The Midwives
Education
FRONTIER NURSING UNIVERSITY
Certified Nurse Midwife , 2006
SAMUEL MERRITT UNIVERSITY
Masters Degree in Nursing, 2001
SAMUEL MERRITT UNIVERSITY
Registered Nurse, 2000
UC SANTA CRUZ
Bachelors Degree in Psychology, 1996
Gwen Haynes, CNM
I began working with women and their families in 2001 as a Registered Nurse at Alta Bates Summit Medical Center. I worked as a labor and delivery nurse for 5 years before pursuing my dream to become a midwife. In 2006, I graduated from the Frontier Nursing University as a Certified Nurse Midwife (CNM). I immediately began working as a midwife for a local medical practice in Oakland. In this role, I cared for women in pregnancy and provided GYN care for a diverse population. I was also one of the “hospitalist” midwives at Alta Bates and worked in this capacity for 8 years. In 2008 I started my own family and gave birth to my daughter Avery and two years later, my son Lucian. Both of my children were born into the hands of midwives at Alta Bates. Through the birth of my own children and the quest to provide more choices for women and families for their own births, I decided to start a private practice midwifery service in 2014. As an Oakland native, I was eager to serve my community in this capacity. In 2016, Golden Oak was born! A wonderful partnership was shaped with Ellie Griffinger, CNM and our mission has been to bring peaceful, low intervention births into the hospital setting. We offer full scope midwifery care to women seeking an integrative and holistic approach to birth. We guarantee continuity of care, we build trusting relationships, and emphasis a model of care that is evidenced based and promotes wellness. We believe that the support created by a woman’s midwife and nurtured in partners, family, and the community, leads to births that are fulfilling and beautiful. And now, after caring for women for almost two decades, I celebrate catching over three thousand babies and look forward to providing outstanding care to many more East Bay families!
Education
UNIVERSITY OF PENNSYLVANIA
Certified Nurse Midwife, 2011
UNIVERSITY OF PENNSYLVANIA
Masters Degree in Nursing, 2011
UNIVERSITY OF PENNSYLVANIA
Bachelors Degree in Nursing, 2007
TRINITY COLLEGE, HARTFORD
Bachelors Degree in Art History, 2002
Ellie Griffinger, CNM
After receiving my undergraduate degree in art history major at a small liberal arts college, I attended a post-baccalaureate pre-medical program. I quickly learned that I wanted to treat the whole individual and family. Instead of solely making medical decisions on behalf of my clients, I wanted to foster them to make their own decisions by providing complete access to information. I left my medical school path and began working with midwives at UCSF. This experience crystallized for me that through the midwifery model of care, I could empower women through education, informed birth options, and build a trusting relationship. In between becoming a registered nurse (RN) and obtaining my Master’s degree (WHNP/CNM) at University of Pennsylvania, I worked with low income, teen moms. I saw what I had always believed to be true - if you nurture and empower the mother, there are many positive implications for the health of the child and effects on a mother’s life that go way beyond the birth experience. Being a midwife allows me to continue to do this everyday. In 2009, our first son was born at a birth center in Philadelphia. The experience was wonderful. The model of care and level of attention to education was invaluable. I left that experience not only as a new mother, but with a changed vision for my own midwifery career. I completed my education at the University of Pennsylvania in 2011 earning a BSN/MSN in Women’s Health and Midwifery. Upon graduation, we were expecting our second son and moving back to the Bay Area, the place I was raised. I was committed to finding great midwifery care in the East Bay for his birth, and I did. He was born into the hands of a midwife at Alta Bates that I knew and trusted. With his birth, so came the birth of my midwifery practice at Alta Bates. First in solo private practice, now in partnership with Gwen Haynes, CNM, my vision to treat the whole person has not wavered. The personalized care received at Golden Oak continues to empower, provide informed choices and build trusting relationships with all of our clients and their families. To bring everything full circle, my daughter was born in 2017 and is an official “Golden Baby” - delivered into our loving midwifery practice!