Update as of February 18, 2023: This year marks 13 years for Riverside Midwifery! Nearly 1000 families have been provided with respectful and evidence-based homebirth midwifery care in that time. Riverside Midwifery is unique in that we managed to practice in a team model that has waxed and waned with each midwife’s seasons of life while still providing stability and reliability for our families. Due to the retirement of Nannette Jenkins CNM, another transition is coming and we want to let our community know that we are calmly preparing to close Riverside Midwifery as a group practice and move to an individual but collective model of midwifery practice.
Our practice will continue as usual until our last September 2023 family has delivered and received their postpartum care. Grace Mueller CPM, Heather Rice CNM, and Nikki Williams CPM will be transitioning to solo, yet mutually supportive, practices to allow the midwives to be more present for their families while also extending their support for the community. Beginning with October 2023 due dates, homebirth clients will be directed to the individual practices of each midwife via RiversideMidwifery.com’s homepage and when calling Riverside’s office.
Jen Sincevich, the office manager, birth assistant, doula, childbirth educator, and birthworker extraordinaire who has managed to keep this group of midwives organized and smoothly functioning for the past 7 years, will retain the Riverside Midwifery office space and open her business, Elevate Birth. Elevate Birth aims to carry forward the client-centered, evidence-based midwifery care that Riverside has always represented and create a central touchpoint for the larger homebirth community; a place to connect with other families who are on a similar journey.
It feels bittersweet but we are also excited for the next chapter of this sometimes difficult yet beautiful story that is unfolding. We look forward to continuing to provide excellent homebirth midwifery care in our Maryland, Virginia, West Virginia, and Pennsylvania area. Thank you for your support
Nannette Jenkins CNM
Retired as of 2023.
Nannette founded Riverside Midwifery in 2010. She lives in Buckeystown, MD, with her husband and four beautiful children. She enjoys a busy life homeschooling her children, filling administrative and midwifery roles at Riverside, and serving Jesus and her community.
Nannette’s educational background includes being homeschooled K-12, finishing at the age of 16. She then attended Shepherd University in Shepherdstown, WV, for her Bachelor’s of Science in Nursing graduating in 2004. She began her graduate nursing studies in 2007, and earned her Master’s of Science in Nurse-Midwifery in 2010 from Shenandoah University in Winchester, VA.
Nannette’s course of training at Shenandoah included several phases. She served local county health departments for women in need of screening, education, family planning, and STD care. She spent 9 months in Lancaster, PA, working with an Amish midwife attending homebirths. She then finished with her midwifery training at Washington County Hospital in Hagerstown, MD, caring for pregnant women in the hospital setting. This foundation of varied experience, combined with her past nursing experience, gave Nannette a balanced attitude and strong skill set.
After graduating and sitting for the American Midwifery Certification Board exams in August of 2010, Nannette founded Riverside Midwifery in September of 2010 and attended her first solo homebirth in December 2010. Nannette welcomed her own first child in June, 2011, her second in April, 2013, her third in January, 2016, and her fourth in November 2018. Her first was born by non-emergency Cesarean for position problems after planning a homebirth, and her second was born by VBAC after a home to hospital transfer. Her first homebirth was with her third baby, born in water after a fast 2 hour labor. Her fourth baby was also born at home. Her experiences have given her a personal empathy and compassion for women who have births not quite to plan.
Nannette is a Christian and believes that God designed our bodies, and as such that we are perfectly capable of carrying and birthing our children under healthy circumstances. It is a natural, normal process that should be respected and protected. She believes her role as midwife is to guide and encourage the woman in having a healthy pregnancy and birth by supporting her body to do what it has the potential to. Her role is not to manage or manipulate birth, but rather to safe-guard normal and use her skills, training, and experience to help guide the process back to normal when necessary or to help make the decision that next-level care is required. Nannette is grateful and awed to be able to witness the Creator’s design unfold so many times in labor and birth, respected and supported in the sacred space of the woman’s own home. She believes life begins at conception, and is honored to be given the role of walking with that life from start to birth, and beyond. It is a privilege to see a mother and child come into being.
Nannette continues her midwifery training and skills development with annual workshops, peer review, and professional development. She has attended the Advanced Midwifery Workshop at the Farm in Summertown, TN, meeting Ina May Gaskin and Pamela Hunt. She has attended multiple national conferences from American College of Nurse Midwives (ACNM), and a Midwifery Today, and has also completed several certifications including Neonatal Resuscitation, the Birth Emergencies Skills Training (BEST), Advanced Life Support in Obstetrics (ALSO), and many more local and topic specific trainings and workshops. She has established and maintains vaginal breech skills with training from Ina May Gaskin at the Farm, with Dr. Frank at the International Breech Conference with in 2012, with Dr Hayes and Rixa Freeze Breech without Borders, in 2020, and many other workshop as well as attending breech births. She served for several years as the Treasurer of the WV ACNM Affiliate, and the Treasurer of the Midwives Alliance of WV. She was a founding member of the Association of Independent Midwives in Maryland(AIMM). She continues long-term membership in the Midwives Alliance of North America, and the American College of Nurse Midwives. She has been active politically in West Virginia and Maryland seeking the advancement of independent midwifery practice in both states.
Grace Mueller CPM
Homebirth.life
I started birth work in 2008 training as a doula through DONA. Being a doula taught me so many things; like what normal physiological birth looks like. It taught me that mothers labor the best when they are supported, and in the most comfortable place to them. Sometimes that is the hospital but the more births I attended the more I learned that home seemed to be the most ideal place for mom. In 2009 I had my first home birth to my 3rd child with a very caring homebirth midwife. It was also the first birth we hired a doula for. This birth not only changed my perspective of birth ,but also my husbands. When I said I wanted a homebirth he thought I was crazy. After the birth, he said, “I totally get why people need doulas and that seemed so much easier for you.”
In 2010 Nannette told me she was starting a homebirth practice and asked if I would be a birth assistant for her. I have been with Riverside ever since. I love working with these sister midwives. In 2015 Nannette and my husband both pushed me to pursue my dream of midwifery further. I trained through The National College of Midwifery earning an associates degree in Midwifery and sitting for the NARM exam in 2018. In 1998 I wrote a paper for school saying that one day I would deliver babies and 20 years later that dream became a reality.
My husband and I live in Harpers Ferry, WV. We are raising 5 amazingly talented and very different humans together. I am a Christian who has a great love for all of God’s creations. I am called to love, not judge. I am always in a transition of beliefs because I am a constant student of this world. I love being part of your story wherever you are on this journey.
I have a love of old things and their stories. I run an ebay store where I sell vintage items and jewelry. I also love learning the crafts that have been handed down through the generations. Mostly in the form of fiber arts. I knit, crochet, weave, spin and dye yarn. So in addition to my birth bags full of all of the necessities for birth. I usually have a project bag with me as well.
Nikki Williams CPM
Nikki took the long way to birth work – spending six years in the United States Air Force as an Arabic translator, then five years as a defense contractor in computer forensics. Then she chose to have her first and only baby with midwives, which changed her life. Nikki first trained as a DONA International Certified Doula and also practiced simultaneously as a professional birth photographer. Seven years, three countries, and four apprenticeships later she achieved the Certified Professional Midwife title. Nikki’s philosophy on midwifery is heavily influenced by the two years she spent apprenticing under the Yorkshire Storks Independent Midwifery Practice in England. Under their guidance, Nikki was able to witness traditional midwifery practiced with the birthing family’s individual needs and human rights as the only focus, without insurance, arbitrary laws or regulations affecting care decisions. Clients appreciate Nikki for her quiet and calm nature, her unflappable demeanor and encouraging attitude. Nikki loves knitting and crochet, eating, and binging television. She has a daughter, two cats, four chickens and a long-suffering husband.
Heather Rice CNM
Seedoflifehomebirth.com
For as long as I can remember I have had the desire to have a career in healthcare serving others. After doing some research for a project in middle school I set my sights on midwifery. I completed my undergraduate degree in nursing from Cedar Crest College. I spent a couple years working as a nurse in a couple different areas before returning back to school for midwifery. I graduated from Bethel University where I was able to gain experience caring for women in the hospital, at a birth center, and at home.
I have spent the last two years working in Lancaster, PA for a birth center caring for mostly the Amish and Mennonite community. Here I was given the opportunity to continue to gain experience in all three settings. In September 2021, at this very birth center, I delivered my very first child in the water surrounded by family and coworkers. My appreciation for the opportunity to provide births outside of the hospital only flourished after being able to experience this myself.
I became a midwife so that I could empower women to take on an active role in making decisions about their health and the care that they receive. I am passionate about educating women on the normalcy and safety of pregnancy and labor and it is my wish to be able to help them achieve the labor and birth that they desire. I believe in low-intervention childbirth and find that working outside of the hospital to be deeply rewarding.
Chris Bontrager CNM (retired as of 12/2022)
I am honored to be a part of the Riverside team, ensuring that women have options when it comes to their health care and birth setting. To me, the essence of midwifery is partnering with women, individualizing care and collaborating to promote health and wellness. I am awed by the capacity of women to create, birth, and nourish new humans, and am especially drawn to support women as they strive to care for themselves while navigating their life path. Another aspect of midwifery that is important to me is respecting babies as individuals during pregnancy and birth, providing gentle care as they transition into the air-breathing world. I value diversity, and am happy to care for women regardless of faith/beliefs, gender identity, sexual orientation, or ethnicity. I am also conversant in Spanish, and enjoy meeting families of various cultural backgrounds.
I had the privilege of growing up in a missionary family in East Africa (Tanzania and Kenya), returning to the US for college. After completing an undergraduate degree in nursing, I worked for several years as a public health nurse before entering the profession of midwifery. After graduating from the Frontier School of Midwifery and Family Nursing in 2001, I worked as a CNM in Colorado for four years, moving to Maryland in 2005. I have worked as a CNM at the Maternity Center, which was a free-standing birth center in Bethesda, and at Shady Grove
Adventist Hospital in Gaithersburg.
I joined Riverside Midwifery in 2015, after taking a break from midwifery for several years while my three children were born. My first daughter was born at home in the water at 42 weeks, an empowering and validating experience that cemented my love of home birth as an option for families. My second child, a son, was a planned home birth who was born at the hospital (Shady Grove) after we decided to transfer at 42.5 weeks for medical reasons. We had a lovely, unmedicated hospital birth, but the experience was challenging and gave me a lot of empathy for those who have to transferrin home to hospital. My third child, a daughter, was born at home in the water at 42 weeks, with Nannette and Shawna in attendance; this birth was a healing experience for me and I loved being able to have my first two kids present for the birth of their sister.
My husband, Mike, is a feline veterinarian at Frederick Cat Vet and is about to have his first children’s book published. Together we homeschool our kids, while pursuing various other interests. I enjoy gardening and developing our small homestead in Detour, MD, where I raise Shetland sheep, along with some ducks and chickens.
Shawna Dewitt CPM
(relocated to Colorado as of 2023)
Shawna is an interim midwife both locally and internationally and will occasionally be on call with the Riverside team.
“I began reading about birth and interning with birth professionals when I was 22. In the 19 years since that time I have worked with many talented birth professionals, become a Professional Birth Doula, Certified Postpartum Doula, and Certified Childbirth Educator through Aviva Institute and toLabor. I have worked as a birth assistant for local home birth midwives for 6 years. I have been a student at the National Midwifery Institute for the past three years and have worked as a student midwife at NOVA Natural Birth Center for two and a half years. I have attended over 300 births in my years as a birth professional. My children, an 8 year old girl and 6 year old boy were both born at home with a midwife. I am passionate about offering education, information, and support around the prenatal period, labor and birth, and the postpartum transition. It is a honor to be allowed to help guide and safe guard your authentic experience.”
Support Staff
Jen Sincevich, office manager and birth assistant
“Jen’s welcoming smile is likely the first you’ll see when you come to your appointments at Riverside. As Office Manager, she handles the administrative details like scheduling and payments, and generally helps the office run smoothly.
Jen’s path to birthwork has taken her backwards, in a way, moving from the grave to the cradle. She earned her M.A. in Thanatology (the study of death, dying, and bereavement) from Hood College in 2003. This led to volunteer work and ultimately a paid position as the Volunteer Coordinator for Hospice of Frederick County. Through Hospice work, Jen was granted the privilege of supporting and witnessing families as they cared for loved ones in their final days. A death at home, on one’s own terms and surrounded by those who love you most seemed like the most natural way to experience that final chapter of life.
Fast forward a few years to Jen’s first pregnancy in 2009. When her husband, who comes from a family of home-born babies, suggested she consider a homebirth it was a natural complement to Jen’s personal philosophy on death that birth could also happen at home, surrounded by a team of her choosing. She would go on to have three beautiful homebirths and three miscarriages under the compassionate care of midwives (five of those experiences with Riverside). Each event would help shape her approach to mothering and birthwork.
After that first homebirth experience, Jen fell in love with birth and especially the transformation inherent in parenthood. During her second pregnancy she joined the board of her local birth and parenting support group. She began practicing as a Birth Doula in 2013.
In May of 2016 Jen joined the Riverside Midwifery team as the Office Manager. Jen had been considering becoming a birth assistant since the birth of her third baby in 2018, and the pandemic of 2020 really nudged her in that direction. The increased interest in out of hospital birth meant that it would be beneficial to the Riverside team to have more trained hands at the ready. In early Spring of 2020 Jen completed her training and certification requirements and began supporting Riverside clients as a Birth Assistant, and it has really been a natural expansion of her role.
Snuggling newborns is an amazing perk of the job, but what Jen really loves about birthwork is the opportunity to support people as they grow into their new identities as parents. Every pregnancy is an expansion and transition for the birthing person and family. It is an honor to witness and encourage that growth.
In her downtime, Jen enjoys crocheting, reading, working festivals with Hennamorphosis, and belly dancing with Troupe Anam Cara. She often runs on Dunkin, but Dublin Roasters is her one true coffee-love. And whenever possible she loves to get away to the beach with her family.”
Additional birth assistants and support staff:
Sofia McCluskey