ABOUT THE MIDWIFE

My name is Genevieve Heath. I am a Licensed Midwife and Certified Professional Midwife living in Lake Forest, CA. I have been licensed and practicing midwifery since January 2017. Since becoming a midwife I also have become a mother. I have had two beautiful birth stories with midwifery care. My goal is to help all my clients have a birth story that they love.

As a little girl I always was obsessed with pregnancy, birth, and babies. I watched shows, read books, and even pretended to be pregnant by walking around with a helmet or blanket under my shirt. I couldn’t wait to be pregnant one day and become a mom. Also as a young girl I wanted to become a nurse and start off in pediatric oncology and when I needed to move on I would retire into midwifery.

Well as life would work out i went to school for psychology instead. I graduated in May 2013 with a bachelor’s degree in psychology and told myself at that point I would never go back to school again. Life again surprised me and I enrolled in my first school for studying midwifery in September of that same year. I had figured out pediatric oncology would be very hard emotionally on me and why wouldn’t I want to skip to the fun part and just become a midwife.

At the same time I was becoming a midwife I was also dating and then becoming engaged to my husband. I got married in June 2016. I then finished school and passed my NARM 11 weeks pregnant with my first baby!

My first pregnancy proved to be way harder than I expected but also so much more amazing than I could have known.
I had a water birth at a birth center with my first baby. Labor was work and I was doing it but then my water broke and I hit transition! My family still laughs about my screaming out the f-word (I don’t usually cuss.) Luckily it wasn’t long until I felt my body start pushing. My body pushed very well and I remember feeling the burning of my tissues stretching and wanting it to stop! The relief I felt as her head came out was amazing. I knew in that moment I was going to have this baby naturally (I had doubt in myself even though I saw many women do it before me.) Next contraction I pushed out my first baby! A completely natural birth free of drugs or interventions.

My second pregnancy and birth were different from my first. This pregnancy came with different issues than my first. I guess to allow me to experience all the issues my clients endure. I had told myself and others I needed her out by the week before Christmas (she was due December 20th.) I went to a church Christmas party on the 16th and sat on the floor. That night my back hurt so bad I texted my husband saying if I was still pregnant in the morning he needed to rub my back.
I fell asleep and woke up a couple hours later with what I recognized as contractions. They were very far apart, not super strong and very short in length. I decided to go to my moms and labor there so I didn’t wake my 2 year old. I had a couple strong contractions and decided to text my midwife even though contractions were still irregular and short. The midwife decided to come just in case. I was just in the middle of telling my mom I thought it could be early still when I felt the PRESSURE! I texted my husband to come and had my dad filling the tub. My midwife said they were 30 minutes away and I knew she would not make it. This baby was coming! I made it down my parents hallway and into the doorway of the room I was going to deliver in and baby’s head came out and my water broke. I still had all my clothes on! My mom then helped me take off my underwear and caught my baby. The midwife and my husband arrived 20 minutes later.

My passion for what I do has only grown as I have grown up. My love for pregnancy as a young girl became something to research as a college student and then became something I was living. I love what I do. Especially when I get to witness moms find a part of themselves they never knew was there. They are strong and their bodies can do amazing things!