Leah Finds Her Calling as a Certified Nurse Midwife

Leah Kapela, one of our certified nurse midwives, continues to demonstrate the compassion she has for her patients. She delivers at Mercy Health – St. Vincent Medical Center and practices at both Spring Valley Obstetrics and Gynecology and Sylvania Obstetrics and Gynecology.

“I love supporting and caring for women,” Leah says. “A very important part of midwifery care is that people have the right to make informed health care decisions and be an active participant in their care. I love that this philosophy drives the care we provide and makes it incredibly rewarding because I love to take the time to provide education. There is so much more to midwifery than delivering babies, although that part of it brings me so much joy. I could not imagine dedicating my life to anything else!”

Leah loves that midwifery allows her to connect with people daily. She truly feels that helping women reach their health and healing goals translates directly to healthier families and communities.

“Women are the cornerstone of our society and being able to provide a wide range of health care services to them means so much to me.”

In addition, Leah loves being able to combine evidence-based care with women’s personal life experiences and knowledge of their own bodies to make individualized care plans.

“Part of the services midwives provide includes continuous labor support, so we are there with our laboring clients whether it takes thirty minutes or over 24 hours,” Leah says. “We have our clients meet all five of our midwives during their prenatal care so they will never have a stranger at their delivery. I’ve lost count of all of my deliveries, but I do keep a jar of blue and pink footprints by my front door so when I come home after a delivery, I add another footprint to the jar.”

Certified nurse midwives provide gynecologic services for women of all ages (including menopause and beyond), reproductive health services, prenatal care, labor and delivery services, and postpartum care.

“We work collaboratively with OB/GYNs and maternal fetal medicine and make referrals as needed. We value formal education and lifelong learning. We are all either masters or doctorate prepared and have all worked as registered nurses prior to going back for our advanced degrees which gives us a unique perspective and an extensive set of skills.”

Leah is active in the American College of Nurse Midwives professional organization and has served as co-chair of Ohio’s Advocacy Committee, served as the President of Northwest Ohio’s Chapter of ACNM, been the National Government Affairs Committee representative for Ohio and Mississippi, and served to improve affiliates on the Affiliate Development and Support Committee.

As we celebrate National Nurses’ Week, we are thankful for our certified nurse midwives like Leah who care for their patients with purpose and make a positive impact in the lives of new moms and their families!

Read more stories that celebrate our amazing Mercy Health nurses during National Nurses Week.

Also, learn about the health care services we offer at Mercy Health.