About Emily Darnall:
A CNM led private practice is a dream realized.
I moved around a lot as a kid, but call the Mississippi gulf coast my hometown. I come from a long line of nurses in my family, so I picked up my Bachelor’s Degree in Nursing at Mississippi College in 2001. After a brief period of wanderlust, I landed in Texas. I started taking care of moms and babies 20 years ago as a NICU nurse at Texas Children’s Hospital in Houston. I left the bedside to get a Master’s degree in Nursing Administration at UT Austin in 2010, but quickly realized I missed taking care of women!
In the meantime, I was expecting my first child and researching my options for maternity care in Austin. I was surprised to find so many gaps on the menu of options. I wanted to give birth on my own terms, without medication in a hospital setting but there was little infrastructure to support me. Ultimately, I gave birth my way with plenty of obstacles. I felt transformed by that challenging time, but also energized to become the type of provider I didn’t have as a new mom. Suddenly I had clarity and saw all roads leading to midwifery. I followed that dream and graduated from Frontier Nursing University in 2016 when my girls were still in diapers. Frontier is the birthplace of Nurse Midwifery in the US and I’m proud to be part of that legacy.
As a midwife, I’ve worked in a freestanding birth center and collaborative private practice, where I met Jess Good. I worked most recently as an online childbirth educator and hospitalist at North Austin Medical Center. I’d love to Make Austin Weird Again, but with growth comes opportunity. I’ve seen Austin change dramatically over the last 15 years and I still love it here. I’m thrilled to be a part of this changing landscape in women’s healthcare.
I believe midwifery is for everyone, even if Motherhood isn’t a page in your history. The literal meaning of Midwife is With Woman. Every woman deserves a place where she feels heard, is believed and feels empowered with information about her body. Birth is a moment of divinity; a space between worlds. Every birth is uniquely yours, it’s a beautiful mess and it matters. It’s part of your divine evolution as a woman. It’s your greatest love story. I believe the choices a woman makes about her body have a ripple effect. These choices inform how she shows up for herself, her family, and her community.
My blueprint to happiness is More Heart, Less Ego. My only ideology is: Listen to Women, Believe Women, Hold space for women. When I’m not working, you’ll find me with my tween girls and my 2 giant hound dogs. I practice yoga most days. I love music festivals, house parties, water parks, winter dips in Barton Springs and the endless Texas summer. My girls are my North Star. Behind every happy midwife is a supportive partner; my husband Keilty and I have been married 20 years and counting.
I’m so honored to be a part of your story.
