents and to try to provide that for herself and others, Maura leads a parent support group and teaches a Connected Parenting class. 

Maura believes that having empowering, compassionate care during pregnancy sets clients and families on solid footing to begin their parenting journey.  Maura is honored to be a part of Unfurling Birth!