About Me
About Me
My Approach
Few events are as powerful and life-changing as being pregnant, giving birth and welcoming your newborn baby into your family. I am honored to be part it. I will help you develop the knowledge, confidence and support you need to approach birth with peace and a powerful surrender. This is not a passive surrender. The surrender of birth involves a deep faith in the wisdom of our bodies and creation. In labor, our faith in the process will need to grow bigger than our desire to control it. When a woman feels informed, respected, loved and supported, she can soften and open to the power of birth, wherever her journey may take her.
Education & Professional Background
I started learning about maternal and child health as a Human Biology major at Stanford University in the 1980s. I was inspired to become a midwife when I worked with one at a community clinic in the early 1990s. I went back to school to become a Registered Nurse, and worked as a Labor and Delivery nurse for a couple of years. In 1997, I completed a graduate degree in nursing, specializing in Nurse Midwifery. After working at a local birthing center, I opened my own homebirth practice in Austin in 1999. A local midwife friend and I opened Honeydue Homebirth in 2012 to foster a larger community for our clients, but I missed the intimate care that comes with seeing all of my clients at each prenatal visit. So in 2016 we returned to our solo practices.
Family
I gave birth to my sons, Micah and Nicholas in 1999 and 2003. Motherhood has taught me a lot about surrender and faith. Our children are our best teachers and I am so grateful to have them. My husband, Andrew, and I have been together since 1989. Being husband to a midwife is not always easy, but he is exceptional in many ways. I love being a midwife and I love my family for making it possible.
RÉSUMÉ
Julia Bower, Certified Nurse Midwife, RN, MSN
Education
University of New Mexico, Albuquerque, NM (1997)
M.S.N. in Nurse-Midwifery, Graduate School Merit Fellowship, Excellence in Nursing Award.
Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD (1993)
B.S. in Nursing, Leona Bowman Carpenter Merit Fellowship.
University of Texas at Austin, TX (1991)
M.A. in Latin American Studies, Graduate School Merit Fellowship.
Stanford University, Stanford, CA (1987)
B.A. in Human Biology.
Experience
Certified Nurse Midwife/Owner/Director (2000-present)
Austin, TX
Provide full scope midwifery care in private, home birth practice. Train student midwives.
Certified Nurse Midwife/Co-Owner (2012-2016)
Honeydue Homebirth, PLLC
Austin, TX
Co-founder of joint, full-scope home birth practice. Trained student midwives.
Certified Nurse Midwife (1997-2000)
Austin Area Birthing Center, Austin, TX
One of two midwives providing prenatal, birth and women’s health care in a growing center. Trained student midwives.
Student Nurse Midwife (Spring 1997)
Holy Family Services, Weslaco, TX
Provided full-scope midwifery care at a birth center predominantly serving immigrants on the Texas-Mexico border.
Student Nurse Midwife (Fall 1996)
Chinle Comprehensive Health Care Facility, Chinle, AZ
Offered labor, delivery, newborn, and postpartum care to Navajo families at an Indian Health Service hospital.
Labor and Delivery Registered Nurse (1993-1995)
The Arlington Hospital, Arlington, VA
Cared for mothers and newborns during labor, delivery and immediate postpartum.
Registered Nurse (1993)
East Coast Migrant Health Project, Chambersburg, PA
Provided primary care to migrant farm workers in the field and at Keystone Clinic. Developed and taught HIV education program.
Patient Advocate (1991-1992)
Mayfield Community Clinic, Palo Alto, CA
Advocated for patients during medical visits, educating them about illnesses, medications and family planning. Assessed prenatal and postpartum women. Translated for Spanish-speaking clientele.
Licenses, Certifications, Associations & Skills
CNM American College of Nurse Midwives
Texas Advanced Practice Registered Nurse
Association of Texas Midwives
Neonatal Resuscitation
CPR
Fluent Spanish