Joy Frazer
Joy Frazer is a midwife and lactation consultant informed by training in homeopathy and naturopathy. She has been in practice in Durango, CO since 2007. Joy honors the body’s innate ability to birth babies, breastfeed and heal itself. She is committed to facilitating the health of families and individuals through kind and compassionate care.
Joy received her Bachelor’s of Science in Nursing from the University of Texas at Austin. She practiced as a Registered Nurse for seven years while continuing her education in naturopathic medicine and midwifery. Her nursing experience is primarily in mother-baby nursing and lactation consulting. She had the pleasure of working for Evergreen Hospital in Seattle, the first baby-friendly hospital in the United States. Evergreen, where Joy received her lactation consultant training, has a very strong lactation program and a 95% breastfeeding rate. Joy was the first International Board Certified Lactation Consultant (IBCLC) in Durango and has over 2500 hours of lactation consulting experience.
Joy received her Doctorate in Naturopathic Medicine and her Midwifery Certificate from Bastyr University in Seattle, Washington. Joy is a licensed, board-certified Naturopathic Doctor who holds a license in Washington state (not licensed or practicing as an ND in Colorado). She accumulated over 1000 hours of clinical experience under the mentorship of several naturopathic doctors in various clinical capacities. This included stints at the Bastyr Center for Natural Health, working at two area homeless shelters, and a preceptorship with various naturopathic doctors who specialized in pediatrics to gain more experience treating children and families. Joy has also completed an additional two year course in homeopathy from the New England School of Homeopathy taught by Paul Herscu, ND and Amy Rothenberg, ND.
Joy is a Registered Midwife in the state of Colorado and a Licensed Midwife in the state of New Mexico. In addition to her formal academic training in midwifery at Bastyr University, Joy has attended over 500 births. Joy also spent 4 weeks at the Vila Central Hospital in Vanuatu, a third world country with limited medical resources, where she managed 46 natural births and participated in postpartum, neonatal, and pediatric rounds with the attending physicians. Joy has current certifications in CPR, NRP (Neonatal Resuscitation Program), IV administration, and medication administration.
Joy lives in Durango with her husband and two sons. Her sons were born at home surrounded and supported by her husband and her midwives. This experience greatly deepened Joy’s desire to help women give birth naturally with respect and empowerment. In Joy’s spare time when she isn’t seeing clients or running off to a birth, she enjoys spending time in nature or sneaking out of town to a soccer tournament, ski race, or family backpacking trip.