Monique Welch-Rutherford is an award-winning journalist based in Houston, specializing in uncovering unique stories that highlight the experiences of diverse and marginalized communities, particularly the intersection of health, policy, and race. Formerly a Diverse Communities reporter at the Houston Landing, she has, over the last couple of years, focused some of her reporting on the disparities that Black women face in maternal healthcare. She is now continuing that work as a 2025 USC Annenberg Center for Health Journalism National Fellow in partnership with Capital B, a nonprofit news organization dedicated to uncovering important stories about how Black people experience America today.

Monique Welch-Rutherford, journalist

Welcome to Whole Mother. This is KPFT Houston 90.1 FM, Galveston 89.5 FM, and Huntsville 91.9. I’m your host Pat Jones. With me in the studio is Natalie Guzman.

She’s going to interpret Spanish for some of the show today and for future shows. Natalie is a Spanish outreach coordinator and fashion show coordinator for Birth Fair in the last two years. She graduated with a fashion degree.

However, it was the ecstatic home birth of her son that opened the portal into birth work. An initiation that forever changed her life and awakened a calling she could not ignore. She’s now a birth doula, student midwife, and ceremonialist devoted to serving the BIPOC community, honoring her ancestral ways, and offering care that is culturally rooted, spiritually grounded, and deeply loving.

Birth is her obsession, her devotion, and her offering. She is here to protect its mystery, celebrate its power, and help us all remember that birth is ceremony. This is why she joined the leadership team for Birth Fair.

And again, she’s the fashion coordinator for the last two years. She looks forward to putting on the most adorable runway show and helping spread the word in Spanish. She’s going to interpret for us now.

Bienvenidos al programa Whole Mother. En el estudio hoy los acompaño. Yo soy Natalie Guzman.

Para darles una idea de quién soy, soy la coordinadora de alcance comunitaria en español y coordinadora del desfile de la moda durante los dos últimos años. Me gradué con un título en moda. Sin embargo, fue el éxtasis del parto en casa de mi hijo que abrió el portal hacia el camino del nacimiento.

Una iniciación que transformó mi vida para siempre y despertó un llamado que no puedo ignorar. Ahora soy doula de parto, estudiante de partería, y ceremonialista. Dedicada a servir a la comunidad BIPOC, honrando las formas de mis ancestros y ofreciendo un cuidado con raíces culturales, fundamento espiritual y un amor profundo.

El nacimiento es mi obsesión, mi devoción y mi ofrenda. Aquí estoy para proteger el misterio, celebrar su poder y ayudarnos a recordar que nacimiento es ceremonia. Por esta razón me uní al equipo de liderazgo de Birth Fair.

Es increíble ser parte de una organización que ha ayudado a las familias a encontrar recursos de parto en Houston por más de 21 años. Espero con alegría presentar el desfile de moda más precioso y ayudar a correr la voz en español. También me pueden encontrar en Instagram como SweetsRenderDoula.

Birth Fair in Houston is happening October the 4th from 10.30 a.m. to 4 p.m. at United Way, located at 50 Wah Drive. We have speakers, four rooms of speakers. We have vendors, probably 60 plus vendors, and of course the fashion show that Natalie is coordinating.

We have community awards. We have swag bags. And best of all, Birth Fair is free October the 4th, 10.30 to 4 at United Way.

Welcome to Whole Mother. This is KPFT Houston 90.1, Galveston 89.5, and Huntsville 91.9 FM. I’m your host, Pat Jones.

Whole Mother is a voice in our community which educates and informs us. There are many decisions to be made out there as a parent, grandparent, aunt, uncle, birthing person, friend. Whole Mother believes that we should always make our choices out of rational thinking.

Choices that are made through education and research, not out of fear. Especially fear that is imposed by those who stand to profit by our choices. It is hoped that the education you receive on this show will contribute to changing the way we birth and the way we parent.

All humans are born good. I’ve seen more than 3,000 babies come into the world, and I can tell you there are no bad babies. There are no bad humans.

All babies are born exactly the same in their goodness, their innocence, their curiosity, their brilliance, their ability to love and to trust. They are all born with the same delight in the world. It doesn’t matter what country they’re born in, what skin color they have, what language they’re learning to speak, or how much money is in their family.

We are all born with the same goodness. We all come into the world with the same potential. So, if that’s true, if all humans are born without hate, judgment, shame, jealousy, then where do we learn those qualities if we’re not born with them? Whole Mother is here to look at our parenting, which begins in the very first moments of birth, probably in utero.

It’s my belief that we learn about life and we make decisions about life from the very first moment. So, if that’s true, then the first moments, the first weeks, the first years are really important to tell our children that their needs will be met, that they’re safe, that they’re cared for, and that they’re good. Remember that KPFT is listener-sponsored, and you are the listeners.

There’s no corporate sponsorships. That means we can bring you information, education that’s not funded or sponsored by anyone but you, but we need your help to stay on the air. So, please, go to kpft.org and become a donor.

The best thing is to become a sustainer, and what that means is that you give a small amount of money, whatever you can, every month, and then they know exactly how much is going to come in and what they need to do. So, anything you can, kpft.org. You can also email me at birthcareataol.com if you have any questions about it. I am very excited about our guest tonight.

She is doing a project that’s near and dear to my heart. Those of you that have listened to the show for many years, you will say yes. We do talk about that a bit.

In our studio is Monique Welch Rutherford. She is an award-winning journalist who is based in Houston. She’s specializing in uncovering unique stories that highlight the experiences of diverse and marginalized communities, particularly the intersection of health, policy, and race.

Formerly a diverse communities reporter at the Houston Landing, she has, over the last couple of years, focused some of her reporting on the disparities that Black women face in maternal health care. She is now continuing that work as a 2025 USC Annenberg Center for Health Journalism National Fellow in partnership with Capital B, which is a nonprofit news organization dedicated to uncovering important stories about how Black people experience America today. We are so happy to have you, Monique.

Thank you for being here. Thank you for the work that you’re doing. This is how we change the world.

This is it. Yes. Thanks for having me, Pat.

We’re delighted. So is there any more that you might tell the audience about you? Well, I’ve been in Houston about four years now. I moved here from Tampa, Florida.

And we’ll probably talk about this a little bit more, but I started hearing about this epidemic is what I’ll call it, because that’s essentially what it is. Yes. Nationally, of course, it’s a national issue.

And I was sitting on my couch one day. This was in 2022. My now husband and I were engaged then.

So we’re having all of the conversations, you know, about a new life. Yes. Getting married and eventually wanting to start a family, of course.

And I keep hearing about this, you know, how Black women are dying. Black women are facing these traumatic childbirth-bearing experiences. And I was one of the people that I’ve been scared of childbirth since I was a little girl.

Just the thought once I realized that’s how babies are brought into this world. Right? So there was already kind of this fear that I’ve had since a little girl, knowing that I wanted to be a mom, but just wanted to skip through the childbirth part, right? Yes. That was always me growing up.

And so then I started hearing about this. And, you know, I’m already starting with a place of fear. And then you add this on top of it.

You know, listeners can’t see me, but I am a Black woma