Susie Meeks CPM-TN is the primary Midwife and Doula/Monitrice of Morning Star Maternity Services LLC, caring for women in Nashville TN + surrounding areas since 1996.
We are committed to providing safe, personal Home Birth Midwife services (including water birth, in-home prenatal + postpartum care) and Doula/Monitrice services (for hospital + birth center births). Giving birth is one of the most intimate and powerfully transforming experiences for a woman and her family. Supporting them in their journey of pregnancy and the wonder of childbirth is truly our honor.
Susie Meeks CPM-TN – Primary Midwife
Originally a Michigan gal from northwest Detroit, in 1986 a move brought my family and I to the rolling hills of West Franklin in Williamson County, south of Nashville in Middle Tennessee. My husband Kenny Meeks and I have raised five wonderful children over the course of our 40+ years of marriage. I enjoy swimming, sewing, dancing, being Grandma to our eight grandchildren, and cheering for Notre Dame football. My faith, family, friends, and my ladies + their babies are of the utmost importance to me.
For as long as I can remember I have loved mothering and babies. After helping at the birth of a dear friend in 1982 and while assisting with many births thereafter through the early 1990’s, my passion for supporting women as they brought new life into the world continued to grow.
Joining the Tennessee Midwives Association (TMA) in the early 1990’s inspired me to pursue the art of midwifery. I attended the Tennessee Birthplace School of Midwifery, completing their intensive Midwifery Training/Education program in 1995 and then also became registered with the North American Registry of Midwives (NARM). It was my privilege to work as an apprentice with two busy midwives who practiced in the greater Nashville area from 1994 to 1996. I’ve had the joy of serving amazing women as a Primary Midwife and a Doula/Monitrice since 1996.
When certification became available in 1999, I became a Certified Professional Midwife (CPM) through NARM (North American Registry of Midwives). This CPM certification is the only nationally accredited midwifery credential requiring out-of-hospital home birth experience. In 2002 when the State of Tennessee began CPM licensing, I received TN state licensure as a Certified Professional Midwife (CPM-TN). I also maintain additional certifications in neonatal resuscitation, adult/infant CPR and participate in continuing education + peer review as my license requires.
The many years of experience have proven to be a valuable foundation of wisdom and insight into the caring for women as they grow and birth their sweet babies.
I feel that knowledge, compassion, preparation, intuition, prayer and a listening ear are key in providing you with appropriate guidance and clinical care throughout your childbearing season. I have enjoyed numerous opportunities to welcome multiple children within the same family, and cherish the special privilege of serving as Midwife for my own daughters. I look forward to the opportunity to serve you.
Resume
- Tennessee Midwives Association (TMA)
Member (1992 – present) - Tennessee Birthplace School of Midwifery
Intensive Midwifery Training/Education Program (1994 – 1995) - Apprentice/Assistant Midwife (1994 – 1996)
- North American Registry of Midwives (NARM)
Registered Midwife #43258 (1995 – present)
Certified Professional Midwife #000200004 (1999 – present) - State of Tennessee License #CPM0000013
Certified Professional Midwife of Tennessee, CPM-TN (2002 – present) - American Academy of Husband-Coached Childbirth
The Bradley Method – Certified Coach (1995) - Peer Review through TMA and Continuing Education as required by NARM
- T.A.B.L.E. Program completion and certification (2013)
- E.S.T. Birth Emergency Skills Training for out-of-hospital providers (2015)
- American Academy of Pediatrics, American Heart Association
Neonatal Resuscitation Program (NRP) (current w/recertification every 2 years)
Basic Life Support (BLS) and CPR (current w/recertification every 2 years)
About My Team
My team includes a qualified assistant. We come along beside you ready to listen and offer gentle, empowering encouragement as you do the awesome work of birthing your baby. We strive to provide a fulfilling and safe arrival for the newest member of your family.
Jennifer Dukes, BSN, CHC, RN – Assistant
Jen was blessed to attend the birth of her brother in her early teens, and knew even then her calling was to be a part of the miracle of helping bring new life into the world. She earned her Bachelor’s degree of Science in Nursing from Union University in 1998. She then went on to work in labor and delivery, several other areas of maternal and child health, and internal medicine before taking time off to give birth herself.
She and her husband began the childbearing journey in 2001 with an amazing midwife at their side and they have been blessed with 7 children. Through her experiences as an RN, and over the course of her own pregnancies, Jen has gained an awed awareness of the gift of pregnancy and natural birth. She deeply enjoys encouraging moms before, during, and after their pregnancies to work with and nurture their bodies through this miraculous process. A learner at heart, Jen also recently became a Certified Family and Pregnancy Health Coach through the Dr. Sears Wellness Institute. One of her passions lies in finding ways to provide whole-food nutrition to her husband and growing children and helping other families do the same.
She and her family moved to Franklin in 2015 when her husband accepted a ministry position with Brentwood Baptist Church. Jen enjoys coffee dates with her husband, learning rich life lessons alongside their kids while reading great books, and opening her home to friends new and old. Jen is so very grateful to have the opportunity to assist Susie and learn the art of midwifery from her with the goal of giving compassionate and nurturing care to each individual mother and baby in the blessing of home birth.
This Website
A special thanks to Janelle Poole Photography, Sarah-Marie Smith Photography, Tara Tioaquen Photography, Danielle Smith, Amber Keeler (KeelerCreations.com), and Lydia Wheeler for some of the great photos on this site.
