Our Team

I believe that the good Lord has every detail, even every little thing we have yet to think of, carefully designed and planned out. I continue to be amazed by every birth, mother and by every baby. A woman’s body is an incredible and powerful machine that inherently knows how to birth a baby if allowed to do so. While an out of hospital birth is not for every pregnancy, a healthy low-risk woman can have a wonderful, fulfilling and spiritually enlightening experience. I am honored to be present at every birth and will provide and utilize the knowledge and skills I have acquired.

I am certified by the North American Registry of Midwives and by the state of Texas. Upon discovering that midwifery care existed, I researched and read everything I could get my hands on related to natural birth. I KNEW I was going to have my babies naturally one day. It was several years later before I finally heard the Lord speaking to me, telling me I was to become a midwife. I was clueless about where to begin and sought out the only source I knew of; Ann Crowell. After spending a day shadowing appointments and feeling bellies I knew where the Lord was calling me. I jumped at an opportunity to work the front desk at GBBC and it was only a few months later that I finally witnessed my first birth.

I began apprenticing with Ann in September 2010 after working as receptionist at Gentle Beginnings. I have since been to over 700 births, often assisting other midwives at Gentle Beginnings, over 425 of which I have been the primary care provider. I have the support and availability of each midwife as needed and can always refer to them for consult. I am quite blessed to have trained with Ann and the midwives at GBBC. 

More personally, I have been married for 16 years and have 1 fur-babies. I gave birth to our first born at home in April of 2013, a beautiful daughter we named Harper and then I gave birth to our second daughter Violet, also in our home in January 2015. It was incredible to finally experience everything I had witnessed and observed over the last few years.

I grew up with two younger brothers whom I am still very close to. Surprisingly when I began my midwifery training my grandfather learned that his mother (my great grandmother) had assisted birthing women when he was a child. His sister said “don’t you remember waking up to dad trying to prepare breakfast and get us kids out the door? Mom was at a birth those times.”

I am honored to be following in her footsteps.

“You are braver than you believe, stronger than you seem, and smarter than you think.”

—Christopher Robin (A.A. Milne)

Bringing a baby into this world is both precious and powerful.  A midwife enters a woman’s life when she is undeniably vulnerable and, simultaneously, incredibly strong.  I love serving women in that time.  The joy and sense of wonder as a family welcomes their baby into the world is miraculous!

The Lord has given me 4 beautiful children, all born at home with midwives.  With my own pregnancies and births, I learned the value of excellent midwifery care and strive to provide that level of care to my clients.  I feel incredibly privileged to be allowed to watch over such a sacred moment.

It is my role to monitor the progress and health of your pregnancy and birth as well as support, counsel, educate, and partner with you as you care for yourself and baby.  My focus will be on prevention rather than intervention.  It is also of utmost importance for you and your family to take responsibility for your health as well as your baby’s.

In 2007, I attended my first birth as a Midwifery Apprentice. In 2011, I became a Certified Professional Midwife (CPM) through the North American Registry of Midwives (NARM) and a Licensed Midwife (LM) with the State of Texas. Prior to realizing my calling to midwifery, I obtained a Bachelor of Arts degree in Political Science from the University of North Texas and spent 5 joyful years teaching Junior High students with learning differences.

I would consider it a blessing to participate in your journey to the birth of your baby!

Jennifer Mozeke, better known as Mozeke, is a native of Dallas but grew up in Louisiana. She is a Certified Professional Midwife through the North American Registry of Midwives (NARM), a Licensed Midwife in Texas and has attended over 100 births. She is also in her final year of studies at Mercy In Action College of Midwifery where she is obtaining a Bachelors of Science in Midwifery degree. In addition to her current collegiate pursuit, she also has a Bachelors of Arts from the University of Louisiana at Monroe and a Masters of Arts in Arts, Entertainment and Media Management from Columbia College Chicago.

Her journey to midwifery began years ago after the birth of her first child. The experience left her with a intense passion for reproductive justice, birth equity and postpartum wellness. The calling was undeniable and soon after the birth of her second child in 2017, she was able to answer that call. Mozeke believes that midwifery care should be an affordable and easily accessible option for any pregnant person who desires holistic, evidence-based, family centered care where pregnancy is not viewed as an illness but rather a unique and normal process of life. She is dedicated to serving families in the Dallas-Fort Worth area through education, nutritional counseling, advocacy, prenatal, labor, birth and postpartum care.

I began birth work in 2015 as a doula. After working with high school students for 5 years with YoungLife, I moved to Texas from Louisiana to marry my husband. It was then that I began working as a doula here in DFW where most of my clients gave birth in the hospital.  However, a few clients used midwives at home or at free standing  birth centers and I began to witness a whole new world. I loved it!

One fateful night, I was a doula for a birth at Gentle Beginnings and the rest is history. After that birth I left and began entertaining the thought of becoming a midwife. With the encouragement and support of my family and friends, I began my apprenticeship under Michele Massey CPM, LM in January 2016. 

I have given birth to two amazing children at home, and those experiences have been the most empowering and wildest rides of my life. Being their mother is my greatest joy and birthing them has changed me forever. Birth is an absolute miracle. Every. Single. Time. 

The midwifery care I provide is holistic. I look at the whole person, recognizing that the mind, body, and spirit are connected. I acknowledge that the mother and baby are a unit. The health and well being of one directly affects the other and I treat them as such from our first to our last appointment. I take pride in providing highly personalized care, and taking the time to get to know each of my clients. Being a mom of small children, I take a light load of about one client due a month. I sometimes have my children with me for appointments and encourage you to bring older children along if you have them. They are welcome to participate in the appointment by asking questions and helping to check on their little sibling. This is, afterall, about growing a family! 

The childbearing year is an incredible time for families and it would be my honor to journey along with you. I would love the opportunity to meet you face to face, answer your questions, and see if we are a good fit for one another.

My husband, John, and I have 3 beautiful children, Addison (9), Myles (6), and Esme (5), which were all born at home.

My birth experience has allowed me to relate with other women and understand pregnancy and birth on a more personal level. In 2013 I witnessed my oldest niece being born at home and I immediately knew midwifery was a passion and dream that I wanted to pursue. There are times when God puts things in our hearts (dreams, aspirations, goals) and He gives them to us right away. There are other times, and this seems to be the majority, when God puts things in our hearts and then makes us wait. I knew what I was passionate about but didn’t know if following my passion aligned with God’s purpose for my life. I have found that during those times of waiting, God prepares us for His promise. During our waiting, He teaches us things. He grows our character, our faith, and our ability to do what we feel called to do. God takes us through a process, we just have to trust Him. What I couldn't see early on is that God was preparing me for the opportunity.

In 2017 I began working in the office at Gentle Beginnings, and in 2019 I started my apprenticeship under my sister-in-law, Michele Massey LM, CPM, as well as attended births with other midwives in the community.

I believe in the human body and the power of informed choice. I would love to get to know you and look forward to serving you and your family.

I have had the privilege of being with families as they birth their babies for the past 43 years, attending approximately 3000 births.  I am a staff midwife at Gentle Beginnings Birth Center, doing both birth center and home births.   I have met many wonderful families and have seen women find their strength in giving birth completely naturally. What a joy it is to be involved with women as they labor, knowing that out of their hard work will come such satisfaction!

I first became interested in Midwifery while working as a Labor and Delivery nurse in a hospital in Irving. I loved my job but became convinced that things should and could be done differently to make birth a more positive experience for families. I felt strongly that laboring women should be treated with more respect and kindness as they worked to give birth, and that mothers should be allowed – even encouraged to bond with their babies in those wonderful first moments after birth. The Lord provided a good training ground for me in those years – both in what to do and what not to do! 

When I left the hospital setting to begin this journey, a whole new world of alternative methods unfolded before me - herbs, chiropractic care, homeopathy, and massage to name a few. Even something as basic as nutrition was new to me, and this became the foundation in my practice for healthy mothers and babies.

After working out of my home office for many years, I began working at Gentle Beginnings Birth Center. I enjoy having the companionship of the other Midwives, some of whom I have helped educate as they apprenticed with me.

 I have never doubted that Midwifery is the call of God on my life. I became a believer in Jesus Christ as my Savior in 1980 and have seen Him work miracles in the birthing process. He has changed my life and become my provider, protector, my source of joy and of hope. I cannot imagine life without Him.

Even though each birth is wonderful, the five that stand out the most are the births of my five grandchildren. To know that my daughters trusted their bodies and me was such an awesome experience for me! I will be forever grateful for the opportunity to be the first one to touch each of these beautiful children!

Donna's Cell: 817-480-9797

My name is Kennasha Jones, and I am a licensed midwife in the State of Texas, USA.  While midwifery is my career, more than that, I consider it a ministry.  I feel there is an unmatched beauty in midwifery, with distinct qualities that belong to “the midwife” that include compassion, empathy, tenderness, patience and unconditional love. Midwifery provides me the opportunity to serve women and their families during what is one of the most intimate and life-changing events in our lives.  I believe the monumental miracle of a new birth can set the groundwork for lasting connections for the entire family, which is supported and encouraged when a midwife is welcomed into the birth place.

I recognize that during pregnancy a mother imparts her thoughts, feelings and love to the baby growing in her womb.  She is the first to feel her child’s movements, thus creating a rhythmic connection for both the woman and the growing child. I consider pregnancy and birth to be one of the most important and influential times in a woman’s life. This period encompasses a time of self-discovery, enlightenment, and an opportunity to become more empowered as a woman, as a mother, and as a human being.

That being said, it is during this time that one may feel most vulnerable. I encourage women to seek out understanding and support during this life-changing event.  As a midwife, I make it a priority to listen, acknowledge and nurture the feelings of our clients.  I believe that if empowerment is encouraged during the birth, as well as adequate support and education provided during the pregnancy, we can inspire and assist in a healthy, satisfying birth experience.

On a personal note, I was born and raised in Portland, Oregon and graduated from the University of Oregon in 2006 with a Bachelor of Arts degree.  In 2008, I began studying midwifery at Matenidad La Luz (The Birth Place), which is a Midwifery Education and Accreditation (MEAC) accredited and noteworthy birthing center located in the heart of El Paso, Texas.  This is a high volume birth center that experiences two or three births daily.  While there, a majority of my clients were of the Latina/Hispanic race and primarily spoke Spanish.  I am bilingual with a degree in Spanish, and I welcome Spanish-speaking clients.  I graduated from the program in 2009 after satisfying all requirements set forth by the North American Registry of Midwives (NARM), and I am a Certified Professional Midwife (CPM) licensed in the State of Texas. During my career, I have attended many births, and consider each birth to be a unique and individual process. 

I am married to a person I consider the world’s most magnificent man, God’s perfect gift created just for me.  Together we have two beautiful daughters–one of whom was birthed at home. I was also blessed to midwife my grandson into the world a few years ago. We are strong and devoted members of our congregation, and worship God each and every day.  In addition to the joys of my family and midwifery, I also love to travel, read, explore culinary options, go bicycling and take nature walks in my spare time!

Hey!! It's Asia. Born, raised, and a current resident of Fort Worth, Texas. I'm a wife to a hard working, God fearing husband and a mom of 5 whole humans- 4 boys and one princess. My oldest bonus son was born via emergency cesarean, my biological 4 were all born at home. We also have two dogs.

I graduated from Dunbar High School in 2011 and attended the University of Texas at Austin from 2011 - 2013 as a pre-med student. As a member of Kappa Rho pre-medical honor society, I experienced the hospital setting in a lot of different ways by shadowing doctors. Lots of people that needed to be healed. Life happened, I left UT and returned to Fort Worth. I thank God for life's experiences; I landed where I should be and not in someones medical school. 

My journey to birth work began three years later with the pregnancy of my daughter. I certainly considered the hospital setting as a mom on Medicaid but I didn't think i needed to be healed... so why go there? Learning that Black women in the U.S. are three to four times more likely to die from child birth than white women pushed me even further towards midwifery care where the statistics are better. I started researching Midwifery care in my area and landed at Gentle Beginnings Birth Center. 

*Que my family spiraling out of control. I was being way too "crunchy" for them and I'm not even that crunchy. More like a Cheeto Puff. I became the first person in my family since my maternal great-grandmother to deliver out of hospital, to breastfeed, baby led wean, cloth diaper...y'all see where I'm going. Imagine the ride (laugh out loud). Grateful for a supportive husband on that journey, my mom came around eventually. 

Immediately after my daughter's delivery I became a doula under DONA International. I attended lots of births both in and out of hospital.

In 2020 during the height of the COVID pandemic, my first midwife became my preceptor and I started my apprenticeship at Gentle Beginnings. With midwifery, I found my passion. Caring for families and being "with women" during one of the most intimate experiences of their lives makes me happy. There's something special about watching people become parents, witnessing the strength of the woman, and welcoming new life.

When I'm not helping people have babies I enjoy reading (HUGE Harry Potter fan), dancing, listening to music, binge watching the good shows, outdoor activities with my family, and traveling. 

I am a member of the North Texas Midwives Association and The National Black Midwives Alliance. I am the Maternal prenatal and postpartum Committee Chair for Providence Maternity Home. I am a Certified Professional Midwife and I am ready to serve your family! #GetYouAnAsia

My love for all things pregnancy and birth started very young. Growing up, I envied my mom for being able to be present for the births of my younger cousins. Then as I got older, I was the “weirdo” who LOVED passing time by watching birth videos on YouTube. This so-called hobby of mine opened a world of wonder in my mind. I didn’t know of anyone that had given birth in any setting other than the hospital with anyone other than an OBGYN, so I had no real idea of what other options there were. All I knew is what I saw was absolutely marvelous and in my wildest dreams, it’s what I wanted for myself; as the person laboring and/or someone on their team. The calling I continued to feel only got stronger and in 2018, I decided to meet with a midwife to get more information and figure out where I might fit in the birth world. God was leading me, and I knew I needed to know more because I was ready to follow, and I wanted to do it right. However, after our meeting, I felt like maybe those dreams were much too wild and too lofty an achievement for me, so my pursuit (temporarily) stopped there.

Fast forward to August of 2019 when I had my baby boy, Jaxson, my experience far from matched my heart for varying reasons and I felt discouraged that birth for me would ever come close to the safe, surrounded by support, joy-filled, body-trusting, beauty of birth I’d come to love. Instead, I felt really alone and was left struggling with a pretty severe case of Postpartum Mood Disorders that hindered me from returning to life, work, and the woman I once was. Eventually, I began to allow the Lord to pick me back up and put me back together. And in June of 2021, the day after my baptism, I met with Midwife Kennasha for a consultation. I shared with her my birth experience as well as the trauma and discouragement I was carrying to find out if birth, the way my heart longs for it, is attainable for me. Though I was a crying, blubbering mess, she made me feel safe and heard. She talked me through all of my fears, reignited my love for birth, and made me start to rethink the lack of trust I had in my capabilities. A few months later I learned that GBBC was looking for someone to fill the position of Client Services Representative and I have been immensely blessed to be able to fulfill that role before stepping out on faith and answering “the call” by becoming Midwife Cheryl’s student in January of 2023. It is such an honor to be a part of this amazing team and I am beyond grateful for the knowledge and love each of these women, especially Midwife Cheryl, have poured into me along this journey.

I am now nearing the end of my apprenticeship and am at the point in my training where I am caring for families as Primary Under Supervision. Midwife Cheryl loves to say that this phase of my apprenticeship is the time where she takes a step back and allows me to show off my skills. I love how confident she is in the midwife she’s helping build me up to be! Midwife Cheryl and the other GBBC midwives have instilled so many wonderful qualities and skills in me and have shown me what physiological birth, true client-led collaborative care, consent, and informed choice look like as well as the outcomes that level of care brings.

This work truly is my way of servanthood, and in some ways, I’ve seen it be a way of ministry/being ministered to as well. It fills my cup to walk with and serve families (from all walks of life) through such a transitional time as they bring new life into the world. Something else I really love about midwifery is that care is tailored for everyone individually. I get to be there for you in whatever capacity you need prenatally, in labor, and in the postpartum period. I also get to rejoice with you and hype you up through the highest of highs, and cry with you through the lowest of lows; where we are led, we follow together. I thank you for taking the time to get to know a bit about me and look forward to talking with you about how best I can be of service to your growing family.