DellaReece Bastian, LM
Staff Midwife

Dellareece was born in the Caribbean island of the Bahamas and was raised in Miami. Her love for Midwifery began long before her training. With her gentle and calming spirit she was always asked by family and friends to be there with them when they went into labor. Patiently coaching and cheering them on through these moments gave her the pleasure of knowing that those women are now empowered to be Birthing Warriors.

In 2006, DellaReece began her journey by attending and graduating from the International School of Midwifery. Her love for caring for women is as equally balanced as her love for her 6 children, plus 2 adoptive children and 8 grandchildren. Upon being licensed she has been serving the women in her community ever since. Also, as a certified Nutritional Therapist, she believes that a healthy mom, equals a healthy pregnancy and healthy baby.

Dawna Insua, LM, CPM
Staff Midwife

A graduate of Florida School of Traditional Midwifery, Dawna brings many years of experience to birth work. She has served as a birth doula, certified childbirth educator, midwife assistant, and breastfeeding counselor. She’s also a mom and a U.S. Army veteran.

Dawna believes as a culture, we’ve become too comfortable with the modern, medical assembly line approach to birth. But her experience has taught her there’s another path. Out-of-hospital birth is non-invasive, natural, and can be well supported.

Dawna is on a mission to support and help facilitate empowering, safe birth experiences. She educates families on their choices for childbirth and introduces and informs on the midwifery model of care that birth is a normal, natural, physiological process. Her goal is to create relationships, making sure parents feel safe and supported. She is grateful to walk this path with new clients and with the Magnolia community.

Na'imah Delpeche
Birth Assistant & Wellness Educator

Na'imah is a Certified Labor Doula, Childbirth Educator and Breastfeeding Counselor. She is a peaceful yet spirited mother to 3 magical children. As an experienced Birth Assistant, Na'imah has provided care to women and their families for over fourteen years. Her passion is serving women and their families throughout this momentous time. Na'imah accompanies women as they prepare for childbirth, and continues to support them in birth and beyond.

Na'imah shares her wisdom and understanding of birth, breastfeeding and holistic parenting to advise and support women in their decision making process. She sees her work as one of nurturing women as they explore their birth visions and walking with them as they uncover their own practices and rituals that will birth these visions into being. Na'imah understands the dynamic nature of pregnancy, labor and birth and incorporates these various aspects when consulting with clients.

LaDereka Carter
Lactation Counselor

LaDereka is an Afro-Latina Black woman who was born and raised in Dallas, Texas. After two typical pregnancies and births, Dereka learned that her third baby had Trisomy 13, a fatal condition that resulted in a terminal birth. Her grief journey shed light on the need for more representation in maternal healthcare. She began serving as a doula and has continued expanding her portfolio as a birth professional to include lactation, midwifery, childbirth education, and newborn care specialist. Dereka is a Certified Doula with National Black Doula Association and a La Leche League Leader. She began her midwifery training in 2019 and is now providing virtual lactation consultations to Magnolia clients. Dereka plans to move to Miami to complete her midwifery training at Magnolia.

Sarah Munoz, IBCLC
Lactation Consultant

Sarah brings over ten years breastfeeding experience including working with culturally diverse populations, teaching breastfeeding classes to groups and individuals, running a pump loan program and the setting-up and planning of media events. She has worked in hospitals, clinics and does home visits. Sarah was a founding member of ProMOM, a breastfeeding advocacy internet site for women. Currently the staff International Board Certified Lactation Consultant at Kendall Regional Medical Center, Sarah is also a founding member and Board member of the Foundation for a Breastfeeding Culture, a non-profit that works with hospitals to move them toward Baby Friendly Certification among other projects.

Kerra Quarles
Administrative Coordinator

Originally from Boynton Beach, Kerra has lived in Miami since 2000. She holds a bachelor’s degree in fine art photography and worked as a manager in a retail portrait studio for 15 years.

After witnessing her mother give birth to her little brother, Kerra developed an interest in birth work. She found The Gathering Place and earned her doula certification through their training program. As the administrative coordinator at Magnolia, Kerra enjoys greeting clients and helping them feel comfortable in the birth center environment.

In her free time, Kerra likes outdoor activities, such as biking and going to the beach. She also loves spending time with friends and family, especially her nephew.

Tiffany Lim
Student Intern

Originally from Jamaica, Tiffany grew up in a culture where community was embedded into pregnancy, birth, postpartum, and parenthood. Since she was a child, Tiffany knew she wanted to be a midwife. After moving to Miami as a teenager, she earned her bachelor’s degree in business management with a minor in project management. She also served in the military, then moved onto corporate jobs in operations. In 2011, Tiffany gave birth to her daughter, an experience that prompted her to become a doula. She obtained her certification through The Matrona Holistic Birth Doula program in 2020 and began considering midwifery school. As a current student at Florida School of Traditional Midwifery, Tiffany is completing her clinical training at Magnolia. She enjoys the hands-on approach and is looking forward to a client-centered midwifery career that encourages community.

Golda Francois
Student Intern

When she was 12 years old, Golda started volunteering at a hospital. Seeing the relationship between the Certified Nurse-Midwife and the patient sparked her interest, and she knew she wanted to work in maternal healthcare. Golda earned her bachelor’s degree in health science from the University of South Florida and went on to receive her doula certification. While working as a doula, Golda realized she wanted to be a midwife. She is currently a student at Florida School of Traditional Midwifery and is doing clinical training at Magnolia. Golda says she enjoys the fast-paced environment at Magnolia, and it’s rewarding to be hands-on during prenatal visits, client births, and postpartum appointments. In her spare time, Golda creates digital hair content and also enjoys painting, going to the beach, and spending time with family and friends.

Mark Spence, MD
Medical Director

Dr. Spence is an obstetrician-gynecologist with more than 20 years of experience. In 1994, he successfully graduated from the New York Medical College. Dr. Spence is the former chair of Obstetrics at North Shore Medical Center, and he is well known for professionalism and attentiveness. His professional philosophy is to practice evidence based medicine with informed consent, shared decision making and shared responsibility. His goal with this approach is to help women birth naturally and give birth with the knowledge and tools they need to have a healthy baby. Dr. Spence supports VBAC (vaginal birth after cesarean) and vaginal twin birth. He is a member of the American Congress for Obstetrics and Gynecology (ACOG) and also the happy father of eight children.

Our Founders

Michelle Fonte
Patient Care Director
& Co-Founder

Originally the owner of Motherpath Doula Services, Michelle is a birth & postpartum doula, childbirth educator, yoga instructor, and a passionate breastfeeding and natural birth advocate. Michelle is the mother of six children and has given birth in hospital and at home. Her background is in women's studies, community building and organizing, and birth options advocacy. Michelle has been attending births and supporting women through the childbearing year for over 25 years and is the co-founder Project Motherpath (formerly Birthgirlz), a non-profit organization working to normalize and revalue all aspects of motherhood in our communities through education, outreach and activism.

Tamara Taitt, MS, LMFT, LM
Co-Founder

Licensed as a midwife and a marriage and family therapist Tamara has a varied background in women’s reproductive health activism and has been working in maternal, infant and child health for the last fifteen years. Tamara has a deep interest in the sustainability of the midwifery profession and politics as it relates to birth. Currently pursuing a Phd in Family Therapy, her clinical and research interests focus on exploring mental health issues that are pervasive during the childbearing year particularly the experience of postpartum depression, post traumatic stress related to birth and perinatal bereavement. Tamara currently serves on the board of the Florida School of Traditional Midwifery. She is the owner of a private practice Encompass: Therapy for Wellness.