Meet The Team
Loretta Shupe
CPM, RN, BSN, LDEM
Loretta Shupe, owner and founder of My Family Birth Center, has spent her adult life caring for people. She knew that she wanted to become a midwife before high school. She entered the nursing field to help her gain those skills and has been a nurse for over 40 years. Loretta has worked in hospital settings in Labor & Delivery, Newborn Nursery, Postpartum and other specialties.
Loretta entered an apprenticeship to become a Certified Professional Midwife (CPM) in January of 2014. She worked with 17 different midwives and has participated in over 100 births. She received her certification in January, 2017.
Loretta and her husband, Jon raised a family in North Ogden. She has born seven children, all unmedicated. Three of these children were born at home under the care of a midwife. Spending time being a wife and mother has been a highlight of her life. Now she is poised to help others experience a natural, safe birth of their dreams. Loretta understands a woman’s desire to be in control of her birth.
She has found through study and personal experience that birthing in an out-of-hospital setting is a safe option and helps to protect the spiritual nature of childbearing.
Tara Mansius
CPM
Tara Mansius is a Utah native who has made her home in the beautiful Pacific Northwest for the past 18 years with her husband Brandon and 5 rambunctious sons. She graduated from Midwives College of Utah and became a Certified Professional Midwife in 2017. She was blessed to apprentice with a variety of wise and wonderful midwives at Andaluz Waterbirth Center.
Her introduction to birth (other than her own) began in 2006 when she started attending births as a birth photographer, then later as a doula. Tara is a yoga enthusiast, explorer and loves being in nature more than anything in the world. She has a deep love and respect for women and is grateful to be able to walk beside them through vulnerable and sacred life experiences. Her mission as a midwife is to empower women in discovering their own strength and inner wisdom.
Laura O'Bryan
CPM, LDEM
Laura is a licensed midwife in the state of Utah. She has a home birth practice in Murray, Utah and also attends births at My Family Birth Center in Ogden, Utah. Laura has been in the field of birth since 2007. Once Laura started supporting women and families during birth, she had found her special niche in life. First as a doula, then as a childbirth educator and finally licensed as a midwife in 2014.
Laura moved from Alaska to Utah in 2012 and has called Utah home ever since. Laura is a mother to four elementary aged children and homeschools them. She thoroughly enjoys working with families of all different backgrounds as they bring babies into the world. Her compassionate and encouraging nature lend strength and guidance to all she serves.
Kathleen Lofley
DNP, APRN, CNM, WHNP-BC
Kathleen, known as ‘Kat’ is a licensed doctor of nursing practice in women’s health and in nurse midwifery in the state of Utah. She has a great love for mamas in labor and enjoys helping them through those challenges to a complete delivery. She is passionate about women’s strengths and the power of birth. She is an avid supporter of water birth and women’s choices about their birth experience. She is an advocate for safe and natural childbirth.
Kat received her Bachelors of Science in Nursing from the University of Utah in 2010. She went on to receive her Doctorate in 2016 at the same university. Kat has been awarded the Employee Recognition of Quality at the George E. Wahlen Veterans Medical Center in 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013. She has been published with articles on Breech birth simulation training for midwifery students.
Kat provides family planning, prenatal, intrapartum, and postpartum care for women throughout the lifespan. She provides continuous labor support and management of mother and fetus in the birth center setting. She provides sexual infection and cancer screenings.
Kat is a proud wife and mother of two rambunctious children.
Micah Bingham
BSN, RN
Micah is passionate about helping women and families during the prenatal and birth process. She went to school for her bachelor in nursing at UNC-Greensboro. She is a Southern girl at heart. She was raised in North Carolina with the best of mountains and beaches. She moved to Salt Lake City to work on Labor and Delivery and to study in the midwifery program at the University of Utah.
She worked on the OB flight team at the University Hospital. Micah met her soul mate and lived the Army life. Her husband served as a helicopter mechanic and deep sea diver. They currently live in North Ogden. They have five children and enjoy camping, gardening, and sports.
Her desire and passion to help women in the birthing process stemmed from reading stories of midwives who would travel to homes in the country to help women during birth. She wants to help empower women to do what the body has naturally done for thousands of years.
Jessica Collins
Jessica Collins is passionate about caring for women and families throughout the adventure of pregnancy and birth. She has wanted to be a midwife since before high school, feeling that it is her calling in life. Jessica is certified as an Emergency Medical Respondent and has worked as both a Postpartum and Birth Doula to support mom throughout the Davis County area.
She is currently studying at the Midwifery College of Utah to become a Certified Professional Midwife (CPM) in the state of Utah. Jessica enjoys working as an apprentice midwife for My Family Birth Center, learning and supporting the mothers and the midwives.
Bethany Knighton
Midwife Apprentice
Bethany is a passionate advocate for natural childbirth, and for parents being able to write their own birth story. She is married to Karl and a mother to five awesome children. With her first two babies, she was induced and had an epidural. She started living a more holistic lifestyle and earned certifications as a family and nutritional herbalist.
Bethany had her next two babies with no medical intervention with an OB/GYN, but still felt something was missing. With her fifth baby, Bethany finally had a midwife and could not believe how different that birth was! She believes all families should have the wonderful experience she had, and hopes she can bring care and compassion to everyone she meets at My Family Birth Center.
Bethany considers herself a life-long learner. In her free time, she enjoys reading, gardening, hiking, going on dates with her husband, and playing with her kids.
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