Brenda Bednar, MSN, CNM, is a certified nurse midwife who joined PeaceHealth in 2023 providing obstetric midwifery care. Her practice specializes in centering pregnancy, low and high-risk antepartum and intrapartum care, supportive midwifery care and post-menopausal care. Brenda received her master’s degree in nursing from Yale University School of Nursing in New Haven, Connecticut, where she was a selected research fellow for the Wilbur Downs International Fellowship. She’s also certified as a first assist for cesarean sections and in colposcopy. Brenda spent eight years as a certified nurse midwife at a large hospital in Seattle before moving to Bellingham to practice. She’s also served as a preceptor to midwifery students in the programs at Yale University, Seattle University and the University of Washington, where she was voted “Preceptor of the Year” in 2020. “My role as a nurse midwife is to support my patients as they make decisions that are right for them and their families,” says Brenda about her practice philosophy. “I believe women are the experts of their lives and my role is supporting their choices.” Outside of the clinic, you can find Brenda biking reasonable distances, hiking up moderate mountains, camping all seasons, reading and listening to true crime podcasts.