Ashley Collie LM, CPM-Founder 

I have always looked at pregnancy and birth as a natural process. It just made sense to not interfere unless there was reason to. That being said, I didn't know much about midwives or doulas when I had my children. My birth experiences with all three were the catalyst that caused me to seek out doulas and midwives. I didn't have bad or traumatic births, but they weren't what I wanted either. Shortly after having my daughter I came into a circle of friends who were birth advocates, home birth mamas, a wonderful tribe really. 
This is where I learned about what I missed out on. I decided to take a doula training in February of 2010 and jumped right in! Then I had the privilege of working with midwives at some of these births and I knew what I was destined to do. Midwifery truly does choose you. In December of 2011 I was offered an apprentice position with Home Birth Midwifery Service under the training of Kim (Mosny) Lane. While she was in VA I trained alongside her in both home and birth center birth. She then moved to Utah to catch her first grandbaby.  
December of 2015 I reached out to Kim, who had relocated to Houston TX to be a staff midwife at a birth center, to see what her thoughts were on me coming to TX to complete my apprenticeship. Her reaction was “OH my gosh!!! I literally just thought the same thing yesterday! I even said out loud 'I wonder if Ashley would move here'". It gave me chills. I knew that this was the next step in my path to fulfill my calling of becoming a midwife. I came to Houston in July of 2016. I completed all my clinical requirements for NARM within a year. Then, another change in the path. I moved to Austin to accept a position at a prominent birth center as a birth assistant.  I received my NARM Certification in June 2018 followed by my Texas License. I am eager to serve this growing community during their childbearing years for years to come.

Credentials & Qualifications

  • Certified Doula, ToLabor
  • B.E.S.T. Trained (Birth Emergency Skills Training)
  • NRP Certified (Neonatal Resuscitation Provider)
  • CPR/BLS Certified 
  • Texas Licensed Midwife
  • Certified Professional Midwife
  • AOP Certified​​

Professional History

  •  Certified Doula since 2010
  • Owner/Operator of Support the Mama Professional Birth Services since 2010
  • Midwifery Student 2011-2017 Home Birth Midwifery Services, West Houston Birth Center
  • Midwife Assistant 2011-2019 HBMS, WHBC, AABC
  • Birth Assistant Trainer 2017-April 2019 Austin Area Birthing Center
  • Medical Assistant Sub 2017-April 2019 Austin Area Birthing Center
  • Graduate Midwife Intern May 2018 – December 2018
  • PRN Midwife June 2018 – April 2019 Austin Area Birthing Center​
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"Ashley was amazing! Throughout the entire experience, she was there. She helped keep me and my husband strong and she provided so much support from beginning to end. Without her, I don't think I could have had the natural birth that I wanted. She was always easy to reach via email, text, and/or phone call. She answered all of my questions and even provided support with things that she didn't have to help with, like all of my breastfeeding questions as a first time breastfeeding mom! I was really impressed with how much Ashley helped us. I would definitely recommend her to anyone!" -V. Love

Our Support Team

Kim Lane

LM, CPM
​Retired
  • Texas Licensed Midwife (License # 99254)
  • Certified Professional Midwife (North American Registry of Midwives)
  • B.E.S.T. Trained (Birth Emergency Skills Training)
  • NRP Certified (Neonatal Resuscitation Provider)
  • CPR/BLS Certified
I received my calling to become a Midwife in 1989 in Mesa, AZ, during the birth of my daughter, Sarah. I hired a Certified Nurse Midwife to attend my delivery as I desired a more personalized birth experience. Janet, my midwife, helped me deliver my own baby and in so doing, I was inspired! 'I need to do this! I need to be a Midwife!' I cried with joy as I bonded with my baby girl. Three years later, in Memphis, TN, I became a Midwife's Apprentice to my beloved Mentor, Margie McSweeney. Margie taught me the art & skills of midwifery for 5 years and then invited me to work with her as a partner. I inherited her practice, the Home Birth Midwifery Service, when Margie moved to Boulder, CO in 1999.
I have been licensed in four states (TN, VA, UT, TX) and have practiced in both home & birth center practices, serving thousands of families. In the course of 2 decades, I trained dozens of aspiring & student midwives & mentored 12 apprentices who have become practicing midwives across the country.

I retired from active midwifery practice in 2017 after a series of health challenges. I moved to Austin to live closer to my adult children, who had all relocated here. I maintain my NARM & TX midwifery credentials at this time, not ready to let them go quite yet. As a midwifery business consultant, my role at HCBW is to attend to administrative functions with an experienced eye on clinical practice & guidance. I am blessed to be able to continue to mentor & help my dear friend, Ashley, to build her midwifery practice."

Katie Hirst

LM, CPM
I have been a practicing homebirth Midwife for over two years, and have 12 years of experience attending births. I began my journey toward becoming a midwife after witnessing a neighbor’s dog giving birth; I was in awe of how calm and confident she was which was completely in contrast to what I knew of childbirth from tv and movies. The experience sparked my curiosity and I immediately began researching why the childbirth experience was portrayed so differently for humans. 
I had discovered a new passion and started doula training within weeks of the puppies’ birth. After being invited to a home birth where the family was treated with respect and autonomy by their midwife, which was a sharp contrast from the systemic dis-empowerment I was witnessing in the medical model, I knew then midwifery was my calling and soon began attending births as an apprentice with an experienced home birth midwife.
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I put my career goals on hold when it came time to have my own babies. I was incredibly grateful for the knowledge and experiences I had going into my own first pregnancy and birth. I experienced several instances of collaborative care with my midwife that might have gone a completely different direction if I had not had a care provider dedicated to loving informed choice, and autonomy. I felt incredibly empowered by both of my home births. My birth experiences reaffirmed what I had learned from the neighbor's dog- with loving support women can also have calm, confident empowering birth experiences. I knew that as soon as my babies and I were ready I would return to midwifery and work towards providing that same compassionate care for other families in my community.  

I am so grateful to have had the opportunity to train with dozens of highly skilled and wise midwives in the Austin area and across the country, both in the birth center and home birth settings. I have enjoyed being a home birth midwife for the last 2 years and I am incredibly excited about being part of the HCBW team, I grew up in the area and it feels like coming home. ​

Dr. Summer Silva

Doctor Of Chiropractic,  Webster Certified
Here's a bit about me! I am married to my best friend and college sweetheart, Brenton. We welcomed our first baby with a home birth in May of 2019. I am a holistic chiropractor with a special focus in serving pregnant women and children. 

I grew up in Colorado and moved to the panhandle of Texas in high school. I'm also the 3rd of 7 kids! Growing up on a farm, I was raised that everything, from the land to all our farm animals, has the ability to heal and self-regulate. I attended Sul Ross State University where I graduated with a Bachelor of Science in Biology.  
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I attended chiropractic school at Parker University in Dallas and became passionate about serving families after a mission trip to Haiti. I specialize in pediatric and prenatal chiropractic (Webster Certified) with additional training and certifications from the ICPA (International Chiropractic Pediatric Association), but serve people of all ages from all walks of life.
I had wanted to be a chiropractor since I was in high school after seeing how much it improved the lives of several loved ones. It wasn’t until after I was already in school and attending the birth of my nephew when I realized how much I loved women’s care from preconception through post menopause. In addition, being blessed in experiencing the beauty and challenges that come with pregnancy and birth, I realized how important chiropractic care was during this special time for not only myself, but my son as well! I am in absolute awe seeing how amazing our bodies are designed and how they perform as an entire whole; being a part of something that unleashes the ability for us to be our best has been one of the most amazing and un-regrettable paths I’ve been guided to.  My mission is to build an empower a healthy community  and break this focus of an outside in approach to health. I am honored to be an element in serving those who seek a health-FULL lifestyle and well-being. 

Renee Perez

CMA (certified medical assistant)
My name is Renee Perez and I am in my first year of being a birth assistant and midwifery student. I am looking forward to meeting you and your family through HCBW. 

My journey into midwifery started when I was able to attend my baby sister‘s birth at the age of six. Many years later I researched what it would take for me to begin working as a midwife.

I currently hold certifications for Medical Assisting and attended CyberTex institute in Killeen, Texas from February 2014 to October 2014. I graduated in December 2014 and receive my certification in March 2015. I have a background  in Dermatology, Pediatrics, OB/GYN and Podiatry as well as military training in Ft Lenoradwood Mo.
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 I served in the US Army as a military police officer from 2006-2008. I am also a mom to 4 gorgeous children ages 12, 11, 9,  and 8 along with my husband of 14 years. We have three dogs and one cat and can find us either hunting, fishing, camping, or playing ball on the diamond.
"I still remember the day I went to Ashley. I was 6 months pregnant already and just wanted to hear the baby's heartbeat. I knew Ashley was a midwife but was surprised to hear about how she focused on natural births. Never really giving thought to having a natural birth, I listened. This being my first pregnancy I was unsure if I could do it. After everything was said she let me listen to the baby. Then sent me to make my decision, no pressure at all! I knew immediately after leaving that I wanted Ashley to be my midwife. She was very pleasant and everything just felt right. Really I just had to get my boyfriend on board and tell my mom. My boyfriend Adam was even more accepting than I thought. He told me that he thought it was a great idea because he hates hospitals. Once we sealed the deal we pretty much saw Ashley every week just to make sure everything was fine. Every appointment lasted roughly an hour and was filled with us getting to know each other. We handled baby business while still enjoy ourselves and laughing. Adam and I looked forward to every appointment. Ultimately, we decided to have a water birth. It was the most amazing experience. It was a win of it's own just to be able to choose my atmosphere and who was with me. The tools I was given before the big push day really helped me through. I couldn't have done it so peacefully if it weren't for Adam, his mom, Ashley, and her team. The room was filled with all the positive energy and support needed. I will forever be grateful for the amazing experience and the help of delivering what I didn't know then but I know now a baby girl! Thank you for helping me bring my beautiful baby girl into the world!" -Taylor O.