Mission Statement:
BirthGirlz is a non profit organization, working to normalize and revalue all aspects of motherhood in our society via education, outreach, community events and activism. Our goal is to empower women and families to create their own network of resources and make informed decisions related to pregnancy, birth, nutrition, and sustainable family living.
Michelle Fonte Mother, Co-founder, and Executive Director
Michelle Fonte is the mother of six children, a birth and postpartum doula, childbirth educator, and prenatal yoga instructor. She is currently in Miami, Florida, but has created supportive communities for parents, in both Florida and Ohio.Learn more about Michelle at http://www.motherpathdoulamiami.com/
Kristin Jayd Mother, Co-founder, and President
Kristin is the mother of two, a breastfeeding counselor, custodian of dogs, cats, and chickens and generator of thousands of random ideas. She cooks, she crafts, she thrift shops like the dickens, and is recognized locally for her "green" lifestyle. Learn more about Kristin at http://www.KristinJayd.com
(photo: lisa carcases)
Michelle and Kristin have a combined 24 years of experience mothering and rallying the mamas in their communities, from casual playgroups to formal protests.This dynamic duo has provided to women in their communities: prenatal, birth and post partum support, child birth education, breastfeeding support, food co-ops, online networks, mama-related art, yoga, and dance, community fieldtrips, and grassroots family-friendly events.
In the months leading up to the launch of BirthGirlz, they pooled their resources and began building a larger network involving not just local mamas, but connecting mothers across the country. But they remained stuck on a name that signified what it meant to become a mama.
At the same time, Kristin was recognized for her quiet activism for green living and featured as one of Planet Daga's Earth Girlz on the Eco-Blog DagaGoGreen.com, which profiles stong, beautiful women contributing to a greener world. The name was like a light bulb appearing over their heads! Michelle and Kristin became BirthGirlz!
...and so began the revolution, one birth at a time!
Board of Directors
President: Kristin Jayd is a Mother, breastfeeding counselor, and community activist with a strong focus on sustainable family living. Kristin has organized and participated in events ranging from private workshops, to large festivals that promote healthy, local resources and contribute to a realistic and attainable lifestyle. She feels that conscious consumerism and awareness on the individual level can create a more powerful and unified community in which mothers, children, and families are valued and can thrive.
Vice President: Sarah Lozoff is a Mother, doula, childbirth educator and informed birth advocate. She is also the Bini Birth event and marketing coordinator. Sarah began supporting friends through birth in 1999 and trained to officially become a doula in 2005. She has trained extensively with several doula and childbirth education organizations, and has now attended births is Miami, New York, and Los Angeles. In each of these places, Sarah has also worked to create community, normalize and value motherhood, and empower families to make informed choices about birth and parenting. Sarah is currently a member of DASC (Doulas Association of Southern California).
Secretary: Kelly Aguirrechu is a Certified Labor Doula and a CAPPA certified Childbirth Educator serving Miami-Dade, Broward and Palm Beach counties. Her passion is to educate and empower expectant mothers and couples about their options and choices for birth. Kelly believes education is the key and will continue to advocate for women’s birth rights, midwifery, and improving maternity care not only in Florida but around the US. She is the Assistant Director of the BirthGirlz Doula Outreach Program. Kelly is a graduate of the University of Miami and has varied background working in the arts, media, business and marketing. She currently resides in North Bay Village, FL and is happily married.
Treasurer: Lourdes Manso Harris has a background in International Finance & Marketing. She has owned her own export business and has recently opened a foreign exchange /financial services store in Coral Gables. She has a Bachelor of Business Administration from the University of Miami. Lourdes has a varied background working with American manufacturers such as Whirlpool and General Electric exporting parts for appliances throughout Latin American as well as in the international payments industry working for American Express and Thomas Cook. She is currently the President of Foreign Currency Express, the only store of its kind in Coral Gables. She caters to local residents and international visitors. She believes that all women have the right to succeed in anything they put their mind to whether it is running a business to having and raising children the way they want to. She gave birth to 2 beautiful sons and is very proud of her natural deliveries assisted by a midwife.
