Misty Ward

Certified Professional Midwife, Owner, Clinical Director

I began my path to midwifery at the age of 16 after attending the birth of my nephew. When I was supposed to be doing
my algebra homework I was reading pregnancy related books! For Christmas 2000 my dear friend Melaine Copeland gave me a copy of Spiritual Midwifery by Ina May Gaskin. I was immediately hooked
and knew that midwifery outside of the hospital was where I belonged.

Soon after, I began my midwifery studies while also completing my bachelors degree at Eastern Mennonite University, getting married, and giving birth to my own two children! Those were busy years and so very precious.

My midwifery training has been a reflection of my commitment to caring service: I have worked with 9 different Virginia midwives, volunteered with Medical Ministry International (Dominican Republic),  African Birth Collective (Senegal), interned at Casa de Nacimiento (El Paso, TX), and birth assisted at  Heartland Health Clinic (Dayton, VA). I have attended over 500 births and thousands of prenatal and postpartum visits.

Heather Brown

Office Manager, Billing Specialist

I am a Harrisonburg native and currently live in Rockingham County with my husband and two super busy boys. I decided to become a part of Brookhaven Birth Center stemming from my own birth experiences and desire for more natural pregnancy and delivery.

I knew from the moment I discovered I was pregnant with both of my children that I would hire a midwife for my care. After having two natural hospital births I still somehow felt as if something was missing from my experiences. I wanted more options of birthing positions, being able to deliver in water, laboring at my own pace, and generally feeling more freedom. Having those options at Brookhaven, along with many others, are the reasons I feel blessed to have the honor of helping families achieve the birth experiences that they desire.

Alice Dunn

Office Assistant

I was introduced to Brookhaven in the fall of 2015, but I’ve been surrounded by stories of natural birth my entire life. My mother has had 5 births and I was raised with an understanding that a woman’s body is capable and excels in childbirth. When I discovered that I was pregnant, I knew that an out of hospital birth would be ideal for my family. My husband and I were excited to find Brookhaven and in late 2015 our son was born in the Willow suite!

Brookhaven provided me with such great care and community and I’m thrilled to be a part of bringing that to other families in the community.

Savannah Fassero

Midwife Apprentice

2^nd oldest of 11 children, I was my mother’s last hospital birth, so I was introduced to homebirth at an early age. When I was eight and my mother was pregnant with her 7^th child, I asked so many questions about the process that she knew I was ready to see the birth. Afterward I remember holding my brother, in awe of what I’d just witnessed. I couldn’t get back to the normal world of being a kid and doing chores.

In 2010 I started my midwifery training through Virginia School of Traditional Midwifery. I began professionally assisting births the same year. In 2014 I started my own doula business, while looking for local opportunities to train full-time as a student midwife. In January 2016 I was accepted as a midwife apprentice at Brookhaven Natural Birth Center. I am overjoyed to be a part of their team, learning how to serve mothers and babies better.

Megan Diveley

Midwife Apprentice

 Megan’s journey into midwifery began with the birth of her third child. Her first two births were planned hospital births, and both ended in unnecessary c-sections. When she was unable to find a hospital care provider who would allow her to have a vbac (vaginal birth after cesarean), she began looking into homebirth midwifery. That birth experience, and the care she received was so profoundly healing it inspired her to become a doula, so that she might help women achieve the birth they desire.  After 6 months of attending births as a doula, it became clear that pursuing midwifery was what she felt called to do. She is currently enrolled at Via Vita School of Midwifery, and has attended over 85 births..

Megan trusts women’s bodies and the process of birth. She respects both the physical and emotional aspects of labor. She understands that women have complex needs during pregnancy and birth and deserve continuous, individualized care. She is looking forward to building relationships with area families and helping provide holistic, family centered care.

Jessica Burgess

 Bradley Method Childbirth Educator

Postpartum Doula