We’re looking forward to introducing you to Olivia Delavega. Check out our conversation below.
Olivia, really appreciate you sharing your stories and insights with us. The world would have so much more understanding and empathy if we all were a bit more open about our stories and how they have helped shaped our journey and worldview. Let’s jump in with a fun one: Have you stood up for someone when it cost you something?
A colleague and dear friend of mine has for the last year or so has been at the brunt of some pretty fierce attacks on her character and work ethic. I have worked very closely with this person for 6 years and am, in fact, a collaborative colleague of hers. I am proud to have her listed on my website as a backup midwife for my practice. I have gone to bat for her with other colleagues of ours and have even spoken directly to the individuals who are attacking her. I have been told I should stop defending her because “It makes you look bad”. I am the type of person who will never back down when I know something is right, even if it costs me clients or revenue. What’s right is right.
Can you briefly introduce yourself and share what makes you or your brand unique?
My name is Olivia Delavega and I am the founder and owner of Sweet Pea Midwifery. Sweet Pea Midwifery is proud to be one of the few Certified Nurse Midwife-owned home birth practices in the eastern area of the Dallas metroplex. As a full-scope midwifery practice, we provide a wide array of services, including well-woman care, family planning, preconception counseling, prenatal care, birth, postpartum care, newborn care, and primary care. We pride ourselves on providing individualized, holistic, value-based care and our focus is on the entire family.
Great, so let’s dive into your journey a bit more. Who saw you clearly before you could see yourself?
That would be my mother; she always knew I would care for others in some capacity. As a child, I would care for all the younger children in our neighborhood. She describes me as a “mother hen”. She has told me the story many times about how I would come walking down the street from school each day with a line of younger children behind me, and I would walk each one to the door of their home before going to the next house to safely deliver the next child to their home. When I think about that story, I can envision a mother duck with all her ducklings trailing closely behind.
Was there ever a time you almost gave up?
The very first birth I attended as the primary midwife made me almost give up. It was a first-time mother, and the labor was both long and laborious. The baby crowned for quite some time, and then the baby’s shoulders got stuck. It took what felt like a century to get the baby delivered and once delivered, required extensive resuscitation. I must mention that I, as the home birth midwife, was responsible for the resuscitation. Once the baby was stable, I turned to see that the mother was hemorrhaging. While all of this was taking place, emergency services were en route; however, in the meantime I was working on both mom and baby to stabilize them. After EMS arrived, they were both stable and did not require transfer. As I left that birth to go home, I was thinking to myself, what on earth have I gotten myself into, that was over 5 years ago! I wouldn’t change a thing!
Alright, so if you are open to it, let’s explore some philosophical questions that touch on your values and worldview. What are the biggest lies your industry tells itself?
The medical model of obstetric care is the safest option for all women.
The U.S. has some of the highest maternal mortality rates among wealthy nations, despite the fact that 98% of women in the US birth in the hospital under the medical model of care. Cesarean section rates have skyrocketed (often over 30%) without a correlating decrease in maternal or neonatal mortality. Routine interventions in the medical model of care cause harm (e.g., cascade of interventions, surgical complications, PTSD).
Normal physiology is undervalued in the medical model of care. Birth is a natural physiological process that, in low-risk cases, often proceeds better with minimal intervention. Midwifery-led care and out-of-hospital births (in appropriate cases) have been proven to be associated with fewer interventions and similar or better outcomes.
Informed consent is compromised by the medical model of care. Many birthing women report coercion or lack of true choice around procedures. Cultural norms in hospitals sometimes prioritize institutional protocols over individualized care or autonomy.
Trauma is often invisible to and even caused by the medical model of care. Physical outcomes (a healthy baby/mother) are often prioritized over emotional/psychological safety. Birth trauma is common — especially when women feel disempowered, ignored, or violated during care.
So, to suggest that the medical model of care is the safest option for all women is a skewed suggestion at best.
Thank you so much for all of your openness so far. Maybe we can close with a future oriented question. When do you feel most at peace?
Just after a baby is born in the comfort of their home, lying on their mother’s chest, with their family all gathered around and meeting them for the first time. That is the most beautiful and peaceful moment and I feel honored to get to experience it over and over again.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://sweetpeamidwifery.com
- Instagram: @sweetpeamidwifery
- Facebook: sweetpeamidwifery
Image Credits
Dallas Mcneal, Perdomo Portraits, Beauty of Birth Photography
