Mind Body Birth is a Birthing and Wellness Center located in the heart of LA.
Mind Body Birth offers complete Prenatal, Birth and Postpartum care, as well as holistic Well Person/Gyn Services, Fertility, and IUI services, including Pre-Pregnancy Counseling, and Hormonal and Genetic testing.
We also have options for doula care, lactation classes and support, placenta encapsulation services, chiropractic care and much, much more.
If you desire to be cared for with compassion, individuality, and respect, you deserve the care provided at Mind Body Birth.
Our story
Faith, Tchala, and Tamara are three friends and colleagues who share a passion for holistic health, the birthing community, as well as breaking barriers and generational curses.
Each through their individual path has arrived at this juncture of working together to help the community to thrive – for both the clients and families, to also the birth workers, healers, and care providers
Faith and Tchala first met several years ago when they worked together at a different birth center, supporting each other and bonding through difficult times in both their personal and professional lives. They then went on together to begin a separate and new midwifery practice, first only offering home births, which then grew into opening the Mind Body Birth Center.
Faith and Tamara met at a mutual client’s birth where Faith was the Midwife and Tam was the Doula. After that first birth, Faith and Tam continued to work together through births of mutual clients, community events, as well both joining the Midwifery Advisory Council to the Medical Board of California.
As their paths continue to flow together, Faith, Tchala, and Tamara realized that they all share the same deep passion, drive, and dedication to improving maternal health outcomes, promoting greater accessibility to midwifery and doula care along with other supportive holistic services and specialties, interest in policy and improvement at both the community and government level, as well as supporting long term sustainability for the midwives, student midwives, and doulas doing the work.
They realize that together they could accomplish even more, and officially joined their forces as co-owners and partners of Mind Body Birth.
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Mind Body Birth is on land of First Nations Chumash and Tongva, commonly known as Los Angeles
Mind Body Birth seeks to give equitable and socially informed care, acknowledging the bias and inequity that pervade all health care systems, including systemic barriers, racism, and medical harm towards the many communities that have been marginalized through the history of colonialism and violence on this continent and throughout the world.
Mind Body Birth is dedicated to breaking down barriers, and providing safe, trauma informed, and equitable care to every client and their family, continually striving to ensure midwifery services are accessible to each of our clients.
Mychal
Midwife in Residency
Mychal Shifrah Reilly (she/ her) works alongside Faith as part of the birth team as an Apprentice Midwife-In-Residency.
Mychal has a rich background surrounding birth, including many years of work as a birth doula, postpartum doula, abortion doula, placenta encapsulator, sex educator and student Somatic Experiencing Practitioner
Her practice seeks to bring peace and reduce trauma during reproductive events.
Mychal has experience in a wide variety of birth and postpartum techniques, has worked with families of all sizes and backgrounds, and is committed to improving birth outcomes for her whole community.
Before entering birth work, Mychal earned a B.A. in Peace Studies and Conflict Resolution from Chapman University. She is also a certified mediator.
Tahira
Midwife in Residency
Tahira is a full-spectrum birth worker with a background in community-based care. Her journey into birth work began when she witnessed the births of her siblings, a transformative experience that ignited a passion that would shape her life's calling. For over a decade, she has worked with expectant parents from diverse backgrounds, including single parents, incarcerated pregnant women, individuals with previous trauma, and teen mothers.
Raised in Oakland, CA, Tahira grew up surrounded by a vibrant community of birth workers, activists, herbalists, and holistic healers. This rich background instilled in her a deep respect for the birthing process and a commitment to nurturing supportive communities around expectant families.
Before dedicating herself to birth work, Tahira earned a B.A. in Film, Television & Digital Media from the University of California, Los Angeles. Tahira's successful career as a visual effects artist took an unexpected turn when she witnessed the inadequate hospital care her youngest sister received during pregnancy. This experience inspired Tahira to leave the film industry and dedicate herself fully to birth work, driven by a determination to ensure that others would receive the compassionate care her sister had lacked.
Tahira offers comprehensive support throughout the reproductive journey. Her services encompass guidance on nutrition, cycle health, fertility awareness, and pregnancy. She also provides assistance with pregnancy loss, lactation, belly binding, herbal healing, and infant care. Tahira's primary goal is to empower individuals with knowledge and support, enabling them to make informed decisions about their reproductive health and birth experiences. She creates a loving, non-judgmental, and safe space where clients feel supported and respected throughout their journey.
Tahira currently wears many hats as a doula, student midwife, Medi-Cal provider, and reproductive health advocate working to reduce racial disparities in the Black commnity.
Nathalie
MIDWIFE IN RESIDENCY
Nathalie Rojas resides in Tongva Land, commonly known as Los Angeles. She is a first-generation from Guatemala and El Salvador. Nathalie and her family are descendants of the Maya people. She is a mother, a daughter, a partner, and a full-spectrum traditional birth worker. Nathalie serves as a Ceremonial holder for placentas, a certified lactation educator, a student of lactation consulting, an IVF coordinator, an aspiring Midwife, and the founder of Sabiduría Birth and Lactation services.
Nathalie's passion for reproductive rights and advocacy for birthing individuals and babies was sparked by her own experience of becoming a mother at the age of 16. The profound impact of her birth experience, both as the day she met her son and the trauma she endured, fueled her purpose. She believes that every life event happens for a reason, and her personal challenges propelled her toward answering the calling of Midwifery.
As an indigenous birth keeper, Nathalie is passionate about incorporating her cultural values and ancestral traditions by weaving them into her offerings. She understands the significance of providing comprehensive care to birthing individuals throughout pregnancy, labor, postpartum recovery, and the stages of breast/chestfeeding. Nathalie values the importance of respecting each family's unique needs in her approach to trauma-informed care.
Maryam
MIDWIFE IN RESIDENCY
Maryam Karim (she/they) is a queer Muslim, trauma-informed full-spectrum birthworker, childbirth educator, lactation educator, reiki practitioner, and yoga instructor. Over the years she has worked diligently as a community-centered birth work professional.
She first began this work to offer support to close friends and family. As her passion grew, she took various trainings specialized in birth, postpartum, reproductive justice, and traditional healing modalities in order to improve birth and postpartum health outcomes, and to reduce trauma during these vulnerable times.
She is excited to offer a full spectrum of care which includes reproductive health education, Pap smears, STD/STI testing and education, nutrition, birth control/abortion, and so much more.
Maryam’s other long term goal includes becoming an International Board Certified Lactation consultant in order to better support families’ baby-feeding goals.
Miriam
MIDWIFE IN RESIDENCY
Miriam is a First-generation Chicana Indigenous mother of 5 and grandmother of two. She has been attending the Midwives College of Utah since January 2022, aiming to complete her Bachelor of Science in Midwifery.
Aside from birtwork, Miriam is also a childbirth educator, certified hypnotist, reiki practitioner, budding herbalist, and student of hueseria.
Miriam understands that reproductive care is directly influenced by how the land is tended and treated. She strives to support her community in understanding the body-to-nature connection and the importance of caring for the land.
Miriam is also a certified California naturalist. In her spare time, she is involved in native habitat restoration. She is an avid birder, and loves hiking with her family and friends. .
Ellen
MIDWIFE IN RESIDENCY
Ellen (she/her) brings a unique well-versed perspective to everything she does, from spoken word poetry to advocating for laboring women/ birthing people as a MediCal Doula.
Ellen earned a BA in Women’s Studies and a Multi-disciplinary minor in Pre-Nursing from East Carolina University in Greenville, NC.
She is a full spectrum doula, yoga instructor, published author, and student-midwife at Mind Body Birth.
“Let’s take up space and hold seats at the table for those who were once offered standing room only.” -Ellen
Candyce
MIDWIFE IN RESIDENCY
Candyce Johnson (she/her) is a full spectrum birth worker mainly servicing Black families in South Central Los Angeles. She is a first-generation college graduate and holds a passion for working with pregnant mothers/birthing folx and children. She is an aspiring midwife, placenta encapsulation specialist, entrepreneur, nanny, and full spectrum doula. Her passion with birth work has been instilled since youth with the evolution of professionalism.
Candyce’s passion for pregnancy and birth work began as a child with her profound interest in how babies were created/born. As she matured, her aspirations grew where she found herself studying to become a medical doctor. After deep reflection and affirmations of where she believed her services would be most beneficial, she shifted her focus to community birth and midwifery care. Since the age of 21, Candyce has dedicated her time to train in postpartum health, maternal mental health, family support, healing measures, and doula care. With these efforts, she hopes to help families heal and experience birth with their full intent and desires.
Candyce’s most important aspect of this sacred work is to help guide mothers/birthing folx into their true being of strength. Often times, it is through birth, parenthood, and comradery where passion and motivation is gained. As a student, midwife, and birth worker for community, Candyce hopes to hold families hands through these transformative moments to nurture, guide, and support to help them achieve their desired outcomes and wishes.
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