Rising Stars: Meet Alicia Hubbell Fernandez of Hemet, CA

Today we’d like to introduce you to Alicia Hubbell Fernandez.

Alright, so thank you so much for sharing your story and insight with our readers. To kick things off, can you tell us a bit about how you got started?
My journey into midwifery began with a calling to protect birth as a natural, intuitive, and culturally rooted experience. It also is rooted in the fact that I am a first born daughter. I trained in my hometown of San Diego and apprenticed with a handful of midwives. I would say the teacher that made some of the biggest impact on me was Darynee Blount, I trained with her for the longest period and I gained so many invaluable experiences across home, birth center, and hospital settings. Since 2015, I’ve been a Licensed Midwife in California and a Certified Professional Midwife, supporting families with holistic, individualized care—especially those from BIPOC communities who are often underserved by the medical system. In 2024, I added the title of IBCLC; International Board Certified Lactation Consultant.

Today, I’m a mother, midwife, childbirth education teacher, lactation consultant, and community educator. I run infant feeding support groups, mentor emerging midwives & IBCLCs and curate herbal remedies to support families through pregnancy, postpartum, and beyond. Everything I do is grounded in community care, cultural wisdom, and the belief that when birthing people are truly supported, entire families—and generations—are strengthened.

Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way. Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
No, I wouldn’t say it has been a smooth road. Becoming a midwife required a deep personal and professional transformation, and that process was hard—emotionally, physically, and financially. Midwifery training demands years of study, apprenticeship, and on-call work, often with little or no pay, and that reality can be especially challenging when you’re navigating systems that don’t always value or support this kind of care.
Birth work itself is humbling. You’re constantly reminded that you are a space holder and a guide, not the one in control. There have been moments of uncertainty, exhaustion, and sacrifice, but those challenges have also shaped my integrity as a provider. They taught me resilience, accountability, and the importance of community support. Every struggle along the way deepened my commitment to this work and to the families I serve.

Appreciate you sharing that. What else should we know about what you do?
My work centers on providing individualized, community-rooted midwifery and reproductive care that honors autonomy, cultural wisdom, and informed choice. I specialize in home birth, comprehensive prenatal and postpartum care, childbirth education, lactation support, and herbal remedies. I’m also deeply involved in community education—facilitating support groups & skills days for students, mentoring emerging midwives, and offering herbal remedies to support pregnancy, postpartum, and family wellness.

I would say I’m known for the way I meet you where you are and tailor the needs of client and community to the care given. I am also known for my work with BIPOC families who often experience gaps and harm in the mainstream maternity system. As a Licensed Midwife, Certified Professional Midwife, and IBCLC, I strive to create care that feels safe, empowering, and affirming.

What I’m most proud of is the trust families place in me and the community I’ve helped build; namely the midwives I have helped trained—one that extends beyond birth and into long-term support and healing. What sets me apart is my commitment to relationship-based care, my lived experience as a mother, and my dedication to mentoring and uplifting the next generation of midwives while advocating for more just and inclusive birth care.

How can people work with you, collaborate with you or support you?
People can work with me through midwifery care, childbirth education, lactation support, and infant feeding groups. I welcome collaboration with midwives, doulas, educators, and community organizations aligned with culturally responsive, justice-centered care.

Supporting my work looks like referrals to my website and instagram, sending me a direct message or email, attending or sharing my community offerings, and advocating for accessible, community-rooted birth care.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.larosamidwifery.com
• Instagram: @larosamidwifery
• Yelp: https://www.yelp.com/biz/la-rosa-midwifery-hemet

Image Credits
birth tub picture-jaime milner