Board of Directors, 2012-2013
Bianca Wooden, President
email: [email protected]
phone:(228) 233-7777
Bianca Wooden is a co-founder of MS Friends of Midwives and served as both Treasurer and President. Bianca's first birth was attended by a CNM in Atlanta with no complications or interventions. When she got pregnant 5 years later in south Mississippi, she sought out a provider and hospital that was familiar and comfortable with natural birth. After much research and education, she decided on a home birth with a CPM as her caregiver. Bianca is an advocate for improving birth outcomes and better supporting mothers during the childbirth year. She is dedicated to working with MS Friends of Midwives because she believes her work will create a brighter future for Mississippi families: one where midwives are available across the state, working in homes and birth centers in collaboration with local OBs and hospitals - to provide the very best care. Bianca's lives with her 2 daughters and husband in Ocean Springs. She serves women as a childbirth educator, doula and La Leche League Leader.
phone:(228) 233-7777
Bianca Wooden is a co-founder of MS Friends of Midwives and served as both Treasurer and President. Bianca's first birth was attended by a CNM in Atlanta with no complications or interventions. When she got pregnant 5 years later in south Mississippi, she sought out a provider and hospital that was familiar and comfortable with natural birth. After much research and education, she decided on a home birth with a CPM as her caregiver. Bianca is an advocate for improving birth outcomes and better supporting mothers during the childbirth year. She is dedicated to working with MS Friends of Midwives because she believes her work will create a brighter future for Mississippi families: one where midwives are available across the state, working in homes and birth centers in collaboration with local OBs and hospitals - to provide the very best care. Bianca's lives with her 2 daughters and husband in Ocean Springs. She serves women as a childbirth educator, doula and La Leche League Leader.
Laura Dearman, Vice-President
email: lmd328@@gmail.com
phone: (601) 214-3144
Laura Dearman is a Mississippi native, currently living in Starkville. She is a birth doula and owner of Southern Nurture Birth Services. Natural childbirth became an integral aspect of Laura’s life when she chose to have a midwife attended homebirth for her daughter’s birth in 2010. She strongly believes in Mississippi Friends of Midwives’ mission of legislatively regulating midwifery so our state can be a place where midwives want to live and practice giving all Mississippi families the option for safe and accessible midwifery care. Laura has two small children and spends her days reading endless books and baking cookies while her nights are spent doing yoga and reading about birth.
phone: (601) 214-3144
Laura Dearman is a Mississippi native, currently living in Starkville. She is a birth doula and owner of Southern Nurture Birth Services. Natural childbirth became an integral aspect of Laura’s life when she chose to have a midwife attended homebirth for her daughter’s birth in 2010. She strongly believes in Mississippi Friends of Midwives’ mission of legislatively regulating midwifery so our state can be a place where midwives want to live and practice giving all Mississippi families the option for safe and accessible midwifery care. Laura has two small children and spends her days reading endless books and baking cookies while her nights are spent doing yoga and reading about birth.
Vanessa Dudley, Secretary
email: [email protected]
phone: (228) 282-3346
Vanessa Dudley is a founding board member and past president of Mississippi Friends of Midwives. She is blessed with four children and a husband of 16 years. She home educates her children who range in age from 1 year to high school. Vanessa had her first two children with an Ob-Gyn in Biloxi and her two youngest children with a certified professional midwife at her home in Ocean Springs. She is passionate about helping parents make informed choices for their families. Vanessa is a member of First Baptist Church Ocean Springs and serves on the board of Jackson County Christian Home Educators. She also serves on the Executive Committee of the Jackson County Republican Party. She enjoys practicing yoga, vegetable gardening and enjoying the beautiful Gulf of Mexico with her family.
phone: (228) 282-3346
Vanessa Dudley is a founding board member and past president of Mississippi Friends of Midwives. She is blessed with four children and a husband of 16 years. She home educates her children who range in age from 1 year to high school. Vanessa had her first two children with an Ob-Gyn in Biloxi and her two youngest children with a certified professional midwife at her home in Ocean Springs. She is passionate about helping parents make informed choices for their families. Vanessa is a member of First Baptist Church Ocean Springs and serves on the board of Jackson County Christian Home Educators. She also serves on the Executive Committee of the Jackson County Republican Party. She enjoys practicing yoga, vegetable gardening and enjoying the beautiful Gulf of Mexico with her family.
Toni Hill, Board Member
email: [email protected]
phone: (662) 255-8283
Toni Hill currently resides in Tupelo MS with her soul mate, Jimmy, of 17 years and their four homeschooled children Precious 15, Jimmy III 10, Preston 8, and Patience 6. Toni has worked with women’s health for almost ten years. She advocates for families to have empowering, informative, and safe birth experiences in her work as a doula, childbirth educator and as the project coordinator of the Northeast Mississippi Birthing project. She also is employed part time as a WIC lactation specialist and is a volunteer La Leche league leader, providing breastfeeding information and support to mothers while they are pregnant and breastfeeding their babies. During her time providing care, education, and support to hundreds of pregnant women and their families, she has come to find how extremely important birth is to a woman both physically and emotionally. All over the world low-risk women and babies do better when cared for by a trained midwife. The women of Mississippi deserve to have this as an accessible option for their own births if they so desire.
phone: (662) 255-8283
Toni Hill currently resides in Tupelo MS with her soul mate, Jimmy, of 17 years and their four homeschooled children Precious 15, Jimmy III 10, Preston 8, and Patience 6. Toni has worked with women’s health for almost ten years. She advocates for families to have empowering, informative, and safe birth experiences in her work as a doula, childbirth educator and as the project coordinator of the Northeast Mississippi Birthing project. She also is employed part time as a WIC lactation specialist and is a volunteer La Leche league leader, providing breastfeeding information and support to mothers while they are pregnant and breastfeeding their babies. During her time providing care, education, and support to hundreds of pregnant women and their families, she has come to find how extremely important birth is to a woman both physically and emotionally. All over the world low-risk women and babies do better when cared for by a trained midwife. The women of Mississippi deserve to have this as an accessible option for their own births if they so desire.
Alison Doyle, Board Member
email: [email protected]
phone: (228) 218-2780
Alison Doyle grew up on the Gulf Coast and now resides in Starkville, Mississippi. She became a birth advocate during her pregnancy with her first child, Sophia, whose birth was attended by a Certified Professional Midwife at home. Shortly after her daughter's birth, she and her family moved from Mobile, Alabama where she attended to Spring Hill College to assist in the start-up of an organic CSA (Yokna Bottoms Farm) in Oxford, Mississippi. While finishing a bachelor's degree in political science at the University of Mississippi, Alison pursued her childbirth educator's certification through the Aviva Institute and then complemented that education by enrolling in the Birthing From Within mentor/doula program. Alison gave birth to her son, Bailey, in February at home in the water with the same midwife who attended her first birth.
phone: (228) 218-2780
Alison Doyle grew up on the Gulf Coast and now resides in Starkville, Mississippi. She became a birth advocate during her pregnancy with her first child, Sophia, whose birth was attended by a Certified Professional Midwife at home. Shortly after her daughter's birth, she and her family moved from Mobile, Alabama where she attended to Spring Hill College to assist in the start-up of an organic CSA (Yokna Bottoms Farm) in Oxford, Mississippi. While finishing a bachelor's degree in political science at the University of Mississippi, Alison pursued her childbirth educator's certification through the Aviva Institute and then complemented that education by enrolling in the Birthing From Within mentor/doula program. Alison gave birth to her son, Bailey, in February at home in the water with the same midwife who attended her first birth.
Laurie Roberts, Board Member
email:
phone:662.607.8868
Laurie Roberts has been a resident of Jackson, MS since 2005. Hailing from the Midwest she likes to say she is “Yankee by birth, Southern by choice”. She is a mother of 7 children, six daughters and one son, ages 17-9 who are very active homeschoolers. She has an A.S. degree in Human Services and a background working in grassroots non-profits that work with low income families and children. She currently serves as MS state chapter president and national board member for NOW (National Organization for Women) as well as a board member for the Mississippi ACLU. She is proud to be a birth and postpartum doula. She believes “having trained, skilled midwives as a part of the community is critical; women need to have options when it comes to giving birth. We need to be able to choose what is best for our families and our situations. In MS, where maternal outcomes and infant mortality rates are statistically very bad we desperately need midwives. We know and studies show that giving birth with midwives improves maternal and infant outcomes.”
phone:662.607.8868
Laurie Roberts has been a resident of Jackson, MS since 2005. Hailing from the Midwest she likes to say she is “Yankee by birth, Southern by choice”. She is a mother of 7 children, six daughters and one son, ages 17-9 who are very active homeschoolers. She has an A.S. degree in Human Services and a background working in grassroots non-profits that work with low income families and children. She currently serves as MS state chapter president and national board member for NOW (National Organization for Women) as well as a board member for the Mississippi ACLU. She is proud to be a birth and postpartum doula. She believes “having trained, skilled midwives as a part of the community is critical; women need to have options when it comes to giving birth. We need to be able to choose what is best for our families and our situations. In MS, where maternal outcomes and infant mortality rates are statistically very bad we desperately need midwives. We know and studies show that giving birth with midwives improves maternal and infant outcomes.”