City Of Oaks Midwifery

City of Oaks Midwifery began as the dream of Cassandra Elder, CNM and Katherine Barrett, MD. Cassandra was a member of the 2017 ECU midwifery program. During her job search she had learned that April Lalumiere, the former nurse manager for the labor and delivery unit at UNC Rex Women's Center, had been working on removing the barriers to the credentialing of certified nurse midwives at UNC Rex Hospital. In a leap of faith Cassandra reached out to April to try to learn more information about the work she had been doing. That phone was followed by an impromptu informal meeting at UNC Rex. In that meeting April and Cassandra were chatting with her office door open and Dr. Katherine Barrett coincidentally walked past the office. April literally jumped up and asked if Dr. Barrett wanted to meet Cassandra and that was the beginning of what is now City of Oaks Midwifery. After that meeting in the summer of 2017 Cassandra went through a few round of interviews with the rest of the physicians in that practice. She eventually presented a business plan and proposed the concept of an independent midwifery service that was collaborative and complimentary to their services. In October of 2017 Cassandra was offered a position and accepted her position with Capital Area Ob/Gyn. She worked for a short period at another hospital as a labors while waiting to begin what describes as her "forever job". She started at Capital Area Ob Gyn in February of 2018. She was credentialed at UNC Rex without much fanfare (which was the goal since no midwives had had privileges for well over 10+ years) and attended her first birth in the early morning hours of March 1, 2018.

The next several months were working long hours in the clinic and getting her name out into the community. She began to slowly get a trickle of patients that desired midwifery care. Also during this time she met Karen Ojeda, CNM. She spent many hours on the phone with Karen getting to know her and both of them discussing their ideal vision for what a midwifery practice should and could become. Karen also went through a vigorous interview process and she was hired by Raleigh Ob Gyn Centre the partner practice with Capital Area Ob Gyn. She was hired to be the second midwife in the future practice that was slowly being built behind the scenes with the backing and support of both Capital Area Ob Gyn and Raleigh Ob Gyn.

Cassandra continued to work as a solo midwife until Karen was credentialed in December of 2018. In the following months the vision for what has become City of Oaks began to slowly materialize. There was an office location separate from either of the ob practices and two very tired midwives. It was in the spring of 2019 that Stacie Walker, CNM was hired to be the third midwife. Cassandra had known Stacie from their time at Duke and always knew she wanted to work with her again. Stacie had been working a robust practice in a neighboring county but was content in her role their but upon hearing of the work that happening with Cassandra and Karen at UNC Rex Women's Center she felt that this new practice was where she needed to be. The last decision was a name for this new practice. Dr. Barrett, who is not only an amazing woman and physician is also creative suggested City of Oaks Midwifery. Cassandra, Karen and Stacie were in total agreement with the name ... thus City of Oaks Midwifery had been born. Since May of 2019 City of Oaks Midwifery has care for hundreds of women and broken down barriers. The journey has not been without it's challenges and many still exist yet they remained undeterred in their vision for the role of midwifery care in Raleigh. They very much want women to know they are safe at City of Oaks Midwifery and all are welcome. There is always room for one more in the City of Oaks Midwifery family...