Kiwasi Apeh, Madriella Certiifed Birth Doula, & Christina Jemine, LM, CPM

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Kiwasi Apeh, a mother of three and wife, brings 23 years of experience in maternal health, where she excelled as a Birth Doula and Childbirth Educator. Throughout her journey, she also worked extensively in health and human services, providing essential social services support to underserved populations. Though now a retired Birth Doula, Kiwasi continues to apply her expertise in servant leadership and population health.

She is the Founder/CEO of Black Birthworkers Rock, Patern-ology Solutions and her international initiative Ufedo Birthwork and Global Resources. In her current roles as a consultant, public health nurse, advocate, and community organizer, she remains focused on addressing disparities and improving public health outcomes worldwide.

We will also interview Christina Jemine, LM, CPM, Founder and CEO of Black Sisters Birth Academy, Birth Assistant Instructor.

Christina Jemine is a devoted mother, midwife, motivational speaker, teacher, and accomplished children’s book author. Before founding Black Sisters Midwifery Services and becoming a midwife, Christina dedicated over a decade to the field of maternal-child health. This included six years as a Mother-Baby and Pediatric nurse at Kings County Hospital Center in Brooklyn, NY, her hometown. Christina loves teaching others about the beauty of birth and gets great joy from sharing her gift of learning with others. She is a graduate from The Florida School of Traditional Midwifery in Gainesville, Florida; a 3-Year Direct Entry Midwifery Program.

As Founder and CEO of Black Sisters Birth Academy®, Christina trains aspiring Black community midwives and aspiring Black birth assistants through her curriculum-based birth assistant programs that are intentionally designed for them. Her programs equip them to support community midwives with births in out-of-hospital settings as certified birth assistants. The academy’s creation was stemmed from Christina’s own need to find a birth assistant training that was for us and by us to train her own birth assistant and the options were not there. As Christina puts it, “if you don’t see what you want, build it.” And that’s exactly what she did. Black Sisters Birth Academy® has since successfully trained and certified birth assistants across the nation.

She is also the author of “My Mommy Makes Milk” – you don’t want to miss hearing her wise words.

Kiwasi Apeh, Madriella Certiifed Birth Doula, & Christina Jemine, LM, CPMI

 

Jolene Tollett

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Jolene Tollett is a twenty year veteran of Montessori, discovering the educational method right here in Houston. Jolene graduated from Texas Tech University before trying out many places before settling in Houston where she taught in one of HISD’s public Montessori schools. She has a Master’s Degree in Early Childhood Curriculum and Development and is the Director of MOLO Bilingual Montessori School in Westchase. She has presented her own curricula, as well as research within the state and nationwide.

Her daughter who is now 12, started Montessori at three months old and went through 5th grade. She spends her free time driving her child around to various sports practices and managing a household with four dogs. She also makes time to volunteer with the local dog rescue Pup Squad and the Houston Heights Woman’s Club.

Jolene Tollett

 

Carleigh Joseph and Shala McKee, Black Maternal Mental Health

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Black women face unique challenges and risks in the perinatal period. Let’s talk about Black maternal mental health!

Carleigh Joseph and Shala McKee, Black Maternal Mental Health

 

Jihan Huq – HypnoBirthing

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Jihan Huq is a certified HypnoBirthing Educator, doula, and clinical hypnotist in Houston, Texas. She is the founder of Sakinah Birth. Jihan has a strong passion for birth, hypnosis, and advocating for positive cultural change within the Houston birth community. She moved to Houston in 1999 and she has two boys age 11 and 7.

Jihan will tell us about HypnoBirthing, the Mongan Method and some misconceptions about Hypnobirthing plus some information about hypnosis.

Jihan Huq – HypnoBirthing

 

Jackie Griggs, CNM, with Abby Henson and Kristen Shelby

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Jackie Griggs, CNM, is a Certified Nurse Midwife who has been practicing in the Houston/Beaumont area for the past 35 years. She is a mom of 5 grown sons, 3 born at home with the help of midwives. – Two grandchildren and a new grand baby just recently. She has helped mainly with home and birth center births, but has worked in the hospital some as well. She is the owner of a birth center in Beaumont, – Birth Center of Beaumont – and also helps with home births in the Houston area. She has been on the Board of Directors of the American Association of Birth Centers, until just recently, and still is a very big advocate for midwifery care at a birth center or home, for the women of this country. She is also focused on training new midwifery students and helping to increase the number of birth centers in Texas and the United States

Abby Henson is a student midwife studying at the National College of Midwifery. After working for 10 years as a business consultant, Abby’s interest in midwifery began when she had each of her 3 children with midwives. After each delivery, Abby’s interest in birth work and midwifery grew stronger, and in 2022 she decided to leave consulting and become a midwife. She is excited to dedicate her work to empowering parents through the birthing process. Abby is also a Certified Lactation Consultant.

Kristen Shelby, a Mississippi Native and student midwife passionate about centering women’s voices and experiences in birth. currently in the final stretch of her journey to becoming a Certified Nurse Midwife, and has been deeply shaped by the strength, experience’s , and sacredness of labor and postpartum. Excited about connecting not only from learning clinically, but from the heart of someone who believes in restoring dignity and truth to the birth space for what God created it to be.

Jackie Griggs, CNM, with Abby Henson and Kristen Shelby

 

Andie Wyrick, DNM, CNM, and Kristen Bowers, LM

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Andie Wyrick, DNM, CNM, and Kristen Bowers, LM, will tell us about Shire Midwifery Birthing Center and Home Birth Practice, who provide comprehensive midwifery services for families choosing an out-of-hospital birth. They partner from the very first prenatal consultation through labor support and into gentle postpartum care.

Andie Wyrick – A certified nurse midwife and doctor (yes, she’s that fancy), Andie has been a beloved part of the Houston birth community for over twenty years. Her journey has taken her through elementary school nursing, hospital L&D, birth center, and home birth. She has an unshakable belief in a woman’s ability to grow and birth her baby and sees midwifery as a true partnership, empowering families through trust, knowledge, and a good dose of laughter. Andie’s approach is tender, funny, lighthearted, and refreshingly hands-off—offering evidence-based care with a side of snark and sass when needed. She’s been joyfully dating her hottie husband of 24 years (since junior high, no less) and is the proud mother of six incredible humans.

Kristen Bowers – A licensed midwife—with a degree in forensic chemistry—Kristen has been walking alongside families on their birth journeys since 2015, after she first discovered the world of out-of-hospital birth during her own pregnancy. Much like an unexpected adventure, she was drawn in, finding beauty, wisdom, and a calling she couldn’t ignore. Kristen believes birth is both sacred and joyful—an experience meant to be embraced with knowledge, laughter, and a deep sense of peace. She encourages parents to step into this journey with confidence, knowing they are not alone but surrounded by love, wisdom, and the kind of support that turns even the hardest roads into something beautiful. She has three kiddos and has been married 15 years.

Andie Wyrick, DNM, CNM, and Kristen Bowers, LM

 

Jen Kamel, CEO and Founder of VBAC Facts

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Jen Kamel is the CEO and Founder of VBAC Facts®. Since 2007, her focus has been to provide objective, accurate information about the data available on vaginal birth after cesarean (VBAC) and repeat cesarean to parents, professionals, policymakers, and the court so all decisions can be informed, ethical, and just.

As an internationally recognized maternal health advocate, she speaks at conferences across the world, presents Grand Rounds at hospitals, advises on midwifery laws and rules that limit VBAC access, educates legislators and policymakers, and serves as an expert witness and consultant 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.

Her next training will be for a program within the Los Angeles County Department of Public Health June 16 – 17, 2025. Go to vbacfacts.com/speaking to schedule a training for your program, unit, or community.

Jen Kamel, CEO and Founder of VBAC Facts

 

Suzanne Arms

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Suzanne Arms is an author of seven books on childbirth and child care. It is such an honor to interview this practical visionary for transformation. Her second book “Immaculate Deception: A New Look at Women and childbirth in America”, which came out in 1975 and was the New York Times Best Book of the Year by 1979, was an inspiration to me in my work.

Suzanne inspires practitioners toward holistic care and empowers parents to chose their birth place. Suzanne is “grandmother” of the US birthing movement. She runs Birthing the Future and is working on “Being Born” TV series. She blends ancient feminine wisdom, traditional practices, biological evidence and leading-edge science. She lives in Colorado, USA.

www.birthingthefuture.org

Suzanne Arms

Spanish Transcript:

Pat, bienvenido a toda la madre. Sra. KPFT, Houston, 90,1 Galveston, 89,5

y Huntsville, 91,9

Soy tu anfitrión. Pat Jones, madre entera, es una voz en nuestra comunidad que nos educa e informa. Hay muchas decisiones que tomar como madre, padre, abuelo, tía, tío, vecino, parto, persona, amigo. Oh, la madre cree que siempre debemos tomar nuestras decisiones a partir del pensamiento racional, decisiones que se toman a través de la educación y la investigación, no por miedo, especialmente el miedo que imponen quienes se benefician de nuestras decisiones.

Se espera que la educación que recibas en este programa contribuya a cambiar la forma en que nacemos y la forma en que criamos a nuestros hijos.

Todos los humanos nacen buenos. He visto venir al mundo más de 3000 bebés y puedo decirles que no hay bebés malos. No hay humanos malos.

Todos los bebés nacen exactamente iguales en su bondad, su inocencia, su curiosidad, su brillantez, su capacidad de amar y de confiar. Todos nacen iguales y su deleite en el mundo, su felicidad no importa el color de piel que tengan, en qué país nazcan, qué idioma estén aprendiendo a hablar o cuánto dinero haya en su familia. Todos nacemos con la misma bondad. Todos venimos al mundo con el mismo potencial.

Si es cierto que todos los bebés nacen sin odio, juicio, vergüenza, celos, entonces ¿dónde aprendemos esas cualidades si no nacemos con ellas?

Toda la madre está aquí para ver nuestra crianza, que comienza en el primer momento del nacimiento y antes en el útero

El apego y la conexión con otro ser humano, particularmente con alguien a quien amas, es la esencia de nuestro propósito de vida como seres espirituales. Creo que aprendemos sobre la vida y tomamos decisiones sobre la vida desde el primer momento en que aparecemos o nacemos. Entonces, si eso es cierto, entonces las primeras horas, los primeros días, las primeras semanas, los primeros años, son importantes para decirles a nuestros hijos que sus necesidades serán satisfechas, que están cuidados y que son buenos.

Recuerde que KPFT está patrocinado por los oyentes y usted es los oyentes. Eso significa que le brindamos educación informativa que no está financiada ni patrocinada por nadie más que usted, y necesitamos su ayuda para permanecer en el aire. Así que por favor vaya a kpft.org

o llame al 713-526-5738,

Quiero agradecer a algunos de nuestros donantes, Tom Tompkins, Kim Wallace, Jackie Griggs, Carrie pastrano, muchas gracias por todo lo que han hecho para ayudar a mantener el programa al aire.

Me siento muy honrado

y emocionado por mi invitado de hoy. La conozco desde hace mucho tiempo. Ella ha sido una gran parte de mi proceso de convertirme en quien me convertí y en lo que aporté. Es un honor para mí presentarles a Suzanne Arms. Ella es una visionaria práctica para la transformación

a través de siete libros innovadores, incluido Inmaculate Deception, una nueva mirada a las mujeres en el parto y el próximo Inmaculate Deception en Myth, Magic and Birth, y su video de gran alcance, Dando a luz desafíos y opciones. Ella inspira a los profesionales hacia la holística

 

Patty Wipfler of Hand in Hand Parenting

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Patty Wipfler was born, raised and educated in California, and is the mother of two sons. The focus of her work since 1974 has been teaching basic listening and parenting skills to parents and early childhood educators, and supporting parents’ leadership in their families and communities.

In 1989, she founded the non-profit parent-led organization that has evolved into Hand in Hand Parenting. She has written booklets, produced videotapes and audiotapes, and has written over 100 articles on the principles and benefits of listening parent-to-parent and parent-to-child. Her book and booklets. Her booklets have been translated into 11 languages, and her book: Listen: Five Simple Tools to Meet Your Everyday Parenting Challenges, written with Tosha Schore, is in print in six languages, Hand in Hand Parenting is currently taught by about 90 active Instructors on six continents, and online for parents from anywhere in the world.

Patty lives in Palo Alto, California. More information about her and the Hand in Hand Parenting approach can be found online at HandinHandParenting.org.

Patty Wipfler of Hand in Hand Parenting