About me

Why I Created Compass Maternal

Compass Maternal grew out of years of friends, patients, and fellow travelers asking the same kinds of questions: What kind of birth experience do I actually want? How do I choose a provider? How do I know if this healthcare system is right for me?

Most families are not short on information. They are surrounded by it. What they often need is help understanding what applies to their situation, what questions to ask, and how to move forward in a way that feels steady and practical.

Looking back, I realized those conversations reflected questions I'd been exploring throughout my own career.

What Shaped My Perspective

I have always been curious about how healthcare systems shape the care people receive. That curiosity led me to an internship with the World Health Organization in Geneva, Switzerland, to work as a Public Health Analyst for the U.S. Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) in Washington, DC, and eventually to a community birth hut in West Africa, where I decided I wanted to become a midwife.

My path to midwifery has been shaped by experiences in birth centers, home birth practice, large private hospitals, and my current work in a small public hospital. I have cared for families alongside OBs, MFMs, PCPs, CNMs, CPMs, nurses, doulas, and other members of maternity care teams.

Seeing maternity care through the lenses of global health, public health, and frontline clinical practice has shown me that context and personal background matter when families are choosing providers, comparing birth settings, transferring care, relocating, or preparing for postpartum.

Across every setting, one lesson has remained consistent: excellent maternity care is not defined by one provider, one birth setting, or one healthcare system.

Different models of care can serve families well when thoughtfully matched to each person’s goals, preferences, and circumstances. My role is not to persuade families toward one model of care. It is to help them understand their options, ask informed questions, and navigate maternity care with confidence.

That perspective is the foundation of Compass Maternal.