Our Care Team
Nikki Helms, LM, CPM, CLEC
Midwife
Nikki is the proud mother of two girls 12 and 17 years old. She's a Licensed Midwife, Monitrice and Perinatal educator.
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Nikki's career in birth work started when a dear friend asked if Nikki would be her doula in 2003. After serving several families in the Bay Area, she got pregnant with her first child in 2004, and relocated to be closer to family in San Diego that next year and was warmly welcomed into the birth community in San Diego.
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Since the start of midwifery school in 2014, she has had the need to start a birth center that serves every body: LGBTQIA+ family builders, marginalized BIPOC, immigrants and asylum seekers, educating along the way.
After a successful, ongoing GoFundMe effort, Nikki is the principal midwife behind San Diego Community Birth Center, currently working tirelessly to ensure the birth center and its nonprofit foundation are well situated to serve the San Diego community.
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Every pregnancy and birth is a miracle and as a Licensed Midwife, Nikki is honored to be able to contribute experience, genuine love and culturally competent care to families in San Diego.
Shani Cooper, DACM, LAc, CLEC
Acupuncturist
Shani Cooper is a Doctor of Acupuncture and Chinese Medicine.
Shani has created an Integrative Medical Practice that focuses on natural chronic pain management, digestion issues and Full Spectrum Birth Work from preconception to postpartum and beyond. Shani is passionate about people being able to fully live in their bodies and live their best lives. She's taken this passion to China to study with teachers of her mentors, and bring the highest quality medicinal botanicals to her patients.
Dr. Cooper has created integrative programs to address postpartum and gynecological health with
the proper balance of science, botanical and traditional medicine, to encourage and work towards the World Health Organization's definition of health: "a complete state of physical, mental, and social well-being, and not merely the absence of disease or infirmity". Shani is also incorporating cutting edge therapies to treat chronic pain, digestive issues and autoimmune diseases.
Dr. Cooper is licensed in California and practices out of the Root and Soul clinic in La Mesa. I am super focused on Traditional Chinese Medicine gynecology and birthwork and working to reduce maternal and infant mortality rates in my community, in particular for birthing people of color.
Disha Mistri, MSN, NP
Family BuildingSupport
Disha Mistri is a dual board certified Adult Gerontology and Women's Health Nurse Practitioner.
She is originally from Boston, Massachusetts, where she completed her Master's of Science in Nursing at the highly esteemed MGH Institute of Health Professions. Before starting her NP journey, Disha was a middle school science teacher in Miami, Florida. This is where she learned the skills needed to be a clinical educator for a broad spectrum of learning needs and styles.
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Disha moved to San Diego in 2015 to work at Planned Parenthood as a flex-clinician, working at various locations throughout San Diego, Riverside, Palm Springs, and Coachella providing essential sexual and reproductive health services.
After Planned Parenthood, she accepted a role as clinical manager and the first NP at Hanabusa IVF in Sorrento Valley, San Diego. While at Hanabusa IVF, Disha worked closely with the doctors to help establish protocols and provide a high level of service to women struggling with severe issues of infertility including Diminished Ovarian Reserve (DOR), Premature Ovarian Failure (POF), PolyCystic Ovarian Syndrome (PCOS), and other conditions.
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Disha is an LGBTQIA+ advocate and passionate about clear patient education through direct patient care. She struggled with fertility issues herself for many years. She now shares 3 beautiful daughters with her wife and wishes to help other folks along their fertility journeys.
Eugenia Jansen, CST, CMT
Massage and Craniosacral Therapist
With 15 years of experience, Eugenia has been guiding people to experience extraordinary health.
She specializes in:
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CranioSacral Therapy
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Visceral Manipulation
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Medical Massage Therapy
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Somatic Release
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Reiki
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Chinese Medicine
Born in Muzquiz, Coahuila, Mexico, Eugenia is a former doula who From an early age, she naturally gravitated toward helping others. Eugenia has worked as a CNA with dementia, hospice and Alzheimer's patients for several .
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Eugenia’s mother opened the first school of Special Needs in the north of Mexico, which provided her experience working for several years with children on the Autism Spectrum. Having a son with Diabetes Type I, a grandmother and mother with Alzheimer’s, brought her the compassion and courage to change her career, and holistic healing is where her journey has taken her, as she continues to search for new methods and ways of healing.
Certifications:
CranioSacral Therapy from the Upledger Institute
Visceral Manipulation from Barral Institute.
CAMTC Massage Therapy National Holistic Institute
Chinese Yixue - Germany ( Qigong) Red Cross.
Eugenia has joyfully joined us at San Diego Community Birth Center and maintains a practice in Los Angeles.
For appointments, please call (310) 923-2642