We are certified nurse midwives and licensed midwives providing holistic perinatal and well woman services.
LA Midwife Group is dedicated to providing midwifery care that is rooted in the hallmarks of midwifery. They recognize each milestone life cycle event as normal parts of the physiologic processes of being a human; advocate non-intervention in the absence of complications; incorporate scientific evidence into clinical practice; and empower women as leaders in their own health care while advocating for informed choice, shared decision making, and the right to self-determination.
Our midwives are among the first to obtain delivering privileges at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center. This is important as it provides our clients the freedom to choose the birth setting that is right for them. Home birth with a safe and seamless hospital transfer plan, planned hospital birth and even induction are all possibilities within our clients reach. We look forward to discovering your ideal birth plan!
WHO WE ARE
Naomi Drucker, RN, MSN, CNM
I was inspired to become a midwife in the first delivery room I ever entered. My own! The experience lit a fire in me that I knew would have to burn long and low as my attention was focused on my new baby. While still nursing him I undertook training to become a doula. I knew I wanted to be a midwife, but with a young son of my own, I was not ready at that time for the huge educational commitment. I was a practicing doula for 4 years before I was ready to take the next step. I wanted the chance to make more of a difference. I knew that the hospital nurses could influence a birth powerfully, as they had with mine. Becoming a labor and delivery nurse was my chance to make other women’s birth experiences more positive. Before going to nursing school I had a second son- this time in the care of loving midwives Connie and Tai at the Hollywood Birth Center on Sunset Boulevard. After an immersive two year program, I became a registered nurse at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in their labor and delivery department, where I had the opportunity to learn among the best. I loved my job so much that after my next birth- twin boys, I chose to remain at Cedars-Sinai for another 10 years. During the time I was a nurse I was honored to meet and work with the legendary CNM Debbie Frank who had the first hybrid home/ hospital private midwifery practice in Los Angeles- mine was the second. She was the inspiration for my future practice model. In 2015, with the unwavering support of my loving husband and father of my five amazing boys, I decided it was time to take the next step to becoming a certified nurse-midwife. I began to assist midwives at home births and then embarked on the final leg of my journey to midwifery, the 3-year bridge to Masters degree program at Frontier Nursing University. As much as I enjoy supporting families to birth at home, I saw there was a need in our community for a private hospital based midwifery practice that upheld the hallmarks of midwifery. I decided to be the change I wanted to see and applied for hospital privileges. I am thrilled to be a midwife and so honored to be able to continue to serve women in the setting of their choice, whether it be their home, or one of the best hospitals in Los Angeles. I have worked as a midwife In my own private practice, Gracefull Birthing Center, and as a co-founder and midwife at Los Angeles Midwives. My education at Frontier Nursing University instilled a strong respect for and belief in evidence-based practice (EBP); I am also committed to honoring a woman’s intuition, including my own while treating each person (and family) as an individual as well as the traditional art of midwifery that is learned through working together and story-telling among midwives.. As much as I love to read, cook and bake for my family and friends, hike, and play with our giant golden doodle Royce, I mostly spend my personal time with my newest son Olivier born in the water at home in 2021 and my teenagers. Also, I love having playdates with other midwives and families with whom I have become close after attending their births. Naomi is a CNM since 2018, recertified every 2 years in basic life support and neonatal resuscitation including certifications from: American Midwifery Certification Board American Academy of Pediatrics Neonatal Resuscitation Program American Heart Association CPR and ECC Birth Emergency Skills Training (BEST) Breech Without Borders
Joanna is an experienced registered nurse whose passion lays within contributing to a meaningful birthing experience for mommas and families. She has two beautiful girls, both of which were empowering birth experiences – one at a freestanding birth center and one at the hospital. She carefully chose her support team and setting to suit her individual needs for each birth. Joanna understands that each family has a story and unique circumstances to be considered and supported. She has been a Registered Nurse for 14 years and has worked in a variety of settings. She brings vast experience to her role here as birthing assistant, as well as postpartum home visit nurse taking meticulous care of both the birthing client and the baby. She is a vital asset to the team.
Joanna is a Registered Nurse and is certified in Basic Life Support, Advanced Cardiac Life Support and Neonatal Resuscitation.
Atoosa Benji, LM, CPM, DONA (BDT), CLE
I was born in Iran and emigrated to the UK when I was in pre-school. After being raised in the UK, my family moved to the United States. I attained my BS degree from the University of California at Los Angeles and my BSM from the Midwives College of Utah. I am a Licensed Midwife through the Medical Board of California and a Certified Professional Midwife (CPM) through the North America Registry of Midwives. I am married to a wonderful partner who has been supportive throughout my journey to become a midwife. Together, we have 3 amazing daughters, a wonderful son-in-law, precious grandson and granddaughter. We juggle all of this as he works, we parent and I teach, take care of families, and catch babies! My grandmother had the most influence in my life as she raised me after my mother passed away when I was 13. My grandmother was obsessed with birth. Any birth- be it a mammal giving birth, a bird hatching out of an egg, or a marine animal laying eggs on a shore. Well, she passed forward her passion. Together we watched everything birth, and she told me about her births and the births she had attended. She created an awe of birth within me and a deep understanding that each and every birth is miraculous and unique. Before she passed, she told me to become a midwife. I feel her at every birth I attend. Midwifery really is a calling. It is one of the most powerful and rewarding professions in the world. I cannot imagine doing anything else. I am grateful for every client I teach, every belly I touch, every family I support, every doula I train, and every slippery baby I have the privilege of welcoming into the world. Most of all, I am grateful to all the people who taught me to trust birth, be astute and prepared, and listen with an open heart to every birthing person. Atoosa is a Licensed Midwife through the Medical Board of California and a Certified Professional Midwife through the North American Registry of Midwives. She practices in Los Angeles and surrounding areas, providing education and midwifery care during the perinatal and postpartum period.
Lindsay Adams, RN, MSN, CNM
Joanna L. Juggler, RN
Juniper Ekman, MLIS
Lead Researcher, Special Projects
Naomi and I met as members of a book club focusing on maternity fiction - a special interest of hers and a minor aberration of mine. We bonded over the course of my second pregnancy, where she pioneered a maternal hiking program to stabilize blood sugar with me as her sole test subject. 1500 miles and one successful delivery later, we were fast and lasting friends. A mother of two, I have been leading a quiet rebellion against disinformation since 2001.
Our mission of providing parents with informed choices, best options, and safe care requires the extensive knowledge and experience of our midwives backed by the latest research. I use my background as a librarian and researcher to help the LA Midwife Group remain at the forefront of the women’s health revolution, keeping up to date with the most recent, most accurate, evidence-based studies to gather the data necessary to help the midwives provide the best options and care for our clients and their babies both within pregnancy and beyond.
Hannah, Administrative Assistant
I have always had an interest in the sciences and biology. I still remember how fascinated I was in 5th grade when we watched the school films that explained discussed the oncoming age of puberty and menstruation. All through high school whenever I watched a movie or video that depicted childbirth, I would well-up at the beauty and magic that surrounds this moment. When I was pregnant with my son, I sought midwifery care. At that time, I didn’t really know what midwifery care meant. I was young and was looking through the phone book for providers in my area, and I came across a midwifery group that took my insurance. My mom would later tell me she was hesitant about it in the beginning but was so impressed with the way they took care of me during my labor and birth. A few years later I become a surrogate for a couple that could not have their own child. Through that process I saw what it was like through someone else’s eyes the struggle of navigating healthcare decisions and dealing with IVF. I felt throughout that not only was I the one being cared for but was part of the team that was able to make this family complete. The care I received by nurses, doctors, and midwives through my pregnancies was exceptional. That is what set the standard for me for what kind of nurse and midwife I wanted to be. Education and choice were always center stage and making me feel comfortable and safe every step of my labor, birth, and recovery was clearly a priority. These experiences combined and I knew where I wanted my journey to continue into nursing. Once I started nursing school, whenever we would share what kind of nurse specialty we want to go into, I would always say I want to be a midwife. When I finally got my opportunity to be a labor and delivery nurse at Cedars-Sinai, it was a dream come true. Simultaneously, I worked as a birth assistant at Del Mar Birth Center. I got to see all types of births, from home to water, epidural and no epidural. I learned so much about different ways to help support labor and birth, and ways to help promote a vaginal birth while being respectful of the labor process and birth desires. It was at Cedars-Sinai where I met Naomi and Lilit and learned that while I was in process of applying to Frontier Nursing University, they were about to start clinicals. We got to work together as nurses, peers, and as fellow students. They had such great advice for me as I worked through my midwife program, and I was even completed some clinical days with them where they were officially my teachers. It has been 10 years since I graduated from nursing school in 2012, full of adventures, learning, and making my path to becoming a midwife. My husband, son, mother, and our fur baby Murphy have been great sources of support every step of the way. It is with great excitement and honor to be starting this wonderful work in 2023 as part of the LA Midwife Group.