Meet Jacquelyn

Meet Jacquelyn

Certified Traditional Postpartum Doula | Author

Jacquelyn has spent spent the past 20 years helping families from various backgrounds and ethnicities to have the care they need as they experience the joys of birth and the challenges of nursing.

More

Meet The Founder

Hello, I am Jacquelyn Clemmons daughter of Wanda Simmons-Clemmons, granddaughter of Flora Simmons, great-granddaughter of Beatrice McLaughlin, great-great-granddaughter of Naomi Leslie, and mother of 3.

I am a birth and traditional postpartum doula, certified breastfeeding specialist, and author. I have spent the past 20 years helping families from various backgrounds and ethnicities to have the care they need as they experience the joys of birth and the challenges of nursing. Through proper care, deep nourishment, and community support, I aim to help BIPOC families experience their births and postpartum seasons in a positive way.

Family History

In the late 1800s my great-great-grandmother Naomi Leslie was a Grand Midwife in Carthage, NC. She not only delivered all of her grandchildren but was a sought-after midwife in her town and surrounding counties.

Her daughter Beatrice McLaughlin was a soft-spoken homemaker and mother to 11 children. After her husband fell ill she began working as a nursing home nurse's assistant in Carthage, NC.

My grandmother Flora Simmons affectionately known as "Flo" was a determined and vivacious woman who paved her own path while making sure to always care for others. By day she was a special education teacher at P.S. 20 in Bedstuy Brooklyn, NY. After school, she cared for children of local wealthy white families. In the late '60s and early '70s during the height of the civil rights movement in America, she made sure she provided love and comfort to her community by selling loaded $5 plates to whoever showed up to 216 Adelphi St.

Her oldest daughter, my mother, Wanda Simmons-Clemmons went on to become a physician. Her entire medical career has been centered on the "least of them". From the forgotten elderly population to low-income people who can be all but forgotten in the medical system.

What does this have to do with Okionu Birth Foundation?

All of these women in my matrilineal lineage, including myself, have been in service to their communities through birth work, education, healthcare, and meal preparation. Okionu Birth Foundation is the contribution of the new generation to meet the needs of postpartum families and our communities at large.

Grandmother Flora Simmons, Educator & Community Mother — Grandmother Flora Simmons, Educator, & Community Mother

Old photo of Great-Grandmother Beatrice McLaughlin pictured with daughter Flora Simmons — Great-Grandmother Beatrice McLaughlin pictured with daughter Flora Simmons

Great-great-grandmother Grand Midwife Naomi Leslie early 1900s pictured with daughter Ruth

Appearances

* Jacquelyn’s work has been featured on:

Certified Traditional Postpartum Doula | Author

Meet The Founder

Family History

What does this have to do with Okionu Birth Foundation?

Appearances

download a free post partum recipe