Rhea Freeman was born and raised in New York as a Caribbean American and knew she wanted to be involved in birth from the young age of nine. Rhea was always fascinated with the intricacies of the birth process and how the body is capable of such a physically demanding, harmonious role. Working toward that process, she moved to Maryland to attend school, where she met her husband and subsequently relocated to Japan. During her time in Japan, she observed the health and well-being of native Japanese women across the lifespan. She compared it to her exposure to the diversity of the American population. There, Rhea began to immerse herself in nutrition and came to appreciate its role and importance in women’s healthcare.
Rhea Freeman, Ph.D. (c) CNM, FACNM, studied midwifery at Shenandoah University.
Upon returning to Maryland, she earned a degree in Nutrition and began providing nutritional services to pregnant women throughout Washington, D.C. However, she still wanted intimate involvement with birth and subsequently attended midwifery school, earning a Master of Science in Nursing and passing boards to become a Certified Nurse Midwife. As a midwife, her passion for providing safe care for women with a foundation in nutritional intervention became paramount. She now combines midwifery and nutrition intervention in her care process with her patients throughout their lifespan. She believes every woman has the potential to have a healthy, enjoyable pregnancy if empowered and educated.
During her care of women in the intrapartum setting, she began to notice commonalities among women experiencing difficult labor. In her search for a reliable solution to help these women and ultimately prevent their issues, she found Spinning Babies®. By integrating the Spinning Babies® methodology with her foundation in midwifery and nutrition, she noticed positive changes in the women who embraced the trifecta of nutrition, midwifery philosophy, and Spinning Babies®. At this point in time, she felt a calling to midwifery and undergraduate education and left full-time midwifery practice. Concurrently, she felt it was important to share the Spinning Babies® methodology with birth workers in her community, so she began hosting workshops. Through that relationship, she was invited to become a Spinning Babies® Approved Trainer, and she humbly accepted.
Rhea Freeman, CNM, is married with two wonderful children. Her interests outside of Spinning Babies®, Nutrition, and Midwifery include traveling, photography, spending time with family, and immersing herself in her Caribbean roots.
