Kristen began her training in 1999 with homebirth midwives who serve a predominantly Amish community in rural New York. She continued her midwifery training at Maternidad La Luz in El Paso, TX and went on to become a Certified Professional Midwife (CPM) and Licensed Midwife (LM) in the state of California, practicing in the Bay Area. In 2005 she went to the Northern New Mexico Midwifery Center where she trained midwifery students and attended births in a rural Birth Center and home settings. She returned to the Bay Area in 2007 to give birth at home to her first child. In 2017, she had the joy of birthing her second child at home and has since continued to serve families and train midwives in the Bay Area.
Meet Kristen
Kristen has worked as a Community Health Educator at La Clinica de la Raza in Oakland. She has also worked domestically and internationally on issues of health and social justice. She has also studied herbalism and plant medicine for the past 20 years with both traditional healers and western herbalists.
Kristen believes all women and their families should have access to quality, safe, midwifery and healthcare and feels a strong commitment to making that happen.
Acknowledgements and Gratitudes
I have heard described that midwifery is a “don de Dios” or a God-given gift. After two decades of seeing how my path to midwifery has unfolded, these words feel truer than ever. I cannot write a bio about myself without calling in all of those who have been on the journey with me. I give my gratitude and respect to the big Mother-- the Earth who sustains and nourishes me and gives me life and breath. To my long line of ancestors who and to my future ancestors, may I bring honor to my lineage. To my own mother and father, and especially my ‘grandpa buzz’ whose desire to transition at home at the end of his life with me and my siblings by his side set me firm in my resolve to become a midwife. I thank my sister midwives who have supported me in the ups and downs, my many teachers, the beautiful midwives that helped me birth my children, the many families who have put trust in me and taught me so much. I thank my friends and community who suuprt my family when I am out long hours supporting others. And thank you to my life partner and children for the joy and beauty that feeds and sustains me each day. All blessings.
Kristen Graser is a midwife, mother, and educator. She has been attending births for nearly 20 years and each day she continues to find inspiration, joy, and insight in her work.