Midwife Bios

Midwife Bios

Helen Jolly Nelson, LM, CPM
Amy Allred, LM, CPM
Lisa Thomas, LM, CPM
Sorani Muñoz, LM, CPM
Heidi Yoder, Student Midwife

Helen Jolly Nelson, LM, CPM

~ Helen, owner and director of Family Birth Services, is a pioneer in midwifery in the North Texas area. In the early 70's, when midwives were scarce, she was asked by families to share her experience as a home birth mother. She began attending births in 1972 in order to serve families who desired a home birth. She soon realized that she had a calling to midwifery and in 1976 she served in a formal apprenticeship with a labor and delivery nurse who taught her practical skills. Helen attended any workshops available and read everything she could find to further her knowledge. She also received individual instruction from a family practice physician who was available as needed to see her clients. In 1980 she attended the American Academy of Midwifery.

Helen is a founding member of the North Texas Midwives Association, the Association of Texas Midwives, and the Midwives Alliance of North America. She previous served as a La Leche League leader and state officer and as a board member of NAPSAC, National Association of Parents and Professionals for Safe Alternatives in Childbirth.

Helen has been actively training midwives since the beginning of her practice and women have come from all over North America to study and apprentice with her. Many midwives currently practicing in North Texas served apprenticeships or internships with Helen. She has many "daughters" and "granddaughters" in midwifery. In 1995 her FBS midwifery course was approved by the Texas Department of Health as an approved avenue for becoming a documented midwife in Texas.

Since 1976, Helen has been the primary midwife at over 2,600 births and has assisted and/or supervised approximately 700 additional births.

In October, 2004, Helen retired from actively delivering babies but she still oversees the day-to-day operations of the birth center. Helen is a wife, mother and grandmother. She and husband, Mike Nelson, have an adopted daughter, Ashley, who keeps them active.

Amy Allred, LM, CPM

~ Amy originally contacted Family Birth Services in 1988 with the desire of training to become a midwife. She learned, however, that the waiting list to begin training was a year and a half long at that time.

Believing that another opportunity would come in God's timing, she did some midwifery study on her own and moved on to other things. She attended Youth with a Mission in Hawaii and became a youth leader through her church.

Amy began working at the Duncanville Pregnancy Crisis Pregnancy Center in 1997 and is now on staff there. Through Amy's connections with young women in unplanned, crisis, pregnancies she attended births as labor support which rekindled her interest. In 1999, Amy was accepted into the apprenticeship program at Family Birth Services. She graduated in December, 2000, and shortly thereafter received her Texas documentation and became a CPM, Certified Professional Midwife.

With her compassionate nature, she strives to see that each of her clients has a warm, comforting and memorable birth.

Lisa Thomas, LM, CPM

~ Lisa came on staff at Family Birth Services in 2006. Raised in Southwest Missouri, Lisa began her journey to midwifery in 1999 and moved to Texas in 2004 to complete her studies and begin her practice. Greatly enjoying the academic as well as clinical aspects of midwifery, Lisa also actively teaches students as the Apprenticeship Director at Family Birth Services.

Lisa's calm, friendly personality combined with her confident and professional style easily gains women's trust. Offering competent and personal care, she especially excels in nurturing women who are eagerly expecting their first baby or their first out-of-hospital birth. She enjoys answering questions and calming their fears as they experience this miraculous time in their lives. She is blessed by watching the hand of God in her clients’ lives through the miracle of birth. One of her greatest delights in midwifery has been delivering her nephews and niece.

When not involved in midwifery, Lisa enjoys the outdoors, cooking, spending time with her family, and especially spoiling her nephews and niece!

Sorani Muñoz, LM, CPM

~ Sorani believes that God created the woman's body to give birth and that it is a natural process not to be feared. One of her favorite aspects as a midwife is cultivating relationships with her clients and their families. Being fluent in Spanish, as well as Dutch and Papiamento, enables her to serve a diverse clientele. Some of her areas of specialty include twin deliveries and working with those desiring a Vaginal Birth After Cesarean (VBAC).

Her interest in midwifery began when she was twelve years old. As a teen she enjoyed spending time with pregnant moms, quizzing midwives about their experiences, and serving as a doula for friends. After attending her first birth in 2002, she knew that midwifery was what God was calling her to do. She started her academics in the year 2000 and graduated from midwifery school and an internship at Family Birth Services in 2005. She was invited to come back on staff in the spring of 2006 to work as a Certified Professional Midwife.

Sorani passionately desires to give her clients a warm and beautiful experience. She is dedicated and adaptable, able to give her clients special attention, massage, and encouragement. Many appreciate her compassion, personal care, soothing touch during labor, peaceful presence, and her calm, gentle spirit. She has a true heart for midwifery and enjoys serving and reaching out to her clients.

Heidi Yoder, Student Midwife

~ As a young girl I was fascinated with nursing, medicine, and especially labor and birth. I knew very little about midwives at this point in my life, so I pictured myself as a nurse someday. At the age of fourteen I began to hear more about midwives and the exciting role they play in the childbirth process. From this point on, the Lord planted a desire in my heart to minister to childbearing families through the avenue of midwifery.

After beginning my formal training with the Medical Training Institute, I became a certified Doula in 2004. I then began their 3-year academic midwifery program. When an opening became available at Family Birth Services in the fall of 2007, I was thrilled with the ability to receive hands on training with the apprenticeship program they offer! At FBS I have the opportunity to assist at many births both at the birth center and in homes. I also have the privilege of caring for expectant mothers as their primary midwife throughout pregnancy, labor, birth, and the postpartum period under the supervision of a licensed midwife.

I truly enjoy the many opportunities of working with childbearing families and experiencing firsthand the joy of a little one entering the world. Pregnancy and childbirth are amazing processes designed by God, and I am honored to be a part of them!