Sawyer Hill Birth: About Ellen

Hi! I'm Ellen Seebacher. I've been teaching natural childbirth in Massachusetts since 2001, when I was pregnant with my second baby.

I've had two very different full-term births: My first child was born in 1998 with a CNM in a hospital, the second in 2002 with a CNM at a birth center. (The third baby, and possibly the fourth, would have been born at home -- but I miscarried both.)

The first labor was average-length, complicated and intense, but pain-free; it involved four hours of pushing and a difficult aftermath. The second (following weeks of prodromal contractions) was lightning-fast and moderately painful; I pushed for nine minutes, and took my baby home a few hours later. Each child was breastfed through toddlerhood and self-weaned.

In addition to being a childbirth educator, I'm an active resident of a cohousing ecovillage; a reader, singer, and gourmet cook; and a professional editor and writer. I have a degree from the University of Chicago (in behavioral sciences / psychology) and a host of certifications (including Red Cross Community Disaster Education, Adult/Child/Infant CPR, and Neonatal Resuscitation).

In 2009 I enrolled in the Mass Midwives Alliance's yearlong course in basic midwifery — the academic portion of the process for becoming a Certified Professional Midwife, though I was busy raising (and for a while, homeschooling) my kids and never completed an apprenticeship. A doula workshop was part of that program, so I've also been trained as a labor assistant by ToLABOR.

Originally trained by the AAHCC ("The Bradley Method"), I was first certified as a childbirth educator in 2002; in 2010 I left the AAHCC and retrained with the Childbirth and Postpartum Professional Association (CAPPA).

Now I am proud to be associated with the wonderful national childbirth educators' cooperative Informed Beginnings. As an experienced course developer, I've done extensive curriculum development and training for InfoBe, and I serve as a member of its board.

I'm happy to be in a field where I can work closely with fellow teachers, other birth workers, and all kinds of families!