Meet Our Team
Jenny Ownbey
Certified Nurse Midwife & Practice Owner
My passion for assisting women during labor and childbirth was ignited during my nursing school years when I witnessed my first birth. I dedicated my career to labor and delivery nursing, serving in this role for a decade. During this period, I was blessed to experience childbirth firsthand, giving birth to my two daughters in the labor unit where I worked, surrounded by the love and support of my family, friends, and colleagues.
Over the years, I expanded my expertise by becoming a childbirth educator and later a lactation consultant (IBCLC). My commitment to empowering women and advocating for natural birth choices led me to embrace the midwifery model of care, which aligns perfectly with my values. I graduated from Frontier Nursing University in 2021 with a Master of Science in Nurse Midwifery.
I am deeply grateful for the diverse experiences I have gained, both within and outside the hospital setting. The guidance and mentorship of exceptional educators and mentors have shaped me into the compassionate and skilled provider I am today.
Presently, I reside in Bladen County with my husband and our two daughters. We prefer working from home and homeschooling our children, aligning with our Christian faith and commitment to serving our local church and community. In my leisure time, I find joy in baking, gardening, canning, and spending quality time with my family and friends.
Samantha Sands
Certified Nurse Midwife
Samantha Sands is a native of Jamaica. She came to the States as a teenager, and after completing high school, she enlisted in the Army where she served as an active-duty soldier for 8 years. During her childhood, she watched her mother struggle with access to care, and her interest in caring for women was sparked. It was, however, during her time in the service while working on a birthing unit at a military facility, that she discovered her love for nursing and midwifery.
While on active duty, she received her certification through the Army and became an LPN. After completing her time in service, she received her Associate Degree in Nursing from Fayetteville Technical Community College in 2014, then her Bachelor of
Science in Nursing from Fayetteville State University in 2017. Sam then acquired her Master’s degree in Midwifery from Frontier Nursing University in 2021.
Sam is a wife and mother of three. When she is not working, her focus is on her family and spending time with her kids. She realizes how important it is to take care of the woman holistically and the influence this care and education can have on the family unit. She is very passionate about women’s health and education, empowering women to advocate for themselves, and mental health for mothers. She is also passionate about breastfeeding and is a Certified Lactation Counselor (CLC).
Of her 20 years of medical experience, 17 of those years have been taking care of mothers and babies. Home birth has allowed her to embody the true meaning of midwifery, to be “with woman.” It is with this spirit that she joins the Sacred Haven family, where she can continue with the business of taking care of women.
Jamie Perkins
Certified Professional Midwife / Midwife Assistant
“I have always been drawn to the miracle of childbirth. Motherhood started for me with two bonus sons, then years of infertility along with two early miscarriages. I now have four sons and one daughter, as well as my bonus sons who brought a grandson and granddaughter to our tribe.
My journey into birth work began during my pregnancy with my daughter in 2006. I hired a home birth midwife for the first time after having older children born in the hospital. I then became certified as a Labor Assistant though ALACE (now toLabor) and served as an assistant while pregnant and after my daughter's birth. I began my midwifery apprenticeship with my midwife and learned invaluable information while helping other women through their own journey.
Over the years, I held certifications as a Child Passenger Safety Technician and The Happiest Baby educator. I served three years volunteering at a pregnancy care center and teaching childbirth classes. I have been a Certified BLS instructor through the American Heart Association for 28 years and enjoy helping people feel confident in their skills during an emergency. I also held certification as an EMT, EMT-Intermediate for about 20 years (during that time I spent a couple of years dispatching for 911 in Johnston County.) I feel that those years prepared me for home birth by giving me many opportunities to arrive in a home and make a workspace and feel comfortable. In September 2010, I completed the requirements to become a Certified Professional Midwife through NARM. I earned my Midwifery Bridge Certificate through NARM in 2017.
Sacred Haven Midwifery is where I can be present with mothers and babies and I find no other thing (aside from my own family) to be more fulfilling and rewarding in the world. It is my hope to be a vessel for God to bring harmony, peace, comfort and wellbeing to every birth I attend and every family whose lives I touch. May each client feel she has arrived at a sacred haven when it is time to birth with our team.
Lesa Williams
Birth Assistant / Doula
Lesa is a mom of 12 grown children, 10 boys and two girls. Her first four were C-sections, then five home births, her last three were birthed in a hospital totally unmedicated. She has been a birth and postpartum doula, professionally for over nine years, however, has been helping and serving pregnant, and birthing women, for over 20 years. She has served as a home birth assistant for over five years.
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"Having the opportunity of a home birth, with skilled midwives, was a life-changing experience for me. The midwifery model of care is superior to our current medical model of care. After my home birth experiences, I wanted to become a midwife, but chose homesteading, raising and home educating my children, as my first priority being a Mom”.
“I fell in love with the art of Midwifery from then on, and have always felt that childbirth was Sacred, and “how a woman births matters both to her and her baby”. Sacred Haven Midwifery offers women, their baby and their family superior care. I'm so honored to be here and to have an opportunity to continue to learn this priceless knowledge."
Lesa loves spending time with her family, gardening, and teaching her very own childbirth education course, "Steps of CREATION to MOTHER, the Spiritual Guide Overcoming Fear in Childbirth.
Bethany Nelson
Birth Assistant / Doula
Bethany began working as a birth assistant in 2022. She has been a birth doula for almost 10 years, and also provides placenta encapsulation services.
"Birth work has been a huge passion of mine for more than 10 years and the love for this work has me in awe and never ever gets old. Birth is such an intimate and exciting time, and being able to bring your baby earth side, in your own home, is an experience that you’ll never forget."
"Our goal at Sacred Haven Midwifery is to help you and your family have the most beautiful and healthy birth experience and to guide you in any way we can. We as a whole are continually learning and growing ourselves to ensure we give the best care possible to our families and Mamas."
"Birth and what you experience during that time is different for everyone and for every baby, whether it’s your first or seventh. When women trust their bodies and us with their care, we take that very seriously."
"My husband and I have five beautiful children, a homestead that is growing daily (chicken math-am I right?), and a garden of fruits and vegetables to feed our family. I love canning and preserving foods, making tinctures, and hope to grow my apothecary skills in order to provide for others in the near future."