Give Birth a Chance

Ilia Blandina, CNM, ARNP, has been practicing as a professional nurse midwife since 1994. She received her Bachelor of Science in Nursing with Honors from the University of Florida in 1985. After four years of nursing practice in the pediatric ICU & neonatal ICU, she transferred to the Labor & Delivery unit at Shands Hospital in Gainesville, Florida and continued her studies at the University of Florida, earning her Masters of Science in Nursing degree by 1994. She has varied practice experience ranging from rural to urban settings, helping to open a birth center in North Carolina to bringing more natural experiences to hospital birth settings. She has attended over 5000 births in her midwifery career. She has held academic appointments as Clinical Instructor at Nova Southeastern University College of Nursing, University of Cincinnati College of Midwifery, and Frontier Nursing University College of Midwifery. In addition, she is a member of the American College of Nurse-Midwives (ACNM). Ilia has been married since 1981 to a wonderful husband, and together they have been blessed with the birth of four boys: two vaginal births in a hospital that started out in a birth center, one c-section, and one VBAC at home! Both as a midwife and mother, she has walked the path of her clients which has created a deep passion for her work to help women become prepared for a VBAC. She resides in Pembroke Pines, Florida.