Traci Palagi, midwife

Although there were many moments in my life that guided me toward midwifery, it was the birth of my first baby that lit the flame that grew into the passion I have now. It was as simple as looking at my own midwife and thinking “I want her job!” That was over 14 years ago. 

Once I finished all my college prerequisite courses, I attended the direct-entry midwifery program at Seattle Midwifery School. During my senior year I did a clinical rotation with Eastside Midwives in Kirkland, Washington. It was a good match, so after graduation I joined the midwives at Puget Sound Birth Center and worked there for five years. We were very busy, and each midwife was attending about 50 births a year. All told, I have attended more than 380 births.

In addition to practicing midwifery in Seattle I trained student midwives, co-chaired the Midwives Association of Washington State Quality Management Program and served on the faculty of Seattle Midwifery School. 

Time to slow down…  Now I live in Helena with my husband, 14 year old son, and 11 year old daughter. My pace of life is much slower and I'm enjoying it very much.

When I’m not catching babies I spend time carding and spinning wool.  The logo for Great Falls Homebirth Service and Helena Midwifery Clinic is a “birth symbol” found in ancient textiles.  I also love sewing, reading, and drinking coffee on my back porch.