My Credentials

I am a Certified Professional Midwife (CPM)
I am a California licensed Midwife
I have been licensed as a Midwife since 1984 and supervised well over 950 births
I am a internationally board certified lactation consultant IBCLC
I am a registered Ortho-Bionomy practioner and moving towards an advanced practioner
Bachelor of Arts in studio arts with a concentration in Art Therapy 
500 hours of training in Homeopathy

Experience

I have been a practicing Midwife since 1985. I have attended and supervised over 950 births as primary midwife.

I am a mother of two sons who were also born at home. My first born son, Gabriel was born in Pecos, New Mexico and my youngest son, Blas, was born in Amsterdam, Holland. Both of their births were attended by traditional Midwives.

Recognition

Best of the East Bay 2011 (Category of Health) Winner as Chosen by Parents' Press Readers

"Best Doula/Midwife
Winner: Leopi N. Sanderson-Edmunds, L.M., El Cerrito
Moms-to-be rely on Leopi Sanderson-Edmunds to guide them through one of their most important life experiences — giving birth. A practicing midwife since 1985, she has attended and supervised more than 900 births. Incorporating Ortho-Bionomy, a gentle type of bodywork in her practice that helps with pain/stress, Sanderson-Edmunds ensures that new moms who choose to give birth either at home or in a hospital have the best possible experience.  El Cerrito, (510) 717-5060,www.sanctuaryleopi.com"

Training

1984
Received training in 1-year intensive program at the Maternity Center, a midwifery-based Birth Center in El Paso, Texas, which consisted of 3 Midwifery birth centers along the border of El Paso and Juarez.

1991 - 1993
Received 500 hours of Homeopathy training with Robin Murphy.
I specialize in homeopathy and acute remedies for pregnancy and children.

1992 - 1997
BA in Art Therapy at the College of Santa Fe, College of Liberal Arts and Sciences.

2007 - 2010
New Mexico Academy of Healing Arts, I completed an 18 month program (500 hours) in Ortho-Bionomy, the Homeopathy of Body work and form of body-work rooted from Osteopathy. This work includes Cranial sacral and Somatic body healing. 80 hours of beginning modules in Somatic Trauma Healing with Peter Levine and the Foundation for Human Enrichment and Basic Somatic Trauma First Aid.

2009
Became a Lactation educator and am certified as an international board certified lactation consultant (IBCLC)

2009
Infant Cranial Sacral techniques with Carol Gray. 32 hours.

My Story

As a child, I was given a wonderful gift by my parents - the gift of movement.  My mother, a modern ballet dancer and my father, a champion diver and gymnast. 

This is my father preparing for a diving competition.

 

Michelle Williams

Michelle Williams, birth assistant and birth doula, began her career in Women’s Health in 1997 as a health educator for the Women’s Needs Center in San Francisco, followed by 3 years as a community health worker for the Berkeley Free Clinic. She trained as a birth doula with DONA in 2004. For the last ten years, she has worked in maternal health in California, Africa and Latin America. She is a Lamaze-Certified Childbirth Educator (LCCE), and DONA-trained birth doula, certified in Infant CPR and resuscitation, and is currently working towards her master’s degree in Development with a focus on women’s health. She is on the board of Birthways in Berkeley and the Great Hope Youth Centre in Nairobi, Kenya. She and her husband, Sandy, are collaborating on the launch of a website for pregnant women and their birth partners. They are based in Berkeley, CA, where they live with their two children, Mara and Seamus.

mamadoulamichelle.com