Nicole Deggins

Nicole Deggins is one of the country’s leading birth advocacy experts named “The Midwife Shifting the Narrative” by ESSENCE Magazine. She is a sought-after trainer, public speaker and community educator working to eliminate perinatal disparities and bring transparency to prenatal education and the medical obstetrical system. Nicole provides education, training and consultations for communities, birth workers and organizations that work with childbearing families. She is a dedicated leader, mentor, and consultant and actively supports efforts to increase the numbers of African American midwives, doulas, and birth advocates. She believes that this is a critical step in eliminating the perinatal disparities that plague the African American community.

 As Chief Visionary Officer (CVO) of SMP, Nicole is the creator of the Sista Midwife Birth Sister training, the Louisiana Healthy Birth AmbassadorÔ perinatal community health worker training, and the creator of the largest online Black Midwife and Doula Directories. In addition to her training and community work, Nicole is a founding member of the Louisiana Doula Registry Board and has spent time as a member of the Louisiana Pregnancy Associated Mortality Review Committee, the Louisiana Healthy Moms Healthy Babies Council, and as faculty for the Louisiana Perinatal Quality Collaborative. 

With nearly thirty years of experience working inside the medical obstetrical system, Nicole’s views and style of training are radically different. Her combination of real life experiences, combined with her vivid storytelling, her willingness to share “insider secrets” and her unprecedented passion, allow her to connect with her students and her speaking audiences in a full and unique way. Nicole uses a powerful delivery style to inspire individuals toward a paradigm shift about birth and birth justice. She believes that Birth is the Revolution and if we collectively begin to change how we birth, and how we support each other during childbearing, we can literally heal ourselves and our communities.