Natasha, CNM

My journey to becoming a midwife began when I was 18 years old, although I didn’t realize it at the time. I was a freshman at Florida State University without a clear direction for my future when my aunt invited me to attend the home birth of her eighth baby. She was cared for by the same traditional midwife who had attended several of her previous births, and I was fortunate enough to be part of that experience. Watching the peace, confidence, and freedom she had while bringing her baby into the world opened my eyes to an entirely different way of caring for women. I left that birth knowing I had found my calling.

When I returned to Florida State, I changed my major to nursing, and that decision set the course for the rest of my career. I began working as a registered nurse in mother-baby, newborn nursery, and eventually labor and delivery, where I had the privilege of caring for hundreds of growing families.

I married my high school sweetheart in 2007, and together we spent many years moving around the country with the U.S. Navy. During those years I practiced nursing in Florida, California, Virginia, and Washington, gaining experience in a variety of hospitals and caring for families from many different backgrounds.

Along the way, I also became a mother. I had my children in my twenties and chose midwifery care for each of my pregnancies. My second birth was an empowering, unmedicated natural birth that reaffirmed everything I loved about the midwifery model of care. Experiencing pregnancy, birth, and postpartum care as both a nurse and a mother gave me a unique perspective and deepened my passion for supporting women through one of life’s most transformative experiences.

When COVID changed so much about healthcare, it also gave me the opportunity to rethink my own path. As my children grew older, I knew it was finally time to pursue my lifelong dream of becoming a Certified Nurse-Midwife. I attended Frontier Nursing University, whose mission and philosophy closely aligned with the kind of care I wanted to provide.

After graduation, I joined Breath of Life Birth Center, one of the few out-of-hospital birth centers in Florida staffed by Certified Nurse-Midwives. Although that chapter was short-lived after the birth center closed, it led me to Labor of Love Birth Center, where I poured my heart and soul into caring for our families and helping lead an incredible team. The relationships I built with our clients and coworkers during those years will always hold a special place in my heart.

With the closing of Labor of Love and the increasing financial challenges facing freestanding birth centers across the country, I have come full circle, back to where this journey first began. Home birth was the experience that inspired me to become a midwife nearly two decades ago, and it is an honor to now provide that same personalized, relationship-centered care to families in their own homes.

Today I am proud to be part of Living Waters Midwifery alongside my dear friend and colleague, Stephanie. Together we are committed to providing safe, evidence-based, compassionate home birth care while building lasting relationships with the families we serve. I also continue to practice as a Certified Nurse-Midwife in the hospital setting as a hospitalist at AdventHealth Wesley Chapel, allowing me to maintain experience caring for both physiologic birth and higher-acuity obstetric situations.

It is a privilege to walk alongside families during pregnancy, birth, and the transition into parenthood. My goal is for every woman to feel heard, respected, informed, and deeply supported as she welcomes her baby into the world.