Tribute & Book Signing with Carol Leonard

Florida Friends of Midwives was honored and thrilled to welcome midwife and activist Carol Leonard, co-founder of Midwives Alliance of North America, to Sarasota this weekend.

A tribute dinner was held at the Monterey Grill on Friday, February 6th. Providing fabulous music for the event were Radio-Free Carmela and the Transmitters, led by local doula, birth assistant, and childbirth educator Carmela Pedicini. Carol read excerpts from her nationally acclaimed novel Lady's Hands, Lion's Heart, A Midwife's Saga, while honoring the many midwives, doulas and childbirth educators in attendance.

Joining Carol Friday evening were her husband Tom (with whom she is building Bad Beaver Farm in Maine entirely out of salvaged materials), as well as her sister Wendy and mother Louise.Licensed Midwife Christina Holmes invited Carol to tour Birthways Family Birth Center the following morning, where she was very pleasantly surprised by a new baby, born there just hours before. Carol signed copies of Lady's Hands, Lion's Heart at Selby Library on Saturday, generously donating a portion of the proceeds to Florida Friends of Midwives. She read excerpts from the book, including the birth story of her son Milan, and the Halloween birth she attended in full stork costume. Attending the book signing all the way from Sweden was midwife Heidi Dahlborg, founder of Sarasota's Rosemary Birthing Home.
This event brought together most of our community's midwives, midwifery advocates, and midwives in training. Pictured here (from top left) are Tracy Topjun, CNM, Carol Leonard, NHCM, Heidi Dahlborg, LM, Harmony Miller, LM, Alina Vogelhut, LM, Becky Martin, original founder of Florida Friends of Midwives, Julie Martin, CPM, Cheryl Kindred, student midwife, Iris Dahlborg, and Mfon Ikpeinyang, student midwife. Unable to attend were Christina Holmes, LM, and Cathy Matthews, LM, who attended Friday's tribute dinner.