I am Tintawi Kaigziabiher and my family and I live in Northern New Mexico. Our home rests on the land of San Marcos Pueblo, the ancestral land of the Northern and Southern Tewa People. As a woman of African Descent. I recognize the importance of both science and tradition in uplifting Black and Indigenous communities. In my community I create opportunities to help families thrive. My husband and I have five living children. We also have experienced five pregnancy losses.
It is my hope and prayer to do my part to save the lives of mothers, birthing people, and babies. I joined Count the Kicks to further that cause. Understanding the impact of pregnancy loss and stillbirth has inspired me to want to support as many people as possible so they can live to see their child’s birth, first birthday, and beyond. I recognize that there are many tools to improve the outcomes of community members. Count the Kicks is an easy and free method that can help create a safer environment for parents and babies as evidence demonstrates.
In my day-to-day life I am an interdisciplinary artist, a writer, Olorisa (Lukumi Priest), Licensed and Certified Lactation Counselor (ALPP), Certified Birth Doula (CBI), Certified Trainer (CBI), the Executive Director of the nonprofit ILE IFE, and the creator of the Our Earth Certified Community Birth and Postpartum Attendant (CBPA) training program. I am a published author and my most recent work is a book entitled, “We Speak.” My writing and artwork center around giving a voice to the experiences of African people living in the diaspora.
I have worked in the field of maternal and infant health since 2005 and professionally since 2009. I have assisted midwives, trained with birth attendants in traditional and evidenced-based care, worked with families in home and hospital births, trained doulas and full-spectrum community birth and postpartum attendants, and supported women and birthing people in New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, and overseas both virtually and in-person as needed. In collaboration with several statewide organizations that I am a part of, I seek to uncover the disparities in reproductive health care and to develop unique solutions along with community members to improve outcomes for our most vulnerable yet resilient people.
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