Midwives
Rachel Powers, LM, CPM – Owner/Midwife
Rachel is a Licensed Midwife and Certified Professional Midwife. Her dedication and passion for serving women in birth began in 2000 when she became a birth doula and childbirth educator. After 10 years of working with women and families through pregnancy and birth, she answered her calling to return to school to become a midwife. She graduated in 2013 from the Florida School of Traditional Midwifery in Gainesville, Florida’s only accredited school for direct entry midwifery. She was fortunate to spend her clinical internship with both Licensed Midwives and Certified Nurse Midwives in the home and birth center setting, and is honored to have attended hundreds of births over the years. Rachel lives in Melbourne and has been happily married to Christopher since 1999. Together they have four children, all of which are home schooled. She is active in the birth community and serves as an educator with Pregnancy Resources, a crisis pregnancy center in Melbourne. She is a member of the Florida Midwifery Best Practices Group, and is an advocate for safety in midwifery care and out of hospital birth, as well as being well versed in Florida law and rule governing the practice of Licensed Midwives. She is also an Evidence Based Birth Professional Member. Rachel’s mission is to educate, encourage, and assist women during the childbearing years so that pregnancy, childbirth, and motherhood become the spiritual blessings God intended.
Kathi Duchaine, CNM, APRN
A lifelong resident of Brevard County, Kathi Duchaine is a highly motivated, hard-working “birth Junkie” who strives for excellence and quality when engaging in all aspects of midwifery care. She graduated with her nursing degree in 1986 from Oral Roberts University with high honors and one heartfelt mission: to become a Certified Nurse Midwife. She worked as an OB nurse at Florida Hospital while completing her Master’s Degree in Nursing at the University of Florida. In 1991, she graduated and passed the National Board Exam and began working in a private practice performing hospital births. Eventually, she branched out into the birth center setting and throughout it all, she always had one resounding passion: to empower women. One particular area of clinical practice that Kathi has focused on is perineal integrity and pelvic floor rehabilitation. Her Master’s thesis was devoted to the topic of alternative suturing methods to achieve maximal perineal strength, and she eventually aspires to become certified as a Pelvic Floor Rehabilitation Specialist. Kathi and her husband of 27 years share their home with numerous rescue canines and four daughters, all of whom were delivered naturally. Kathi is honored to join the staff of Beautiful Beginning and serve women throughout all phases of life, from adolescence to menopause, and is looking forward to truly engaging with every patient, embodying the essence of being “with woman”.