Velarde Headshot

Adriana Cuevas Velarde M.A., LM, CPM, IBCLC, LCCE

Affiliate Faculty

Adriana, or Ady, as she is affectionately called by her friends and family, has been fascinated with the science and miracle of birth since childhood, first discovering the midwifery profession while earning her bachelor’s degree in Public Health Policy from UC Irvine. After graduating, she worked in healthcare as well as in the public health sector. She learned much about the modern healthcare system during this time and decided that serving expecting families through community midwifery care was what she wanted to do.

Ady began her journey in perinatal care by first earning her Certificate as a Lactation Educator/Counselor in 2015 from UC San Diego, and the experience confirmed her desire to provide midwifery care. She went on to attend births as a doula and became certified through Childbirth International, serving families in the hospital, at home, and in birthing centers. Passionate about education, Ady pursued her childbirth educator training through Lamaze International and loved the process of learning to teach families about birth. She graduated from the National College of Midwifery and passed her NARM certification exam in October 2021. Ady also holds a master’s degree in Health and Wellness from Union Institute and University, with a concentration in Human Lactation Studies. She became an International Board Certified Lactation Consultant (IBCLC) in 2021 after completing her educational pathway consisting of hospital and private practice-based clinical experience and college courses.

About her time working in birth, she says “I’ve had the privilege of walking alongside parents during their most sacred and challenging moments of pregnancy, birth, and breastfeeding/infant feeding”. It is important to me to help improve representation in the midwifery profession as a Mexican-American midwife, and to support families and aspiring midwives and healthcare providers alike in many different capacities. I am passionate about offering evidence-based care that is respectful, educational, and culturally competent. Attending each birth is an honor”.

Her pronouns are she/her/hers. In her downtime, she enjoys snuggling her pug, baking, going to Target, and watching movies with her husband. Her favorite colors are those of the sunset-coral and yellow.