Cassie Franco

Hi!  I'm Cassie.  I'm glad you're here.  I am a Certified Professional Midwife (CPM), among many other things.  I call myself mother, wife, daughter, friend, dancer, explorer, adventurer, free thinker and quiet warrior. I invite you to look around and ask questions.  As my Grandmother would say, "Stick your nose in every nook and cranny."  Birth is big.  There is a lot to explore.

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When I was a child, I dreamed of the stage.  Dance was my first love.  I was lucky to turn my passion into a successful career as a professional dancer.  I performed throughout Europe and the Caribbean, Off-Broadway in New York, as a Radio City Rockette and in several productions on the Las Vegas Strip.  I have also worked in Entertainment Management and as a dance teacher.  

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So how did I end up here?

 

I knew my dance career had a finite amount of time.  My body hurt.  I had injuries.  It started to be a lot of work to fit in those costumes...  By the time I became a mother, I was in school searching for the next thing that would light my soul on fire. My birth experiences did it.  They were transformative. 

 

My oldest was born here in Las Vegas at a hospital.  His was a typical hospital birth, complete with an epidural.  While he and I were both healthy, I left the hospital feeling emotionally as if I had been run over and then backed over again by a bus.  I was asking myself, "Where did I fit in the experience I just had?"  Now, I am privileged to have been a part of many beautiful birth experiences in the hospital here in Las Vegas, but mine was not one of them.  Despite having taken every maternity class offered by the hospital, my experience left me feeling insignificant, less than and clueless. That is not a great way to start the journey of parenthood.  I struggled.  I was depressed. Then, I got pregnant again.

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I promised myself this birth would be different.  And, it was.

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I shopped for a care provider I connected with, transferring care three times before finding an obstetrician who heard me.  I hired a doula.  I explored pros and cons of different Valley hospitals.  I took two independent childbirth education classes.  And, when my OB told me she was moving two days after my due date, I asked my doula to step in to the role of care provider and be my midwife.  I birthed my daughter at home in a birthing tub, and it was AMAZING.  As was the birth of my youngest son, who was also, as my daughter calls it, a water baby.

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Was homebirth the answer?  Obviously, I love homebirth.  I love it so much that I became a homebirth midwife.  And, for the most part, everything with my births went according to plan, which is not always the case with birth. Babies and birth sometimes have a mind of their own.  What truly made the difference for me in my later birth experiences was that I sought out resources and surrounded myself with people who whispered in my ear,  "Birth is normal.  You were born to do this."  Until, I believed it.

 

There is no right way to birth.  There is only what is right for you.  Home, hospital, unmedicated, epidural, in a birthing tub or in an operating room.  You have choices. My goal for every family I work with is that they feel heard, supported and safe as they explore these choices.  I believe clear, open communication, a holistic approach to wellness and the Midwives Model of Care with a trained birth attendant, such as myself, is a great way to discover what is right for you. 

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In addition to birth, I like to dance, ride horses, hike, camp and spend time outside.  I find peace in music, yoga and reading.  I enjoy all types of design, traveling, going to museums and exploring new places.  I love a nice rainy day, and  spending time with my family.

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I love being a midwife.  I find tremendous joy and fulfillment in supporting families.  I hope if this resonates with you, that you'll give me a call to see if I am a good fit for you.