Meet the Founders
Whitney Elsesser, DNP, CNM, FMACP
Co-Founder & Medical Director
Certified Nurse-Midwife
A Certified Nurse-Midwife and U.S. Navy veteran, Whitney brings clinical leadership, a love of learning, and a collaborative, whole-person approach to Birth Haven in Salem, New Hampshire.
A Passion for Women's Health. A Commitment to Being Heard.
Whitney's journey through labor and delivery nursing, midwifery, and whole-person women's healthcare has been shaped by one guiding belief: women deserve to feel heard, informed, and meaningfully involved in their care.
A Certified Nurse-Midwife, Doctor of Nursing Practice, and U.S. Navy veteran, Whitney brings clinical leadership, a love of learning, and a deeply collaborative approach to Birth Haven.
Her vision is a place where families feel supported, providers feel valued, and genuine relationships remain at the heart of healthcare.
Her Journey
From Labor & Delivery to a Broader Vision of Women's Health
Whitney's passion for women's healthcare grew from supporting women through some of the most vulnerable and meaningful experiences of their lives.
Working as a labor and delivery Registered Nurse showed her how profoundly a woman's experience could be shaped by whether she felt listened to, supported, and included in decisions about her care.
That understanding led Whitney into midwifery, where she found the opportunity to build deeper relationships, provide meaningful education, and advocate for informed choices.
Working in women's health since 2016, Whitney continued expanding her clinical knowledge and earned her Doctor of Nursing Practice degree from Frontier Nursing University in 2021.
Her professional journey also includes service in the U.S. Navy, reflecting another important part of her background.
As her career evolved, Whitney began hearing from women who didn't feel like themselves, particularly those navigating hormonal changes and the transitions of perimenopause and menopause.
She wanted to better understand their experiences and explore the connections among hormones, nutrition, stress, sleep, and everyday life. That curiosity helped draw her toward functional medicine and a broader understanding of women's health.
Today, Whitney brings together her experience in nursing, midwifery, clinical education, and whole-person care, continually seeking opportunities to learn and better serve the women who place their trust in her.
What She Believes
Your Questions Belong in the Conversation
Whitney believes women should never feel that they need to minimize their concerns, arrive with the right medical vocabulary, or set aside their personal experiences to be taken seriously.
Every woman deserves the opportunity to understand her options, discuss the benefits and risks, explore alternatives, and participate meaningfully in decisions about her health.
Her approach is collaborative, practical, and grounded in education.
She wants to understand what matters to each woman, explain information clearly, and develop a thoughtful plan together.
For maternity care, that includes honest conversations about different birth settings, individual clinical circumstances, and how the care team can respond if needs change.
I wish more women knew that their questions, preferences, and lived experiences belong in every healthcare conversation.
The Experience Matters
A Place Where You Can Be Yourself
When a woman meets Whitney, she hopes that woman feels comfortable being honest.
Honest about her symptoms. Her questions. Her fears. Her hopes. And the things she may have been hesitant to share elsewhere.
She wants women to feel welcomed without judgment, supported without pressure, and respected throughout conversations about their care.
Her hope is that every woman leaves a conversation feeling heard, understanding her options more clearly, and feeling more confident about her next steps.
Heard Without Judgment
Questions and concerns deserve thoughtful attention.
Informed and Involved
Women should understand their options and have a meaningful voice in decisions.
Supported Through Change
Care should respond thoughtfully to the needs and circumstances of each individual.
Why Birth Haven
Creating the Kind of Care Environment Women Deserve
For Whitney, co-founding Birth Haven was an opportunity to help create the kind of care environment she believes women and families deserve.
Preserving access to a birth center in the Salem community mattered deeply to her.
So did the opportunity to help create a culture where families can build lasting relationships with their care team and feel supported throughout pregnancy, birth, and postpartum.
Her vision extends beyond individual appointments.
Whitney hopes Birth Haven becomes a meaningful community resource for education, wellness, connection, and support throughout different stages of life.
And that commitment to community includes the professionals providing care.
She believes midwives, student midwives, and other team members deserve opportunities to learn, grow, feel valued, and receive support themselves.
For Whitney, caring for the people who care for families is an essential part of building a strong, sustainable maternity-care community.
Our providers deserve to feel heard, supported, and cared for just as much as the families we serve.
Clinical Leadership
Bringing Clinical Knowledge and Compassion Together
As Co-Founder and Medical Director, Whitney brings her background in nursing, nurse-midwifery, women's health, and clinical education to the leadership of Birth Haven.
She works alongside co-founders Khadijah Cissé and Danette Siegel to help shape an environment centered on relationship-based care, individualized decisions, professional collaboration, and respect for women and families.
Each founder brings different strengths to the organization, united by the belief that every woman's voice matters.
Whitney's vision includes supporting the care team as well as the families it serves, creating opportunities for meaningful professional growth while building a community where women feel informed, respected, and connected.
Beyond Birth Haven
Holistic & Hormonal
Personalized Women's Health & Functional Medicine
Whitney is also the founder of Holistic & Hormonal, her independent practice focused on individualized women's healthcare and functional medicine.
Her interest in this area developed as she met women navigating changes in their health who didn't feel like themselves and were searching for greater understanding of what they were experiencing.
Through Holistic & Hormonal, Whitney explores the connections among hormonal health, nutrition, stress, sleep, lifestyle, and overall well-being.
Her goal is to help women better understand their symptoms, explore appropriate options, and participate in developing a plan that reflects their individual needs.
This work is a natural extension of her passion for education, thoughtful communication, and whole-person women's healthcare.
Holistic & Hormonal is Whitney's independent practice. Its services and appointments are separate from Birth Haven.
Beyond the White Coat
A Little More About Whitney
Outside of healthcare, Whitney is a wife, mother of two, outdoor enthusiast, and someone who never stops learning.
She loves spending time outdoors, whether she's hiking, stand-up paddleboarding, camping, or road biking. She also enjoys weightlifting and finding new ways to challenge herself.
Life at home is full of activity, too. Her family raises chickens and keeps ducks, alongside their longtime Rhodesian Ridgeback.
And when she's not working or enjoying the outdoors, there's a good chance she's gathering friends around the table. Whitney and her family love hosting cookouts, sharing good food, and bringing people together.
It's that same appreciation for relationships, learning, and connection that she carries into her professional life.
Always Curious. Always Learning.
I'm endlessly curious and love learning. People often ask when I'm going to stop, and my answer is always the same: never!
Get to Know Birth Haven
Come Experience the Birth Haven Difference
Whitney and her fellow founders believe that a meaningful relationship begins with listening, understanding, and making room for questions. Whether you're exploring your maternity-care options or simply want to learn more about Birth Haven, we invite you to connect with our team.
Tours are hosted by Whitney or Khadijah, depending on availability.
Continue Exploring Birth Haven
Come Get to Know Birth Haven
The best way to get to know our space and approach is to visit, ask questions, and have a conversation about what you are looking for in your care.