Meet Atoosa Benji of Los Angeles

Today we’d like to introduce you to Atoosa Benji.

Hi Atoosa, thanks for sharing your story with us. To start, maybe you can tell our readers some of your backstory.
My journey into birth work began with the birth of my first daughter. I was 19—eager to become a mother and full of excitement, but also quite naïve about what it truly entailed. My pregnancy was smooth, and on paper, my birth was uncomplicated. But the experience left me deeply traumatized. The doctor never made it in time. My labor was fast and intense, and a nurse physically held my baby’s head in and told me not to push. I was horrified. That moment, along with the breastfeeding challenges and postpartum anxiety that followed, left a lasting imprint.

Before the birth of my second child, I became determined to have a different experience. I immersed myself in books about breastfeeding and learned about birth doulas—how they support birthing people and help ease the transition into motherhood. I hired a doula and had the most glorious, healing birth. I went on to hire the same doula for my third birth, and each time I felt more empowered, more connected, and more deeply rooted in my role as a mother.

It was during this time that I knew I wanted to support others the way I had been supported. I became a certified birth doula through DONA International, a childbirth educator, and a certified lactation educator. After many years of serving families and building a busy doula practice in Los Angeles, I became a DONA-approved birth doula trainer—and eventually felt called to deepen my path even further by attending midwifery school. I am now a Licensed Midwife through the Medical Board of California, continuing to support families through birth in both home and birth center settings.

Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
Like everything else in life, birth work comes with its hills and valleys.
When I first started, there was no online presence—no social media, no websites. In fact, I found my doula’s name listed in the back of a parenting magazine, tucked away in the advertisement section. At the time, most people didn’t even know what a doula was. Hospitals were not particularly welcoming to doulas, nor to natural childbirth. It was an uphill journey for many years.

Slowly, things began to shift. As research emerged highlighting the benefits of doulas—lower intervention rates, reduced cesarean births, and improved outcomes—our work started to gain recognition. The medical community began to take notice. People started to understand not just what doulas do, but why our work matters.

In those early years, I juggled being on-call 24/7 while raising children, teaching classes, and tending to my family. My husband was always supportive, but the load was real. It wasn’t until I found a strong, supportive doula community that I truly felt held—surrounded by peers, by sisters who understood the rhythm of this calling.

Today, I’m proud to be a midwife who bridges the worlds of doulas and clinicians. I’ve spent years educating others about the distinct and complementary roles we play, and how beautiful and effective our care becomes when we work together—in true collaboration with physicians and the broader birth team.

Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know about your work?
I’m a Licensed Midwife serving families in Los Angeles and surrounding areas, providing home and birth center care that’s rooted in education, empowerment, and deep respect for the birthing process.
I’ve been in the birth world since 2003—first as a doula, then an educator and lactation specialist, and now as a Licensed Midwife through the Medical Board of California. My work is holistic, inclusive, and deeply community-based. I specialize in personalized, relationship-centered care that honors not only the clinical safety of birth but also the emotional and spiritual dimensions of this transformative experience.

What sets my practice apart is the way I bridge ancient wisdom and modern midwifery. I love having one foot at birth and one foot in the classroom—both as a lifelong student and a teacher. Whether I’m supporting a family through their first homebirth or training a new generation of doulas and birth workers, I bring heart, humor, trauma-informed awareness, and a fierce commitment to informed choice.

One thing I’m often asked is the difference between a Licensed Midwife and a doula. While doulas offer emotional, physical, and informational support during pregnancy, labor, and postpartum, Licensed Midwives provide full clinical care. That includes prenatal visits, attending the birth as the primary care provider, managing complications within our scope, providing postpartum care, and ensuring the health and safety of both birthing person and baby. Both roles are vital—and when we work together, the care is truly transformative.

I’m also the founder and host of Mamatoosa, a podcast and platform that amplifies stories of womanhood, motherhood, and resilience—from first breaths to life’s biggest transitions. Through Mamatoosa, I’ve created a sacred space for storytelling, sisterhood, and remembering the power of our own voices and lived experiences.

I’m most proud of the way I’ve built a practice that holds space for both evidence-based care and the sacredness of birth. And I’m honored to walk alongside so many families and birth workers as they reclaim agency, deepen trust in their bodies, and welcome new life with intention.

How can people work with you, collaborate with you or support you?
As a Licensed Midwife, I offer full-spectrum care to families planning out-of-hospital births—whether at home or in a birth center. I also support hospital births as a doula or monitrice, providing early clinical assessments at home and continuous emotional and physical support throughout labor and delivery in the hospital.

I work closely with OBs, hospital-based physicians, and clinical staff, and I regularly teach in hospital settings to help bridge the gap between community-based and medical models of care. I believe we all bring something vital to the table, and when we collaborate with mutual respect, the care we offer families is exponentially better.

One way I actively foster this collaboration is through “In Tandem”, a gathering I host for midwives and doulas to come together in shared learning, case review, and community-building. It’s a space to strengthen teamwork, deepen understanding of each other’s roles, and create real-time solutions for collaborative birth care.

I also teach DONA-certified birth doula trainings, offer BRN-approved continuing education, and mentor new and experienced birth workers. Through my podcast and platform, Mamatoosa, I hold space for honest conversations and storytelling around birth, womanhood, and the transitions that shape us.

Whether you’re seeking care, community, education, or a way to partner professionally, I’m always open to working with others who are passionate about improving birth outcomes and honoring the sacredness of this work.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://Atoosabenji.com
• Instagram: atoosa_benji
• Facebook: Atoosa Haim Benji
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCfuWEX9mNu1BBF7cpH7sDnw
• Yelp: https://www.yelp.com/biz/labor-with-love-santa-monica-2
• Other: https://pod.link/1813635573

Image Credits
Gaby Bro photography

JEO photography

Stephanie Entin Photography