Amie Gieseke Amie is Clinic Manager at the Madison Birth Center. She has a wide range of responsibilities, including insurance contracting, personnel and medical billing oversight.
Amie gave birth to her first child in the birth tub in the Kitty Ernst Room at MBC with Anastasia as her midwife. her second son was born in the water at home with Mary assisting.
Amie loves greeting expectant moms and new babies as they arrive at the birth center, and has contact with almost everyone who comes through our front door.
Nichole Baumbach CNA Nichole
is a clinic and birth assistant who has been with
the Madison Birth Center since March of 2003. She
has been working with pregnant women and birth since
1998 as a doula, a homebirth midwife assistant, and
an apprentice midwife. In her free time she attends
classes at MATC and home studies midwifery. She also
helped work on and pass the legislation in 2006
allowing Certified Professional Midwives to practice
legally in Wisconsin. Nichole is a mom to three beautiful
children, the last two born in the water at home.
Arlinda Michael RN, BSN, IBCLC, CIMI Arlinda works part-time as a lactation consultant at MBC. She also teaches the Infant Massage and breastfeeding classes. She received her BA in Biology from Luther College in 1982, followed by a BS in Nursing from Marycrest College in 1988. She began her interest in healthy families as a Certified Infant Massage Instructor in 1988. For the last 20 years she has been guiding families in the use of touch and massage for babies and children. Arlinda's gentle apprach is appreciated by everyone who comes into contact with her.
Lauri Ysen RN, BSN Lauri received her bachelors degree in nursing in 1999
from the College of St. Scholastica in Duluth, Minnesota.
Soon after graduation she moved to Alaska, where she
lived for eight years. Her first few years in Alaska
were spent working in a rural hospital in labor and delivery.
The hospital serviced primarily Yup'ik Eskimos. Working
with Yup'ik women and seeing the amount of trust they
had in the normal process of birth - often despite
the feelings of the hospital staff - was a life changing
experience for Lauri. She knew then that she wanted to
continue to work with women and share in the transforming
experience of labor and birth.
In addition to labor and
delivery, she also spent time as a public health nurse
for the state of Alaska, and as a school nurse.
After
becoming pregnant with their first baby, Lauri and her husband,
Daniel, moved to Madison to be closer to family. Jack
was born at home in August of 2007. Lauri works part-time as a school nurse in Madison during the school year.
Alicia DeBarreno Alicia is studying midwifery (through the National College of Midwifery in Taos, NM) and has been observing and assisting with out of hospital births for about 18 months. She's has been a doula since 2005 working with Small Miracles, a local non-profit organization which provides doulas to women unable to pay. Alicia has been traveling and living in Guatemala off and on since 1991 and has worked with traditional Guatamalan midwives. Her varied experiences has strengthened Alicia’s resolve to educate others about the truths in birth and the human family as a whole.
Her desire to become involved with the birth community started in Santa Fe, New Mexico, where among some of the most amazing women, her eyes were opened to both home birth and doula work. Her son Mateo, was born in Santa Fe, into the hands of a wonderful family practice doctor who truly has the soul of a midwife. Alicia moved back to Wisconsin to be close to family and friends. The support of her family has made it possible for her to follow her dreams, first as a doula and now, along the path toward midwifery.
Merta Maaneb De Macedo
Merta is a nurse and an experienced lactation consultant (she's an IBCLC). Merta has had four babies, all born with the help of nurse-midwives. She has a Master's degree in Public Health (Maternal-Child Health) and has worked as a hospital-based LC and public health project coordinator in Boston and Madison. She was a Peace Corps volunteer in Cape Verde (West Africa) and is an Executive Team member of the African American Breastfeeding Alliance- Dane County Chapter.
Tehmina Islam Tehmina joined the Madison Birth Center in November 2009 as a birth assistant and as a student midwife. She has been apprenticing since 2007, attending classes through the National College of Midwifery and attending home births in Madison and Milwaukee. She graduated from the UW Madison, spending her last year in Kisumu, Kenya, working with traditional birth attendants and midwives to increase skilled attendance and quality prenatal care.
Her passion for midwifery started at 16 when she attended the beautiful birth of her childhood best friend’s daughter. Since then, she has been drawn to the blend of education, health care, and activism that is midwifery. In addition to being a student midwife, Tehmina works as a teacher and parent educator for an early literacy program and as an assistant at a legal nonprofit in Madison. She is grateful for the opportunity to be working at the Madison Birth Center, among skilled and dedicated midwives.
Amie is Clinic Manager at the Madison Birth Center. She has a wide range of responsibilities, including insurance contracting, personnel and medical billing oversight.
Nichole
is a clinic and birth assistant who has been with
the Madison Birth Center since March of 2003. She
has been working with pregnant women and birth since
1998 as a doula, a homebirth midwife assistant, and
an apprentice midwife. In her free time she attends
classes at MATC and home studies midwifery. She also
helped work on and pass the legislation in 2006
allowing Certified Professional Midwives to practice
legally in Wisconsin. Nichole is a mom to three beautiful
children, the last two born in the water at home. 
Arlinda works part-time as a lactation consultant at MBC. She also teaches the Infant Massage and breastfeeding classes. She received her BA in Biology from Luther College in 1982, followed by a BS in Nursing from Marycrest College in 1988. She began her interest in healthy families as a Certified Infant Massage Instructor in 1988. For the last 20 years she has been guiding families in the use of touch and massage for babies and children. Arlinda's gentle apprach is appreciated by everyone who comes into contact with her. 
Lauri received her bachelors degree in nursing in 1999
from the College of St. Scholastica in Duluth, Minnesota.
Soon after graduation she moved to Alaska, where she
lived for eight years. Her first few years in Alaska
were spent working in a rural hospital in labor and delivery.
The hospital serviced primarily Yup'ik Eskimos. Working
with Yup'ik women and seeing the amount of trust they
had in the normal process of birth - often despite
the feelings of the hospital staff - was a life changing
experience for Lauri. She knew then that she wanted to
continue to work with women and share in the transforming
experience of labor and birth.
In addition to labor and
delivery, she also spent time as a public health nurse
for the state of Alaska, and as a school nurse. 
Alicia is studying midwifery (through the National College of Midwifery in Taos, NM) and has been observing and assisting with out of hospital births for about 18 months. She's has been a doula since 2005 working with Small Miracles, a local non-profit organization which provides doulas to women unable to pay. Alicia has been traveling and living in Guatemala off and on since 1991 and has worked with traditional Guatamalan midwives. Her varied experiences has strengthened Alicia’s resolve to educate others about the truths in birth and the human family as a whole.
Tehmina joined the Madison Birth Center in November 2009 as a birth assistant and as a student midwife. She has been apprenticing since 2007, attending classes through the National College of Midwifery and attending home births in Madison and Milwaukee. She graduated from the UW Madison, spending her last year in Kisumu, Kenya, working with traditional birth attendants and midwives to increase skilled attendance and quality prenatal care.
