Gerri Ryan, Consultant Midwife

Gerri Ryan is a California Licensed Midwife and Certified Professional Midwife. She started attending births with family and friends in 1976 and in 1995 took on the role of professional Doula. Gerri began her process of midwifery education in the late nineties. She successfully completed the Seattle Midwifery School Challenge Process and is licensed as a midwife by the Medical Board of California. She began practicing midwifery in 2003 independently. She is committed to advanced midwifery practice, completing her Bridge Certificate in 2016.

She is certified in Birth Emergency Skills Training for Out-of-Hospital Providers (B.E.S.T.) and Advanced Life Support in Obstetrics (ALSO).

In 2012, Gerri and her midwife daughter Heather LeMaster, L.M., combined their midwifery practices under the name San Diego County Midwives. Gerri currently serves as a consulting midwife for the practice, and she is available for video consultations.

Gerri also assists in developing continuing education opportunities for practicing Doulas, Midwives and health professionals. She is a Lactation Educator, a Lamaze certified childbirth educator, and a nationally recognized DONA approved Doula Trainer. Gerri began training doulas in 2000, holding workshops primarily in San Diego while occasionally traveling to Orange County, CA and Japan. She continues to teach both new and experienced doulas at her various doula training workshops offered in San Diego throughout the year.

Gerri has extensive business expertise and is recognized for her contributions to the Midwifery and Doula communities in San Diego.  She was a co-founder of Nizhoni Institute of Midwifery as well as the Executive Director/Chief Operating Officer/Chief Academic Officer through August 2017.  She was also the founder of San Diego Birth Network, a non-profit organization created to connect birth professionals with birthing families in the San Diego community.

Gerri believes that the ability to birth is deep in every woman. “When women have confidence in their own abilities, the encouragement and freedom to tap into their innate wisdom, and have the loving support of family, friends and professionals who believe this too, they will truly have a satisfying birth.”

Mission

“I thought I got into midwifery to help women have choices. I felt like women’s choices were declining exponentially. Being a doula, I would see women coerced, lied to and informed-to-consent to whatever the staff preferred. However, after being a midwife for several years, I had some cranial sacral therapy. During that time I learned that it was really to protect babies. I had a less than optimal birth. Amazing to see the impact long-term on a life. Now I think that helps me support the whole family.”