About Us

Certified Nurse Midwives

Dorinda Dove, CNM, MS (ddove@thebirthcenter.com)

With more than fifteen years experience working as a nurse and a midwife in hospital and birthing center environments, Dorinda’s gentle and thoughtful manner inspires confidence in birthing families.  As OB/Gyn faculty, she taught at Baylor College of Medicine.  She was awarded an MS in Nurse Midwifery at SUNY Stonybrook and graduated summa cum laude with a BSN from the University of Delaware.  She is a member of both the Midwives Alliance of North America and the American College of Nurse Midwives.  Dorinda recently published the results of a research study on the efficacy of using Evening Primrose Oil during pregnancy.  Dorinda also spent one year with the Peace Corps helping to implement and evaluate the oral rehydration program for children in Malawi, Africa.  She joined The Birth Center in 1995.  In December, Dorinda was featured in Health section of the Delaware News Journal. “I love sharing the joy and excitement of an expectant family and feel it’s a privilege to be a part of their experience here”

 Kathleen McCarthy, CNM, MSN (mccarthy@thebirthcenter.com)

Kathleen had been attending births in a hospital setting for more than nine years as a labor and delivery nurse, childbirth educator, and home health nurse specializing in maternal and newborn care before she heard the call to midwifery.  After receiving her Masters in Nurse Midwifery from the University of Pennsylvania, she practiced as a Certified Nurse Midwife on staff at St. Francis Hospital and The Birth Center for three years.  She has taught neonatal advanced resuscitation to physicians, nurses, and residents at St. Francis and is a member of the American College of Nurse Midwives. 

“Birth is one of the most profound experiences of a family’s life.  I am always in awe when I witness the strength of women in labor and the miracle of birth”

 Katie Mansur, CNM, MS   (kjmansur@hotmail.com)

 Katie decided to become a midwife while pursuing her first
Bachelors degree in Gender and Women's Studies at The University of Rochester in New York.  This led her to the high-tech, fast-paced world of New York City for an education at The Columbia University School of Nursing.  She studied in clinics around the city, but didn't feel like she understood the true
meaning of midwifery until she got to train under a homebirth midwife in

Lancaster, PA.  Before and after graduation, Katie worked as labor and delivery nurse.  Her first midwifery job was in a small private practice where she attended over 300 births.  

Coming to The Birth Center, according to Katie, is like "coming home".  "I get to give women the type of care I would hope to receive myself.  I am so very excited to join this loving family."  

 Nicole Black, CNM, WHNP, MSN     (nicole@thebirthcenter.com)

Nicole grew up in Wilmington and is excited to be offering care in her hometown.  Nicole received a Bachelors degree in Neural Behavioral Psychology from Bryn Mawr College.  Following her graduation from Bryn Mawr, Nicole spent some time working in Child-Maternal Health with the Peace Corps in Madagascar, East Africa.  She later returned to school and received a Bachelors of Science in Nursing and a double Masters of Science in Nursing, specializing in Nurse-Midwifery and Women’s Health Care, from the University of Pennsylvania.                       

Prior to becoming a midwife, Nicole worked as a maternity nurse at the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania in Philadelphia.  While she learned a great deal in the fast paced, high risk environment, Nicole did not have the time nor space to provide the quality of care that she desired to give to the families that she served.  Nicole completed her internship prior to her midwifery graduation at The Birth Center and feels lucky that an opening became available for a new midwife.

Nicole feels strongly about the level of care and education provided at The Birth Center, and enjoys the home-like atmosphere.  “I have the best job in the world.  What is better than catching babes?!  I feel so honored to share in such a powerful and personal time of life with the amazing, varied families that walk through our door.”

Sarah Updegraft CNM, MSN  (Sarah.Updegraft@frontierschool.edu)

Sarah has been involved in issues of women's health and safety since her college years (the first time around!) at the University of Pennsylvania. After graduating with a degree in Cultural Anthropology and Latin American Studies in 1995, Sarah worked for non-profits in San Francisco, CA and Austin, TX. While working at a shelter for battered women and children in Austin, Sarah had her "a-ha moment" when she met her first midwife....she finally knew what she really wanted to do with her life! Sarah moved back to Cleveland, OH, where she had been raised, and graduated from Cleveland State University's first accelerated BSN program in August 2003. Sarah and her husband, Paul, then moved to Philadelphia, where Sarah started work on Labor and Delivery at Thomas Jefferson University Hospital. While Sarah learned a great deal there, she knew it was not the place for her. She wanted to provide a different kind of care. While newly pregnant with her first child, Sarah found The Birth Center in Bryn Mawr, PA. Six months after her first birth center baby (Henry) was born in May of 2004, she started working there as a nurse. Sarah continued working toward her goal of becoming a CNM by starting her midwifery studies at the Frontier School of Midwifery and Family Nursing when her second birth center baby (Anica) was 8 months old. Two-and-a-half years later, Sarah completed her midwifery studies. She was very committed to continue working in an out-of-hospital practice and was thrilled when The Birth Center, Holistic Women's Health Care had a position available. Sarah feels privileged to become a part of this practice that honors and supports all stages of a woman's life.

Registered Nurses

 Peggy Lutes, RN, CH  (peggy@thebirthcenter.com)

Peggy has been working with birthing moms and dads for over 35 years. She received her RN in 1973 from Bryn Mawr Hospital and worked there as a labor, delivery and postpartum nurse.  Her love of teaching was obvious even then, when she developed classes in Baby Care and Breastfeeding for the couples at the hospital. She was trained by Childbirth Education Association and is certified as a Childbirth Education Specialist.

She moved to New Jersey, worked at Garden State Hospital in their labor and delivery unit and worked at Our Lady of Lourdes Hospital in their Antenatal Testing Center.  She assisted with the set up and was Head Nurse of the Antenatal testing unit at West Jersey Health System in Vorhees, NJ.  

Peggy moved with her family 20 years ago to Delaware and worked at St Francis Hospital in their labor and delivery. She came to the Birth Center 13 years ago as part of St Francis and loved it. It really is a wonderful place for families to have a special birth experience. Her first grandchild Adeline was born at the Birth Center in 2006. 

Peggy is a Hypnobirthing instructor and also a practitioner on the third floor of the Birth Center. She is a Consulting Hypnotist, a Certified Hypnobirthing Educator, Certified HypnoFertility Therapist and founder of Gentle Healing Hypnosis. 

Peggy says, “After attending the first birth at the Birth Center I really felt that I went full circle in my career and was thrilled to be back where birth is still considered a miracle of life.”

 Katie Madden RN, BSN, IBCLC  (breastfeeding@thebirthcenter.com)

Katie graduated from The University of Maryland School of Nursing in 2004.  She worked in the Postpartum/Antepartum Unit at The Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania for 2 1/2 years before taking some time off to stay home with her Birth Center baby Lucy.  Katie gave birth to Lucy in the yellow room in July 2006 and it was the most amazing accomplishment of her life.  After her life-changing birth experience, Katie decided she couldn't stay away so she started teaching some childbirth classes at The Birth Center.  Now Katie is proud to be a true member of the Birth Center family.  This October, Katie was certified as an International Board Certified Lactation Consultant.  Katie says "to me, The Birth Center is community in a world full of people turning a blind eye to each other. My patients and coworkers are my friends, my family and my teachers.  I watch as women become mothers and befriend and support one another.  It is so rare in this world today to have such a sense of community."