“Hi! I’m jennifer west, The Bowling Green Midwife.
I’m the mother of 5, VBAC activist, former doula, and current monitrice & Licensed Certified Professional Midwife. One thing that I am absolutely passionate about is providing increased birth choices to families in our area. I am thrilled to offer home birth and water birth services to families in Bowling Green and the surrounding areas.”
Jennifer West is the mother of 5 and a Licensed Certified Professional Midwife (CPM). She began her midwifery studies in 2017 at the Midwives College of Utah. Prior to that, she was a DONA trained doula, specializing in VBAC support, and a birth assistant. In 2012, Jennifer organized the Bowling Green, KY Chapter of ICAN, which she co-led for 3 years, working with local women to prevent unnecessary cesareans through education, providing support for cesarean recovery, and promoting Vaginal Births After Cesarean (VBAC). Currently, she is the administrator for a Facebook VBAC and Cesarean support group that serves the Bowling Green area. She has also served as a regional liaison for the Kentucky Home Birth Coalition, now the Kentucky Birth Coalition. Jennifer has been married to her husband, Adam, for over 20 years. Adam is a professor at WKU where he teaches Family Studies courses in the Department of Applied Human Sciences.
Jennifer also holds a Bachelor’s degree from The University of Texas and is licensed as a CPM in Kentucky through the Kentucky Board of Nursing and in Tennessee through the Council of Certified Professional Midwifery.
Jennifer's vastly different personal birth experiences bring her a wealth of knowledge and empathy during pregnancy and childbirth.
“My first birth was a Cesarean birth, followed by a medicated hospital VBAC (Vaginal Birth After Cesarean). My third child was born at a freestanding birth center, attended by a CNM (Certified Nurse Midwife). My last two babies were born at home (both water births) and attended by a CPM (Certified Professional Midwife).”
Current certifications
Neonatal Resuscitation (NRP) through the American Academy of Pediatrics
CPR BLS Certification through the American Heart Association
Continuing education & tRAINING
Spinning Babies two day workshop for birth professionals
Evidence Based Birth “PROM, GBS, and Common Newborn Procedures”
Birth Monopoly “The Legal Rights of Childbearing Families”
Luna Lactation and Wellness “Current Issues in Lactation-tongue and lip ties”
Dr. Jack Newman “Raising Awareness of Issues in Lactation”
Midwives College of Utah IV training, phlebotomy, breech birth, water birth, suturing, and fetal heart surveillance
Nashville Beautiful Midwifery Conference 2018 (VBAC & HBAC Support, Sacred Ground of Birth, Navigating Birth Scenarios, They Dynamics of Trauma: Considerations for Birth Professionals, Healing Births, and Pelvic Floor Matters)
Nashville Beautiful Midwifery Conference 2019 (Breech Skills, Preeclampsia Diagnosis & Management, Breastfeeding Support Skills, Reducing Cesareans for Labor Dystocia, and Midwifery Suturing)
Evidence Based Birth “Normalizing Home Birth Transfers”
BEST Birth Emergency Skills Training for Out of Hospital Birth
Beech Without Borders 2-day Vaginal Breech Workshop
TENS for Labor Using a TENS unit for comfort in labor
Steps for CPMs to be Part of the Solution to Inequities in Midwifery Care
Nutritional Management of Gestational Diabetes: A Lower Carb, Real Food Approach by Lily Nichols
Audited full series of classes for both Lamaze Childbirth Education and the Bradley Method of Natural Childbirth Education
“The midwife considers the miracle of childbirth as normal and leaves it alone unless there's trouble.”
-Sheila Stubbs
Bringing Home Birth Closer To Home
The Bowling Green Midwife brings prenatal care, birth, and postpartum care to Bowling Green and into your home, with visits in her home-office, located in Bowling Green, as well as some prenatal & postpartum care in your home.
