GOLD Learning Speakers

Andrea Dixon, CNM

Avril Bowens, RN, CPM

• Speaker Type: *PARTNERSHIPS
• Country: United States

Biography:

Andrea Dixon, CNM, reveled in birth from an early age, a maternal great aunt (a London homebirth midwife) her inspiration. From NAPSAC in Ann Arbor, MI, apprenticeship in Boulder, CO and graduating CNM from UCSF in 1987, Andrea covered all the bases in midwifery.

The sole proprietor of Family Way Educational Services, Weed, CA 1988-Present she has home-birthed families in the largest geographical county in northern California, managed a midwife service for Redding Birth Center, served a hospital-based population in the USVI, WomanCare, in MO and homebirth, birth centers (3) and hospital practices throughout Indiana.

Andrea is a long-time instructor of out-of-hospital specific NRP. She developed live B.E.S.T. (Birth Emergency Skills Training) workshops for out of hospital providers, and subsequently, in partnership with Avril Bowens, CPM, HYBRID and ONLINE BEST courses based on Bonnie Urguhart Gruenberg's award winning publication.

Homebirth, homeschooling her daughter (now 33 and presently at the CDC), and a midwifery friendly partner of 38 years, have enhanced her life.

Avril Bowens is the founder and creatrix of the Midwife Method, a midwife-led, supportive and educational online program dedicated to empowering all birthing people with the skills, knowledge and tools they need to thrive through pregnancy, birth and beyond. She believes that maternal and neonatal outcomes can be improved when all obstetrical providers (doctors and midwives alike) collaborate and practice the Midwifery Model of Care and when all pregnant women have access to this kind of care. Until there is a midwife available for every women, the Midwife Method provides birthing people with all the elements of midwifery care that can be delivered in the online format; comprehensive and holistic education, compassionate and consistent support and expert guidance designed to inform, complement and enhance the medical care women receive in their home communities.

For the past three years, she has loved being the office manager and instructor with Birth Emergency Skills Training® (B.E.S.T.) workshops, as well as co-developer of the Online and Hybrid programs. She has been involved with birth since 1998 as a childbirth educator, doula and then midwife (CPM) and has served birthing families in the home and birth center settings since 2003. Together with her partner, she has home-birthed, home-schooled and raised 3 incredible human beings (17, 23 and 25)!

With an unquenchable thirst for knowledge and desire to support a broader population in attaining their health goals, she returned to school, completing a Bachelor of Science and became a Registered Nurse in 2016. Continuing on with this goal, she pursued a Family Nurse Practitioner degree at Georgetown University which she was unable to complete due to unforeseen circumstances.

Following a devastating motorcycle accident, she put to use her diverse education in herbal medicine, alternative therapies, nutrition, body movement and mechanics, medical training and personal growth and transformation strategies to well surpass her expected recovery, fully heal from the severe injuries sustained and become the healed healer that she is today. B.E.S.T CEUs.