Calathea Midwifery

My name is Louisa Francis. I am a wife, mother, Certified Nurse Midwife (CNM), and owner of Calathea Midwifery.

​

I have been drawn to birth and women's health for as long as I can remember. Growing up I insisted on watching my mother's birth video each year on my birthday. As a teen I supported many friends through their first periods. And after reading Ina May Gaskin's Birth Matters in high school, I was fully set on my path to midwifery.​

​

A native of Massachusetts, I moved to Florida in 2010 to pursue my Bachelors in Nursing from University of Tampa. I then worked as a nurse in high risk obstetrics and postpartum while completing my graduate degree from Frontier Nursing University. 

​

After spending the first years of my midwifery career in a busy hospital practice, I was thrilled to transition to community birth in 2022 where I got the chance to see physiologic birth unfold and could truly be "with women". 

​

I opened my own practice in 2024 with the goal of expanding access to compassionate, evidenced-based midwifery care in Tampa Bay for women across their lifespan.  

 

The calathea plant is said to be a symbol of new beginnings. I'm looking forward to being part of yours! 

​