Midwife on a Mission
As a dedicated Midwife, Lactation Specialist, and Childbirth Educator, I have had the privilege of serving hundreds of families, providing them with compassionate care and guidance throughout their reproductive journeys. I have had the honor of training under the expertise of both Traditional and Nurse Midwives which has equipped me with a unique blend of knowledge and skills, allowing me to offer holistic support to those I serve.
My mission is driven by a deep passion to empower Birthworkers and families across the diaspora with the knowledge and resources necessary to make informed decisions about their reproductive health. I am committed to promoting humane birthing practices and the importance of breastfeeding, recognizing the profound impact these practices can have on the well-being of mothers, babies, and communities. This desire to encourage gentle birth practices and support birth justice is what fuels my mission trips.
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In July 2024 I journeyed to Kenya and Tanzania with the co-founder of the National Black Midwives Alliance, Jamarah Amani, for a diverse cultural exchange. Our mission was to provide training and support to local midwives with a focus on promoting breastfeeding education at FreMo Medical and Birth Centre, Kawangware-Nairobi Kenya and at WAJAMAMA Family & Women's Health,- Zanzibar, Tanzania.
We were welcomed and honored to be guest speakers at FreMo Birth Centre. I shared information with both medical staff and expectant mothers about lactation. We also had the opportunity to visit rural communities, where we conducted home visits and provided postnatal evaluations to early postpartum mothers.
At Wajamama, it was a sweet pleasure to be welcomed in as experts in midwifery and lactation. Jamarah and I led a three-day workshop for newly trained midwives on various topics such as menstrual health, prenatal risk management, postpartum and newborn care, as well as lactation. Despite the language barrier, the ladies were very engaged and eager to learn. I definitely felt Karibu (welcome).
The cultural exchange was life-changing. I am forever grateful for all that I learned from the other midwives (males included) and mothers.
In 2014 I joined a team of midwives and birth professionals on a two week midwifery mission trip to Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic. We worked in shifts at the Hospital Materno-Infantil San Lorenzo de Los Mina. This is a public hospital that sits in the capitol and delivers 80-100 babies daily. In 2013 they delivered over 18,000 babies with an astounding 50% cesarean rate. Coincidentally the c-section rate lowered to only 10% during our work in L&D; many of which were pre-scheduled for c-sections.
This hospital also reported a 100% breastfeeding initiation rate with a dramatic 94% decline within first month, leaving a devastating 6% breastfeeding population.
During our visit we donated much needed medical supplies to aid the labor & delivery staff and wheel chairs. We also compiled several dozen mom & baby gift bags, which included a small bar of soap, a sanitary napkin, a wash cloth, and a blanket and hat for baby. These items were well received as they are not supplied by the hospital.
My mission and passion for missionary midwifery continued in August 2016 with a three week trip to Mbarara, Uganda. We worked in shifts for two of those weeks at the University Hospital. Mbarara Hospital is a public hospital, funded by the Uganda Ministry of Health, and general care in the hospital is free. The birth practices were very closely related to methods and procedures that I witnessed in Santo Domingo. However this hospital reports an estimated 30% cesarean rate and about 60% exclusive breastfeeding at five months postpartum.
Unfortunately, many developing countries have rapidly rising cesarean rates and harsh obstetrical practices. Whereas women are left alone to labor in a crowded laboring room. Similar to the United Staes, the attending staff are generally trained in high-risk management of birth with very little knowledge of natural undisturbed birth which coincidentally results in many unnecessary interventions. We donated much needed medical supplies and wheel chairs to the midwives and obstetricians. We also gave mom & baby gift bags for immediate postpartum as the hospital does not supply them.
During this midwifery mission trip we had the immense pleasure to visit a local school and orphanage called, Guma Na Yesu (Keep with Jesus). At the time, this school was caring for approximately 750 youth. We met with Minister Naboth Tumuhairwe and his lovely wife Alice who humbly provided us with a guided tour of the facility. Here is where we learned of their great challenge to provide daily food and drinking water to their youth. During this time the children sometimes suffer illness from lack of adequate nutrition. There perseverance and dedication inspires me greatly to continue my missionary work and help bring sustainable food resources to areas of need such as this.
YOUR CONTRIBUTION IS GREATLY APPRECIATE!!