Meet the Midwife – Susan Scott Gill LM, CPM

Susan‘s interest in childbirth began in 1974.  While still in high school, she attended vocational night classes and became a Certified Nurse Aide.  She worked nights in hospital newborn nurseries, post-partum rooms, and labor and delivery.  When Susan became pregnant with her daughter in 1982, she realized she wanted a different experience than she had seen in the hospital and decided to have a natural birth using the Bradley Method.  Her two children, Tiffany and Matthew, were both born unmedicated in the hospital’s “Alternative Birth Center.” After taking time off to raise her family, she decided to return to her passion of attending births and became a doula and a childbirth educator.  She loved working with couples and strived to help them have their ideal births in a hospital setting, only to show up there and see their wishes disrespected and denied.  After attending a doula course at a Midwifery Today conference in 1997 and hearing about midwives and home births and how women could have uninterrupted, peaceful births, she immediately went home, and with the support of her family, began her journey to midwifery.  Susan needed to get trained, licensed and experienced so when her daughters and nieces were ready to have children, they COULD have the births of their dreams.

Susan completed her midwifery training which included attending The Hands on School for Midwifery and apprenticeship.  She was lucky to be able to apprentice with four experienced midwives and to participate in a midwifery externship program in Jamaica, West Indies.  When her education was finished, she completed the California Challenge Process through Seattle Midwifery School and in 2003 she received her LM (Licensed Midwife) credentials from The California Medical Board.    After becoming a licensed midwife with the State of California, Susan completed the NARM (North American Registry of Midwives) requirements for national certification (CPM). Since then, Susan Gill has been the primary midwife at over 500 births.

Susan is also passionate about training new midwives.  She is an approved preceptor for Nizhoni Institute of Midwifery and has helped numerous women become licensed midwives. Susan even has encouraged some to set up their practices within her office at Backs, Babies, and Bellies which she owns with Chiropractor Brittney Cicon.  Susan believes, “every woman deserves a midwife, and with homebirth on the rise, we need to train more midwives.”

When Susan is not attending births, she is enjoying her family (especially the three grandchildren she midwifed peacefully at home into her daughters’ arms.)  She enjoys travelling and scuba diving (with trips planned 9 months in advance, she jokes.)  Susan’s clients often comment on her humor and how she makes them feel at home during their one-hour prenatal appointments.

Please enjoy these photo montage videos from Susan’s daughter’s home water births

Testimonial