The staff at Journey Birth Center
It is her heart’s desire to journey with couples through their own unique birth experiences, offering encouragement and support to achieve the best, safest, most comfortable and positive experience possible.
AMBER BERRY, CPM, LM, MSc, OWNER
Amber is a certified professional midwife through the North American Registry of Midwives and licensed midwife in Texas and has a Master of Science in Advanced Midwifery Practice from Anglia Ruskin University. With an education as a midwife and background as a doula and childbirth educator, as well as mom of 7 (yes, seven) children, she brings a wealth of childbirth knowledge to the table. Amber’s 7 children were all natural births with midwives; each was a very different yet equally sacred experience—one was even born in a third world country with a missionary midwife. The tender support given to her during each birth ignited a desire to serve women through their journey of childbirth as a midwife herself. She believes in women’s bodies and their ability to give birth the way it was designed. She also believes in a woman’s right to decide how and where she wants to give birth, be encouraged in that choice and given every opportunity to make it happen as she desires in the healthiest, safest way possible. She also believes in informed consent and being an informed consumer—every couple has the right to be educated about birth and to make their own decisions based on information and facts.
Amber is married to Weston, who serves as a pastor of a local church. Before moving back to the USA, the Berrys served as missionaries in Egypt for 5 years. Amber also has birth experience interning at a missions birth clinic in the Philippines for impoverished women, and has visited birth centers in Haiti and Madagascar.
AMBER BERRY, CPM, LM, MSc, OWNER
Amber is a certified professional midwife through the North American Registry of Midwives and licensed midwife in Texas. With an education as a midwife and background as a doula and childbirth educator, as well as mom of 6 children herself, she brings a wealth of childbirth knowledge to the table. Amber has 6 children, all of which were natural births with midwives. Each was a very different yet equally sacred experience—one was even born in a third world country with a missionary midwife. The tender support given to her during each birth ignited a desire to serve women through their journey of childbirth as a midwife. She believes in women’s bodies and their ability to give birth the way it was designed. She also believes in a woman’s right to decide how and where she wants to give birth, be encouraged in that choice and given every opportunity to make it happen as she desires in the healthiest, safest way possible. She also believes in informed consent and being an informed consumer—every couple has the right to be educated about birth and to make their own decisions based on information and facts.
It is her heart’s desire to journey with couples through their own unique birth experiences, offering encouragement and support to achieve the best, safest, most comfortable and positive experience possible.
Amber is married to Weston, who serves as an associate pastor at a local church. Before moving back to the USA, the Berrys served as missionaries in Egypt for 5 years. Amber also has birth experience interning at a missions birth clinic in the Philippines for impoverished women, and has visited birth centers in Haiti and Madagascar.
TRAINING & EXPERIENCE
In 2012, Amber began her midwifery academics and in 2013 began her first internship in the Philippines where she trained at a birth center for impoverished women. In 2014, she and her family returned to the USA where she began birth assisting with midwives while continuing her midwifery academic training. Amber also became a birth doula and assisted women both in and out of hospital births while continuing to birth assist and train with local midwives in home birth and birth center settings. She also became a certified Birth Boot Camp instructor. Amber completed her clinical requirements to open her own private practice in January, 2017. She has a Master of Science degree in Advanced Midwifery Practice from Anglia Ruskin University and maintains certification with the American Heart Association in Basic Life Support and CPR for healthcare professionals (AHA BLS), and in neonatal resuscitation (AHA/AAP NRP) and has attended over 700 births throughout the past decade.
TRAINING & EXPERIENCE
In 2012, Amber began her midwifery academics and in 2013 began her first internship in the Philippines where she trained at a birth center for impoverished women. In 2014, she and her family returned to the USA where she began birth assisting with midwives while continuing her midwifery academic training. Amber also became a birth doula and assisted women in both in and out of hospital births while continuing to birth assist and train with local midwives in home birth and birth center settings. She also became a certified Birth Boot Camp instructor. Amber completed her clinical requirements to open her own private practice in January, 2017. She has a Master of Science degree in Advanced Midwifery Practice from Anglia Ruskin University and maintains certification with the American Heart Association in Basic Life Support and CPR for healthcare professionals (AHA BLS), and in neonatal resuscitation (AHA/AAP NRP) and has attended over 400 births throughout the past decade.
Amber is a certified clinical preceptor for The National College of Midwifery and Mercy in Action College of Midwifery to facilitate clinical training for the student midwives working on their degrees. In addition, she has completed the following courses and workshops among many others: Basic Disaster Birth Support, Global Midwifery: Listen First, Suturing for Midwives, Global Midwifery Skills, Venipuncture and IV skills, Cultural Competency and Respect in the Provision of Maternity Care; Twins, Breeches, and ECV; Resolving Shoulder Dystocia; Expect the Unexpected: Midwives Handling Complications in Out of Hospital Settings; Helping Babies Breathe; and many others.
Rachel Crownoble, CPM, LM
Rachel is a certified professional midwife through the North American Registry of Midwives and licensed in Texas. With a long background in birth work and midwifery education, one of her favorite things about being a midwife is being able to walk alongside families through one of the most important times in their lives–helping them to realize that they are capable, and that they have what it takes to bring forth and nurture new life.
Rachel is married to Adam, who is a programmer in educational software. Together they have four children. As a family, they have spent much of their time traveling and trotting the globe, and seem to always be on the move; they feel the Lord has given them “nomad” hearts in that they have ministered, visited, and lived in 10 different countries worldwide. Rachel loves to meet new peopleand looks forward to meeting you!
Rachel was born into the birth world in 2010, when she became a certified birth doula with Childbirth International. Alongside her busy doula business, she was a trained birth assistant in two of the most prominent birth centers in Orange County, CA. In her 5 years of birth work, she became well versed in hospital, birth center, and home birth birth practices as well as had the extraordinary had the opportunity of welcoming hundreds of new lives into the world.
In 2015, Rachel and her husband packed up their family and moved across the Pacific ocean to the Philippines where she began her education, ministry, and work as a midwife. While abroad, Rachel had the chance to practice at two very busy lying-in matnerity clinics, on the islands of Luzon and Mindanao.
Kassidy Carter, Midwife
Kassidy is married to an Air Force veteran and they have three children together. Kassidy is a Colorado native, but spent several years in Arizona and Idaho where her husband was stationed. After leaving the military, they felt like the Lord called them to Texas so that Kassidy could finish her midwifery degree requirements at Journey Birth Center. She enjoys snowboarding, playing soccer competitively, hiking, riding horses, and spending time outdoors with her family. Kassidy looks forward to continuing educating and serving women through their pregnancy, delivery, and postpartum as a midwife.
Rachel Crownable, CPM, LM
Rachel is a certified professional midwife through the North American Registry of Midwives. She also holds two state licenses, one in Texas and one in Arizona. One of her favorite things about midwifery is being able to walk alongside a person through one of the most important times in their life; helping them to realize that they are strong, they are capable, and that they have what it takes to bring forth and nurture new life.
Rachel is married to Adam, who works in educational software. They have four rather remarkable children. As a family, they love to travel and they feel that the Lord has given them “nomad” hearts in that they have ministered, lived, or visited 9 different countries as a family; new adventures brought them to Texas!
Rachel was born into the birth world in 2010, when she became a certified birth doula with Childbirth International. Alongside her personal busy practice, she was a trained birth assistant in two of the most prominent birth centers in Orange County, CA. In her 5 years of being a doula and birth assistant, she had the opportunity of welcoming hundreds of new lives into the world.
In 2015, Rachel and her husband packed up their family and moved across the ocean to the Philippines where she began ministry, training, and work as a midwife. While abroad, Rachel had the chance to work at two very busy missions birth centers, both in Davao and in Manila, and she had the chance to help hundreds of families as they welcomed their babies earthside.
After 2.5 years in Asia, it was time to move back to America, and after the birth of her fourth child, Rachel completed her stature licensure to practice in the USA. She soon began working at a birth center in Arizona until recent travels brought her to Journey.
Rachel is a graduate of both Newlife International School of Midwifery and National College of Midwifery. She maintains a certificate with the American Heart Association in Basic Life Support for healthcare professionals (AHA BLS), as well as a certificate with the American Academy of Pediatrics in neonatal resuscitation (AAP NRP).
She loves joining families as they journey through those most intense and yet most beautiful and sacred moments of their life welcoming their sweet baby into the world. She genuinely believes that God’s highest callings on her life are to be the wife and mother He created her to be, and to serve and bless women by facilitating safe, joyful, skilled, respectful and kindhearted birth experiences.
“Go in PEACE; the JOURNEY on which you go is under the eye of the Lord.” Judges 18:6
Birth Assistants, Childbirth Instructor,
and Admins
Haley Ayala
Administrative Director
Haley has her Degree in Business Administration and Birth Doula certification. Haley is a Houston native who is married to Gary, her high school sweetheart. Her years of experience in caring for families, as well as Project Management and Client Relations, have given her the confidence to pursue her passion of working in the birth community. She enjoys ensuring that clients are well taken care of during these miracle life moments.
From 2016 to 2018, Haley served in missions to Reynosa, Mexico, where she built homes with the “Homes for the Homeless” ministry. Later, Haley and Gary were given the privilege of opening a new office for Gary’s employer in Cancun, Mexico. During this launch, they lived in Cancun. They returned to the States in late 2021 and shortly thereafter Haley began working at JBC. When she is not working, Haley enjoys leading worship and serving her church community.
Hunter Clayburn
Birth Assistant, Child Birth Course Instructor
Hunter Clayburn is a follower of Jesus, a wife, a mom to three amazing children, a homeschool teacher, and a supporter of women in birth. She became a doula in Denver, CO in 2013 following the birth of her second child. Later, her family moved to Houston where she continued her birth worker journey. In 2015, she became a trained midwives’ assistant. Hunter loves supporting women as they begin and grow their families. She loves encouraging women that “this is hard but you can do this” versus the often repeated “you can’t do birth, it’s too hard”. Knowing that when families begin this new stage with encouragement and support, they bond easier and feel more capable when there are hard moments in their parenting journeys.
Hailey Elder
Birth Assistant
Brianna Roberts
Birth Center Billing Manager
Jamie Tutiven
Birth Assistant, Student Midwife
Krista Jans
Office Hostess
Krista has her bachelors in church leadership and two associates in Intercultural Studies and Bible. She grew up in Houston and has been in kids ministry for over a decade! She married her husband, Aaron, in 2020 and they had their frist sweet baby, Obi, with Journey Birth Center! Kirsta loves being outdoors while sipping a cup of coffee. She is so excited to welcome our families into the office as our Office Hostess, and it is her delight to serve you however she can!
Kamryn Melder
Birth Assistant
Kamryn has had a passion for childbrith since having the opportunity to watch the birth of her youngest brother at 17 years old. She is a follower of Jesus, a sister and best friend to 3 little brothers, and a lover of being in the presence of the miracle of childbirth. She has years of nursing training and is certified in Neonatal Resuscitation, CPR, and will be a certified doula in 2023. She is a Houstonian since birth and loves living near her closely knitted family. Kamryn enjoys serving in her church, going to the theather, baking, being outside, and spending timewith her dear family and friends. She feels honored to serve the wonderful families at JBC.