Who is Elyse Veach, CNM and what are her qualifications?
Caring for women and babies since 1976
Masters in Nurse Midwifery from Emory University in 1984
BSN from Xavier University
Completed Post masters Family nurse practitioner at MSU (5/2008)
Midwifery Service Director for 12 years
Delivered more than 1800 babies
Clinical preceptor for the University of Michigan
Elected to the ACNM Fellowship May 2006

What outcomes have distinguished her high quality of care?
100% hospital-based births
Primary C-section rate of 5%

More about my philosophy and me
In my 30 years of health of working in women's health care, I have come to learn that my work as a nurse midwife has taught me my greatest lessons about life.

When I started working as a nurse, caring for the tiniest premature babies I knew that the health of moms and babies was where I wanted to be.

8 years later, I chose to become a midwife for the simple reason that delivering babies would be great fun. Over the; years, I came to learn much through being with so many women giving birth, giving birth to my own 3 children with its trials and tribulations and just living life as a wife, mother, friend, sister and midwife.

What I came to understand is that the experience of giving birth is a wonderful metaphor for life. When we give birth we come face to face with certain life mysteries. Our bodies act as channels for a baby to pass through and in that event we experience that moment of giving birth.

To do that requires us to be open up to the moment, stop editing ourselves let go of what our minds tell us and trust our hearts, body and soul to do what it is meant to do. This is a wonderful gift that women have the opportunity to experience. The chance to do a difficult task in a safe place.

How we do that whole experience is personal and different for everyone. We all come to life with different plans, dreams and hopes, But whether we are giving birth, transitioning through menopause, struggling with our lives as parents, or running a marathon ... there comes a time when our bodies, heart and mind give into the situation and things begin to happen. We tap into our inner strength, we learn to trust ourselves and have confidence in our abilities. It is called learning and growing. It is our questions about life and living that sustain us probably more than the answers. It can be painful and joyous, all at the same time.

One of my calls as a midwife is to mentor women through some of those life experiences. It is my belief that my presence as a mentor in your health journey, doesn't do your job of healing, or giving birth, but acts as a guide, coach or catalyst in the equation. Just like giving birth... the midwife is "with " you supporting and nurturing, you in the work of childbirth, but when it is all done... who delivered the baby... YOU.

That experience gives you the strength to be moms, wives, lovers... women.