Meet our birth team

My name is Tara Dettra and I am a licensed midwife living in St. Augustine with my husband Greg and our six amazing kids, all of whom were born at home.

After the home birth of our oldest daughter in 2004, I fell in love with midwifery and wanted to help other women have a similarly empowering experience. I attended the Florida School of Traditional Midwifery in Gainesville, Florida, and apprenticed primarily under Sharon Schmidt at Fruitful Vine over the course of my education.

In 2008 I graduated, and in 2009 I opened my home birth practice here in St. Augustine.

My name is Lizzy Pahs and I am a licensed midwife who grew up “crunchy” and followed that passion and tradition into midwifery. I currently live in Jacksonville, but I like to say I’m not from anywhere—but I am from everywhere, having grown up all over the world as a military kid.

I attended the Florida School of Traditional Midwifery and apprenticed with Tara Dettra here at STA Homebirth, as well as with the midwives at Modern Midwives in Jacksonville Beach. I also have a strong background in healthcare, including experience as a volunteer EMS provider in New York and New Jersey and nearly two years working as an Emergency Department Technician at UF Health Jacksonville, Northeast Florida’s only Level I Trauma Center.

These experiences have given me a unique perspective on both emergency and holistic care. I believe there is tremendous value in understanding both sides of healthcare, and that perspective has shaped the way I approach supporting women and families throughout pregnancy, birth, and the postpartum period.

I am deeply passionate about homebirth and the midwifery model of care, and love helping families welcome little ones in the comfort of their own homes.

Jamie, the oldest of six children, was raised in the small town of Mattawa, Ontario. She first became interested in birth at the age of 15, during her mom’s pregnancy and home birth with sibling number four. After finishing high school, Jamie traveled around the world working on the mission field for several years, where she met her husband Ryan, a St. Augustine native. Soon after the home birth of the first of their two sons, Jamie became a certified birth doula in 2012 and served the Northeast Florida birth community. In 2017, Jamie joined midwife Tara Dettra as her birth assistant. She is passionate about individualized care, informed consent, and encouraging moms during such a special time.

Outside of birth, Jamie homeschools her two boys. She loves to travel and experience new food and different cultures, and can be found with a good book at the beach.