Barbara Vernéus
Born and raised in Brooklyn, NY, Barbara Verneus is a first-generation Indigenous Haitian American who comes from a lineage of ancestral midwives on her maternal side. After exploring her mother’s heritage, she realized that midwifery had chosen her long before she chose it.
Barbara began her birth work journey in 2003 as a doula, serving mothers in New York City. In 2006, she traveled to Senegal, West Africa, to volunteer with the African Birth Collective—a transformative experience that solidified her decision to become a midwife. Since then, Barbara has trained in several states, including NY, MA, PA, TX, and NJ, building a wealth of experience as a Black midwife deeply committed to birth equity.
In 2013, she became pregnant and welcomed her beautiful daughter the following year. Inspired by her own birth experience, Barbara launched Tiny and Brave Holistic Doula Services in 2015, earned her Master’s in Counseling with a concentration in Marriage and Family in 2016, and began her journey toward becoming a Certified Professional Midwife.
Barbara has served as a midwifery assistant at Dyekora Sumda Midwifery Services in Brooklyn, NY, MotherBloom in Austin, TX, and Baraka Midwifery, serving communities across New Jersey and Pennsylvania. Today, as a Philadelphia midwife, she provides holistic home birth care, prenatal and postpartum support, and family-centered counseling to clients in Philadelphia and surrounding areas.
She has worked as an advisor to teenage mothers through PathWays PA, an organization dedicated to helping women, teens, children, and families achieve economic independence and overall well-being. While pursuing her Graduate Certificate in Maternal and Child Health at Boston University, Barbara facilitated workshops throughout the Boston area on women’s health, reproductive care, infant care, and adolescent wellness. She has also led nationwide workshops on topics including racism, motherhood and mental wellness, breastfeeding, and the history of Black midwives within radical birth work. Her commitment to advocacy and education has been featured across multiple social media platforms. To date, she has attended over 300 births, many of them as a trusted home birth midwife for families seeking culturally competent, personalized care.
Barbara is passionate about providing intentional, comprehensive, therapeutic continuity of care to families in Philadelphia and the surrounding area, and overseas—care that empowers, honors, and protects them. Grieved by the mistreatment of women and children and the undervaluing of marginalized families, she seeks to reemphasize the importance of the family unit, recognizing that all members are vital to the health and sustainability of their community. She believes wholeheartedly that sovereignty is your birthright to birth right™ and hopes her practice will help advance the movement for birth equity and sustainability—ensuring that both midwives and the families they serve can thrive, not merely survive.
To see a more in depth profile of her experiences and training click here.
