Our Programs

Hey! I’m Juanita Weathersby. I was born and raised in Sacramento. I am a registered nurse and obtained my Bachelor’s of Science in Nursing from California State University, Sacramento. I grew up within a family affected by health disparities. I also grew up within a family of strong women and men fighting stereotypes and statistics. So since the start of my nursing career I have always dreamed of ways to work closer to my community. I started my doula experience by volunteering at a local hospital and am excited to join the Haven Family. I strive to create a world where we are the most protected, loved, and valued humans in society not only during birth but our entire existence.

Hi, I’m Nancy, I was born and raised in Mexico City. I came at the age of 16 as a sophomore to Sacramento and meet my now husband. At the age of 19 I lived in France. I have been an activist since the womb, trying to fight for what is right. My great-grandmother and my abuelita where midwives, pediatric nurses and doulas. Always aspiring to fight for women’s right and advocate for them during the most important times of their lives. I got the grit and desire to help women from them and my mom. I have attended many births including mine (I have 2 wonderful kids) and have experience medical neglect. 2 years ago I was the support for a dear friend and was there during her birth, I realized there is so much I still need to do to make changes in women’s lives. I have always dreamt of helping my community, particularly women so, here I am, ready to tackle and reduce death during/after pregnancy that affects so many women of color. If I want to see change, I have to get my hands dirty and be that change. Every woman deserves a safe, Informed, happy pregnancy and birth and I want to provide that to them.

Hi! I’m Mariah Steiner, and I am so excited to be a part of Haven. Three years ago I gave birth to my daughter at home, and ever since then I have wanted to be part of the birthing community. I strongly believe that every pregnant person should be given the opportunity to birth the way that they want, while being listened to and cared for equally regardless of race or ethnicity. It is my hope to empower expecting families and fight for justice in the birthing world and beyond, and I cannot wait to begin this sacred work with all of you.

Hello, my name is Jadyn! I am a Dona trained and soon to be certified birth doula, with intentions of postpartum training in the near future. As a young woman passionate about assisting women in the Sacramento area, I am a firm believer in the innate wisdom that a woman’s body holds. I also recognize the higher mortality rates for women of color and I devote myself to ensuring we are seen and heard! I believe all families regardless of socioeconomic status have the right to a safe and sacred birth. A woman who feels safe and supported has the power to overcome the many challenges at each stage of birth. I believe in sharing evidence-based research and information throughout pregnancy can empower families to make strong confident decisions about their medical choices and subsequent birth experience.

My goals as a doula are 1) To educate and inform families of their right to choose what they believe is best for them. 2) Honor and uphold the sacred safety of their birth experience with all-encompassing love and support. 3) To care for and comfort each family through the stages of labor- whether that be through sharing comfort measures, coping skills, or simply being there to listen and hear their concerns.

Hi, I’m Liz, one of the two founding women at Haven. I am a first generation Mexican-American who was brought up to raise hell around injustice. To date one of my greatest joys and personal successes is raising two young men who also are fierce believers in human rights. Since birth I’ve been surrounded by amazing women who have always made me believe I could achieve anything I set my mind to. Their strength and resilience has motivated me throughout my life. Together with the experience of being a caretaker during my husband’s cancer journey, I’ve come to feel very passionate about patient rights and the need for patient advocacy. Where my heart and experience led me was birth justice. So I’ve embarked on a new adventure with a hope that big changes can happen in our community around birth and birth justice. Birthing my two sons changed my entire life, and really solidified the thought that all women should be able to feel empowered through birth not victimized, traumatized or belittled by it. Sacramento has welcomed us with open arms and we are so excited to be doing this work with so many amazing people.

I’m Heidi and I am the other half of the founders of Haven. I grew up with the belief that girls were strong and could be and do anything they set their mind to. I come from a long line of hard-working women who dig in deeper when things get tough. I have been a chiropractor in Sacramento for the past 19 years. I love to care for women during the prenatal and post-partum periods. Educating families so that they can have healthy, empowered pregnancies and births is very important.
I have three children who continuously amaze me. Giving birth was the single most empowering experience I have had. From that experience I realized that all women should be free to have their desired pregnancy and birth. 14 years ago, I thought I wanted to become a midwife and help women to have better births one at a time. Although that timing ended up being wrong, I realize now that passion was preparing me to invest my time and energy into a place that will hopefully support many more women in the Sacramento community.
In the past year I began to read again about the unfavorable experience’s women were having during pregnancy and birth. I read that the US is 55th in the world for maternal morbidity and mortality. I read the Black women are 4-6 six times more likely to die in childbirth with indigenous and minority women not far behind. I read that women of color are at least twice as likely to experience some serious injury during the time just before birth and during childbirth. These statistics broke my heart and set fire to the simmering passion for helping women start motherhood strong and healthy. Haven is a dream 14 years in the making that is quickly becoming a reality.