Photos Provide Lenika
Me: Tell us a little bit about the intelligent, beautiful woman with the superpower to assist women in giving birth.
Aww, thank you. Well, hello, my name is Lenika. I am a certified nurse midwife who has been hospital-based for almost two years now. I am a first-time mother to a two-year-old boy. Outside of delivering babies, I enjoy event planning, spending time with my loved ones, and sleeping.
Me: May we learn a little about your professional background?
Yes, so I am a certified nurse midwife. I’ve been in school for what feels like forever. I have a bachelor's degree in psychology and in nursing. I started off as a registered nurse in medical surgery, which is like general nursing, and then I switched to labor/delivery nursing. Then I went back to school and got my master's in nursing for midwifery. So, I can do obstetric care as well as gynecological care.
Me: What made you choose to pursue specialization as a midwife?
So, growing up, I actually didn’t know what a midwife was. I was in school for premed, but then I realized I actually wanted to be a nurse. While working as a nurse in labor and delivery, I realized I wanted to be more involved in the pregnancy journey. And the delivery providers I was mostly working with were midwives. I was intrigued with how they practiced compared to doctors. So, I knew I wanted to be one then.
Me: What positive parts of being a midwife have you experienced?
There are so many positive parts, but I think the one that makes me really happy is when I have a patient who states that she didn’t have a pleasurable experience with her last birth and then after being a part of her labor she states that it was completely different this time and she is so happy. Just knowing I can have a positive impact on someone’s experience even after they had a bad one means a lot to me.
Me: What is one piece of advice that you would like parents to know about selecting a midwife that will make them comfortable?
Oooh, that’s a good question. When selecting a midwife, make sure it is someone who walks you through everything and explains things to you. You want someone who understands that you should be involved in your birth plan and that you have a choice for everything.
Me: What guidance would you offer to aspiring MSN students who want to work as midwives?
For those aspiring to work as midwives, I suggest you gain experience in labor/delivery first to make sure you understand the basics. It will help you be a good midwife because you can see a clear view of the entire picture when managing patients. Another tip I would suggest is to always remember why you’re doing it. The journey to midwifery can get hard, and while you’re actually in it, it can get hard, but always remember your why.
Me: Congratulations on your book, "I'm Pregnant Now What?" Could you tell us what motivated you to write it?
Thank you. I’m really proud of myself. The entire time I worked in the maternity world, I always came across women who would say things like “I didn’t know that in my pregnancy” or “I wish I knew that before. “. It worried me how much education I felt like people weren’t receiving, so one day I said I was going to make a guidebook, and I pulled out my calendar, gave myself some deadlines, and started writing.
Me: Tell us about Midwife Nika on Call LLC's aspirations.
I have big aspirations for my business. The main goal of the business is to create a hub where I myself can provide many services to help in the maternal and infant health world. I’m working on growing the CPR part of it, focusing heavily on infant and child CPR. But I teach adults as well. I’m currently getting my birth prep classes and my talk with a midwife session together. And then I have a few certifications I’m working on to help establish a few more classes I’m going to add to help with breastfeeding and perinatal mental health. So, I definitely have a lot on my plate, but I can see it all coming together.
Me: I notice that you post a lot of content on social media that would be helpful to women, new parents, and breastfeeding mothers. Would you like to share your pages?
Yes, of course, people can follow my Instagram @midwife.nika, my TikTok @midwife.on_call, and my website is www.midwifeoncall.com, where I have a page that I will dedicate to a specific topic each month.