Our Board of Directors:
Kendra Machen, CCCE - I've lived in the South Kitsap area for 29 years. I'm married to my best friend Ray who supports my goals and is an active co-parent allowing me to be involved in our local birth community. I'm mother to 5 children. Brian 12/77, Donna 7/80, Tim 8/97, Dan 1/99 and SamLuke 5/00 I have 3 grandsons and one granddaughter.

I am a CAPPA Certified Childbirth Educator, Trained Labor Support and Postpartum Doula, Certified Happiest Baby on the Block Educator, Volunteer La Leche League Leader and Midwife Assistant with Neonatal Resuscitation Certification.

I homeschool our three young sons and in my spare time I enjoy teaching birth preparation classes, attending Workshops and Conferences on the topics of Pregnancy, Birth and Breastfeeding and attending homebirths as a midwife's assistant.

I believe that pregnancy and birth are a natural process. With support, nutrition and education most healthy women can achieve a meaningful, satisfying and empowering birth with little to no intervention.


Charity Gregson, CCCE - Charity has been married to Scott for over 21 yrs and have 11 children ranging in age from 19 to 2 yrs. Seven of their children were born at home into their daddy's hands while the other four were hospital births. Charity became interested in pregnancy and birth during her 3rd pregnancy, while they were planning and preparing for their first unassisted homebirth. In 1996, Charity took a labor support course through Seattle Miwifery School and has worked as a doula since then. In the summer of 2006, she became a CAPPA certfied childbirth educator and currently teaches private classes in the Kitsap and surrounding areas. She also recently completed Birth Assistant training and looks forward to assisitng local midwives in births soon.

She is a Christian and her family attends Bible Baptist Church in Port Orchard, where her dad pastors. Her faith plays a big part in her daily life. She believes in the one true God of the Bible, that He created us and designed our bodies to work wonderfully and that natural birth is part of that design. She believes that most women can acheive a wonderful birth experience with proper preparation and healthy living.


Dr. Joella Pettigrew - She is a family wellness chiropractor and received her degree from Life Chiropractic College West. She is a member of the International Chiropractic Pediatric Association by which she has received a Fellowship in Pediatric Chiropractic and certified in the Webster Technique. She is an advocate for natural childbirth and natural family living. Her passion is supporting and educating women through pregnancy to ensure the most optimal birth outcome and raise healthy families. Dr. Pettigrew's family wellness practice, JP Chiropractic, is located in Port Orchard, Washington where she resides with her husband and children.


Bethany Tilzey, CD(DONA) - Bethany is a wife and the mother of three little ones. She became a natural birth advocate 5 years ago, with the birth of her first child, and has since been active in the local birth community. She became a DONA International Certified Birth Doula in 2006 and maintains a busy doula practice in Kitsap, Pierce and Mason counties… A Gentler Birth, Doula Service. In the small amount of spare time Bethany has, she enjoys working in her vegetable garden, being outdoors with her kids and dog, and is currently working with her husband preparing a mini-cattle ranch on their 10 acres. She and her husband are followers of Jesus Christ and are very involved in their church, Burley Bible, in Port Orchard.