Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Barbara Verneus. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.

Barbara, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today Can you share a story with us from back when you were an intern or apprentice? Maybe it’s a story that illustrates an important lesson you learned or maybe it’s a just a story that makes you laugh (or cry)?

As a Black Indigenous woman, never be so desperate to attain your goals that you allow yourself to be mistreated in any way or placed in unsafe circumstances. I learned this the hard way when attempting to find a preceptor/apprenticeship and ended up with a preceptor who was racist; and emotionally and mentally abusive within her role/form of power to her students. I would suggest any students looking for placement to ask for a contract, make sure there are clear expectations and ask to speak with their previous students.

Great, appreciate you sharing that with us. Before we ask you to share more of your insights, can you take a moment to introduce yourself and how you got to where you are today to our readers

Born and raised in Brooklyn, NY, I’m the first generation Indigenous Haitian American who comes from a line of ancestral midwives from her maternal side to be practicing in the US. After digging into my mother’s lineage, I realized that midwifery chose me more than I chose it. In 2003, I became a doula serving mothers in New York City. In 2006 , I traveled to Senegal, West Africa to volunteer with the the African Birth Collective, and decided then to become a midwife. Since then I have trained in several states (NY, MA, PA, TX, and NJ).

In 2013, I discovered I was pregnant and birthed a beautiful baby girl the following year. Inspired by the birth of my daughter, I launched Tiny and Brave Holistic Doula Services in 2015, gained my masters in counseling with a concentration in Marriage and Family, in 2016, and began my journey towards becoming a certified professional midwife.

I have worked as a midwifery assistant in Brooklyn, NY at Dyekora Sumda Midwifery Services, MotherBloom in Austin, TX; and currently training and working alongside Baraka Midwifery Serving in the surrounding areas of New Jersey and Pennsylvania. I have served as an advisor to teenage mothers at PathWays PA, an organization that helps women, teens, children and families achieve economic independence and family well-being. Obtained a Graduate Certificate in Maternal and Child Health from Boston University where I conducted workshops in the Boston area on women’s reproductive health, infant, and adolescent health. I have led workshops, across the country, on topics such as racism, motherhood and mental wellness; breastfeeding and the history of Black midwives within radical birth work. I have also been featured in several social media platforms. To date, I have attended over 300 births since starting my journey in birth work.

I desire to provide intentional comprehensive therapeutic continuity of care to families in urban communities and overseas that allows families to feel empowered, honored and safe. Grieved by the abuse of women and children and the lack of value of marginalized families; I seek to reemphasize the importance of the family unit because all parties are vital to the development of one’s community no matter the makeup. I strongly believe that one’s sovereignty is their birthright to birth right. I hope that my practice will seek to help in the movement of birth equity and sustainability for the midwife and the families they serve to purposefully thrive and not just exist.

What inspired me to become a midwife honestly started with a movie called Losing Isaiah starring Halle Berry. From there “The Counseling Midwife” was born before I knew what my future would look like.

If you could go back in time, do you think you would have chosen a different profession or specialty?

I wouldn’t had chosen a different profession but I definitely would of started my journey sooner than later. It took me 13 years to take the leap and finally pursue becoming a midwife becasue of my daughter. My encouragement to anyone is don’t allow the negative voices that we allow in or allow them to control the narrative; to tell you are not adequate enough. Time is one of your most valuable asset and should be used wisely especially in your 20’s and 30’s. Majority of us within the Black, Brown and Indigenous community were not given the skills to be mindful of our time and our actions for it will have tremendous impact of the future we desire. We are not taught we can create our own reality. We are more so taught go to school and work a 9-5 and be okay with living with your potential but never seeing that potential fully manifested and lived out. While I am here my goal is to live at my fullest magic within the capacity that I can accomplish all that I am called and created to do for myself, my daughter, my ancestors, my family and community while passing the baton to my daughter and those after me; to do and be better than me-in all ways, always.

Let’s talk about resilience next – do you have a story you can share with us?

This journey into midwifery is nothing but resilience. I actually have come to hate that word and many others like tenacity and anti-fragility which many have labeled me as. For me, it’s both a gift and a curse. It’s great but what does that do to one’s body, mind and nervous system? What ancestral PTSD has been passed down through our DNA? What part of the allostatic load has impacted your well-being?

Through my journey/experience I am looking to create the opposite for my own daughter and her children’s children, as well as future Black Brown and Indigenous midwives I will assist along the way to be successful and thriving within this vocation and in life. I want to create a balance of both worlds first for myself and then for others which encompasses healing in all areas of a person’s life that has generational impact within our families and communities.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.thecounselingmidwife.com
• Instagram: @tinyandbrave
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100064241613703
• Twitter: @tinyandbrave
• Other: I specialize in Home Birth Midwifery services in Philadelphia and the surrounding areas.