Today we’d like to introduce you to Olivia Delavega.
Hi Olivia, please kick things off for us with an introduction to yourself and your story.
I didn’t find midwifery by accident. I found it the way many of us find the things we’re meant to do—by listening to a quiet, persistent calling and choosing to follow it, even when it led me against the current.
From early on, I was drawn to women’s stories. I noticed how often pregnancy and birth were treated like problems to be solved instead of profound experiences to be honored. As a woman of faith, I believed deeply that birth was designed with intention. It wasn’t something broken that needed fixing—it was something sacred. That belief became the foundation of everything I would eventually build.
My path through nursing and into midwifery was demanding. There were long nights of studying, exhausting clinical hours, and moments when I questioned whether I was strong enough for the road ahead. I learned the science thoroughly and came to respect it, but I also learned its limits. I witnessed births where policies mattered more than people, where efficiency overshadowed intuition. Again and again, I saw that women did best when they were trusted, supported, and allowed to labor and birth in their own strength.
I became a Certified Nurse Midwife not to fit neatly into a system, but to serve women well. Working in institutional settings taught me a great deal, but it also clarified what I could not ignore. I felt the tension between what was allowed and what I believed was right. Each birth reinforced the same truth: when fear is removed and support is present, women rise.
Sweet Pea Midwifery grew out of that conviction.
Starting a home birth practice was one of the hardest and most intentional decisions I’ve ever made. I understood the risks—financial, professional, and personal. Choosing not to carry malpractice insurance was not a careless choice; it was a realistic one. The cost would have made care inaccessible to the very families I felt called to serve. Instead, I chose transparency, education, and personal accountability. I built my practice slowly, family by family, guided by faith rather than fear.
Sweet Pea Midwifery is not built on trends or performance. It’s built on integrity. I believe in listening more than speaking, in being fully present, and in honoring birth as both a physical and spiritual passage. My Christian faith isn’t something I put on display—it’s something I live out quietly, consistently, and without apology.
In a culture that often prioritizes optics over substance, I’ve chosen to stay grounded. I don’t believe love requires slogans, or that care must be packaged in the language of the moment to be genuine. My commitment is to real women, real families, and real responsibility.
Over the years, Sweet Pea Midwifery has become more than a practice. It’s become a place of trust. Families return to me for subsequent births, allowing me into some of the most intimate and transformative moments of their lives. That trust is something I hold with deep reverence.
Today, I am exactly where I’m meant to be—not because the path was easy, but because I stayed faithful to the calling. Sweet Pea Midwifery reflects my journey: gentle in name, strong in foundation, and rooted in the belief that birth, like life itself, is meant to be honored.
We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
My life has not followed a straight or easy path, and for a long time I carried the weight of believing that meant I had failed. Now I see it differently. Every struggle shaped me into the woman I am today.
I dropped out of high school at a young age. At the time, life required more of me than a classroom could hold, and I made choices based on survival and responsibility rather than long-term plans. I got married young, stepping into adulthood before I fully understood what that meant. Almost immediately, I was balancing roles that demanded everything I had—wife, worker, and eventually mother.
Earning my GED was one of the first times I proved to myself that my story wasn’t over. I went back to finish what I had started while working full time, often exhausted, often doubting myself, but determined. Along the way, I gave birth to three children. Motherhood didn’t slow the pace of life—it intensified it. I learned how to function on little sleep, how to give when I felt empty, and how to keep moving forward even when there was no room to stop.
For over two decades, I poured myself into my marriage and my family. Twenty-three years is a lifetime of shared history, growth, mistakes, perseverance, and lessons. When that marriage eventually ended, it was devastating—but it was also pivotal. The ending forced me to confront who I was outside of roles I had carried for most of my adult life. It required me to stand on my own in ways I never had before.
Becoming a single mother was not something I planned, but it became a season of profound strength and clarity. I learned that independence and faith can coexist, and that asking for help is not weakness. Today, I am surrounded by an incredible support system—family, friends, and community who lift me up and walk beside me. Their presence reminds me that I was never meant to do this alone.
Looking back, I don’t see a series of setbacks. I see resilience. I see grit. I see a woman who kept choosing to show up, even when the road was hard and the outcome uncertain. Every step—dropping out, starting over, building a family, enduring loss, and standing again—led me here. My struggles did not disqualify me. They prepared me.
As you know, we’re big fans of Sweet Pea Midwifery. For our readers who might not be as familiar what can you tell them about the brand?
Sweet Pea Midwifery is a small, independent home birth practice rooted in faith, integrity, and deeply personalized care. What families should know first and foremost is that this is not a volume-based or trend-driven practice. Sweet Pea exists to serve women and families who desire thoughtful, relationship-centered midwifery care and who value autonomy, responsibility, and trust.
What we do
Sweet Pea Midwifery provides comprehensive midwifery care for healthy, low-risk women, with a focus on planned home birth. Services include prenatal care, continuous labor and birth support, postpartum care, and ongoing guidance through pregnancy and early parenthood. Care is unhurried, thorough, and centered on education—so families understand their bodies, their options, and their responsibility in the birth process.
What we specialize in / what we’re known for
Sweet Pea is known for calm, grounded birth support and for honoring physiologic birth. I specialize in supporting women who want to birth without fear, unnecessary intervention, or pressure to conform to institutional norms. Families often seek out Sweet Pea because they want a provider who is confident, experienced, and steady—someone who trusts the natural process of birth while remaining clinically vigilant.
I am also known for honest, direct communication. I believe informed consent requires real conversations, not scripts. Families are encouraged to ask hard questions, take ownership of their choices, and be active participants in their care.
What sets Sweet Pea apart
What truly sets Sweet Pea Midwifery apart is its foundation. This practice is built on Christian values, personal accountability, and authenticity. I do not practice defensively or performatively. I practice with presence, prayer (when welcomed), and deep respect for the sacredness of birth. Care here is not shaped by trends, optics, or social narratives—it is shaped by wisdom, experience, and responsibility.
Sweet Pea is intentionally small so that relationships can be strong. I know my clients well. I am present at their births. I walk alongside them from early pregnancy through postpartum with consistency and care.
What I am most proud of, brand-wise
What I am most proud of is trust. Families return to Sweet Pea for subsequent births. They refer friends and daughters. That kind of word-of-mouth comes only from years of showing up, staying steady under pressure, and honoring families in some of the most vulnerable moments of their lives.
I am also proud that Sweet Pea Midwifery has remained true to its values, even when that meant choosing a harder road. The brand reflects who I am—gentle in name, strong in foundation, and unapologetically rooted in faith and integrity.
What I want readers to know
Sweet Pea Midwifery is not for everyone—and that is intentional. It is for families who want personalized care, honest conversations, and a provider who sees birth as both a clinical responsibility and a sacred passage. It is for those who value trust over trends and depth over performance.
At Sweet Pea, birth is honored, women are trusted, and care is given with skill, conviction, and heart.
Do you have recommendations for books, apps, blogs, etc?
By far, my favorite podcast is Birthing Instincts with Dr. Stuart Fischbein. He is truly legendary in the world of obstetrics and home birth, and I have learned an immense amount about birth from him. His ability to bridge deep clinical knowledge with respect for physiologic birth is unmatched.
What I appreciate most about Dr. Fischbein is his honesty and clarity. He speaks openly about risk, responsibility, and outcomes without fear-based messaging or sugarcoating. Listening to his work has strengthened my confidence as a provider and sharpened my clinical judgment. He reinforces the importance of critical thinking, informed consent, and trusting women while remaining grounded in evidence and real-world experience.
Birthing Instincts has been an invaluable resource for my continued growth, challenging me to think deeper, ask better questions, and stay rooted in both skill and integrity.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://sweetpeamidwifery.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/sweetpeamidwifery/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/sweetpeamidwifery
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/olivia-delavega-1492231b6/
Image Credits
BWeaver Photography
Perdomo Portraits
Eastlayne Births
