Our Approach
Tempe Birth Center is a beautiful and safe place for birth, supported by a holistic, evidence, and wisdom-based midwifery practice.
We find joy in serving and working with families of ALL backgrounds. Explicitly, that means celebrating people regardless of race, ethnicity, culture, class, gender, gender identity, sexual orientation, religion, nationality, or citizenship. We are a team of health professionals dedicated to providing you and your growing family with loving care. We trust that you will find a place among us and encourage you to make an appointment with us to start the conversation.
Our Safe Space
We meet people at our cozy office nestled in the heart of downtown Tempe at the 1920's historic house. The Birth Center is located just behind our offices.
We hope you spend some time on this site exploring who we are and what we do. We have a distinct vision of pregnancy care that centers on autonomy and liberation for families. We would be *happy* to hands-off watch you birth and catch your own baby or offer all the verbal and physical support you desire.
Our Services
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Prenatal
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Labor/Birth
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Postpartum
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Kate Paxton, CNM
The craft of midwifery is Kate’s life-work and calling. She hails from a family of healers and educators and combines both in her work to support families. It all started at age 14 when she witnessed her mother birth her youngest sister in a free-standing birth center. In her 20’s, she worked as a doula and midwife’s assistant in Post-Katrina New Orleans. She then attended Columbia University’s Midwifery Program, graduating in 2010. She is an Advanced Practice Registered Nurse, Licensed in Arizona, and Board-Certified in Nurse-Midwifery. She has worked in hospital, birth center, and homebirth settings, doing everything from writing prescriptions to first assisting in cesarean birth to supporting families in home waterbirth. She currently provides fertility, gynecology, pregnancy, birth, and postpartum care exclusively in the home and birth center settings.
“If you wish to chose caring providers for your pregnancy, birth, and postpartum journey, there can be no better choice than Kate and Wendi at the Tempe Birth Center. They make an awesome team with Wendi’s herbal knowledge and Kate’s CNM background. They are approachable and responsive, which can be a rare find in medical professionals these days! They are also well connected to share resources for all the other types of care you and baby may want. They’ll invite you from day one to feel like family.” KC
I just wanted to say I will miss you all so much. I'm sitting here looking at the tattoos Shannon gave us at one of the last appointments before birth, and feeling so grateful to have met you guys.
Thank you for creating this birth center... I truly believe I was meant to cross paths with you, and I wouldn't have wanted my pregnancy to have gone any differently.
“I absolutely love the midwives and students here! I’ve had 2 of my babies delivered with them and I couldn’t have asked for a better experience. I’ve always felt safe, heard, and seen in their care and I would go back in a heart beat if I have any more babies.” - Azalea
“I was concerned initially that insurance wouldn’t cover Kate’s services but her prices were nearly the same as the co-pays from my first hospital birth. During Kate’s prenatal care and birth planning, I didn’t feel like I had to advocate for myself, she would present the research, her experience, my choices, and then she respected my choice. Kate’s demeanor during birth was calm and peaceful and I felt totally prepared. I am so grateful that I chose to work with Kate for on of the greatest experiences in my life.” - Sarah
“Kate’s calm, confident presence throughout my first pregnancy and at the birth of my child made me feel safe and strong. I learned so much from her! Her clinical expertise (in both home and hospital birth) helped me relax, trusting I was in the best hands. At my home birth she knew just when to step in and when to step back. I brought that sense of confidence and trust in myself into my second pregnancy and birth (at home in another state). She is the best. Her medical training and vast experience held my child and I with such competence. I highly recommend her to anyone considering a home birth.” - E.P.