After delivering her baby at home, Jessica Linzmeier knows the value of midwives first hand. In fact, two midwives cared for Jessica during the birth.

“I felt comfortable being at home,” she said. “I couldn’t imagine it any other way.”

Jessica grew up in Minnesota. She received her bachelor’s degree in biochemistry from Smith College. After graduating, Jessica spent six months working in a clinic in Costa Rica, checking vital signs and helping with newborn exams. It was then that she decided to focus on midwifery.

“I just fell in love with pregnant bellies,” she said.

In 2004, she received her master’s degree in nursing with a concentration in midwifery from Yale University. She started working at Special Beginnings later that year.

Jessica said she is committed to natural birth, as well as supporting women’s choices. Along with working as a midwife, she teaches a baby care basics class at Special Beginnings.

In her free time, Jessica enjoys reading, knitting and spending time with her husband and their daughter, Sophia.