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praise for maddy

"Madeleine knew the importance of me having some semblance of "control" over my birth after previous birth trauma and did everything within her power (and within safe practice) to facilitate my decisions."

"Madeleine was extremely professional, extremely experienced, and an absolutely incredible advocate for me throughout the whole process, especially when some hospital staff were wanting to progress my stay to a mixed ward and I was still experiencing severe pain and distress. Madeleine actually attended to my needs and did not let hospital staff bully her out of the care I required."

"Madeleine is a blessing to the midwifery community in the Waikato. Her wide and varied expertise, strong advocacy, exceptional consideration and care, post-birth briefing and open communication lines are all factors that led me to survive and thrive (as much as I could!) through an extremely difficult pregnancy and unexpected hospital birth. I felt safe and supported and I'm eternally grateful to Madeleine for helping me to grow my second son."

"Madeleine was my birth doula and she was fantastic in every way. If I ever have another child, I would want her as my midwife. Extremely knowledgeable, caring, smart, and courageous= excellent healthcare provider. Thanks Madeleine!! You're amazing!"

"Maddy was with me for my sons birth in 2015. She made the whole birthing process more cheerful, helped keep me informed through every step, and was just overall an amazing person. 10/10 will always recommend her to anyone who asks."

"Best health care service I've ever received. Madeleine is caring, professional, and knowledgable. She is not only a great health care provider, but an inspiration as well."

"Maddy was everything I needed to have a non-medicated birth at Sutter Davis Hospital. She was compassionate, patient and soothing during my 17 hour active labor. Her voice is calming and relaxing. She has many tools and tricks to help you during labor. I could not have achieved my un-medicated vaginal birth if it weren’t for Maddy. I highly recommend Maddy as a Doula and midwife. She kept the staff well informed of my birthing plan and helped me deliver my beautiful baby girl. Maddy is the best!"

"You truly made our birthing experience beautiful. You were so calm and complimenting. It made me feel confident and strong and capable. You are amazing and meant to do this."

"I have known Madeline as a personal friend for many years and have treasured her place in my life. She was there for our family when it was just the two of us trying to prepare for our family to expand. We were scared into thinking my body was broken and my only options were to pay a lot of money for someone to "fix" it and that was the only way a baby would come into our lives. She helped us navigate our path to un-medicalizing our conception and making it something we were able to do at home, which felt so much more empowering. Madeline was our doula for our baby's birth, but our Midwife became sick when I was 40 weeks along and would not be there for the birth. Madeline became a wrangler and scheduled back up Midwives, helped us navigate post dates testing, and helped guide our choices on natural vs. medical induction for our very stubborn baby who just wanted to stay and float forever. She stayed nearly all 60 hours of my labor, only to be called away by the saddest news another family was grieving the loss of their new little person. My birth was long, and hard in ways I was not prepared for. Madeline was the rock that I needed, that constant, gentle presence that was ready with a joke if I needed it. I don't know that so many of the things about my conception, birth, and postpartum that I am so deeply grateful for would have happened had it not been for her fierce loyalty and devotion. I have watched her grow and struggle to become the folk hero all babies deserve. I only hope to come into a lot of money some day and help her build a birth center so that more babies can pass into this world through her sweet guiding hands. I love Madeline with all of my heart and have nothing but the kindest things to say about her always."

"I can't tell you how much relief I felt after meeting you for the first time. Your genuine nature and loving, funny attitude were exactly what I needed during such a pivotal time in our lives. Thank you for being calm, loving, and for cracking jokes when I needed it."

"Maddy was my amazing doula back in 2013 and helped me advocate for myself through a difficult malpresentation when I was advised to have a c-section. Without her I'm not convinced that I would have delivered vaginally. Later, after her midwifery licensure, I went to Maddy for a well woman checkup. Maddy is very kind, thoughtful, empowering, and cognizant of real world obstacles and barriers to care and compliance. I have no plans to get my routine reproductive healthcare at a doctor's office ever again!"

"Forever five stars for maddy as an educator, as an advocate and as a person."

"Madeleine is the best! She helped me advocate for the birth I wanted and supported us as we waited to take our preemie home. She was a great support to my fiancé as he felt clueless during the process. She also took amazing photos and I didn't even notice! She is a professional yet warm spirit and has a great sense of humor as well. Love, love, love her!"

"I absolutely love Maddy! She was at my birth with Lucinda and she was such a calming and reassuring presence!! I highly recommend her!"

"Maddy is meant to be a midwife. This is clear in the way she cares for families, the way she strives to bring access to high quality care to her community, and the unwavering determination to educate herself and those around her. Families are lucky to have such a knowledgeable and supportive midwife."

"I've had two babies and two different doulas. Maddy helped me with my second baby, and if I ever have more children, I want Maddy or someone she vouches for to be involved. She was the most professional, yet warm, calming yet upbeat presence during my labor. She let me squeeze the absolute crap out of her hand and assured me I wouldn't be able to hurt her. She helped me get the tub birth I wanted by being the best advocate for me when all I could do was groan (in a low voice, as she recommended.) To top it off, she has the best stories plucked straight from her life. I loved having Maddy be such an important part of my birthing process. I have recommended her to multiple people. She's simply the best."

"Maddy couldn't have been a better fit for our family. She provided support through my pregnancy and labor as a doula. She is incredibly knowledgeable, professional, pro-woman, pro-family, and generally all around wonderful human. She has a clear passion for women and infant health and everything she does exudes this passion. I simply cannot recommend her strongly enough."

"I'm laying in my postpartum bed right now reflecting on my birth and still in awe of everything that happened and how it all came together. This is my 3rd baby and I found Madeleine along my search to support a better birth experience than my prior births. I wanted to either birth at home or labor at home as long as possible before transporting to a hospital to deliver. I knew I was going to need a lot of help from the perfect person, as I had epidurals and interventions in the past and was uncertain about managing labor naturally as I had wanted. My plans for a natural potential home birth went out the window when I was diagnosed with cholestasis at 37 weeks. I was induced and the fear kicked in. How could I avoid an epidural with an induced labor? Madeleine was assisting in an emergency when I was admitted but sent a doula, Thuy, over to me to be with me until she could. (She was also wonderful and supportive and a great match for me!) After having a very intense experience and a long day, she was with me first thing in the morning. She walked in with a smile on her face and a very large iced coffee. All day was spent trying to get me into active labor. I was so discouraged and disappointed. Not only did my birth plan go "out the window", but this whole induction business was not working. She encouraged me every step of the way. She told me to rest, when to get up and get moving, what to expect, etc. Every time it came to a decision making point or a plan revision she guided me with perfection. 
So, the induction didn't work Tuesday and we even had to stop it altogether for a while when babys heart rate dropped. I fully expected Madeleine to go home and get sleep and come back the next morning. This woman got me comfortable in bed, made sure I went to sleep and dad was settling in on the couch, and she slept on the friggin FLOOR of my hospital room. I woke up at one point to use the bathroom and started unhooking myself, not even realizing she was there, and she got up and got me untangled and into the bathroom. She was like a fairy godmother. My baby was born naturally with no epidural at 7:35 p.m on Wednesday June 13th. On Madeleine's birthday. It was long and grueling and I can't imagine that experience without her on my support team."

"Madeleine is such an incredible support and wealth of knowledge. I was beyond lucky to have Madeleine support me though my pregnancy and birth. It was life-changing. I wish every new parent could have Madeleine by their side."

"She was the first provider I have ever encountered who asked pertinent questions and truly listened to my complaints. For the first time ever, I was not shamed or embarrassed about my troubles and I was offered a few options on how to resolve them. I will never return to an OBGYN office unless I absolutely had to."

Why the mask?

You might wonder why I wear a mask while I'm working.

Masking keeps me healthy, and keeps me and my family safe from common illnesses like the flu, Covid-19, and other illnesses.

This means fewer rescheduled appointments for you and your family. 

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madeleine "maddy" WISNER

Madeleine is a Registered Midwife (RM) and Lactation Consultant (IBCLC) who provides loving, safe, trauma-informed care to families and their babies in home, birth centre, and hospital settings. 

Madeleine became a midwife in the United States of America, an overall unfortunate and dangerous place to give birth. She trained as an apprentice midwife throughout Central California with home birth midwives. She graduated from an accredited midwifery program in 2017, and spent the next decade as the director and sole midwife at a freestanding birth center for low-income families. Following the birth of her daughter, Madeleine transitioned her midwifery practice and her family to Aotearoa New Zealand.

In 2025, Madeleine has completed the years-long Midwifery Council of New Zealand's Overseas Competency Programme while working as a Core Midwife in hospital. She is privileged to have received her training across the full scope of midwifery in two very different health systems.  She maintains her California midwifery license in addition to practicing in New Zealand, and continues to participate politically in the incremental shifts toward midwife-led care in the US.

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in the media

Medical Board of California's most recent Midwifery Advisory Council meeting. Madeleine has been the chair of this council since 2024.

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Click here for a CalMatters article on the challenges of running midwifery practice in a for-profit health system