Jessica Willoughby, LM, CPM, RN
Jessica Willoughby, LM, CPM is a licensed midwife and the owner of The Birth Center of St. Pete. She completed her DONA doula training in 2009 after graduating from USF with a bachelors degree in anthopology. As a doula, she saw a great need for birth options in her community and felt called to pursue a career as a licensed midwife. Jessica attended and graduated from the three-year direct-entry midwifery program at the Florida School of Traditional Midwifery in Gainesville, FL. While in school, she obtained extensive training with a home birth midwife in St. Pete and a busy birth center in Sarasota. Jessica believes that birth is an empowering rite of passage for the woman, her partner and their family and is honored to attend these profound, life changing experiences. Jessica currently lives in St. Pete with her husband, Matt, and daughter, Sawyer.
Michaela Danhousen, LM, IBCLC
Michaela is a Canadian-trained midwife and holds a bachelor’s degree of health science with a concentration in midwifery. Additionally, she is a Board Certified Lactation Consultant (IBCLC) and licensed prenatal and infant massage therapist. She has also experienced the privilege of motherhood to three amazing children and has the job of grand-parenting. She has been in Canada for the last 23 years, but grew up in the Tampa Bay Area. She is so happy to have returned to the beautiful Florida weather and to call St. Pete home. In Canada, she was part of a thriving midwifery practice and spent much of her free time in the community providing breastfeeding support. She has been. Providing care and support to the birth community for 20 years. She is driven by a passion to serve, educate, and empower families during this unique time. Michaela is deeply grateful to provide midwifery services to the St. Petersburg community.
Mary Kay Miller, DNP, CNM
Mary Kay comes to the Birth Center of St Pete with great respect and gratitude for birth, women, and families. She always felt an innate sense of trust in birth, after being a registered nurse and working in labor and delivery for many years, she found her path to evidence-based midwifery. She has been in the maternal-child world since she graduated from nursing school over 32 years ago. During her education process in a large midwifery practice and hospital, she gained great experience and high volume and quality. She attended a wonderful registered nurse 3-year diploma program St. Joseph School of Nursing in Elmira, New York, received her Bachelors of Science degree from Hartwick College in Oneonta, New York, and a Masters degree from Case Western Reserve University in Ohio. Her midwifery degree and certification is from what is now known as Frontier Nursing University in Kentucky. She looks forward to her great adventure and future with the wonderful Birth Center of St Pete!
Kitty Lakey, LM, CPM, CLC
Kitty Lakey is a Licensed Midwife, Certified Professional Midwife, Certified Lactation Counselor, mom of two teens and partner with her husband. Kitty felt drawn to midwifery after her own experiences with birth. Kitty was privileged to have found a thriving midwifery community in Sarasota for her own care and her love of birth work developed from that care. Kitty felt that all low-risk families that wanted a Midwife should have the option of a different kind of care. Kitty felt drawn to the strong emphasis placed on bodily autonomy and consent in midwifery care. Kitty graduated from The Florida Traditional School of Midwifery in 2017. Kitty has practiced in the surrounding midwifery community since graduating.
Kristyn Willoughby, CLC
Kristyn Willoughby became passionate about childbirth and breastfeeding after the birth of her first child in 2017. Kristyn has worked as a birth assistant with two different birth centers and is our administrative assistant. Kristyn is currently enrolled in nursing school and plans to pursue nurse midwifery school upon graduation. She believes that every family deserves midwifery care.
Carmela Pedicini, LPN, CCE-ICEA, IBCLC
Carmela Pedicini has been working with midwives for over 30 years. She is a licensed practical nurse, certified childbirth educator (ICEA), and Internationally Board Certified Lactation Consultant. Carmela teaches childbirth education and does home visits for families that include the infant metabolic screen and newborn hearing screen. Carmela has two grown children. When she is not working in the healthcare field, she is on the road as a songwriter, singer and guitarist for the Americana band, Passerine.