Meet
Our Team
birth wellness
Midwife
Shalmai is a Certified Professional Midwife (CPM) and a mother of two grown boys. She was inspired to pursue out-of-hospital midwifery by watching and learning from her mother, a home birth midwife, and by the beautiful natural births of her sons.
Shalmai was trained at the National College of Midwifery and became a Tennessee Licensed Midwife in 2019. She completed her clinical education requirements with a midwifery preceptor, is certified in NRP and CPR, and holds an Associate of Arts in Liberal Arts from the University of New Mexico. She is passionate about helping mothers achieve their childbirth goals and is honored to work with mothers and families as they navigate through their decisions during pregnancy and birth. She has come to know so many beautiful families and looks forward to serving parents in Chattanooga and the greater Chattanooga area for years to come.
Shalmai lives in Chattanooga with her husband. She loves getting outside to enjoy nature, mucking around in the garden, having coffee dates with friends, and devouring a good book.
Shalmai Hollingshead, CPM-TN
Midwife Assistants
Our Midwife Assistants are an important part of our Birth team. They help the parents and midwife to create a more comfortable birth environment, and are there to assist the midwife to deliver care from labor to birth and through the immediate postpartum. Get to know them.
Katie Kropf
My journey toward midwifery started with my desire for a natural birth with my first child. I found Birth Wellness and was so pleased with how my birth went that I have since had three more children with them. My interest in helping other women grew leaps and bounds, and since then, I have attended as many births as possible. I love all aspects of Mother and Baby Care. My passion is helping women find the childbirth experience they are looking for and providing them with the support they need to see their desires happen too.
Certifications: NRP, CPR
Jeanette McDonald
I have been working in Public Health for over 20 years with a focus on women’s health. After the birth of my first son born at a birth center in Bali, Indonesia, that specialty evolved into birth services. I am a registered yoga teacher, certified lactation counselor, as well as a certified birth doula. I use all of my past education and experience to bring my work as a midwife assistant to Birth Wellness. It is an honor to support women and their families in their birth journey.
Education: Masters in Public Health | Certifications: DONA Doula, CLC, NRP, CPR
Amanda Millsap
Natural birth has been a passion of mine for about ten years now, since having my first son in a hospital and my second and third sons with Birth Wellness. I love any opportunity to discuss pregnancy, birth, and breastfeeding. Whether through books, personal experiences, and support groups, I am always willing and wanting to learn more! I have taken courses in health wellness and fitness, including stress management, nutrition, and community health. It is a dream come true to work next to Shalmai, and I am excited to be a part of something so empowering to women. My family and I love being outdoors. We enjoy camping, kayaking, and anything involving nature.