Kristin Effland

Prior to working at Bastyr University, Kristin worked with the Wenatchee Midwife Service as well as working as a midwife at Gentle Hands Midwifery in Bellingham, WA. She trained in Seattle, Portland and Nepal. She has had the pleasure of attending over 500 births (mostly at home or in freestanding birth centers) and has helped to coordinate the primary maternity care of thousands of families. Kristin is passionate about scaling up midwifery and maintains a web resource she developed for educators designed to help promote Equity in Midwifery Education. 

Kristin grew up trusting in the process of birth and in awe of the power women possess. She attributes this to her mother, who still speaks proudly of the gift she gave her children and herself by choosing natural childbirth. Kristin was drawn to midwifery to help persons of childbearing age access their personal strength, believing all pregnant persons and their families deserve to be nurtured and supported throughout pregnancy and labor. More recently, she has also learned first-hand about the critical role of postpartum support after the birth of her own sweet babies at home in the summers of 2014 and 2017.

Kristin very much enjoys teaching and has been doing so since 2013. She entered the profession with the hope of effecting change on both a broad scale and on a more individual level by working directly with pregnant families. Her approach to teaching derives from the spirit of Paulo Freire who deeply influenced both social justice and feminist education pedagogy.

In her free time, she enjoys hiking, running, climbing, skiing, and playing outdoors with her kids Levi, Seneca and partner, John.

Education:

• MA in Maternal Child Health Systems from Bastyr University
• Seattle Midwifery School
• BA in Philosophy and Women, Gender and Sexuality Studies from St. Mary’s College of Maryland