I have always been drawn to the miracle of birth!

 

I was born at home in 1977 in Brooklyn, NY, when home birth midwifery, illegal there at the time, was being nurtured back into practice in America. My birth was a manifestation of women listening to their bodies and returning to timeless traditions. My dad is African-American, and my mom is European-American from mixed origins; both are converts to Islam. 

 

When I was 1 ½ years old, we moved to Berkeley, CA. There, my mom completed a bachelor's degree in English at UC Berkeley, and I spent the rest of my childhood. From a very young age, I can remember thinking seriously about becoming a home birth midwife. I read the few books that my mom had and played doctor with the tools left over from her brief pursuit of the very same dream. At the age of 16, budding in the crafts of sewing, beading, cooking, etc., and becoming more and more intrigued by natural modes of healing, I dreamed of becoming a Home Economics teacher or a Natural health practitioner. These dreams had not been contemplated long when a surprising opportunity arose, and I abruptly decided to go to Damascus, Syria, to study Arabic for a year. This led to 8 ½ years of study in Damascus, which culminated in my receiving a bachelor's degree in Arabic and Islamic studies, in addition to three teaching credentials (Ijazah) in Quranic recitation. After my return to the United States, my husband, Imam Dawood Yasin, and I were blessed with our four daughters and one son, all born at home. During my pregnancy with our third daughter, we were living in Dubai. Learning that home birth was not legal there, we moved back to the United States in order to have the birth we wanted. Over the years, before any formal training, I was excited and honored to serve at the births of family and friends. Each experience deepened my sense of calling and inspired me to do this work.

 

I started my formal training in birth work with certification in Neonatal resuscitation in 2015, followed by completion of all 4 midwifery modules from Cornerstone. I went on to receive my training and certification from Cornerstone in 2017 as a Birth Doula, Postpartum Doula, and Childbirth Educator. I am currently enrolled in the midwifery degree program at the National College of Midwifery, and have completed over 1,107 hours of clinical work and attended over 58 births.

 

I bring to the families I serve evidence-based knowledge of birth, and personal experience from 27 years of marriage, home births, mothering, multiple schooling methods, breastfeeding, co-sleeping, cloth diapering, baby wearing, nourishing meal preparation, natural family planning, and fluency in the Arabic language and Islamic spiritual tradition. My hobbies include horseback riding, henna art, crafting, and singing. I am also a teacher of Quranic recitation (Tajwid) and Islamic studies.

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I currently live in Austin, TX, and serve families within a 30-minute radius of my home near Manor.

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