Biography

Illysa Foster is a holistic midwife practicing in central Texas. Her rich educational background and diverse training experiences inform her unique approach to care of women, newborns and their families.

A native Texan, Illysa grew up moving around the state with her family. She became interested in working with people from an early age, and began teaching children at age sixteen. She pursued studies in psychology and earned an Associates degree in 1990 from Del Mar College in Corpus Christi. She completed her undergraduate education at Texas A&M Corpus Christi with a BA with highest honors in 1992, after the blessed birth of her first daughter. Further pursuit of her education took her to the University of Texas in Austin where she pursued graduate work in Human Development and Education. In 1997, after the amazing birth of her second daughter at home, she earned her Masters degree. She continued to teach both children and adults, working as an adjunct professor of psychology and human development for ten years and also operated an early childhood program for two years. This solid foundation in human development, parenting, education, and individual psychology informs her understanding of her clients, their lives, families and adaptations to parenting.

In 2005, Illysa received the calling to become a midwife, and by grace and the love from her family and mentors, she was able to retire from teaching to pursue midwifery training and education full time. Her training began with an apprenticeship with a seasoned Austin homebirth midwife, and then took her to birth centers in Killeen and the Texas-Mexico border, then back to Austin to complete her training with a holistic homebirth midwife. Her varied experiences influence her philosophy of practice. She pursued formal education in midwifery with the Association of Texas Midwives (ATM). This academic program enriched her understanding of her clinical training and provided opportunities to learn from numerous experienced midwives. She completed her clinical training in December of 2006 and graduated from the ATM program in May of 2007. She has been hired as an educational consultant for ATM and is currently adapting the midwifery course.

Illysa lives with her loving family and pets in central Austin, serving women and their families throughout the central Texas area. She enjoys gardening, beekeeping, swimming, and attending live music performance and theater with her husband, children and puppy. She also enjoys crafts. Cooking healthy vegetarian cuisine and ethnic foods is another passion, although her kids prefer baking cookies. She practices yoga and dance.

Illysa is an active member in the midwifery community. She is a current member of the Midwives Alliance of North America, Central Texas Birth Network, the National Association of Certified Professional Midwives, and the Association of Texas Midwives. She is rewriting the midwifery training course for ATM. She attends and assists in the organization of local, state, and national professional meetings, trainings, and peer reviews.

Illysa is co-authoring a book on ethics for midwifery to be published by Jones and Bartlett in November of 2009. This book deals with applied ethics in the field of midwifery, and is intended for use by both students and practicing midwives. Through her work in this area, Illysa hopes to assist midwives in devoping strong ethical guidelines and training programs to improve maternity care for women and their families and support midwifery as an independent health profession.