Leah Laroche-Paperno, LM, CPM

Midwife

Leah is a Certified Professional Midwife and is licensed through the Medical Board of California. Leah is passionate about the midwifery model of care and providing supportive and empowering care to each birthing person and family that she is honored with serving. Leah believes that through compassionate, skilled and thorough midwifery care, a relationship of trust and confidence becomes the cornerstone of the child-bearing and child-birthing experience, transforming the often overwhelming experience into an empowering one. 

Leah completed her midwifery training at one of the country’s busiest birth centers and MEAC accredited schools, Maternidad La Luz in 2014. Leah continued to deepen her experience as a midwife and teacher working at Maternidad La Luz as a staff midwife for an additional two years after receiving her national certification through NARM and becoming licensed in the state of Texas. 

Upon completion of her time in El Paso, Leah became pregnant with her first son and her journey and “training” continued. The experience of pregnancy, birth and new motherhood only emboldened her drive to provide pregnant people and families with a model of midwifery care that truly nourishes their relationship with themselves and their growing families every step of the way. Leah helped open and then became the owner and director of Mariposa Birth Center in Nevada City in March of 2020 working diligently and passionately to serve the families of her community through its closure at the end of 2022. 

Leah believes in the birth center model of midwifery care wholeheartedly and is thrilled to be a part of the California Birth Center team. When Leah is not midwifing, she can be found mothering her two young children alongside her loving husband, adventuring in beautiful outdoor spaces and creating community wherever she goes.

⇽ Back