Christina Owens, CPM, LM
I am a Certified Professional Midwife (CPM) having completed the Commonwealth of Virginia requirements for professional practice as a Licensed Midwife (LM) in 2013.
I attended the Florida School of Traditional Midwifery in Gainesville, Florida, in the late 90's. I also completed an apprenticeship at the Birth Center of Gainesville and worked with homebirth midwives in FL and VA. Neonatal Resuscitation and CPR are part of my credentials as per requirements as a CPM and LM.
My experience includes many years of attending births in the home and birth center setting with a great deal of waterbirth experience. I have also spent ten years working as a nurse in a family centered maternity office with several midwives and doctors. I am especially interested in preserving vaginal breech birth as an option as well as vaginal birth after a cesarean.
It is my belief that pregnancy and birth are normal physiologic changes in a person's life span that are unique to each of us as well as their desires and wishes for that life changing event. I feel it is your choice as to how and where you will give birth as well as who will attend you. How your baby is treated during this transition is equally important.
I am the mother of 4 beautiful, grown women and grandmother to 6 adorable grandbabies:
2 grandsons and 4 granddaughters.
Ildiko Baugus, CPM, LM
My interest in home birth began long before I became a midwife. I am the mother of 4 children ranging in ages from 16 to 27 and with each one I did a little more research and investigated my options, especially after some very disappointing and frustrating hospital births. By my fourth child I had decided there was a better way, a way that respected my wishes and desires to make my birth a beautiful experience and not just an industrial exercise. This meant giving birth at home and in water. As it turned out, the labor and delivery was so relaxed and comfortable that our 12-pound baby came very quickly; it was my fastest and easiest delivery by far. If I can do it you can too and EVA Homebirth is here to help.
The other significant event in inspiring me to become a midwife was our trips to Africa. My husband and I have made two trips to Africa; one to Uganda in 2012 and then to Malawi in 2015. After seeing some of the conditions people are living in and the scarcity of medical services, especially for pregnant women, I decided I had to do something to help, especially since our involvement in Africa was only going to increase over the next few years.
Soon after my return from Malawi, I got in touch with Chrissy and the rest, as they say, is history. I began my formal Midwifery training in February 2017 and finished in the Fall of 2019. But that is not all, during my training I have become certified in NRP and CPR. I have attended seminars on breech birth, water birth, postpartum hemorrhage and am getting certified as an Essential Oils Birth Consultant with Brilliant Birth Academy. I am also certified to offer Homeoprophylaxis.
The other significant event in inspiring me to become a midwife was our trips to Africa. My husband and I have made two trips to Africa; one to Uganda in 2012 and then to Malawi in 2015. After seeing some of the conditions people are living in and the scarcity of medical services, especially for pregnant women, I decided I had to do something to help, especially since our involvement in Africa was only going to increase over the next few years.
Soon after my return from Malawi, I got in touch with Chrissy and the rest, as they say, is history. I began my formal Midwifery training in February 2017 and finished in the Fall of 2019. But that is not all, during my training I have become certified in NRP and CPR. I have attended seminars on breech birth, water birth, postpartum hemorrhage and am getting certified as an Essential Oils Birth Consultant with Brilliant Birth Academy. I am also certified to offer Homeoprophylaxis.
Brittney Westbrook, CPM
I have always been my happiest when serving others. That has looked so differently over the years, everything from being a restaurant owner to working in geriatrics as a nurse aid. After completing a doula training in 2018, I started supporting women at their births and haven’t looked back. Most people assume I want to be a midwife because I love babies. Actually, I want to be a midwife because I love women. I believe in their innate ability to birth their babies and always feel honored to be invited into their birth space. After lots of research and experiences I realized that out of hospital care was where I belonged and a CPM was the type of midwife I wanted to be. Shortly after being accepted into Mercy In Action’s Midwifery program I began working for Bella Donna Midwifery, a home birth and birth center practice in North Carolina. Over the next three years I worked as their primary birth assistant and obtained my NRP certification, as well as trained in placenta encapsulation and childbirth education. I will forever be grateful for the education, skills learned, and the relationships formed at that practice.
As CPM’s are not licensed in the state of North Carolina my midwifery journey lead me to Virginia. It was very important to me to finish my final phase of my midwifery training in a state that I could one day practice. I am so excited to be a part of the EVA Homebirth team. I have already learned so much from Ildiko and Chrissy. They truly are magical.
I could not be walking this path without the love and support from my wonderful husband, two beautiful daughters, and my parents. I am humbled daily by the love and grace they have shown me so that I can do this amazing work.
As CPM’s are not licensed in the state of North Carolina my midwifery journey lead me to Virginia. It was very important to me to finish my final phase of my midwifery training in a state that I could one day practice. I am so excited to be a part of the EVA Homebirth team. I have already learned so much from Ildiko and Chrissy. They truly are magical.
I could not be walking this path without the love and support from my wonderful husband, two beautiful daughters, and my parents. I am humbled daily by the love and grace they have shown me so that I can do this amazing work.
Midwifery Students
Kimberly Lane, RN, SM
Kimberly is the mother of three beautiful children and is already a Registered Nurse. After much deliberation, she decided she was truly destined to become a Certified Professional Midwife instead of a Nurse-Midwife and embarked on this path in 2022.
Breastfeeding Counseling
Placenta Encapsulation
Racheal Boyea-O'Brien, CLC
Racheal and Khali
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Racheal is the mom of two, Joshua, age 8, and Khali, age 7. She is a Certified Lactation Counselor and a Boilermaker Apprentice at Norfolk Naval Shipyard. She has been offering breastfeeding support to others since the birth of her daughter and offers in-home, office and phone consultations for anyone needing breastfeeding support.
Racheal has also been offering placenta encapsulation to our clients and others since 2017. |
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