Educational Journey
In 2018, I answered the ancestral call and started midwifery school with National Midwifery Institute.*
As an apprentice in the assist phase, I provide nurturing care at prenatal visits, I assist the midwives and support the birthing person during the labor and birth, and during postpartum visits, I offer lactation and self-care guidance to the new parents. |
Currently I am apprenticing with Certified Professional Midwife, Gingi Allen of The Art of Mothering.
Though they have relocated out of the Bay Area, I am grateful that I had the opportunity to learn with Luz Argueta-Vogel of La Luz Midwifery and Kristen Graser of Fruits of Labor Midwifery for my first three years of midwifery school.
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Why midwifery? The facts about birthing outcomes for Black Birthing People are grim but changeable as more of us take charge of our health. To close racial gaps in health, we need to disrupt racism at multiple levels. Right now, I am choosing to tackle the inequities in health care in regards to pregnancy and infant care. As more people begin to birth out of the hospital or at home with midwives, I believe our outcomes will become progressively better. I have supported numerous families by being with them before, during, and after their births to ensure the greatest health outcomes. I do this work because I believe our communities deserve better, and I am committed to participating in better birthing outcomes and healthier lives overall.
"Checking heart tones with joy!"
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Support my journey and know this: I will help tons of families get the quality care they deserve as they bring new life into the world!
Bring attention to the racial disparities in birth and support a #FutureBlackMidwife by purchasing a Black Birth Matters shirt on Bonfire! Have a shirt already, get a Black Birth Matters tote bag on Bonfire! Deep gratitude to the midwives who are mentoring me and participating in my growth! A special thanks to the many families I had the honor of serving as an apprentice midwife! My journey wouldn’t be complete without you! *NMI is a direct-entry midwifery program, accredited by Midwifery Education Accreditation Council (MEAC). MEAC is a non-profit accrediting body approved by the US Department of Education as a nationally-recognized accrediting agency for direct-entry midwifery education programs. A Direct-Entry Midwife (DEM) is an independent practitioner educated in the discipline of midwifery through apprenticeship, self-study, a midwifery school, or a college/university-based program distinct from the discipline of nursing. A direct-entry midwife provides the Midwives Model of Care to healthy pregnant people, and newborns through the childbearing cycle (primarily in out-of-hospital settings including homes and free-standing birth centers) and may also provide gynecological wellness care. |
In an effort to honor my Ancestors, I have continued the tradition of herbal healing during the pregnancy and postpartum periods. Thanks to the knowledge of Devin Nicholas, Master Herbalist of Divine Birth Wisdom, I have remembered the ways of healing with herbs that the Black Midwives of the South brought with them from West Africa during enslavement.
In 2018, I took her Grandma's Hands Pregnancy and Postpartum Herbs & Nutrition 6 week Online Course focusing on the Herbs and Healing Modalities Historically used by Black Southern Midwives. This course reminded me of my love for herbs and introduced me to medicine making.
In 2019, she came to Oakland and I participated in her Grandma's Hands Pregnancy & Postpartum Herb and Nutrition in the Southern Tradition 1 Day Workshop. It was an 8 hour intensive hands on workshop covering the history of Black Midwifery in the South along with the herbs and healing modalities of the traditional Southern Black community. This workshop deepened my learning and inspired me to expand my herbal offerings for the entire family!
To Find out more about Divine and her services, click the button below.
In 2018, I took her Grandma's Hands Pregnancy and Postpartum Herbs & Nutrition 6 week Online Course focusing on the Herbs and Healing Modalities Historically used by Black Southern Midwives. This course reminded me of my love for herbs and introduced me to medicine making.
In 2019, she came to Oakland and I participated in her Grandma's Hands Pregnancy & Postpartum Herb and Nutrition in the Southern Tradition 1 Day Workshop. It was an 8 hour intensive hands on workshop covering the history of Black Midwifery in the South along with the herbs and healing modalities of the traditional Southern Black community. This workshop deepened my learning and inspired me to expand my herbal offerings for the entire family!
To Find out more about Divine and her services, click the button below.
Divine & Kai during the in person Grandma's Hands Course
Apprentice Midwife
Herbal Alchemist
Reproductive Justice Advocate
LGBTQ2S+ Equity Consultant
Herbal Alchemist
Reproductive Justice Advocate
LGBTQ2S+ Equity Consultant