Louise brings with her to Rio Grande Midwifery a life-long passion for serving women and children. She has been Apprenticing and studying along side Barbara Pepper for over a year now, and dearly loves her work. Louise has attended over 150 births in the last 7 years, both as a Professional Doula and as an Apprentice Midwife. Having experienced both a hospital birth and an empowering, sacred home birth, Louise knew her true calling and passion in life; providing guidance and inspiration with empowering, loving support to women and their loved ones during such an amazing and transforming journey.

Along with Louise's personal experiences, and for the love of being with women, they have opened her heart changing her life in such a way she felt a strong and overwhelming desire to begin her journey on becoming a Midwife. This is where her innate wisdom has always been the strongest and comes from her heart. Louise has been happily married to a wonderful and supportive husband for 11 years. She loves being a mum to two beautiful and vibrant boys, aged 8 and 3. "Pregnancy and childbirth is truly an intuitive and sacred time in a women's life, which should be honoured, validated and respected. Birth must preserve a woman's dignity, and must remain a joyous event with the women feeling in command of herself. I trust in our innate wisdom to birth".

Barbara Pepper, LM, CPM

It is no surprise that Barbara Pepper believes in the beauty, wholesomeness, and the special nature of home birth. She has been in midwifery practice for 29 years, and attended births for six years prior to that. She believes that birth is the most precious journey a family can encounter, and should be a joy-filled, prepared experience. It has been an honor and privilege for her to create a lengthy period of time to work, share, and get to know these special women she serves. Embarking on such an incredible adventure requires love, dedication, a healthy perspective of one's self, and trust in one's body and the normalcy of this sacred process.
Barbara has had four lovely home births; each were beautiful and special. She is now a grandmother of three treasured grandchildren. Barbara began attending home births in 1977. She was the founding mother, president and co-chair of the New Mexico Midwives' Association, and organized yearly educational conferences for the organization until 2003. Barbara also journeys to remote villages in West Africa and Zimbabwe to serve women and their families.