At The Village Midwife, we believe in apprenticeship-based learning and the power of collaborative care.
While our practice welcomes student midwives, doulas in training, and nurse practitioner students from 8 partnering universities, your care will always be centered around our core team—our lead midwife, Jeni, and our student midwife, Alyssa— who provide consistent, personalized support throughout your journey.
This approach allows us to offer both the wisdom of experience and the energy of learning, ensuring every family is cared for with attentiveness, continuity, and respect for birth as a natural, safe, and transformative process.
When Jeni began her work as a midwife, she felt called to minister to pregnant people and their families through selfless service. At The Village Midwife, “ministry” means showing up with compassion, skill, and a genuine heart to care. Every practitioner on our team shares this commitment to serve with humility and love.
We believe all people deserve a safe, joyful, and empowered birth experience, regardless of race, income, family structure, sexual orientation, or spiritual beliefs. We strive to create a space where every family is seen, respected, and welcomed.
Jeni Rector, LM, DM, CPM
Jeni began practicing as a midwife in 2005. She became a Certified Professional Midwife in August of 2007 and the 31st Licensed Midwife in the Commonwealth of Virginia shortly thereafter! Before that, she held two apprenticeships, one with a Licensed CPM and one with a CNM. Jeni has attended over 650 pregnant people as a midwife, birth attendant, and doula since 2000.
Jeni has “birthed” 8 working CPMs and is currently a preceptor for:
The North American Registry of Midwives
National College of Midwifery
Midwives College of Utah
National Midwifery Institute
Indiana State University
Walden University
South University
Hollins University
Christopher Newport University
Purdue University
Old Dominion University
Carson-Newman College
Jeni has been married for 32 years. She has 7 children, 2 sons-in-law, and 5 grandchildren. She is a huge animal lover and is the mom to 3 dogs, 2 cats, a bunch of reptiles, and some cute fish.
Jeni is active in her church and in the local community. She is an advocate for Postpartum Depression, Mental Health, Breastfeeding, Intactivism, Equal Access to Maternity Care, Inclusion in Midwifery Care, Veteran’s with PTSD, and Gold Star Families. She is also very involved in the midwifery community with things such as education, legislation, and politics.
When Jeni is not helping moms, hanging with her kids or grands, or chasing animals, you will find her fishing, shooting, sleeping or binge watching strange documentaries! She also enjoys singing and dancing but usually makes up her own lyrics and dance moves.
She has given birth under just about every circumstance there is (read her birth stories here) so she feels like she can certainly relate to ALL pregnant and laboring women.
She is a member of the North American Registry of Midwives
She is a member of the National Perinatal Task Force
She is a member of the White Ribbon Alliance for Safe Motherhood
She is a member of the Virginia Midwives Alliance.
She is a member of the International Cesarean Awareness Network
She is a member of Birth Matters
Alyssa Uhl
Alyssa is a mom of two and wife to a youth leader in the Hampton Roads area. Her familiarity with out of hospital birth goes back to around 6 years old when her mom started birthing children at home or at a birth center. As the eldest of 8 kids, she became very familiar with midwives and water birth. As she grew older and her friends and family started having children, she took on the role of doula supporting in birth and postpartum.
Alyssa transitioned into midwifery early 2024, and has been blessed to serve 50+ families since then either in the role of doula or student midwife. Alyssa’s love for people, faith in God, and sense of justice and fairness have been cornerstones of her midwifery journey.
She believes people should be loved and cared for without bias and that everyone deserves to be supported in the birth they desire.
