About Us
AT OUR CORE
Our Mothers’ Light Birth & Baby Village (OML) is committed to transforming the birth and fourth trimester (postpartum) experience for women, their families, and communities in Chicago and beyond.
Rooted in the understanding that cultural traditions and rituals were disrupted by the Trans-Atlantic Slave Trade, OML seeks to reclaim ancestral knowledge and restore time-honored practices for pregnancy, birth, and postpartum healing within the diaspora.
Our model of care is inspired by African ancestral traditions and enriched by extensive birth training and lived experience. We are honored to carry forward the wisdom of the mothers who came before us.
Through this work, we aim to empower women to reclaim and share this knowledge, helping to reduce maternal and infant mortality rates while fostering a strong support network for mothers, children, and families to thrive in love and community.
Some conversations change everything. Let’s begin with the one that centers you.
Meet Our Founder
Zetanefert
For 14 years, I've stood in the sacred space of birth as a doula, witnessing women's transformation into mothers. But my journey wasn't planned; it unfolded through divine synchronicity. When close friends asked me to accompany them during their most vulnerable moments of childbirth, I discovered my purpose: to be the grounding presence women need as they bring forth new life.
As an apprentice healer, childbirth educator, and mother of four, I weave together modern evidence-based practices with the ancient wisdom of our West African ancestors. Every technique I share, every herb I recommend, every ritual I teach or perform honors the unbroken line of knowledge passed through generations of women.
I am a bridge. I am a guide. I am the manifestation of the mothers who came before me. I am the knowledge of my teachers in action.
This is more than birth work. This is ancestral reclamation. This is coming home.
"My wife being pregnant was a very exciting time for me, but I was also worried about the challenges that lay ahead, with choosing to go for a natural birth, ideally with minimal medical interaction and in a relaxed setting. [Zetanefert] was perfect for us and she clicked with my wife right away. Throughout my wife's pregancy, she was a calming factor in our lives, someone who reassured my wife through her own knowledge, and experience.
~ Parrish Morgan