midwives

As midwives we are blessed to witness many powerful, intimate and beautiful moments. We hear women talk to their babies with tenderness and fierce love in the depths of labor. We see women instinctively move their bodies to help their babies descend. We are present for tender acts of love and courage between couples when labor is long. We deliver babies in birth tubs and family beds, respecting what feels most natural and safe, and guide women and their partners in catching their own babies if that is their vision. We cherish the incredible moment when a baby takes their first breath in his or her mother’s arms.

Meet Our Midwives

Head of Midwifery

Barbara Belcore-Walkden, CD, CPM, LM
Barbara is a Certified Professional Midwife (CPM) and is a licensed midwife in the state of Wisconsin. She has been attending births professionally since 2006. Her related education includes professional doula training (ALACE & Midwest Maternal Child Institute) and a MEAC (Midwifery Education Accreditation Council) accredited degree from the National College of Midwifery.

Barbara's philosophy rests on her belief that childbirth is a natural process. She has a desire to build a community of strong, healthy families one birth at a time. She is committed to listening, encouraging, educating, and respecting each growing family as she builds relationships with them.

Barb has attended births in diverse settings including hospital, birth center, and at home. Her midwifery care has been shaped and influenced by exposure to a variety of different disciplines; learning from certified professional midwives, traditional midwives, nurse midwives, family practice doctors, pediatricians, obstetricians, naturopaths, chiropractors, acupuncturists, massage therapists, herbalists and others. She has lived in Illinois since 2000 and has enjoyed serving women and families in childbirth since 2010. She has two children of her own, the youngest born at home with midwives. The majority of births she has attended have been out-of-hospital.

Midwives

Julie Banas, CD, CPM
Julie is a certified doula, birth assistant, and certified professional midwife. Julie has attended births at home, in a hospital, and birth centers all across the U.S. She has been attending births since 2009 with the majority of them out of hospital.

Julie graduated from the University of Alaska and received her Bachelors in Business Management. She has taught various courses teaching birth workers essential birth and business skills.

She has five children of her own, pregnant with her 6th, and has birth experiences in a hospital, birth center, and homebirth.

Student Midwives

Jessie Vargas, CD, CPD, CPM Student Primary

Jessie is a trauma informed Certified Birth, Postpartum, and Bereavement Doula, Certified Newborn Care Specialist, Lactation Educator, and Placenta Specialist who has been attending births in all settings since 2015. She is currently working towards her CPM through the North American Registry of Midwives PEP process and taking classes at the National College of Midwifery. She is excited to be on this journey to help families birth with full autonomy, safely and peacefully at home.

Jessie is the mother of three little ones who were all born at home with midwives and fully believes in the natural physiological process of birth.

Lillian Kamaleson, Doula, CPM Student Primary

Lillian is a birth and postpartum doula, as well as student midwife working towards her CPM license through the National Midwifery Institute. She is passionate about offering just care and support to birthing people and their families. Her training and work experience is trauma-informed, and her goal is to make you feel safe, supported, empowered, and cared for.

When she is not doing community birth work, she enjoys spending time outside, connecting with family and friends, reading, and working on creative projects. She is so excited to meet you and be able to support you on your birth journey!

Paris Morris, CD, CNA, CPM Student Primary

Paris is a Doula, Placenta Specialist, and Student Midwife who has been attending births in since 2018. Her journey to midwifery started with a midwife assisted hospital delivery with her second, and a homebirth with her third! Paris joined the Maitri Midwifery team as a student midwife after her maternity leave in 2020 - she is now finished with school and studying to take the NARM exam to become a Certified Professional Midwife. She is so excited to help families exercise the birth plans they desire and normalize Home Birth.
Paris is also extremely honored to sit on a board seat of ICCPM (Illinois Council of Certified Professional Midwives) and advocate for CPM rights in IL.

Sister Tayla, CD, CPM Primary Student

Tayla is a seasoned birth worker and homebirth advocate. She has been working as a certified doula and birth assistant for the last several years while in school working towards her Professional Midwife Certificate. While not at births and advocating for black rights, Tayla enjoys spending time with her family and young kids.

Amy Luebke, BA, CD
Amy has been a dedicated certified practitioner of sacred, traditional, radical & holistic care since 2019. She has been practicing in her own life with her husband, 3 children and all of our animals on their homestead and in our community of Woodstock IL and McHenry County since 2016. Amy loves empowering people to understand their bodies and educating them on being safe and comfortable in pregnancy, labor, and life.

She is an empath, who can feel & heal energy. She is very intuitive spiritually and considers herself to very connected to the other side. She makes and creates a ton of different things from canned goods to personal care products right from her gardens.

Andrea Vaughn CD, CPD, CPM Student Assist

As a birth worker, Andrea has experienced various birth and postpartum scenarios, including medicated and unmedicated births in various locations and managing medically complex care. Andrea understands that every birth is unique and deserves support. Furthermore, she supports all families, regardless of age, race, gender, or family structure. Andrea is enrolled in the Commonsense School of Midwifery program, studying to become a Licensed Midwife (LM)/Certified Professional Midwife (CPM). This comprehensive program will equip her with the skills and knowledge necessary to provide safe and compassionate clinical care to pregnant individuals and support them through labor, delivery, and postpartum as midwives. Andrea is excited to continue her education and pursue her passion for helping families bring their little ones into the world.