About Lucky.Midwife * Mom * Partner * Writer * Educator * A Lover Not A Fighter
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Photo by Three Arch Media.
The Transitions Birth Services team.
Photo by Three Arch Media.
Photo by Hefferilt Photography.
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Lucky Tomaszek, LM, CPM (she/her)Lucky is a licensed midwife in the state of Wisconsin. Way back in 1984, at the tender age of 11, Lucky watched her cat give birth to her first litter of kittens. From that moment, she knew she belonged in the world of birth. Twelve years later, she began pursuing her dream through self study. In 1998, Lucky trained to be a doula, and was certified by DONA in 1999. That was also the year that Lucky became a La Leche League Leader. After the birth of her third baby in 2000, she began training with a homebirth midwife in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Since those early beginnings, Lucky has attended about 420 births in various capacities. In 2019, Lucky spent six months in Utah, working in a high volume birth center to finely hone her craft.
Lucky also worked as a sexuality educator at The Tool Shed: An Erotic Boutique (2008-2024), providing education and trainings for birthworkers and regular folks alike on a variety of topics. She continues to teach small group classes and present at regional conferences. Her classes focus on consent culture, sex and disability, sex and chronic pain, and the issues that parents face around sexuality. She has been invited to speak at colleges, universities, churches, synagogues, festivals, burlesque shows, and professional development conferences throughout the Midwest. She is the author and founder of the Birthworker Inclusivity Training Series, the only training focused on the needs of sexual minorities. Lucky is also a published author, formerly writing The Slightly Crunchy Parent, a monthly parenting column (2002-2009), and MKE SEX, a semi-monthly sex ed column (2016-2023). Lucky lives in Milwaukee's Riverwest neighborhood with her partner and their cat, and enjoys the active community all around her. When not teaching, writing, and attending births, Lucky loves spending time with her adult children and two grandchildren, needle felting for stress relief, and reading books cuddled up on her couch. |
Photo by Three Arch Media.
Photo by Nikki Schwartz.
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Erin Cassidente, LM, CPM (she/her)Erin's desire to become a midwife began when she was pregnant with her first child and realized that midwifery was the way she could fulfill her childhood dream of “delivering” babies. The unexpected c-section of her first baby, followed by a successful hospital VBAC, opened the door to doula work. In 2020, Erin enrolled in the midwifery program at Southwest Wisconsin Technical College. She completed that program and was licensed in the summer of 2024.
Erin's three homebirths were some of the most empowering and transformative moments of her life, and she's excited to support other families in having their own best experience while welcoming their babies Earthside. Erin worked as a doula (and substitute teaching for a local childbirth educator) for over 20 while her children were young. She also facilitated local Parenting Naturally groups, c-section support groups, breastfeeding peer support, and other support groups. Erin held several board positions for the C.A.R.E. Network, a support and education resource for birthworkers and birthing families. Erin believes that birth has the power to transform, or to traumatize if it's not properly supported. She's spent her whole adult life working to prevent that trauma whenever possible. When not doing midwifery things, Erin enjoys reading, singing, playing guitar, songwriting, improving her French, and spending time with her supportive partner, children, and granddaughter. |
Photo by Three Arch Media.
Photo by Nikki Schwartz.
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Tori Freund, student midwife (they/them)Tori is a queer and trans nonbinary student midwife with a passion for supporting individuals and families at the intersection of all their identities and lived experiences and across the spectrum of reproductive and family building experiences. In 2017, their interest in birthwork was sparked by writing a college paper on homebirth. That spark led Tori to pursue doula training and they began working as a full spectrum doula in 2019. Over the years, their educational foundation in birthwork has continued and they have earned additional knowledge and certifications in lactation and infant feeding, babywearing, childbirth education, gender affirming care, and harm reduction (just to name a few).
After working as a birth assistant with Lucky for several months, Tori felt their passion for midwifery growing. They officially joined Transitions Birth Services as a student midwife in January 2024. In addition to pursuing midwifery, Tori also teaches childbirth education and lactation education classes at the Transitions Birth Services office and offers lactation support services. Tori believes that everyone deserves to have someone who sees them as a whole human being and will meet them where they’re at. Outside of birthwork, Tori enjoys a relatively quiet life at home with their dog, Addie. They can usually be found reading and playing cozy games, exploring the local farmers markets, spending time outdoors (when weather permits!), or learning a new skill or craft. |
Your midwives listening at the door: Giving you space but ready to help.
Photo by Janet Catherine Photo.
My baby is 16… You were at his birth at our house, but I was sort of inside myself at that time so I don't exactly remember the details of when you arrived and left. I'm a midwife too, and I was then. A skilled midwife can guard normal and keep the people safe while not drawing attention to herself, so please consider it a compliment that I know you were there but don't remember what you said or did exactly. I pushed out an almost 9 pound baby and felt triumphant and proud… I can't stand it when midwives have some sort of codependent relationship with patients whereby the midwife is seen as some sort of goddess who will help a beautiful mother have a beautiful birth. That's not real all the time. I like that you always seem REAL. You're legit and not egocentric and that's what mothers need. Mothering is hard and midwifery is too. A good midwife must be able to tell a woman what she might not want to hear. Believing in the strength of women and the normalcy of childbirth is essential to midwifery, but giving false reassurance or failing to react when something isn't normal is betrayal in a way. I would recommend you because I know you're smart and caring, and I also believe you reliably remain in reality. ~L.E.
I respectfully and humbly acknowledge that I live and work on the stolen land of the Bodéwadmiakiwen (Potawatomi), Kiikaapoi (Kickapoo), Menominee, Myaamia, Očhéthi Šakówiŋ, and Peoria peoples. I honor the land itself and the countless generations who have always been stewards of this land.