ABOUT THE MIDWIFE

My name is Genevieve Heath. I’m a Licensed Midwife and Certified Professional Midwife serving families here in Orange County, CA. I’ve been practicing since January 2017—but my love for birth started long before that.

As a little girl, I was completely fascinated by pregnancy, birth, and babies. I watched every show I could find, read all the books, and yes—regularly walked around with a helmet or blanket under my shirt pretending to be pregnant. I couldn’t wait to become a mom someday.

For a while, I thought I’d become a nurse and work in pediatric oncology, eventually “retiring” into midwifery. Life had other plans. I went to school for psychology instead and graduated in 2013, fully convinced I was done with school forever. But just a few months later, I found myself enrolling in midwifery school. I realized two things: pediatric oncology would be incredibly heavy on my heart, and honestly… why wait? Why not go straight to what I truly loved?

During that same season of life, I was also falling in love. I got married in June 2016, finished midwifery school, and passed my NARM exam while 11 weeks pregnant with my first baby. It was a full, beautiful, life-changing time.

Becoming a mother deepened everything for me.

My first pregnancy was harder than I expected—but also more incredible than I could have imagined. I gave birth at a birth center in the water. Labor was intense, steady work. When my water broke, I hit transition fast (and yes—my family still laughs about me yelling the f-word… not my usual style). Not long after, my body began to push. I remember the intensity, the stretching, the moment of doubt—and then the overwhelming relief as her head was born. In that moment, I knew I could do it. One more push, and my first baby was in my arms. No interventions. Just my body doing what it was made to do.

My second birth? Completely different.

That pregnancy brought its own challenges, and I jokingly told everyone she needed to come before Christmas (she was due December 20th). On December 16th, after a church party and some serious back pain, contractions started—but they were irregular and mild. I went to my mom’s house so I wouldn’t wake my toddler. Things still didn’t seem like “active labor,” but I texted my midwife just in case.

Then suddenly… pressure.

I remember thinking, this baby is coming now. I texted my husband to hurry, my dad started filling the tub, and I tried to make it to the room. I didn’t quite make it. Right there in the doorway, her head was born—followed by the rest of her, with my mom catching her. I still had all my clothes on. My midwife and husband arrived about 20 minutes later. It was wild, fast, and honestly kind of amazing.

By my third pregnancy, I kept thinking, “Okay, I’ve done this twice—I’ve got this.” But this one humbled me. The nausea, pain, heartburn, and headaches were intense. I spent a lot of that pregnancy just trying to get through each day.

Her birth had its own rhythm—starting and stopping, keeping me guessing. My water broke before labor really picked up, and as usual, I convinced myself she might never come. Contractions were short but strong from the beginning, so I called everyone early (lesson learned). My mom and sister came to help with my older girls, my husband supported me through every contraction, and my midwife and her team arrived about an hour before she was born. They cared for me so beautifully.

One of my favorite parts of that birth was having my older daughters there. They got to see me labor and welcome their baby sister into the world. It was incredibly special.

Every step of this journey—girlhood dreams, education, becoming a wife, becoming a mother—has shaped the midwife I am today.

My passion for this work has only grown over time. What started as childhood curiosity turned into study, then into lived experience. And now, it’s the work I feel deeply called to do.

There is nothing like watching a woman discover her strength in birth. To see her realize what her body is capable of. To witness that moment where everything shifts and she steps into a version of herself she may not have known existed.

That’s why I do this.

And it’s an honor to be part of your story