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Miriam’s passion for birth work began long before she had the language for it. In 1996, she attended her first birth during the pregnancy and birth of a dear sister. She did not know then where that path would lead, only that she felt deeply called to be close to those expecting, to hold space, and to witness the transformation that birth can bring.

From a young age, Miriam found herself supporting family members and friends through pregnancy, birth, postpartum, and caregiving spaces in both quiet and meaningful ways. Over time, what began as a natural pull toward community care continued to grow.

Twenty years later, in 2016, that calling became undeniable. After years of showing up for loved ones through the childbearing year, Miriam allowed herself to fully step into birth work and begin the journey toward becoming a midwife.

Born and raised in San Diego County on Kumeyaay land, Miriam grew up in National City, California — a predominantly Brown-Latino community where most of her family still lives. She is the youngest of nine, daughter of parents from Sinaloa and Oaxaca, Mexico. As a first-generation Chicana-Indígena, her work is deeply shaped by her lineage, her culture, and the ancestral teachings that have been carried through the women and birthing people in her family.

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Miriam is a wife, mother and grandmother. Her family remains at the heart of her purpose and practice.She began formal midwifery training at the Midwives College of Utah in January 2022 and received her Bachelor of Science in Midwifery in 2026. Her education was not only academic — it was lived, breathed, and practiced within community. She had the blessed opportunity to learn from remarkable community midwives across Los Angeles and San Diego, training in both home birth and birth center settings.

 

Her preceptors remain dear colleagues and teachers: Bianca “Tema” Mercado & Alix Medina (La Matriz Birth Services),Faith Freeman (Mind Body Birth Center),Katie Hamilton (Mama Nurtured Birth),and Allegra Hill & Hiroko Aoyagi (Kindred Space LA). Under their guidance, Miriam completed over 1,500 hands-on clinical hours, supporting countless birthing families and gaining extensive experience in reproductive health, prenatal and postpartum care, labor support, lactation, trauma-informed care, and community-centered wellness.

Throughout the years, her calling has led her to support all birthing bodies and all birthing outcomes — always in a manner that honors each person’s lineage, their wishes, and their lives. Her care blends unbiased, evidence-informed practice with the ancestral ways of her Zapotec/Mestiza roots and the innate traditions of this land.

 

​“I walk in this role of a partera and midwife humbly and wholeheartedly, honoring those who came before me, those here now, and those yet to come.”

About Miriam

About Me: About Me

TRAINING

As a person who centers the needs of BIPOC and LGBTQ+, I aim to receive knowledge from those who do the same;  Striving to bridge the gap in the disparities faced by these communities.  

AA Degree Social Development and Social Behavior 2021

AA Degree Social and Behavioral Science 2021

Bachelors of Science in Midwifery Midwives College of Utah, 2026

Certified Professional Midwife (CPM) through North American Registry of Midwives

BLS for the healthcare professional, Current

Neonatal Resuscitation Program, Current 

About Me: Training

DOULA OF COLOR TRAINING

Birthworkers of Color Collective, 2019

LACTATION SUPPORT FOR BIRTHWORKERS

Sol and Roots Doula, 2019

POSTPARTUM BELLY BINDING

La Matriz Birth, 2020

SUPPORTING SURVIVORS WHO BIRTH

Cornerstone Doula Trainings, 2020

CESAREAN SCAR TISSUE REMEDIATION MASSAGE

Pati Garcia, CPM, 2021

REIKI FOR BIRTHWORKERS

Mitra Sessions, 2021

REIKI MASTER AND TEACHER
USUI REIKI RYOHO LINEAGE

Mitra Sessions, 2021

SPINNING BABIES 1 DAY WORKSHOP

Nicole Morales LM CPM, 2021

ABORTIONS-PREGNANCY CONCLUSION SUPPORT

School of Reproductive Resistance, 2021

SPINNING BABIES 2 DAY WORKSHOP

Bianca "Tema" Mercado LM CPM, 2021

Grandma’s Hands Pregnancy and Postpartum Herbs & Nutrition in the Southern Tradition 

 Divine Bailey-Nicolas, 2021

Intentional Touch

 Maestra Paula Leeper, 2022

Into to Traditional Hueseria

 Maestro Javier Ortega, 2022

Certified HypnoBirthing Child Birth Educator

 HypnoBirthing International The Mongan Method, 2022

Vaginal Steaming for Labor Preparation

 Steamy Chick Institute, 2022

Intro to Mexican Sobadas

Luna Mama Services, Metzli Torres, 2023

Traditional Hueseria Secondary Training

Maestro Javier Ortega 2023 

Breech Release Workshop

Nicole Morales, 2023

Birth Emergency Skills Training

BEST, 2026

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©2026 by Moonwater Birth.
Pictures by https://www.olivelavida.com/

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