Melanie Tongren,
Phlebotomist, 1st Assistant
Back Office Assistant, Doula

Melanie recently moved to Irvine, California from Connecticut. Joining the South Coast Midwifery team was an easy decision as she has a passion for women’s health care and for birth. She considers the opportunity to work with clients as passionate as ours, a treat. She thinks out of hospital birth is a great choice for the majority of pregnant families and hopes that in the future more people start taking advantage of birth centers like ours.

Melanie is in the process of beginning her studies to become a midwife. She thinks taking control of your health care is one of the best decisions a person can make and wants to be as involved as possible with that kind of empowerment.  

She is A.L.A.C.E. (Association of Labor Assistants & Childbirth Educators ) trained and is currently a part of South Coast Midwifery's Doula Internship Program. She loves having the opportunity to continue the relationships that she builds with clients within the office. When she's not attending clients as a doula, she can still be seen at their births as a birth assistant.

Melanie spends most of her time away from South Coast Midwifery with her fiancé Paul whom she will be marrying in August 2008. They spend much of their time working on their community garden plan.