Maitri Midwifery

Barbara Belcore-Walkden, CD, CPM, LM — Head of Midwifery

Barbara is a Certified Professional Midwife (CPM) and is a licensed midwife in the state of Wisconsin. She has been attending births professionally since 2006. Her related education includes professional doula training (ALACE & Midwest Maternal Child Institute) and a MEAC (Midwifery Education Accreditation Council) accredited degree from the National College of Midwifery.

​​Barbara’s philosophy rests on her belief that childbirth is a natural process. She has a desire to build a community of strong, healthy families one birth at a time. She is committed to listening, encouraging, educating, and respecting each growing family as she builds relationships with them.
​​Barb has attended births in diverse settings including hospital, birth center, and at home. Her midwifery care has been shaped and influenced by exposure to a variety of different disciplines; learning from certified professional midwives, traditional midwives, nurse midwives, family practice doctors, pediatricians, obstetricians, naturopaths, chiropractors, acupuncturists, massage therapists, herbalists and others. She has lived in Illinois since 2000 and has enjoyed serving women and families in childbirth since 2010. She has two children of her own, the youngest born at home with midwives. The majority of births she has attended have been out-of-hospital.
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Julie Banas, CD, CPM — Midwife

Julie is a certified doula, birth assistant, and certified professional midwife. Julie has attended births at home, in a hospital, and birth centers all across the U.S. She has been attending births since 2009 with the majority of them out of hospital.

Julie graduated from the University of Alaska and received her Bachelors in Business Management. She has taught various courses teaching birth workers essential birth and business skills.

She has five children of her own, pregnant with her 6th, and has birth experiences in a hospital, birth center, and homebirth.