Today we’d like to introduce you to Adiah Oyefesobi.
Hi Adiah, thanks for joining us today. We’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
I started my career as an emergency department nurse in Dallas, Texas, in 2006 after graduating from Baylor University. In 2008, I completed my Women’s Health Nurse Practitioner (WHNP) program and began working at the Parkland Hospital outpatient clinic. There, I provided care for women during pregnancy and addressed their health and family planning needs, including Pap smears and birth control.
I continued to work as a women’s health nurse practitioner in various hospitals and private practices until I returned to Texas Tech University to become a Certified Nurse Midwife (CNM). In 2017, I moved to Illinois, where I worked at OSF Hospital, a rural community hospital, as a CNM for about two to three years before relocating to North Carolina.
In North Carolina, I worked at a county hospital for a few years before starting my own homebirth practice in 2022. I founded Special Beginnings Midwifery with no financial backing and began conducting home visits. Eventually, I rented an exam room in a chiropractor’s office once a week.
In 2023, Krissy Boyd joined me as a partner at Special Beginnings. Bringing her extensive experience of over 15 years in the NICU and Labor & Delivery, Krissy has been a midwife for more than two years. Together, we have attended a total of 1,000 births, and our skill sets complement each other perfectly. Krissy possesses a level of tenacity and resilience that is remarkable; she completed her midwifery program at Frontier University while battling cancer. During that challenging time, she provided support for her children, shielding them from the potential emotional impacts of her illness. She is becoming someone I deeply admire.
With our partnership established in 2023, Special Beginnings opened a small clinic office. In 2024, we opened Special Beginnings Prenatal Imaging in our Cary clinic location. Dr. Cooper partnered with us to offer community ultrasounds that are family friendly and yet diagnostic and comprehensive, yet affordable. We again expanded in April 2025, opening two community birth suites. The Special Beginnings Birth and Postpartum Suites will serve as community spaces for mothers who have unique desires for their birth experiences. Currently, we are operating at capacity with our hybrid home birth/birth suite model and are slowly expanding the birth suite component.
Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
The nursing profession presents a myriad of intricate challenges, making the journey anything but straightforward. Midwifery, in particular, is a comprehensive field that requires unwavering dedication and resilience. For many working mothers, finding a balance between professional responsibilities and personal life is a formidable task. This struggle becomes even more pronounced when one must prioritize their calling over significant family events. Imagine having to leave a joyful birthday celebration for your child, filled with laughter, cake, and games, to attend to the momentous arrival of a new life. Similarly, the inability to fully participate in the weddings or funerals of beloved family members can weigh heavily on the heart. The bittersweet feeling of walking away from an anniversary surprise, knowing that your partner is waiting to celebrate, highlights the emotional toll that this profession can take. Each day carries the weight of these decisions, underscoring the profound commitment that midwives and nurses have not only to their profession but also to their families.
We’ve been impressed with Special Beginnings Midwifery, PLLC, but for folks who might not be as familiar, what can you share with them about what you do and what sets you apart from others?
Homebirth midifery is a unique career choice, particularly in North Carolina. Krissy and I are among maybe ten homebirth midwives serving the entire state. We are the first in the state to offer birth suites. We specialize in providing families with autonomy over their birth experience. Our clients come to us seeking to be heard and to make their own choices. They do not want a “one size fits all” approach. These women often possess a high level of health intelligence and are health-conscious.
We offer them the opportunity to tailor their care. We are proud to help women “birth your way.” At Special Beginnings, we encourage women to make decisions that are best for their families, while also helping them understand medical facts. They combine our medical expertise with their own research and desires for their birth and postpartum care to make the best decisions possible for their families.
Our services include prenatal care, home births or births in our birth suites, postpartum care, and care for healthy newborns up to 28 days old. We also address many of our mothers’ health needs after birth, including pap smears, IUD/Nexplanon insertion, and visits for women’s health issues. Additionally, our office collaborates with Well One Healthcare to provide a family and pediatric nurse practitioner one to two days a week in the Durham office. We are gradually becoming a one-stop center for families’ medical needs.
This unique model is also affordable. Special Beginnings costs less than half of a traditional hospital setting and is sometimes partially reimbursable by insurance. What makes us stand out from the status quo is our availability; clients can call us on our cell phones to speak directly with their midwife at any time. Our visits last at least one hour and are family-friendly. Children are welcome in the office, and families are encouraged to attend our community ultrasound clinic, Special Beginnings Prenatal Imaging.
Do you have any advice for those looking to network or find a mentor?
I have been fortunate to have Stephanie Duvane-Johnson, CNM, PhD, as my mentor. Her more than 25 years of clinical experience, along with her leadership skills, have been invaluable to me. I strongly encourage others to network in environments where people are open to innovation. Surround yourself with positive individuals, go-getters, and those who demonstrate integrity.
Pricing:
- Essentials Package–7500
- All I’ll Ever Need Package–8500
- Experience Package–9899
- Birth Suite with SBM–600
- Rent Birth Suite–425/night
Contact Info:
- Website: https://specialbeginningsmidwifery.com/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/specialbeginningsmidwife/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/SpecialBeginningsMidwifery
