Share your story: What does midwifery mean to you? What would you like to be celebrated in the Year of the Nurse and the Midwife?
Midwifery to me means reclaiming the spaces it has been kicked out of – taking the midwife from the fringes and re-instilling us into the United States’ culture and way of life. All the while, we must make sure we acknowledge the Granny Midwives, the Native American baby catchers, and the lay midwives who have helped women for many years. Midwifery also means honoring my grandmother, a fellow midwife, every time I catch a baby.
Tell us about your background: Which midwifery education program did you attend or are currently attending? What are your areas of specialty? Who mentored you along the way in your career? What inspired you to become a midwife?
My inspiration was my grandmother, Idalina or “Lilia.” She was a midwife for over 40 years in a small island country called Cape Verde. She traveled with her husband, who was also a nurse, from island to island giving care to Cape Verdeans. She was loved and caught many babies, and it’s inspiring to hear about her legacy. Now, some of my patients are babies she caught or children or grandchildren of those babies. I went to Yale School of Nursing and have been practicing for almost three years at a federally qualified health center. The midwife that I am today is due to my inspiration, my education, and one of my preceptors, Linda Nanni.
Connect with Ana Sofia
Twitter: @yourcervix_cnm
Instagram: @giantmunchkinn
