Hello and welcome to APeacefulBeginning.com. First let me introduce myself. My name is Amy Reynolds and I am the owner and operator of A Peaceful Beginning. 

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To begin my introduction, first and foremost, I am a mother. I have given birth to 6 children (5 boys and 1 girl). My firstborn was born at 29 weeks and only lived for two days. My daughter and oldest son were born naturally in the hospital. I planned a homebirth with my 4^th child but due to cardiac complications with him, I had an emergency C-section. My 5^th and 6^th sons were born at home into the hands of midwives. I live in Ocala, FL with Bobby, my wonderfully supportive husband of 13 years and my 5 children. There is Kristen 19, Jesse 17, Garrett 11, Griffin 9, and Noah 5. We also have 5 cats, 3 wiener dogs, 2 rats, and a fish. So as you would figure, there is never a dull or quiet moment in my home.

A large part of my adult life has been spent being a full-time mom. I believe strongly in attachment parenting and extended breastfeeding. I’m so grateful to have had this time with my children and feel my life experience in parenting is as valuable, in many ways, as any formal education I have pursued. My interest in maternal health has been a life long passion. I feel becoming a midwife, when the time was right, was a true “calling”.

Education, Training and Affiliations

• I am a Florida Licensed Midwife(LM) and a Certified Professional Midwife(CPM) 
• I received my formal midwifery education in Gainesville, FL at The Florida School of Traditional Midwifery in the three year LM program
• I am certified in Adult and Child CPR and Neonatal Resuscitation
• In an effort to stay current in the care I provide to pregnant women and new mothers, I regularly attend conferences and lectures relating to the care of women in the childbearing cycle
• I was trained as a Breastfeeding Peer Counselor by the WIC program in Marion County in 1994
• I became a trained Breastfeeding Educator in 1996
• I have been a trained La Leche League Leader since 2002 and regularly provide phone support and hold monthly meetings in the Ocala area
• I trained and certified as a doula through DONA International in 2005
• I trained and certified as a childbirth educator through CAPPA in 2008
• I am a member of the Midwives Association of Florida

Experience

• As a doula, I attended over 100 births both in the hospital and at home.
• I have attended over 100 birth center/home births and managed over 50 of them as the Primary Midwife.
• I went on a week long externship to the Dominican Republic and worked in a primitive hospital as a Primary Midwife
• I have taught private childbirth education classes
• I worked as a an outreach worker for the UF Maternal Infant Care Project(MIC) from 1994 to 1999 providing in-home services, breastfeeding support, counseling, and referrals to at-risk postpartum women
• I have extensive experience supporting women with breastfeeding issues and often provide one-on-one breastfeeding support.