Sarah Barbosa
CPM, LM Co-Owner
About Me
Name: Sarah Barbosa
Favorite Books: A Thousand Splendid Suns by Khalid Husseini, The Mark of the Lion Series by Francine Rivers, The Book Thief by Markus Zusak, Baby Catcher by Peggy Vincent, One Thousand Gifts by Anne Voskamp, The Outlander Series by Diana Gabaldon, Emily of New Moon by L.M. Montgomery…. And I could go on with about 100 more books!
Favorite TV Show: The Office, Just about any British crime drama such as Broadchurch, Shetland, Happy Valley, etc., Downton Abbey and of course because I was a teenager in the ‘90s… Friends.
Hobbies: Hiking (dreams of someday thru-hiking the PCT), camping, traveling, gardening and reading.
Favorite Foods: There are really no foods that I don’t like… except maybe canned peas. My husband, children and I love trying new restaurants and foods. If I had to choose, Mexican or Tex-Mex, (especially a good carne guisada taco or a puffy taco) would be my top choice and Thai food would be a very close second. My favorite dessert is rhubarb crisp and a good cup of black coffee.
Places I’ve Been: The United Kingdom, France, Germany, Belgium, Austria, Switzerland, Canada, China, and many states in the US.
Background
My name is Sarah Barbosa and I am a Certified Professional Midwife (CPM) and a Licensed Midwife (LM) in the state of Minnesota.
I had a long and winding path toward midwifery, not returning to school to pursue it until my own children were a little older. Since high school, I had always alternated between healthcare and education jobs. When my kids were young, I began working as a Childbirth Educator and Birth Doula, teaching classes for a local clinic and discovered it was the perfect fit of my two interests: teaching and medicine. I was first introduced to homebirth when a dear friend invited me to attend her birth as a doula. The midwifery model of care that I witnessed at that birth immediately resonated with me on many levels and I left the birth with the clarity of knowing I would someday become a midwife.
I had always felt a strong pull toward holistic healthcare and minimal medical interventions unless necessary; from early on I had a natural, instinctual trust in the body’s ability to birth. I often tell the story of giving birth to my daughter in the hospital (long before I was introduced to homebirth or the midwifery model of care) and without being told or taught, simply knowing that there was no way I could possibly lay in bed during labor; the thought of laying in bed through contractions terrified me far more than the intensity or pain of labor.
I had always felt a strong pull toward holistic healthcare and minimal medical interventions unless necessary; from early on I had a natural, instinctual trust in the body’s ability to birth.
Education & Experience
I knew I wanted to pursue midwifery and eventually, our family was in a place that allowed me to take the step of starting midwifery school. I graduated from Southwest Wisconsin Technical College’s (SWTC) Direct-Entry Midwifery Program and passed my North American Registry of Midwives (NARM) Board exam in the spring of 2017. I spent my first two years as a midwife, practicing at birth center as a staff midwife. It was a wonderful experience! I gained significant experience and knowledge while surrounded by other amazing midwives. It also allowed me to fulfill my passion of providing the midwifery model of care to a rural community that didn’t have many birth options.
New Birth Midwifery
While I loved being at the birth center, I was missing two aspects of midwifery that were important to me: teaching and homebirth. I had made the decision to start down the path towards pursuing my Master’s Degree in the hopes of someday being able to teach in a midwifery program at the college level. It was during this time, that a dear friend and fellow midwife (Jenny Hall!) approached me about joining her homebirth practice and I immediately know that I was being called back to homebirth! I joined New Birth Midwifery in the summer of 2019 and am beyond thrilled to be serving the women and families of the Southwest Metro area.
Now our biggest adventure yet is starting a birth center that is called New Birth Wellness Center in Chaska, MN to serve even more families. This is causing both Jenny and I to take a small step back out of direct client care but we love still being around clinic to meet new people and hug ones that have become close friends as clients!
Personal Life
I grew up on my family’s farm in rural Gaylord, MN. After high school, I headed off to nearby Mankato, attending Bethany Lutheran College where I received my Liberal Arts Degree and also met my husband, Sam. We currently live in Mankato with a crazy (but entertaining!) cat named Whiskey, and our Australian Shepherd named Lola.
Along with all the other changes in life, the Summer of 2022 saw our youngest child moving to Arizona for college and our daughter getting married – all wonderful transitions but ones that are not always easy on my heart as it means the empty-nester years are quickly approaching. When not doing birth work, I am most likely on the sidelines of a soccer field, hosting get togethers at my house or spending time at my family’s cabin Up North as time allows.
