Marya Axner, Parenting

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Marya Axner, Parenting

Marya Axner has spent the past 30 years as an activist working against oppression of all kinds. Recently she has been working to address the climate emergency and ending societal divisions that hamper solving this challenge. She also works as a parent educator. She speaks and leads workshops on the topic of anti-Semitism and racism on college campuses, at social justices organizations, and at worker organizations. Fifteen years ago she was the director of a parents program in the Somerville Public Schools, supporting parents to be involved in their children’s education. She has worked as a multicultural consultant for a collaborative of schools near Boston. Marya worked in the education department of the Jewish Women’s Archive where she wrote curricula about Jewish women’s history. She has also worked for the nonprofit Everyday Democracy, which encourages people to have small group discussions that lead to lasting change. More recently, she was the director of the New England Jewish Labor Committee, where she organized the Jewish Community to stand up with workers for their rights.

Marya Axner has taught listening skills through the Sustaining All Life/United to End Racism projects, of Re-Evaluation Counseling. Sustaining all Life is an international grassroots organization working to end the climate emergency within the context of ending all divisions among people. United to End Racism is group of people of all backgrounds in many countries who are dedicated to eliminating racism in the world.

Meg Duggan

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Meg Duggan

Meg Duggan is 33 years old and gave birth to her first child named Madeline at home, right in the middle of the pandemic, in May of 2020. Meg is an Advanced Practice Registered Nurse, and works as a Certified Registered Nurse Anesthetist (CRNA). She was born and raised in Atlanta, Georgia, but moved to Houston with her husband Matthew in 2016. Her biggest passion is helping other people. She enjoys cooking, running, and listening to podcasts but her newest favorite hobby is dressing her daughter up in really cute outfits and posting them on social media.

Holly Milkowski, Circumcision

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Holly Milkowski, Circumcision

Holly Milkowski has volunteered as Director of Intact Houston since 2014, sharing research-based education and resources with expecting families and individuals affected by circumcision. She is a local birth worker, and owner of Your Labor Neighbor – through which she offers doula support, Birth Boot Camp classes, and placenta preparations. She authored a breastfeeding blog called Mama’s Milk, No Chaser for over six years and is working to complete an upcoming book about full-term breastfeeding. Holly is a proud mother of two unschooled boys ages 4 and 8, caretaker of four big dogs, and vegan for the past seven years. When she has spare time and energy, she enjoys writing, art, fitness, and exploring new things. You can find Holly in several places on Facebook at Intact Houston, Your Labor Neighbor, and Mama’s Milk, No Chaser. YourLaborNeighbor.com lists her birth services and contact information.

Blythe TwoSisters, PsyD

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Blythe TwoSisters, PsyD

Dr. Blythe TwoSisters completed her doctorate in clinical psychology in 2012. She is a trained Perinatal Mood and Anxiety Disorder Specialist. She attended a specialized training in order to help pregnant people understand and manage emotional concerns while pregnant, after pregnancy, and while trying to get pregnant. She helps to process loss and infertility. Now she is also studying menopause and how that hormonal process can be involved in emotional changes and feel similar to trauma.

She has completed phase 1 and phase 3 trainings for Brainspotting. She is currently in the process of completing her certification. She has completed training in transgender/queer/non-binary identities which has helped her support families of transitioning individuals and create open communication with an increased understanding of the process. She is fairly fluent in poly lifestyles and understands this could be part of your family.

She wrote her dissertation on alternative therapies for anxiety and have helped many better understand their psychological challenges using alternative or complementary modalities. She is an advocate for Mental Health At Every Size (MHAES) aligning with the Health at Every Size movement. She is passionate about providing therapy access for Every Body. She supports virtual therapy as she feels strong about bringing therapy to those in need. In her opinion, it is not okay to deny therapy because you live remotely, can’t find childcare, can’t leave the house, fear a stigma/label, or are just too busy to get away for a few hours. She is your house call therapist.

Linda Janet Holmes, Black Midwifery History

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Linda Janet Holmes, Black Midwifery History

Linda Janet Holmes is a writer, independent scholar, curator, and long-time women’s health activist. Her writing, including articles in medical journals and essays in feminist journals, has been pivotal in contributing to a resurgence of international recognition of the significance of African American midwifery practices. Her book, Listen To Me Good: The Life Story of an Alabama Midwife, was co-authored with Margaret Charles Smith, a traditional African American midwife.

Her recently completed book is titled A Joyous Revolt: Toni Cade Bambara, Writer and Activist. This first biography on a transformative black fiction writer, activist, filmmaker, and cultural worker includes previously unpublished letters, journal notes, and extensive interviews with Bambara’s family members and friends. Holmes is also co-editor (with Cheryl Wall) of the anthology Savoring the Salt: The Legacy of Toni Cade Bambara.

Holmes, former director of New Jersey’s Office of Minority and Multicultural Health, now lives in Hampton, Virginia. Her most recent work focused on collecting oral histories from Hampton Institute Civil Rights Veterans who were in the forefront of the 1960s movement to desegregate public spaces in Virginia. The oral history interviews are posted on the Hampton History Museum website.

Holmes is currently working on her second book on midwives. This book will include the voices of traditional midwives of African descent across the diaspora, past and present.

Rachel Moore, Physical Therapy

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Rachel Moore, Physical Therapy

Dr. Rachel Moore is a physical therapist who specializes in pregnancy care, postpartum recovery, and pelvic health. Dr. Moore owns Disrupt Physiotherapy, a physical therapy and wellness practice located in Spring, Texas, where she offers services ranging from rehab of injuries and pelvic floor dysfunction to labor prep. She is a Houston area native, and returned back to the Houston area after a brief stint in DFW in 2014. She currently lives in Spring with her husband, two huskies, and her 9-month-old daughter, Olivia.

Rowan Two Sisters

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Rowan Two Sisters

Rowan Two Sisters and her services as a Urban Curandera, Midwife, BodyWorker, Cofounder of Preggers CAN Be Choosers and Hottie Hooper Healer.

Rowan will tell us about CommonSense Childbirth preceptor program which she is applying to and the JJ Way led by Jennie Joseph.

Evaluations and studies have shown statistical significance for greater gestational age and birth weight of JJ Way® patients when compared to comparably matched women from the same demographic and zip codes.

Rowan will also tell us about her experience with STREAM (Scar Tissue Remediation, Education, and Management).

Lyndsey Hookway, Sleep

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Lyndsey Hookway is a pediatric nurse, children’s public health nurse, International Board Certified Lactation Consultant, Holistic Sleep Coach, and birth trauma recovery practitioner. She has worked in hospitals, clinics, the community, and within clients’ homes for 20 years, serving within the UK NHS, in private practice, and voluntarily. Lyndsey’s new book, Let’s Talk About Your New Family’s Sleep, takes a fresh approach to helping families with a newborn with common challenges about sleep.

Jen Kamel, VBAC

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Jen Kamel, VBAC

Jen Kamel helps perinatal professionals and cesarean parents achieve clarity on vaginal birth after cesarean (VBAC) through her online and in-person educational courses, training programs, and consulting services. As the founder of VBAC Facts® and a nationally recognized consumer advocate, her mission is to increase VBAC access through education, legislation, and amplifying the consumer voice. She speaks at conferences across the country, presents Grand Rounds at hospitals, advises advocates seeking legislative change in their state, and serves as a expert witness in legal proceedings. She envisions a time when every pregnant person seeking VBAC has access to unbiased information, respectful providers, and community support so they can plan the birth of their choosing in the setting they desire.