Shannon Purpuri
​Licensed Midwife & Certified Professional Midwife

I began attending births in 1993 with a midwife who became a dear friend and mentor who taught me the heart of midwifery. Over the years I received clinical training from a high volume birth center on the Mexican border and continued assisting midwives between California and Hawaii. I gave birth to my son in 1997, and intertwined motherhood with birth work. In 2012, I graduated from National Midwifery Institute when I also received my midwifery license in California.

As a home birth midwife, my approach to care stems from a core innate belief in women's body wisdom. I believe when we as women tap into our body's intelligence and stay rooted in that knowledge, very little intervention is necessary to have a safe, empowering birth at home. Caring for women from pregnancy into motherhood has been a steady progression of integrating this work into my life and developing a capacity for supporting normal physiologic pregnancy and birth.

I am delighted to bring home birth midwifery care to families in Santa Cruz and the surrounding San Jose, CA area. I believe whole-heartedly in the sanctity of home birth, and the profound impact it has on the immediate family, and the larger community it touches.  Serving a diverse population of home birth families in the Santa Cruz & San Jose, Mahina Midwifery is based on continuity of care, confidentiality, and informed choice.

Midwifery Training & Experience
Certifications
- Licensed Midwife - Medical Board of California
- Certified Professional Midwife (CPM) - North American Registry of Midwives
- Current CPR and Neonatal Resuscitation Certification
​Training
- National Midwifery Institute
- Homebirth and clinical internships
- Ongoing continuing education

"When I met Shannon I just knew she was going to be my midwife. Positive, professional, empathetic, funny, wise and filled with the spirit of aloha.  She softened and dissolved all of my worries, concerns and fears."

"A card could never express our gratitude, and words hardly capture our love for you. Thank you for the depth of my soul for assisting Kira into this world and for supporting us through birth. You're an amazing woman."