About Us

About Our Birth Center

Yelm Family Birth Center provides evidence-based, comprehensive, and compassionate maternity care in a safe and supportive environment. We prioritize the health and well-being of both mother and baby through practices grounded in current research with respectful, individualized care. We actively involve families in the decision-making process, promoting collaboration, clear communication, and confidence throughout pregnancy, birth, and the early postpartum period.

Every birth is a unique journey, and we are here to support yours with compassionate, personalized care.

Meet the Midwives

Shannon Smith, LM, CPM

I have felt a deep connection to birthing women for as long as I can remember. In my care your wishes and desires will be respected while your health and the welfare of your baby will be safely guarded. I believe in the Midwives Model of Care as well as building meaningful relationships with my clients.

I am a mother of five from the ages of 18-28. My first three children were born in the hospital with midwives, and my last two were born at home. During my first pregnancy I read everything about pregnancy and childbirth that I could get my hands on and that started my journey of helping other women become well informed of their choices for their own births.
I have been married for 28 years and have home educated all of my children. My youngest graduates this year! I attend McKenna Community Church, an amazing church often referred to as the Grace Place. I am also a military wife and have even had one of my babies while my husband was deployed. If you find yourself in a similar situation, please reach out to me, I have been there! When I am not doing home visits or snuggling a grandbaby, you can find me hiking or backpacking all over the beautiful PNW.

Carolyn Johnson, CNM

Carolyn is a new midwife who comes with 5 years of labor and delivery experience as a nurse at St. Peter’s Hospital. She has two children of her own with her first born at a community birth center and her second one at home, which spurred her passion for midwifery and out of hospital birth. Her priorities of birth are patient-centered care, no matter the place of birth. She believes that God made women’s bodies to birth and that the midwifery model of care best supports that design. She has been married for 8 years. When she isn’t catching babies, she enjoys powerlifting, watching movies, and doing her best to become skilled in the homemaker hobbies (sewing, sourdough, and gardening).

Midwives Model of Care

The Midwives Model of Care is based on the fact that pregnancy and birth are normal life processes. The application of this woman-centered model of care has been proven to reduce the incidence of birth injury, trauma, and cesarean section.

Monitoring the physical, psychological, and social well-being of the mother throughout the childbearing cycle
Providing the mother with individualized education, counseling, and prenatal care, continuous hands-on assistance during labor and delivery, and postpartum support
Minimizing technological interventions
Identifying and referring women who require obstetrical attention

Centered on You, Every Step of the Way

We’re here to guide and support you through every step of your pregnancy and birth experience.