Eva Goodfriend-Reaño, CNM

She was amazing. She was incredible. Calm, Peaceful, and honest. She led me through the challenges and excitements of pregnancy. Counseled me. Empowered me. She was by my side when we had a scare. Thank you for all of you amazing work.

I have never felt more confident about my health and I have Eva to thank for that. When I found out I was pregnant for the first time I was thrilled, and also torn about whether to go with the standard medical care/​hospital birth or go off the beaten track for a home birth. Having known Eva for a long time, I knew she would be my midwife if I chose a home birth, both because of her bedside manner as well as the fact that she is a Nurse Midwife, that made us much more comfortable. For the first few months I did lots of research and also went to the standard prenatal appointments at an ob-​gyn office. There was nothing wrong with it, but also nothing personal or empowering — so we took the plunge into the marvelous world of home birth.
Eva’s approach to midwifery is incredibly personal, informative and empowering — which was clear from our first appointment with her. She took the time to answer both mine and my husband’s detailed questions, being thorough and respectful. She never tried to dumb down information but also didn’t make things unnecessarily complicated. Every appointment was 1 – 2 hours, however long we needed to go over the topics of the day. She has a strong focus on nutrition and helped me improve my diet, water and vitamin intake, never by pushing, just with support and information. Eva is like that great teacher you hopefully had sometime in school — you just want to make her proud. My pregnancy was healthy and fairly uncomplicated, and whenever I had a little issue Eva would respond promptly, come to my house if needed, and always made me feel like it was ok to need some help. And she went through all the potential issues of a home birth so we not only felt safe with the decision, we became advocates to our friends and family as well. So the entire prenatal care was just amazing — we both learned so much and went into the birth process feeling really strong and confident.
Now for the birth story: 28 hours of labor of which the first 24 were at home — we ended up at Alta bates for meconium in my amniotic fluid. Even though we did not have an actual home birth, I labored at home for the vast majority of the time, and Eva helped me stay as comfortable and focused as possible. She had some great natural pain relief methods which I definitely needed and even at my lowest point when I wanted to go to the hospital she helped me remember what my goals were and find a way to stay home. When we eventually had to go to the hospital, Eva was absolutely essential to help avoid unnecessary interventions — without her I would likely have had a C-​Section or at least some interventions I really didn’t need. But by standing right next to the delivering OB and making sure to question her actions, Eva helped me avoid antibiotics, pitocin and vacuum delivery. She coached me through the pushing. I had a natural birth and our beautiful baby girl Solana was born healthy.
Eva’s post partum care was also perfect — she checked in on breastfeeding, emotions, physical, everything — plus lots of loving care for the baby. When our 6 week visit came along I was sad to think our care had come to an end. But I also felt confident that I could handle whatever came along, in large part because of the growth I experienced under her care.
Hopefully next time we’ll be able to stay at home, but either way there is no one I would rather have as my midwife than Eva, she is truly amazing.

a pregnancy can be a very beautiful experience. when my husband and i found out we were pregnant, i knew i wanted a natural home water birth experience. finding the right midwive to guide us along in the process was the hard part. we interviewed about 3 – 4 midwives. After speaking with eva and her also amazing partner, kristen cates, i knew they were the ones.
I started care at about 3 – 4 months into my pregnancy. we did the initial checkups and ultrasounds at the hospital, but after 3 – 4 months i went to the midwives care completely. The 1^st apt at the doc office lasted about 15 – 20 minutes. The 3^rd apt was finally with the actual doc as opposed to the nurse, and that lasted about 10 minutes, where she specifically said, she works m-​f 9 – 5 if i am having the baby outside of those times, then i get the doc on call. OK! After that i knew i didnt want to be there under that care. My 1^st apt with Eva and Kristen was the complete opposite. They care about you as a person. they want the father involved. they care about the pregnancy and the support in your life. they want you to know what is happening with your changing body and what to expect. They care about what is going in my life. Bottom line is they care. Why, because it all ties into your pregnancy experience.
Through out my entire care with Eva, i had the utmost confidence in her knowledge, skills and support. I had a relatively easy pregnancy with minor complications, all of which eva was available and guided me to the next steps and kept me at ease.
As a person, Eva is kind hearted, has such a soothing and calming manner, and really knows and LOVEs what she does.
The labor! wow! intense. Eva was 1^st on scene for me and helped my family set up and helped to put me at ease. 30 hours of labor is intense, but through it all Eva was by my side, doing all the vital checks and keeping her promise to care for me and the baby. It was an amazing experience.
The PP care as well is truly amazing. Just the fact that they come to the house is great! But they explained everything to me and my husband. Do you know what the placenta actually looks like all opened up? It is truly amazing. Mariana, our little one, had her initial check up in our bed. How precious is that?! Priceless! All the follow up apts were just as wonderful and a learning experience. You learn so much about your body, and what is happening.
I can go on forever about my experience with Eva, with homebirth, but i wont. Bottom line, Eva is a wonderful midwife and i could not have been as prepared as i was or been able to do this without her!
We had a successful home water birth to a beautiful baby girl, named Mariana.

Eva, amazing, Eva! I am a midwife myself and my husband is a Nurse Practitioner — we chose Eva as our midwife because she not just listens but also hears what you are saying, she is very informed and professional and up to date on the latest research and guidelines regarding birth, and we felt we could completely trust her in an emergency (my husband used to work in the Emergency Department so this was a very big deal to him of course)! She also speaks fluent Spanish which is great!
Throughout our prenatal care Eva was competent, available and understanding. She was a source of great resources (chiropractics, homebirth classes, birth tub etc). She also helped me tremendously with nutrition and supplements. Even as a midwife, she taught me many things I did not know myself.
My water released a LONG 66 hours before my baby was born and Eva came over every morning and evening with not only a plan, but herbs and homeopathy and a bunch of tricks in her bag to get things going. Anytime I needed to reach her she was available. And when things finally got going everything went SO quickly my labor was probably 2 – 3 hours total and between contractions I definitely was impressed with how quickly she set up all of her equipment, including her emergency gear, but also attended to me with her lovely calm and caring manner that I so admire.
The birth was the most amazing experience, we couldn’t have asked for a more perfect day. I truly felt my protected, attended to, and respected in the deepest sense. We all had such a wonderful time complete with champagne toast to the birthday boy!
We didn’t anticipate that we would also come to love Eva for her amazing postpartum care. Compared to the birth breastfeeding was extremely challenging for me. Eva helped me so much through this and the postpartum process. Compared to the one 6 week visit you have with a hospital based clinic, you have many many visits postpartum with Eva. This was amazing, because as new parents, we truly trusted her advice and guidance and really NEEDED support more than ever at this time.
I also had the wonderful opportunity to watch Eva attend a good friend’s homebirth and again she was calm and collected, knowledgeable and caring, quick and steady, alert yet sensitive — all qualities very important for her work!
Eva pours her heart and soul into her work which shines through in the caring and committed relationships she forms with her clients. She is one of the most positive people I’ve ever met and was definitely «called» to the field of midwifery.

Eva is an outstanding midwife!
We were debating about whether to have a home or hospital birth and after a conversation with Eva decided to go for a homebirth with Eva as our midwife. From the moment we began our prenatal care with her, it was clear that the quality of care we were getting from her was worth every cent. She spent the time (that I had been seriously missing in my doctors visits) to really help us prepare physically, emotionally and spiritually to become parents. She responded to all our needs, questions, and truly was a guide in this journey. I was nervous about being at home and she dealt with all our concerns in an honest, professional way and helped me to internalize the belief that I was fully capable of doing this.
When my labor began she was incredible; helping me through my contractions, giving guidance to me and really supporting my husband in supporting me. I never for a moment felt afraid for my own or my baby’s safety. I had a wonderful home birth experience and credit much of it to Eva’s preparation of us, and her presence during it. She is so warm and competent and helped me to focus in and find the strength to birth my child naturally. After my son was born we had an amazing few hours, where everything just slowed down and we were able to enjoy the first precious moments of life without the rush and protocol of the hospital.
Her post natal care has also been incredible. She is very thorough and available for all the little questions that have come up.
I would highly recommend her to anyone considering a home birth.

Absolutely the best birthing experience I’ve witnessed with the best genuine care a professional and experienced midwife can offer. Please note that my review is based not as a mother laboring for the birth of her child, but as a support person, guiding the laboring mother. Eva demonstrated the most gentle, comprehensive, and trusting care you need in order to trust a midwife with the delivery of your baby.
Throughout the entire birthing process, way before the delivery date, Eva continued to prepare and mentor both my friend, her husband, and I on what to expect. During delivery, Eva was calm and proved to be one of the driving forces for my friend’s perfect delivery. She is absoultely what I envision an excellent midwife to be.

A father’s perspective…
Eva is absolutely fantastic!
She is confident and wise, peaceful and humble. From our first meeting, Eva made us feel safe. She listened carefully, spoke thoughtfully, and made me feel like every question, fear, emotion, or idea I expressed was completely normal.
I knew that she would take incredible care of my wife during labor, and that is exactly what happened. Eva provided her with different positions to try, coached her through the pain, and held her firmly but tenderly during the contractions.
Eva also took great care of me, and honored my role as the husband and father. I felt very well taken care of in the months leading up to the birth. But more importantly, Eva looked out for me during labor which enabled me to provide 100% of my focus, energy, and courage to support my wife.
I really can’t express how grateful I am that Eva was one of our midwives. She loved us, she loved our baby, and we love her too.

Eva is the most amazing midwife! She truly showed up for me and my family throughout our childbearing experience. She seemed to know exactly what to say during the prenatal period, when I felt really sensitive and was going through a rough time. Her knowledge extends far beyond basic prenatal care. She really understands the emotional and spiritual needs of an expecting family.
Eva showed up during my labor too (30 minutes after I called her, across the bridge and in the middle of the night). Like other reviewers say, hers was the only voice I wanted to hear during my intense contractions. She was so reassuring and present. My gratitude to her for her unwavering advocacy in the hospital knows no bounds. She asked a ton of important questions, helped with taking pictures, supported my husband and just seemed to anchor us when things got scary or overwhelming. She was also just a warm, friendly, positive presence at the birth.
I cannot say enough about Eva’s midwifery services and about Eva as a person. You can’t go wrong in choosing her to support you in this important time!!!

Eva was the assistant to our midwife, and was truly fantastic. When she arrived at my house I was in very active – and very painful – labor, and her presence was very calming. She is confident, steady, and very, very present; I felt safe and cared for as she guided me through intense contractions. She’s gentle yet firm in her approach, which is a wonderful combination. My baby was posterior and I was having back labor; it was Eva who suggested using Sterile Water Papules to ease the pain (they really helped!). After I’d been pushing for hours w/​little progress, it became clear that we might head to the hospital. I became a little panicked, and Eva’s suggestions that we all take a rest was a lifesaver. I was able to lay down, collect myself, and refocus. When we decided to head to the hospital Eva packed my bags and got me ready while my midwife called ahead.
In all, Eva was fantastic. I can’t vouch for her prenatal work, but I have no doubt that it’s excellent as well. She is creative, calming, strong, and sweet. A great midwife!

I can’t say enough about Eva! Eva was our midoula. We decided to have a hospital birth where Eva does not practice, so she was our doula. But since she’s a midwife, we benefited from all her knowledge.
Eva is one of the most competent people I know. She always made my husband and I feel at ease, she was always available to answer all my questions, and she always had an answer. Having Eva as our midoula was like having my OB’s cell phone number. I could call her with all my questions!
We had three or four pre-​birth meetings, Eva was there for the birth, and then visited us a few times after our son was born. Having Eva at the hospital with us was so important. All of the nurses kept giving us different advice, so it was great having Eva consistently there to help us decide what to do.
After our birth, my husband and I said we would have paid Eva 100 times more than she charges. We will definitely be hiring her again for the second time around.