Penny Charette

‘Boozhoo my name is Penny Charette. I am an Ojibwe woman enrolled with the Redcliff Band of Ojibwe Indians, born and raised here in the Chequamegon Area. I have 8 children, from 17 to 36 years of age, and am a grandmother to 3.’

Penny currently works at the Bad River Health & Wellness Clinic as a health educator with the Healthy Start Program; working with interconception, prenatal, and postpartum women. In 2011, Penny was trained as a doula, and again in 2016, with more of a cultural approach to the teachings. Penny continues to volunteer her services as a labor and delivery support person, and has recently taken her education to another level, attending and training for Indigenous Midwifery. She continues her work as an Midwife helper under the guidance of Savita and Dana.

‘I have much training and many life experiences that I know are valuable to helping support women & families through their pregnancies, labor, and delivery. I love doing as much cultural ceremony as possible for the birth during and after baby is born. I believe that birth is a ceremony and that we are all spiritual beings as we come to this human world. I look forward to continue this work as a helper to birth and midwife.’ -Penny

Amaris Andrews-DePerry

Boozhoo, my name is Amaris Andrews-DePerry. I live with my husband Nick and raise our children on the Red Cliff Reservation. Lake Superior has always been our home. I have 5 children and one on the way. My last baby was born at home with a traditional birth fire. I am a (DONA) trained birth doula and currently work for the Red Cliff Community Health Center as a zaagichigaazowin home visitor. I believe in birth as a celebration ceremony, a spiritual beginning to new life. I am part of the Indigenous Midwifery group, “Mino Ondaadizikekwewag,” and learn from Dorene Day and Penny Charette. I am very honored to become a part of the Ashland Birth Center team!

Hope Mayotte

Boozhoo, my name is Hope Mayotte. I was born and raised on the Bad River Reservation. I work as a Home Visitor/doula with the Zaagichigaazowin program in Red Cliff. I am a mother to four children. Three of my children were born with the Ashland Birth Center midwives. My last baby was a traditional home birth with Ojibwe culture, including a birth fire. In 2014, I started to pursue my dream of being an Indigenous Midwife and I continue to learn with my elders in the Indigenous Midwifery group. I believe that birth is a beautiful, spiritual ceremony and should be celebrated. I am very open in sharing my experiences and continuously bring positivity to birth in my community. It is an honor to be a first year student midwife at the Ashland Birth Center.

Chelsea Fanchi

Chelsea serves as one of the Ashland Birth Center’s childbirth doula. Chelsea began her calling in birth work in 2006 after attending a birth for a friend.

Her passion for birth and commitment to evidence based education continued to grow as she attended births and served as a birth resource to her community. Chelsea was certified as a doula in 2012 with DONA, and in 2015 she expanded her services and became a trained Lamaze childbirth educator.

Nena Complo, CD, Cyt

Nena is passionate about supporting women and couples through the childbearing year, encouraging deep trust in women’s bodies, partnership, and the process of birth. She honors each families unique path of bringing life into this world. Her doula support is affirming, nuturing, and adaptive to meeting your needs. She is happy to offer yoga wisdom and masage as desired to enhance pregnancy, birth, and postpartum experiences.

In 2016, Nena earned her certification as a Holistic Birth Doula through the Matrona School of Holistic Midwifery. She is a certified yoga teacher with over 600 hours of teacher training, including certifications in Elemental Yoga Therapy and Trauma-Sensitive Yoga Therapy. She is also a certified Level II Thai Yoga Massage Practitioner.

A Florida native, Nena is delighted to now call the Northwoods home. She is a mother to two daughters, a writer, and a midwife-in-the-making. Her greatest passions are dancing, spending time in nature, and connecting with women through story, laughter, and song.

Christopher Gilbaugh, Chiropractor

Chiropractic’s core focus is on the efficiency of the nervous system and the consequential impact that lowered function may have on other body systems. Many adjusting techniques and strategies are used to achieve improved neural communication by removing interference patterns we call subluxations. Since the nervous system influences all aspects of one’s body, chiropractic care can be applicable to many conditions and to the achievement of better overall health. This allows the body to more accurately do what it was meant to do and more appropriately adapt to its environment and stress. Facilitating the body’s innate management of pregnancy and labor is one way chiropractic can be helpful during this time in life.

Dr. Gilbaugh grew up in the Ashland area. He is a married father of two sons, both delivered at Ashland Birth Center. He graduated with high honors from Palmer College of Chiropractic in 2010, where he received his doctorate. Prior to this, a Bachelor of Science degree in Biology was earned from Iowa State University. He is certified in Webster technique, has additional pediatric and pregnancy chiropractic management education, and is a member of the International Chiropractic Pediatric Association and Wisconsin Chiropractic Association. Additional certificates are held as a Certified Chiropractic Extremity Practitioner, a Certified Posture Exercise Professional, and Functional Movement Techniques and nutrition. You can learn more about Dr. Gilbaugh here.

Jen Torborg, PT, DPT, CMTPT

Jen is a physical therapist with advanced training in obstetric and pelvic health. Her services include pre and post-natal care, including bowel and bladder dysfunction, pelvic pain, and other body aches/pain, pelvic organ prolapse, diastasis recti rehab, scar tissue adhesions, pelvic floor rehab, and more.

All postpartum women would benefit from pelvic floor rehab, and it should be standard of care to include this in your return to optimal health. Every pregnant and postpartum mother delivering at Ashland Birth Center is offered a referral to her services. Jen looks forward to educating women about their bodies and empowering them to take control of their health.  You can learn more about Jen here.

MALARI NEITZEL, CEIM

Malari is a Certified Educator of Infant Massage (CEIM) through the International Association of Infant Massage (IAIM).  She became certified in 2012, while working as an Early Head Start Family Advocate, and has taught numerous group and individual sessions since. She began offering classes through Ashland Birth Center in 2015, and now also thoroughly enjoys sharing massage with her own children. Malari believes that Infant Massage offers parents another tool for understanding and communicating with their baby, for bonding with their baby, and for helping to gently alleviate any discomforts their growing child experiences.  She also believes that all children deserve the best start possible in life, and therefore wants parents to have access to the intense emotional connection and physical relief that can occur through Infant Massage.

Teaching families how to massage their babies helps us achieve our program’s goals of enhancing parent infant interaction and promoting healthy growth and development.