Kayla Searles, CPM-TN
I was three years old and in the delivery room for the birth of my little sister when I discovered what I wanted to be when I grew up. Of course the only words I knew at the time were “I want to be a baby doctor.” My educational path had always been focused on becoming an obstetrician with the goal of opening a free-standing birth center one day. I had no idea that midwives and homebirth were an option, but I knew that babies didn’t need to be born in the hospital. I received my Bachelor of Science from the University of New England with a major in medical biology in 2013. It was my junior year at UNE that I learned about midwives. I remember sitting in my medical sociology class when I first heard the term “midwife.” I knew that was the type of care that I wanted to offer. In the fall of 2016, I enrolled at Birthwise Midwifery School in Bridgton, Maine.
At the root of it all, people deserve the right to make the choice of where, how, and with whom they want to give birth – and to have experienced caregivers in every setting. This is what drives my passion and commitment to my education and training. In March of 2018, I completed the academic portion of my training, which included clinical experience in two small midwifery practices. I moved to Maryland in May of 2018 and began an apprenticeship with the homebirth practice WomanWise. In January of 2019 I moved to New Hampshire to complete clinical work at the Birth Cottage of Milford.
I moved with my husband to Knoxville, Tennessee the summer of 2019 while expecting our first child. Our son was born at home in July. In addition to all of the births I attended during my training, I have first-hand experience with having our son at home. I believe that I will be able to better serve and connect with my clients having done so. I am excited to be working with clients and their families in the Knoxville area. I have attended in total over 100 births since embarking on this journey.