jen holland cpm, ldm
I was born and raised in Oregon. I graduated from Tualatin High School in 1997, and decided to hold off on college until I had a clearer idea of what I wanted to do with my life. I fell in love with the idea of travel, and in 2001 I flew to Europe with a friend, a one way ticket, and a backpack. A week into that trip, I met my husband Nick. We traveled around western Europe together, then decided to take our travels to his homeland of Australia, where we learned we were expecting a baby.
My interest in birth began during that pregnancy in 2002. Although my hospital birth with nurse midwives was straighforward and we got a healthy baby out of it, there were more interventions than I expected or understood, and it left me feeling like I had a lot to learn. Over the next few years, I delved into studying physiological birth and gave birth to two more babies, one in 2005 at a birth center in Australia, and one in 2008 at home. My home birth was a transformative experience, and I knew I wanted to help other people feel the same way that that birth had made me feel: strong, capable of seemingly impossible things, and loved and respected throughout.
In 2010, I heard the calling to birthwork, and took labor doula trainings through Birthingway College of Midwifery and Birth Arts International. I began attending births for friends and felt frustrated that one of my main roles as a doula seemed to be to help protect a couple's rights in a hospital setting. I realized that in order to really help families have empowered birth experiences, I would do better becoming an educator and a provider. In 2012, I started teaching natural childbirth classes at Bella Vie Gentle Birth Center. In 2014, I began a 2 year full time midwifery apprenticeship, and in 2016, I received my CPM (Certified Professional Midwife) credential from the North American Registry of Midwives and my midwifery license from the State of Oregon.
Throughout my midwifery training, I was amazed by the stories I heard about how Craniosacral Therapy had helped babies nurse better, sleep better, and feel better in their bodies. A week after completing my apprenticeship, I began training with Carol Gray to learn the art of Craniosacral Therapy for Infants. I have a thriving CST practice, and often work alongside my massage therapist husband, providing CST for baby while he massages the postpartum mama. In 2018, I completed Holistic Pelvic Care training with Tami Kent MSPT, a modality that combines physical and energetic tools to assess and restore balance to the pelvic bowl. I have seen incredible, powerful healing unfold in these sessions.
I love to hike and camp in wild places with Nick and the kids, who are all awesome teenagers now. I am looking forward to more travel, and I'm so grateful for a shared midwifery practice that allows me the space to be off call and recharge my batteries. In addition to being a wife, mother, midwife, and craniosacral therapist, I also serve as treasurer for Oregon Midwifery Council and Oregon Midwifery Foundation.
My interest in birth began during that pregnancy in 2002. Although my hospital birth with nurse midwives was straighforward and we got a healthy baby out of it, there were more interventions than I expected or understood, and it left me feeling like I had a lot to learn. Over the next few years, I delved into studying physiological birth and gave birth to two more babies, one in 2005 at a birth center in Australia, and one in 2008 at home. My home birth was a transformative experience, and I knew I wanted to help other people feel the same way that that birth had made me feel: strong, capable of seemingly impossible things, and loved and respected throughout.
In 2010, I heard the calling to birthwork, and took labor doula trainings through Birthingway College of Midwifery and Birth Arts International. I began attending births for friends and felt frustrated that one of my main roles as a doula seemed to be to help protect a couple's rights in a hospital setting. I realized that in order to really help families have empowered birth experiences, I would do better becoming an educator and a provider. In 2012, I started teaching natural childbirth classes at Bella Vie Gentle Birth Center. In 2014, I began a 2 year full time midwifery apprenticeship, and in 2016, I received my CPM (Certified Professional Midwife) credential from the North American Registry of Midwives and my midwifery license from the State of Oregon.
Throughout my midwifery training, I was amazed by the stories I heard about how Craniosacral Therapy had helped babies nurse better, sleep better, and feel better in their bodies. A week after completing my apprenticeship, I began training with Carol Gray to learn the art of Craniosacral Therapy for Infants. I have a thriving CST practice, and often work alongside my massage therapist husband, providing CST for baby while he massages the postpartum mama. In 2018, I completed Holistic Pelvic Care training with Tami Kent MSPT, a modality that combines physical and energetic tools to assess and restore balance to the pelvic bowl. I have seen incredible, powerful healing unfold in these sessions.
I love to hike and camp in wild places with Nick and the kids, who are all awesome teenagers now. I am looking forward to more travel, and I'm so grateful for a shared midwifery practice that allows me the space to be off call and recharge my batteries. In addition to being a wife, mother, midwife, and craniosacral therapist, I also serve as treasurer for Oregon Midwifery Council and Oregon Midwifery Foundation.
