Sarah Waldron, WHNP, CNM

While completing my undergraduate nursing degree at UC Irvine, one of my professors, a midwife, encouraged me to watch a documentary called The Business of Being Born. I vividly remember finishing it and thinking, “Everyone needs a midwife, and that is what I want to be!” Discovering midwifery catapulted me in the direction of learning about all things birth. I soon began working as a midwife assistant at a freestanding birthing center and vividly remember the first home birth I attended. I was in awe of the power radiating from the birthing woman and their family's immediate bond. I had found my purpose. Over the next several years, my work took me to adult acute care, in-hospital labor & delivery, and then to the birth of our daughter. Violet’s waterbirth with our amazing midwife and midwife assistants solidified my belief that every person deserves to feel loved, supported, heard, and trusted during their birth. After giving birth, my world shifted, and I changed my nursing path to pediatric emergency medicine in addition to midwife assisting local community midwives. This work regrounded my desire to begin midwifery school at CSU Fullerton, where I completed my Master's Degree in Nursing Science. During midwifery school, I cared for both in and out-of-hospital birthing families attending hospital, birth center, and home births. The skills and knowledge I gained while working in the acute care settings for both adults and children give me a unique perspective on providing holistic care throughout life. I believe that birth is a rite of passage that deserves to be honored and revered for its miracle. Birthing at home creates the opportunity to birth on your terms in your space surrounded by a team that believes in you. I recently welcomed our second daughter this summer at home and am so grateful to have experienced a safe and empowering birth!