Dorinda Dove MS, CNM

With more than forty years experience working as a nurse and a midwife in hospital and birthing center environments, Dorinda’s gentle and thoughtful manner inspires confidence in birthing families. As OB/Gyn faculty, she taught at Baylor College of Medicine. She graduated summa cum laude with a BSN from the University of Delaware and was awarded a MS in Nurse Midwifery at SUNY Stonybrook.

As part of her graduate work, Dorinda published the results of a research study on the efficacy of using Evening Primrose Oil during pregnancy. Dorinda also worked with the Peace Corps helping to implement and evaluate the oral rehydration program for children in Malawi, Africa. She joined The Birth Center in 1995. Dorinda is one of the co-owners/co-directors, and is still very much working even though she has retired from catching babies.

Dorinda says, “I love sharing the joy and excitement of an expectant family and feel it’s a privilege to be a part of their experience here.”

Kathleen McCarthy MSN, CNM

Kathleen has been practicing as a nurse midwife for over fourteen years. She received her Masters degree in nurse midwifery at University of Pennsylvania. Kathleen is one of the co-owners/co-directors, but has retired from catching babies. Currently, Kathleen’s focus is on holistic women’s healthcare, women’s health education, holistic menopause, childbirth education and empowerment workshops.

Kathleen says, “Practicing as a nurse midwife is one of the most rewarding journeys I have ever taken. It has brought me from hospital birth to my beloved home at The Birth Center. I have learned much from my experiences with women and families. Most important; it has taught me that we all have the right to make well informed educated choices and that all women are powerful beyond measure and have an innate ability to know what is best for them.”

Sarah-Grace Webster MSN, CNM, WHNP-BC

Sarah-Grace has loved caring for and helping women with their health and pregnancy since she was in high school. She graduated with her Bachelor’s in nursing from Messiah College, and worked as a nurse for 5 years. She first worked as an ICU nurse, than spent several years as a labor and delivery nurse in Lancaster, Pennsylvania. Sarah-Grace then went on to graduate from the University of Pennsylvania as a Certified Nurse Midwife and Women’s Health Nurse Practitioner. She loves to travel and has been to Guatemala, Belize, Haiti, Dominican Republic, Portugal and many different places across the United States. Sarah-Grace says, “The Birth Center feels like home to me and I am very excited to work here!”

Julia Paulus DNP, CNM

Julia came to Delaware to attend the University of Delaware and never left! She graduated with her Bachelor Degree in Nursing from the University of Delaware and then received her Master of Science in Nurse-Midwifery and her Doctorate of Nursing Practice from Frontier Nursing University.

Starting in middle school, Julia knew she wanted to care for women during labor and birth. That desire eventually morphed into a strong calling to midwifery. While at UD, she sought GYN care  at The Birth Center and instantly fell in love with the care that TBC provides. Julia and her husband have now welcomed three babies at The Birth Center! In her free time, she loves to spend time with her family, drink hot tea, and sew.

Julia is so excited to be a part of the The Birth Center family as a Certified Nurse Midwife and is passionate about family-centered care that focuses on empowering the birthing person to be an active participant in their health care decisions.

Dawn Moore, CNM

Allison Butler MSN, CNM  

Allison grew up in Maryland and has always been fascinated by the mystery and magic of bodies. In retrospect, everyone should have realized she might go into birthwork when, at five years old, she spent over 10 hours sitting with a laboring cow and helping to feed the newborn calf. After completing an undergraduate degree in journalism; political science; and women’s, gender, and sexuality studies she worked in reproductive justice and health advocacy. After starting work at a reproductive health clinic, she fell in love with direct care – specifically holistic, patient-centered, trauma-informed care, which to her, is the essence of midwifery. She attended Yale School of Nursing to obtain her MSN in their midwifery and women’s health nurse practitioner program as well as a concentration in Gender and Sexuality Health Justice. She has also worked as a facilitator for lifespan sexuality education and is a member of Nurses for Sexual and Reproductive Health. Outside of work, Allison enjoys baking, hiking, and snuggling with her dog, Bug. 

Laurel Miller MSN, CNM  

Laurel, a Delaware native, has been practicing as a midwife since 2010.  The large majority of her deliveries at Kent General Hospital with Dr. Nasareen Khan and Dedicated to Women.  Laurel’s first experience with birth actually started at the Birth Center during a rotation in nursing school at University of Delaware and then again as a midwife student with the University of Pennsylvania.  “My first birth I was a part of happened in the Blue Room.  It was a huge family affair with all the siblings, the baby’s aunt and cousin too”.  Laurel’s second daughter was born at the Birth Center with her husband and older daughter, 3 years old at the time, in attendance.  

“I feel like I am coming home.  I spent many years practicing midwifery in practices and hospitals that were managed by physicians.  What I have learned is that all women deserve good midwifery focused care.  It feels good to come to a place that values the holistic nature of care.  We are not just here to give good prenatal care or an unmedicated birth; we are here guiding women on a journey of good health.  I take the meaning of midwife, with women, literally.  When I am with them for a visit or in labor, my focus must be with them.  What are they saying, what is my exam telling me?  If I keep my focus on being with them, we can work together to find the best possible outcomes.  I am so excited to be here where I can be the midwife I always have been in a setting that shares my same values.”

Laurel enjoys time spent raising her daughters, tending to her garden, and crafting (mostly crochet and sewing). 

Beverly Santana, CNM  

Beverly, a Delaware native, comes to our group of Midwives with a wealth of labor and delivery knowledge and experience. She graduated from nursing school at Purdue University in 1992. After 23 years of working with pregnant people as a labor and delivery nurse, her desire to be more of an advocate for her laboring patients led her to the decision to return to the classroom for her advanced practice nursing degree. While continuing to work as a bedside Labor and Delivery nurse, she received her Bachelor of Science in Nursing from Wilmington University followed immediately by obtaining her Master’s in Nurse Midwifery from Frontier Nursing University in 2015. Although very rewarding, working as a Nurse Midwife in the hospital setting was much more medicalized than she had anticipated. Beverly came to The Birth Center in October 2022 on a per diem basis, and as of January 2023, she became a full-fledged member of our Midwifery team here at The Birth Center.

“I fell in love with the birthing process during my initial experience with birth. That was during the labor and delivery of my first child in 1988. It was such an empowering experience. I give credit to my wonderful family for helping me to achieve my life-long career goal of providing women’s health care, prenatal care, and assisting many individuals with giving birth and creating their own families since 2015.”

Karen West MSN, CNM