WHO WE ARE
We are certified nurse midwives and licensed midwives providing holistic perinatal and well woman services.
Los Angeles Midwives 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!
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
Photo credit - Rivkah Leah Birth Photography
Aleksandra Evanguelidi, LM, CPM, Certified GAPS Practitioner, Fertility Specialist, Herbalist
Aleksandra has been practicing midwifery and providing preconception work for over 20 years. Over the last two decades, she has worked in a variety of clinical settings with a diverse population with the intention of having her clients experience what it is to be vitally well prior to and during their pregnancies. It is her philosophy that the health of the vessel that is to carry life should be of the utmost vitality in order to support healthy fetal development and robust maternal and fetal outcomes. Vital health, in combination with an emotionally empowered pregnancy will lead to optimal maternal and fetal outcomes as well as provide the potential for the sanctity of the birth experience to be held intact.
Joanna L. Juggler, RN
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.
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.
