2023: Doula-Friendly Hospital Initiative

August 11, 2023 / Okunsola M. Amadou

Jamaa Birth Village means family in the African language of Swahili. Come and go with me, on the humble beginnings and birthing of a village.

2023

2023 marked 2-triumphant years of the 3-year Merck for Mothers funded, Safer Childbirth Cities, STL 360 Doula Initiative-led by Jamaa Birth Village and Okunsola M. Amadou. 

During this time Jamaa Birth Village had successfully trained over 200-doulas, began working with the Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services, MO Health Net and Healthy Blue to ensure doulas were paid an equitable wage. In partnership and co-leadership with the Missouri Community Doula Council, Jamaa Birth Village helped to lead legislative efforts to elevate doula care in Missouri.

With Missouri’s first Doula-Friendly Hospital initiative, in partnership with BJC and March of Dimes, Jamaa Birth Village trained health care providers, nursing and OB students across 6-hospitals and campuses-on the benefits of supporting, respecting, valuing and uplifiting community doulas in improving maternal health outcomes and birth experiences across the state. 

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Okunsola M. Amadou

Okunsola M. Amadou, a Fulani-American Midwife, is the Founder and President of Jamaa Birth Village.

Brittany L. Conteh, professionally known as Priestess Okunsola M. Amadou, Folk Midwife™ and Birth Priestess™, is a pioneering midwife, educator, and preservationist dedicated to redefining the legacy of African Indigenous Midwifery and ensuring its rightful place in the cultural and historical record.

After leading the Jamaa Birth Village organization and midwifery clinic for over a decade and practicing as a Certified Professional Midwife, Okunsola is now transitioning from clinical practice to full-time cultural preservation, focusing on the documentation, protection, and advancement of her patent pending midwife designation paths of Folk Midwifery™ and Birth Priestess™ traditions-globally.

As the Founder & President of Jamaa Birth Village, Okunsola led groundbreaking efforts to transform Black Maternal Health in Missouri and beyond. Her achievements include:

Opening Missouri’s first Black-led midwifery clinic on Juneteenth 2020, after training with traditional midwives and fetish priestesses in Ghana (2013).

Becoming the First Black Certified Professional Midwife & First Black Registered CPM Preceptor in Missouri.

Certifying over 460 Black doulas, significantly closing the Black doula disparity gap in St. Louis and the State of Missouri.

Earning 24 awards for her contributions to Black Maternal Health.

Consulting hospitals, policymakers, and international organizations on equitable maternal care policies.

Receiving ten state/local proclamations, seven resolutions-including a Congressional Resolution for her work in birth justice.

As a Museum Studies scholar, Okunsola graduated from the University of Iowa Museum Studies Program May 2025, after completing an internship at the Missouri Historical Society where she launched a Missouri Midwife archive and pop-up exhibit.

Her leadership has not only expanded access to midwifery and doula services, but also challenged systemic inequities in maternal care, ensuring culturally centered and community-driven solutions.

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