Full-Scope Midwifery

Childbirth the Way Nature Intended is a full-scope midwifery practice providing licensed home birth, holistic well-woman care, doula services and childbirth education. The practice is run by Debbie Boucher, APN, CNM and has an office in Lake Barrington, Illinois. The home birth coverage area includes northeast Illinois and southeast Wisconsin. 

Debbie Boucher, Midwife

Debbie Boucher, APN, CNM is a certified nurse-midwife licensed in Illinois and Wisconsin. She started providing labor support in 1993 as a doula and a childbirth educator (Bradley Method).

After several years, she realized that there were no licensed midwives in Lake County, and very few home birth options. She decided to go back to school to become a CNM. After completing an undergraduate nursing degree in 2005 at Loyola University Chicago, she became a licensed RN that same year and started attending home births, working under the supervision of two MD practices and two CNMs.

​She completed a master’s degree in nursing in 2008 at University of Illinois at Chicago which enabled her to become a certified nurse midwife (CNM) and receive a license to practice. At that point she started her midwifery private practice, in July 2008.

Karen Cusick, Nurse, Doula​

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Karen Cusick, RN was born and raised in England. After college she was a children's nanny. She then completed nurse training specializing in neonatal intensive care, and worked in a very busy regional hospital in London for 24 years.

​In April 2004 she moved to the USA with her husband and two children. She is a certified doula. She loves children and infants and is also very involved in showing and breeding Cavalier King Charles spaniels.

Jane Dorado, Nurse

Jane Dorado, RN holds an Associate Degree in Physical Therapy as well as her nursing degree.

She has four children, all born at home, and two of her five grandchildren were home births also. She was a breastfeeding mother for a total of fourteen years. After her first baby, she became a childbirth educator and taught for 24 years and has attended hundreds of births in the assistant role.

​Drawing on her Physical Therapy background, she has always been interested in facilitating the body’s own healing power, rather than depending on substances or technology which are extrinsic. She believes that with support we can do the most amazing things. Women are wonderfully and powerfully made.

Brittany Hargens, Nurse, Doula, Placenta Specialist

Brittany Hargens, BSN, RN, CD(DONA), PES has been an RN since 2015. She currently works as a labor and delivery nurse and placenta encapsulation specialist. Brittany loves everything about birth. She believes that a woman’s body was made to do amazing things; birth is an empowering and beautiful experience. She is currently planning on completing her graduate degree in order to become a certified nurse midwife (CNM) by the year 2020.
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Brittany resides in Lake County with her fiancé Paul and their two little boys, Dominic and Dakota. She enjoys spending quiet time at the lake often accompanied by a hot cup of coffee, taking walks with her children, and volunteering her time. Her other certifications include certified labor doula, Basic Life Support (BLS) and Neonatal Resuscitation (NRP).

Aime Gramer, Nurse

​Aime Gramer, RN, IBCLC is married to Ron Gramer and they currently have eleven children. Their last six children were born at home, all with Debbie in attendance. Aime has been a labor-delivery nurse since 1992. She also has experience in childbirth education and has been a lactation consultant (IBCLC) for several years. Her other certifications include Advanced Cardiac Life Support (ACLS) and Neonatal Resuscitation (NRP). She enjoys educating parents, supporting families, and being an advocate for their decisions.