Meet TerriAnne Gutierrez

TerriAnne is a birth educator and doula - as well as Education Director for The Midwives Childbirth Services. 

She began working within the birthing world over 45 years ago as a traditional midwife. Over time she began to specialize more and more in birth education and doula services.  In her words:

"During the 1970s hospitals were not supportive of gentle births. A home birth was the only option if you wanted a chance to deliver un-medicated or be allowed to birth at your own pace and in a peaceful environment."

"It was rare to find a midwife or doctor to attend a family at home, and women wanting more control of how they would give birth were doing it alone, assisted only by their partners and friends."

"Sonoma County was lucky to have Traditional Midwife, Nan Kholer and husband OBGYN, Dr. Don Solomon.  They not only attended these women at home, but also trained other’s to become Traditional Midwives. I studied with them for years and attended many births."

In 1993 California began licensing Midwives, and people like TerriAnne began the long process of documenting the training and births they had attended in order to add the new credential. Ultimately TerriAnne found the new protocols to be too restricting and decided to make the shift to being a Doula and Birth Educator.   

TerriAnne has degrees in Early Childhood Development as well as Activism and Social Change from New College of California.  She is mother to 3 beautiful humans and grandmother to 10 grandchildren.