Pack Leader :: Adrianna Algieri

Adrianna Algieri, midwife extraordinaire. . . Realizing a need for a more comprehensive, holistic approach to women’s healthcare in the South Florida area, Adrianna Algieri began with a vision—to empower women by providing education, resources, and a locale whereby women can learn about their bodies and take charge of their health from the inside out.

Adrianna believes knowledge is power — something she learned firsthand ‘the hard way’ as a young mother who did not know what to expect with the birth of her first son over 12 years ago.  Adrianna remembers going to her regular prenatal appointments with a regular MD, and being completely intimidated—the doctor would rush in, chat briefly, and leave.  She says, “I was 19 years old during my first pregnancy--the nurses would give me a hard time about gaining too much weight, but never bothered to educate me about how to eat better.”  She also remembers her grandmother from Argentina talking about how she had her babies with a midwife—something she assumed did not happen here in the U.S.—That is, until she met a midwife and decided to make an appointment after being told her (by her doctor) that her baby was breech.  That was when she was sold—“The midwife had an office on the side of her house.  While waiting for my turn, I would see how much time and individual attention each pregnant women would receive—very unlike the care I received at the doctor’s office.  The midwife also assured me that my baby was not breech—with just the touch of her hands. At that point I realized the medical model of care was seriously lacking. ” That was when Adrianna decided that midwifery was something she wanted to do, too—help women have their babies on their own terms as well as provide emotional support and a loving touch.

Back then—in the early 1990’s, the state of Florida had put a hold on issuing licenses for new midwives.  While waiting to enter midwifery school, Adrianna worked for a local organization called Healthy Mothers, Healthy Babies. This is a volunteer organization that gives support to low-income, high-risk women. That was the first time Adrianna experienced a real need for some sort of resource center to help educate all women equally.  Now, over 10 years and hundreds of babies later, her vision has become a reality with the opening of Loving Hands—A Woman’s Wellness Center in Hollyood, Florida. Adrianna’s vision is to bring midwifery to the public.  One of the reasons why she offers free pregnancy tests at her center is to help let women know they have the right to make informed decisions—hopefully before they get swept into the system of ‘routine two- minute’ doctor visits and impersonal care. Adrianna is also working on empowering women through what she calls a “Woman’s Healthcare Collective.”  This will consist of a free class that meets once or twice a month to help educate women about their bodies—what’s ‘normal’ and what’s not.  Adrianna says, “As women, we all have some issues about our bodies—instead of treating our vagina like ‘that place down there’ we need to embrace all parts of our body equally—for example, learning how to take charge of your fertility by being able to feel your own cervix.”  She also adds, “Look at men, they have no problem with their bodies—why should we?”

Adrianna Algieri's Loving Hands Philosophy: Every woman regardless of race, religion, physical limitations and socio-economic status deserves physical and emotional support in making wise and educated decisions for her childbirth experience. She ddeserves to have a birth that empowers her to make choices regarding her well-being and the well-being of her family. She deserves to choose a birth environment that makes her feel safe, confident and comfortable. Every woman deserves the right to birth with respect and dignity. Every woman deserves the right to be treated as an individual with her own specific needs taken into account.