James Austin V, DNP, CNM, IBCLC, Arizona

Deborah is a midwife, mother of 6, and grandmother who describes herself as "a birth junkie from birth!" Her journey to midwifery started as a young child who was magnestized to helping mothers and babies, then was refined across decades of supporting friends and family through their own pregnancies, births, and postpartum events. She is passionate about home birth, informed consent, and having authentic relationships with her clients and families that extend to friendships well after the babies are born. Her story traverses across the US and back a number of times as she completed midwifery training and found her place to put roots down for her own home birth practice in Southern Utah - Aravah Midwifery. Join us for another heartwarming hour of laughter, storytelling, wisdom, and of course, a journey to midwifery. Mentioned in this episode:- Birth with Insight | https://www.birthwithinsight.com/index.html | Marcy Kuntz, LDEM- Midwife to Be training | https://midwifetobe.com/- Three Rivers Midwifery | Cindy Wylie, CNM | https://www.threeriversmidwifery.com/- Mercy in Action Midwifery School | https://www.mercycollegeofmidwifery.edu/- Book: Anti-D Explained by Sarah Wickham | https://www.sarawickham.com/anti-d/sara w book- Aravah MIdwifery | https://www.aravahmidwifery.com/

Annetra shares her journey to midwifery and choice to settle at the The Midwife Center for Birth & Women's Health in Pittsburgh, PA. She shared a great resource for midwife students of color to find a mentor. Here's the link for that. https://blackmidwivesalliance.org/

Nalah Morrow, CNM is a new grad that traversed Minnesota, Arizona, and Nevada to get her midwifery training completed at Bethel University in Minnesota (all while commuting from her home in California). Nalah was set to become a veterinarian, but after a brief trip to labor and delivery to assist a friend in labor, felt the calling to become a nurse-midwife. Nalah speaks frankly about her training, her fellowship at GWU and her next steps post-fellowship: back to California to join a birth center practice! Find Nalah on instagram @MidwifeNalah Links from the show: Nurse Pocket Prep app: https://apps.apple.com/us/app/nursing-pocket-prep/id1501741725 EngagED Midwife prep course: https://delivered.learnworlds.com/home Bethel University:  https://www.bethel.edu/graduate/academics/nurse-midwifery/

Dr. Mickey Sperlich shares her journey as a CPM that recognized during home birth care that women were struggling with something that was unseen. She started asking questions as a CPM and her questions led to a concurrent career of research and trauma-informed care, and ultimately, a PhD to continue building out this area. Her work includes a book called Survivor Moms and a psychoeducational training program called Survivor Moms Companion. Contact Mickey at: University of Buffalo: https://socialwork.buffalo.edu/faculty-research/full-time-faculty/msperlic.html Email contact: [email protected] Book: Survivor Moms Website: https://survivormoms.org/ Enroll to be a trainer/tutor: https://growingforwardtogether.enrollware.com/schedule Other resources:National Center for PTSD: https://www.ptsd.va.gov/ The National Center for Trauma Informed-CareComplete list of resources is here: https://survivormoms.org/public-resources/

Dr. Michelle Collins CNM has been a midwife for 22 years and is currently the Dean of the College of Nursing and Health at Loyola University in New Orleans, LA. In this episode, we talk about Michelle's journey and experiences as a CNM, as well as how she started a nurse-midwifery program at Loyola in 2023. If you are an aspiring midwife, and looking for a university, take a listen as Michelle offers in-depth information on Loyola's program. (Hint--it sounds fantastic!!) Here's the link for more information on Loyola's Nurse-Midwifery program https://www.loyno.edu/academics/colleges/college-nursing-health/master-science-nursing-nurse-midwifery

Brandi graduated in 2023 and took her boards in 2024 after having a baby and taking time off for her family. She shares her journey to midwifery as well as her struggles to land a job after taking a much-needed break between school and boards. The discussion Brandi and I have is, are child bearing women being punished in the job market because of taking time off for their family?? Listen to Brandi's story and find out! Links Brandi mentioned: The Ultimate Survivor Guide for New Midwives https://www.amazon.com/Ultimate-Survival-Guide-New-Midwives/dp/0578500175 Real Deal Nurse Practitioner Club https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/real-deal-nurse-practitioner-club/id1552285929 The Engaged Midwife exam prep and podcast https://deliveredexamprep.com/the-engaged-midwife-podcast/ CREOGS over coffee https://creogsovercoffee.com/

Join Jamie Guertin from A Midwife Nation for our latest episode with Lisa Miller, CNM, JD - that’s right - Lisa went to law school shortly after graduating from midwifery school and says law school made her a better midwife! Tune in for all sorts of nuggets and wisdom about the many intersections between law and midwifery. Don’t miss this episode! Links from show: Sign up for Lisa's newsletter: ⁠https://prmes.com/newsletter-signup/⁠ Lisa's RNC-EFM prep course: ⁠Electronic Fetal Monitoring: Review Course and Certification Preparation⁠ Critical Care OB podcast  ⁠https://www.clinicalconceptsinob.com/the-critical-care-obstetrics-podcast/⁠

Rose Watson-Ormond is a certified nurse-midwife based in Saxapahaw, North Carolina. She recently opened a home birth practice called Haw River Midwifery to serve her community. Her story is inspiring and she offers wisdom about being a doula, choosing a midwifery school, opening a home birth practice, balancing family and midwifery and the importance of focusing on sustainability with "eyes wide open!" Show notes: Home birth practice: Haw River Midwifery Book recommendation: Feed the Baby: An Inclusive Guide to Nursing, Bottle-Feeding, and Everything In Between Yale Midwifery Program - RN to MSN in 3 years: Graduate Entry Pre-Specialty in Nursing (GEPN) Home Birth Course: Empowering Midwifery

Dana has been a midwife for over 30 years and has many words of wisdom to offer while sharing her story. It's always so insightful to learn and hear the stories of "seasoned" midwives! Dana also wanted to share in the podcast that her friend and colleague from Windy Hill Midwifery, located in North Central Wisconsin, near Wasau is looking for experienced midwives, student midwives, and semi-retired midwives who are passionate about providing high-quality care and making a positive impact on our community. She can be reached at [email protected]  You can also check on Dana's very own podcast at https://open.spotify.com/show/31eQBV6lUHwW9qZRHIYWKn?si=8f1143b9b9064c0c

Guest host Jamie Guertin from A Midwife Nation talks with James Austin, DNP, CNM, IBCLC. As a new grad CNM, Austin stumbled upon the gold mine of midwifery residencies at El Rio Health in Tucson, AZ. Listen to her valuable experiences to see if a midwife residency after graduation may be the right step for you.