Meet the Instructors

Patty Brennan, Director/Owner of the Center for the Childbearing Year, LLC has been an advocate for childbearing families for nearly 30 years as a childbirth educator, doula, midwife, and program visionary. In 1999, she founded Doulas Care, a community-based volunteer doula program and served as its executive director through 2007. She is the founder and executive director of Michigan Doula Connection, a nonprofit charitable organization that promotes access to doula care for all families in Michigan, regardless of ability to pay. Patty is the author of The Doula Business Guide-Creating a Successful MotherBaby Business, Vaccines & Informed Choice, and Guide to Homeopathic Remedies for the Birth Bag, and Whole Family Recipes — for the Childbearing Year & Beyond. She is an approved birth and postpartum doula trainer through DONA International. Patty has been married to her husband Jerry for 35 years, has two sons, two daughter-in-laws, and five delightful grandbabies.
 
 
Barbara Dawn Robertson, MA, IBCLC, has been involved in education for over twenty years. She received a Bachelors degree in Elementary Education in 1988 and her Masters in Education in 1995. Barbara left teaching elementary students in 1995 to raise her two children. She got involved in La Leche League, becoming a leader in 1998. She then went on to become a board-certified lactation consultant in 2004. Barbara established The Breastfeeding Center of Ann Arbor, LLC (located on site at the Center) in early 2008 and serves as its director. She teaches breastfeeding classes for parents, runs support groups, trains professionals, and is in private practice as a lactation consultant. Barbara serves on the Board of Directors of the United States Lactation Consultants Association (USLCA) as Director of Professional Development. She loves working with mothers and babies, helping them with breastfeeding problems in whatever way she can. Barbara teaches our Breastfeeding Basics and Professional Education in Breastfeeding classes.

 

Alicia Montgomery is a certified birth doula (DONA), a Birthing From Within Mentor, and a mother of four inspiring boys. She has been working with pregnant women and their families since 2006 and has been leading birthing classes since 2008. She earned a bachelor’s degree in history and economics at the University of Pittsburgh. Alicia is a firm believer that birth is not only normal, it is beautiful! Alicia teaches the condensed Childbirth Preparation classes at the Center.

 

 

KimKim Manchester obtained her Bachelor’s degree in Biology from Eastern Michigan University in 1995, and worked in clinical research at the University of Michigan until the birth of her first child. Captivated by the transformative power of birth and parenting, she trained as a doula with DONA International (2000) and as a childbirth educator (2001, 2012). Kim and her husband celebrated 20 years of marriage in 2012. They have experienced the wonder of birth in the hospital and at home, and are also parents through the miracle of adoption. Currently, Kim is actively pursuing a second Bachelor’s degree in nursing, the next step on her path to becoming a midwife and women’s health care nurse practitioner. She teaches the seven-week Childbirth Preparation series.

 

KristaKrista Dragun, mother of two, is a certified childbirth educator and a Birthing From Within mentor. She attended her first birth as a doula in 2002 and started teaching expectant parents in 2007. She feels fortunate to be able to help guide families through their journey, not only as a childbirth educator and mentor, but also as a birth and postpartum doula. Krista teaches the seven-week Childbirth Preparation series.

 

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