Aleksandra K. Evanguelidi, LM

Aleks is like the wise old magical grandmother midwife, except she’s far too young to be a grandmother - but she has that level of wisdom and magic. I’m sure there are tons of great midwives in LA, but Aleks brings something extra and something special. She has a way of making you feel comfortable and at home (which was really important and challenging for me - I moved to LA from Canada in my third trimester due to unforeseen pandemic-related circumstances, and I was super unhappy and nervous about it). Although she often has strong opinions about how you ought to proceed with your care, it’s clear that this comes from a place of knowledge and experience; she always makes sure that she has your informed consent, and respects your choice even when you go against her advice and decline some test or whatever.

But it’s much more than that - Aleks has a passion for natural supplements and gut health, and I truly think this saved my pregnancy from becoming high risk. Essentially, she specializes in preventing emergencies before they happen, using natural remedies or simply by being intentional about pregnancy diet. I must admit I’m a lifelong skeptic on the subject of natural remedies, but each time she suggested I try some herb or supplement, or make some change to my diet, when I googled I found there was scientific evidence supporting her suggestion. So, she’s not just making it up, this stuff really works! And I wouldn’t have been able to find these things on my own, it’s her years of experience and care for the subject that make this possible.

Ultimately, I had the first-time-mom homebirth of my dreams - which mostly involved me labouring in my candlelit bathtub with only my husband in the room. You might think that having the outcome I desired, which is still somewhat based on luck, has coloured my perception of Aleks - but like I said, I think her attitude towards preventative care is what made this possible - plus her calm, confident presence during the last phase of the birth itself, helping me to get into good positions, control my breathing, push effectively, and keep my headspace positive. I also can’t say enough good things about her student assistant Kayleigh, who made me feel so cared for during the birth and immediate recovery. I was so happy to have her there with us - she actually did a lot of the hands-on stuff as well as a lot of the explaining, and her attention to detail to make sure I was comfortable throughout really made it so much more pleasant. Sorry I am a wordy person, too bad.

Aleks is a special human. Whatever force of nature brought her into my life, must have known she was exactly what I needed for my first pregnancy. She created a space where I felt safe to bring anything to the table. She made me feel confident in completely uncharted waters. She saw past the surface and innately knew what I needed to hear.

It’s difficult to put into words how important her presence was at my birth. I truly feel lucky to know her.

Admittedly, in the beginning, I was skeptical of "natural childbirth" due to some of the negative noise our medical culture in the US propagates towards a more natural, minimal interventionist approach to something as intimate and precious as the birth of a child. That said, we thought we should explore all options. Aleks and Cat came up in our mid-wife search. And, oh how fortunate-lucky we are to have connected with them. These women won our loyalty and admiration through their whole approach to the birthing-pregnancy process. They were true allies in one of the most intimate, painful and beautiful journeys in life. I trust them with everything and honestly, I lack the words to truly express gratitude + encapsulate how incredible our experience was from start to postpartum. When we are expecting baby #2 (not for a while) Aleks and Cat will be our first call.