Betsy Merbitz, CPM, LMT, EMT
I’m a Certified Professional Midwife (CPM), Licensed Massage Therapist (LMT), and long-time doula and childbirth educator. Based out of Chicago, IL, I provide holistic services throughout the life cycle, including massage, childbirth education, herbal healing, and more.
After having become a midwife, I became a Licensed Massage Therapist in order to incorporate bodywork into my perinatal care and holistic healing. I specialize in Manual Lymphatic Drainage and neurolymphatic massage, as well as massage techniques for chronic illness. Lymphatic and neurolymphatic massage can help with post-covid syndrome, brain fog, allergies, muscle fatigue and more. I love offering multimodal healing sessions that incorporate massage and herbal medicine.
I am also available for pregnancy and postpartum massage. I am also certified as a Body Ready Method childbirth preparation professional, and offer perinatal massage sessions that incorporate Body Ready Method techniques.
I’m currently a birth assistant at a local birth center and I’m not accepting private clients for home birth midwifery care at this time. My childbirth education offerings include some unique stand-alone classes on topics such as choosing where to give birth, postpartum preparation, and avoiding interventions. I also offer 1:1 and group midwifery tutoring for midwifery students and any other childbirth professionals seeking to deepen their knowledge, and coaching for doulas.
I am passionate about equity and justice in holistic healthcare and strive to be accountable for my own actions and support others in accountability. I am a current board member of the Holistic Birth Collective, an initiative for birth justice and midwifery access in Chicago.
I write poetry and prose and am working on a series of poems about medicinal plants. Click here to read my work.
Facts on Betsy:
Full name : Elizabeth Therese Merbitz
Pronouns: She/her/hers
Favorite Breakfast food: Eggs and Toast for sure!
Favorite sport: Ultimate Frisbee
Least favorite sport: Volleyball (can we please just play ultimate instead?)
Attended my first birth in: 2006
Favorite Poem: “Why I Write Poetry” by Major Jackson
Number of births attended: About 200