Today we’d like to introduce you to Tiffany Martin.
Hi Tiffany, can you start by introducing yourself? We’d love to learn more about how you got to where you are today.
I became enthralled with birth when I was pregnant with my first. I found myself devouring every book my local library had on the topic and soon had them shipping in more books from other branches. I wasn’t just reading the obligatory “What to Expect”; I was reading books on midwifery and obstetrics too. I was obsessed. I hired a Certified Nurse Midwife to provide my prenatal care, a doula for birth support, and planned a water birth in Colorado’s only free-standing birth center. I didn’t end up with the birth experience I had hoped for, but I had a healthy baby boy and was ecstatic to be a mother. With my second pregnancy, I wanted a more intimate experience and tools to help me cope with the intensity of labor. I had heard of HypnoBirthing and was deeply intrigued by the philosophy. I attended their yearly conclave in Austin, TX, and trained under the creator herself, Marie Mongan. It was a life-changing experience that catapulted me on the path to birth work.
I ended up having the most empowering experience of my life and committed myself to support other women in having birth experiences that empowered them too. I trained as a birth and postpartum doula with Doulas of North America (DONA). As a doula, I served many amazing families, but I could make the biggest impact as a midwife. I attended the Florida School for Traditional Midwifery in Gainesville, Florida, and became Florida Licensed Midwife #428. I served hundreds of families in NE, FL, in a busy practice in Jax, where I gained amazing experience and honed my skills. In 2022, I followed the call to serve the families of St Augustine by creating the STA Birth Collective. I have a collaborative space where we offer prenatal care, massage, doula care, childbirth education, breastfeeding support, prenatal yoga, and pregnancy and postpartum support groups.
You wouldn’t say it’s been obstacle free, but so far would you say the journey has been fairly smooth?
My greatest challenge has been raising 4 children while attending births and living life on-call. Birth is unpredictable, and unlike OB and hospital-based practices, I am on-call for my patients for their entire (five-week) birth window from the 37th-42nd week of their pregnancy. This means at any time, day or night. I am available to my clients when they go into labor. Sometimes this means I miss important family time and am gone unexpectedly for long periods. It is truly an honor to serve birthing people in the way that I do. And I know how much it means to them to know that I will be the one attending their birth. But I also know that sometimes, it can be hard on the ones I love the most. I am beyond blessed to have an incredibly supportive family, and I couldn’t do what I do without their support and grace.
As you know, we’re big fans of STA Birth Collective. What can you tell our readers who might need to be more familiar with the brand?
I am a Florida Licensed Midwife providing prenatal/postpartum care and home birth support to the families of St Augustine and surrounding areas. I have a collaborative space near the downtown/historic district where we offer prenatal care, massage, doula support, childbirth education classes, prenatal yoga, pregnancy, postpartum, and breastfeeding support groups. I created this space to offer new and growing families everything I was looking for during my pregnancy journeys but never found, especially in one convenient location. I hope it will be your one-stop shop for all your birth and postpartum support. It takes a village; we can be yours. Birth and parenting are hard work. You can do it. We can help.
What are your plans for the future?
My next big dream is a birthing center and integrated wellness clinic for St Augustine!
Contact Info:
- Website: www.STABirthCollective.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/stabirthcollective/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/InspiredBeginningsFL
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/tiffany-martin-516196138/
- Other: https://dot.cards/STABirthCollective
Image Credits
Alyssa Megeath, Erin Heuser
