Sarah Davis

My interest in pregnancy and birth was sparked in college where I studied nutrition and dietetics as an undergraduate. My senior project focused on nutrition during pregnancy and breastfeeding.

After graduating with my BS in Dietetics from Virginia Tech, my fiance and I married and we moved to California for 4 years. Shortly after our move across the country, I found out I was pregnant with our first baby, and we hired a doula (who was also a midwife). After my first visit with our doula, I was immediately drawn to the personal, holistic approach of midwives and we decided to switch our care from an OBGYN to midwifery care and planned a birth center birth with our first baby. Kyla was born in February 2004. During labor, our plans changed and we ended up transporting from the birth center to the nearby hospital. I didn’t realize at the time that my experience with midwifery care during pregnancy and birth was the beginning of a new path for me. Living across the country away from family and friends and being a young, new mom made the adjustment to motherhood quite a difficult journey for me at the beginning. My midwife in California reached out to me in friendship and in love, introducing me to a few new mothers among other things. The way she touched my life as I adjusted to being a new mother has been the biggest inspiration of my desire to support other women on their personal journeys through pregnancy, birth and motherhood.

I spent much time researching and reading books about childbirth and pregnancy, including Ina May Gaskin’s Guide to Childbirth, Spiritual Midwifery, and Heart & Hands. All of this reading influenced our decision to plan our next birth at home. So, in 2006, I pushed our 2nd daughter out and into the hands of my wonderful midwife. Avery’s birth inspired me even more about trusting birth.

I witnessed my friend’s homebirth in 2007, attending as a supporting friend and photographer. I supported my sister in labor when she gave birth in 2007, and then soon after I trained to be a childbirth educator. My husband was my biggest encouragement into getting my childbirth education training. He told me that since I couldn’t stop talking about birth with every mom that I meet, then maybe I should teach childbirth classes! I enjoy teaching childbirth classes because I know that I am providing mothers and fathers with knowledge and information so they can make informed decisions about their labor and birth.

In 2008, I spent some time in the Philippines, where I served at Mercy Maternity Clinic that gives free maternity care to mothers living in poverty. I observed and helped with over 10 births during a 2 week period while I was there. I watched these amazing women birth their babies with very few words, lots of sweat, many smiles, and a few tears. My time in the Philippines was an amazing and life-changing experience serving mothers in need. I learned so much from the women I served. The Filipina women taught me much more about the sacredness of birth than I ever imagined possible. When I returned home from the Philippines, I signed up for birth doula training with DONA International. Attending births while in the Philippines only increased my passion for birth and midwifery and confirmed my desire for wanting to become a midwife.

I started attending births as a doula in 2008. As of today, I have attended 28 births and 18 of those have been as a birth doula in the hospital. The other births have been in the Philippines and several have been homebirths. My work as a doula has confirmed my desire to attend moms in their own sacred space; their homes.

I enrolled with National College of Midwifery in 2010 and I have plans to become a CPM. I am also certified in Neonatal Resuscitation. Also, in June 2010 our 3rd child, Zachary, was born at home in Charlottesville with Mountain View Midwives. Since his birth, my desire to become a midwife has been solidified. I love walking alongside women on their journey through pregnancy and birth. I love being present with women in times of vulnerability, joy and transition; times where smiles and tears often are woven together in the tremendous moment of becoming a mother. I will always be in awe of the miracle and sacredness of birth. I want to be a part of preserving birth and motherhood the way nature intended.

In my spare time, you will often find me with my family. I have been married for 10 years to such a wonderful man who is a professional wedding photographer and also a high school special education teacher. Our three kids bring us so much joy (ok...and they can also be quite a handful!) I also enjoy knitting, going on long walks, having coffee with friends, hiking and being my husband’s photographer assistant at weddings.

I’m really looking forward to apprenticing with Mountain View Midwives and I look forward to getting to know each of you and meeting your baby.