About Us
In 1998 Birth Network of Santa Cruz County was founded on the historic Mother Friendly Childbirth Initiative (MFCI). The goals of the MFCI are reflected in the updated 12 Steps to Safe and Respectful MotherBaby-Family Maternity Care. We aim to support parents and care providers through information, education, and advocacy.
Birth Network has a working board of directors, with no paid employees at this time. All donations and memberships go directly toward program support and services.
Birth Network of Santa Cruz County has been a catalyst for projects in the community, such as helping to gather research, and report on the care that women and families in Santa Cruz County receive during the childbearing year.
Birth Network strives to stay informed about issues that impact options:
Issues in insurance coverage and benefits as it relates to pregnancy, birth and breastfeeding
Duration and quality of contact with care providers
Access to midwifery care, labor support, breastfeeding and postpartum assistance
Involvement of families in decision-making during pregnancy and birth
Access to culturally appropriate care and information
Rates of intervention in birth
How we support our community:
Publish a yearly Pregnancy and Birth Resource Guide distributed countywide
Bring new and expecting parents together with local service providers - Prenatal Yoga Instructors, Childbirth Educators, Midwives, Doulas, Chiropractors, Acupuncturists, Therapists, Photographers, and more.
Support childbirth-related community events such as well-known speakers, movie nights, staffing booths at local fairs, and attendance and participation in national conferences and projects relating to childbirth.
Host FREE Meet the Doulas events, providing parents-to-be with an opportunity to meet with Birth and Postpartum Doulas.
Participate as a founding member of Santa Cruz County Breastfeeding Coalition
“Birth is not only about making babies. It's about making mothers...”
— Barbara Katz Rothman
Board of Directors
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Laura Maxson, LM
Executive Director
Laura Maxson has been the director of Birth Network of Santa Cruz County since 1998. She first became an advocate in the early '80s after experiencing a lack of information and choice around birth and breastfeeding. Mother of three grown children, Laura has worked as a breastfeeding counselor, childbirth educator, doula, and California Licensed homebirth midwife. She wrote the "Birth Matters" column in Growing up in Santa Cruz from 2000 -2024.
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Megan Bunch, Labor Doula, Childbirth Educator
Secretary
Megan Bunch has been serving expectant parents since 2001 as a birth doula, prenatal yoga instructor and childbirth educator. She enjoys helping families navigate the variety of options available to them as they prepare and experience birth and new parenting. Megan joined the Birth Network Board in 2005 to help connect local families to the numerous resources available to them in and around Santa Cruz County.
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Beth Lilienthal, Certified Postpartum Doula
Treasurer
Beth has been a postpartum doula for Santa Cruz county babies and their families since 2012. She has been a member of the Birth Network Board since 2025 and has been a volunteer breastfeeding counselor for Nursing Mothers Counsel since 2016. Beth is certified to provide postpartum care at no cost to Medi-Cal members. Beth works closely with Siena House, making sure support continues long after the birth is over. Beth's support with families covers breast/bottle feeding counseling, newborn education, meal prep - whatever it takes to keep the new parent/s off their feet and getting to know their new addition to the family.
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Tina McRorie, MA
Board Member
Tina is a parenting educator with a background in psychology. She is a long-time member of Birth Network, and joined the Board in 2025. Tina has been supporting parents since 1999. She offers workshops for parents locally and online. Tina also does coaching privately with parents and caregivers and is a volunteer lactation counselor with Nursing Mothers Counsel. As Founder of The Central Coast Parenting Education Network, Tina is bringing a wide variety of perinatal and parenting education providers together to promote and normalize parenting education. Tina raised two kids with her husband, Jeff. They are now in their mid-twenties, adulting and making their own unique ways in the world.
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Journey Revington Talkovic, CNM, WHNP, IBCLC
Board Member
Journey has worked with birthing families since 2002, initially as a Birth & Postpartum Doula, Whole Birth Yoga Instructor and Certified Massage Therapist, before becoming a Certified Nurse Midwife and Women's Health Nurse Practitioner in 2012. Her passion for empowering and supporting families continues to inform all of her roles in our community; she is currently practicing as a Board Certified Lactation Consultant (IBCLC), Certified Childbirth and Newborn Care Educator, and facilitator of several perinatal support circles. This is her second term on the Board of Birth Network, as the Meet the Doulas Coordinator.
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Elizabeth Yznaga, DNP, CNM
Board Member
Elizabeth has been a Certified Nurse Midwife since 1981. She received her nursing and midwifery training at Yale University and was a doula for her OB patients in East Palo Alto after graduation. She came to midwifery with the desire to make the hospital better for mothers and babies. That intense desire helped Elizabeth develop the midwifery service at Kaiser San Jose in 1990. A supporter of hospital Birth, she believes that all mothers should Birth where they want to, with the people they want beside them. More midwives and more Doulas.
