Melissa Denmark, Licensed Midwife

It was while studying medical anthropology that Melissa discovered midwifery and, as a result, wrote her master’s thesis on the historical development of direct-entry midwifery in Florida. This work later became published in Robbie Davis-Floyd’s book Mainstreaming Midwives: The Politics of Change (2006).

Chasing her dreams, Melissa and her husband relocated to Washington, where she attended Seattle Midwifery School. During her midwifery studies she had her first child (Gabrielle) and conceived her second (Alden), both born at home. These births solidified her passion for out-of-hospital midwifery care.

Melissa has been an instructor at Seattle Midwifery School (now the Bastyr University Department of Midwifery) since 2006 and served for three years as secretary on the Midwives’ Association of Washington State Board of Directors. She is active in the Snohomish community and enjoys gardening, horseback riding, hiking, and creating stained glass windows.

Melissa Hughes, Licensed Midwife

Melissa became quickly amazed and intrigued with midwifery care following the home birth of her nephew. In the year that followed, she explored childbirth options and also chose to give birth out-of-hospital with a midwife. In doing so, she discovered that choices in pregnancy, birth and infant care have profound impacts on our lives and well-being; and that our experiences in birth, giving birth and being born, play an important role in how we relate to ourselves and the world around us.

The care that Melissa provides as a midwife is guided by her understanding that pregnancy and birth can be a time of great joy and challenge. Her hope is to create an environment of care where mothers and families feel supported and empowered.

Melissa attended Seattle Midwifery School, and stands on the shoulders of many great midwives who facilitated her training. She currently serves on the Midwifery Association of Washington State Board of Directors.

Her personal interests include gardening, cooking, art and above all spending time with her family.

Birth Assistants :

Megan  |  Stephanie  |  Mary