Meet Our Midwives
This is one amazing team.
At Minnesota Women’s Care, women have the option of having their birth attended by a midwife or an physician (MD). Some women choose to combine the two options by having a midwife oversee their prenatal care and a physician attend the delivery. The choice is yours.
Our entire team works closely, so your care is consistent from visit to visit. Our goal is to make sure that you have the best possible care throughout your pregnancy and delivery.
Our midwives are Certified Nurse Midwives, meaning they have completed additional study and are trained specifically to provide pregnancy care.
Or phone 651-600-3035
What our moms say:
Meet our Midwives
Heather DeJarnett
Certified Nurse Midwife
Heather has been a part of the delivery experience for many women in the Twin Cities first as a labor and delivery nurse and later as a midwife. We're so pleased she is now a part of our practice. She shares our passion for providing expert care to women during pregnancy and delivery. The enthusiasm she brings to her work is really inspiring. Her personal experience and her expertise as a nurse and certified nurse midwife makes her a great support to pregnant moms of all ages.
Julie Ann Vingers
Certified Nurse Midwife
Julie Ann comes to Minnesota Women's Care with a robust background in all facets of nursing and women's health including well-women gynecology, family planning, antepartum, and postpartum care. Many women know her through her years in both the Allina and HealthEast systems as well as her work as an instructor and professor.
Read more about Julie Ann here.
Rachel Gates
Certified Nurse Midwife
Rachel completed her first degree in Spanish studies and biology. She quickly returned to school and completed her Master's in nursing and earned her certification in nurse-midwifery. During her educational journey, she gained a ton of experience in many different aspects of women's healthcare.
Audrey Kopp
Certified Nurse Midwife
Audrey's background as a nurse and certified nurse-midwife has been completely focused on women's healthcare during pregnancy, delivery, and beyond. Audrey earned her degree as a Doctor of Nursing Practice Nurse-Midwifery from the U of M while serving as the Labor and Delivery Charge Nurse in the Hennepin Healthcare network. She says, "It is such an honor for me to help a woman and her family welcome a new life into the world. Each time I have this experience, my commitment to women's healthcare is reaffirmed."
Katie Ireland
Certified Nurse Midwife
Katie is new to Minnesota Women's Care, but she certainly is not new to the many women who met her at the Minnesota Birth Center. As a self-described "guide" and "facilitator" of the birth process, she feels honored to be allowed into her patients' birth stories.
Shelley Renee
Certified Nurse Midwife
After years working in Labor and Delivery in busy hospitals in the Twin Cities, Shelley completed her education and licensing to become a certified nurse midwife. We appreciated her great work as an RN and are delighted to have her on our team.
Shawn Johnson
Certified Nurse Midwife
Shawn has more than 20 years experience working with moms during pregnancy and birth. In addition, she is experienced providing primary care to women throughout their lives – conducting physical exams, diagnostics, treatment and follow-up for both OB and GYN clients.
Leah Schroeder
Certified Nurse Midwife
Leah earned her advanced degree in nurse-midwifery after years of working in busy hospitals as a labor and delivery nurse, charge nurse, and floor nurse. She has provided care to women throughout the lifespan including well-woman care, pregnancy, labor and delivery, postpartum, and infertility care.
Kristine K. Twite Lehnen
Certified Nurse Midwife & Nurse Practitioner
Kristine's background includes diverse roles and experiences as a nurse and nursing educator. She is a Certfied Nurse Practitioner with a Doctorate in Nursing Practice and a post-graduate certificate as Women's Health Nurse Practitioner. In addition, she is a Certified Nurse-midwife and Advanced Practice Registered Nurse. She is an International Board-Certified Lactation Consultant.
Read more about Kristine here.
More about Midwifery
What is a midwife?
The word ‘midwife’ means “with woman”. A midwife provides care that reflects her deep understanding of a woman’s needs and that of her newborn throughout the intricate process of pregnancy, labor, and birth. She also provides care and support through the days and weeks following birth with mothering and breastfeeding support. Our midwives are equipped to help guide and support women through many stages of life including pregnancy.
Midwives Model of Care: Woman-Centered
The Midwives Model of Care is based on the fact that pregnancy and birth are normal life processes. The Midwives Model of Care includes:
- Monitoring the physical, psychological, and social well-being of the mother throughout the childbearing cycle
- Providing the mother with individualized education, counseling, and prenatal care, continuous hands-on assistance during labor and delivery, and postpartum support
- Minimizing technological interventions
- Identifying and referring women who require obstetrical attention
The application of this woman-centered model of care has been proven to reduce the incidence of birth injury, trauma, and cesarean section.
A Healthy and Safe Delivery
Having the birth experience that you desire is of high importance to us. Having a healthy and safe delivery for you and your baby is of foremost importance. Our midwives' years of experience provides the ability also to identify abnormal conditions in a mother or baby which would indicate need of further care and consultation with our obstetrician (MD) when necessary.
Weekend Warrior Childbirth Prep Classes
Our own team of experienced midwives and labor and delivery nurses teach our birthing prep class. This is the perfect place to find out exactly what you can expect. Call us for details on the next session.