Meet Brittney Riddick

“birth in the ways that are sacred to you”

Brittney Riddick was born and raised in Upper Marlboro, Maryland and has enjoyed working with Maryland families for more than 15 years in various settings. With the goal of opening her own Birthing Center one day, Brittney strives to serve more families in a way that is unbiased and unconditional. She is dedicated to her career of inspiring families to birth and parent as they see fit, through education and support.

Brittney founded Destination Baby in 2013 as a world wide support group, which today has expanded into offering labor and postpartum support, placenta services, massage services, childbirth education and lactation support. As a certified doula through ProDoula, Brittney makes it her personal goal to offer unbiased emotional, educational and physical support, during pregnancy, childbirth and beyond.

Brittney has an educational background in early childhood development, and has trained as a Massage Therapist through Baltimore School of Massage. She has experience and certification in many natural healthcare modalities including fertility massage, prenatal massage, reflexology, aromatherapy, and acupressure, all of which are useful tools in pregnancy, labor and delivery.

In Brittney’s spare time she enjoys spending family time with her husband, son and two daughters. As many Marylanders, she also enjoys the spring and summer months because it means crab season. She is currently also working towards becoming a Certified Professional Midwife.

Sydney Butler Beck

"The best part about being a Doula is to be present at the birth of not only a baby, but a family."

— Sydney Butler Beck

Sydney (she/her) was born and raised in Ellicott City, Maryland. Since childhood, Sydney has supported families during pregnancy, birth, and the postpartum period.  She has over 10 years of experience as a nanny and doula. Sydney also coaches cheerleading and gymnastics from ages ranging from preschool to high school. 

As a certified labor and postpartum doula, Sydney understands the need for support during life changing events such as infertility, pregnancy and infant loss, birth, and postpartum. Her ultimate goal is to take this type of support to Africa, especially in Liberia where she has roots. She hopes to aid in the building of community centers, orphanages, and birthing centers. 

When Sydney is not coaching or attending a birth, she enjoys spending time with her husband and two children. Sydney also enjoys baking and trying new recipes in the kitchen. Her favorite time of the year is the summer for backyard barbecues and beach activities.

Meet Kandyce Jones

I’m Kandyce Jones, advising board member of Supporting Sunrise. 

I have a Bachelor’s in Human Services and Psychology and a Master’s in the Sociology of Education. I am currently pursuing a Master’s in Clinical Mental Health towards a clinical licensure. My background is rich in experiences in child development, parent education, education policy advocacy, racial and social equity, and critical race theory. My role at Supporting Sunrise is to contribute to honoring, acknowledging, and advancing the role of Black women in Birth Work.

In my spare time, I enjoy spending time with my husband, flexing my competitive spirit in scrabble, and exploring creative outlets.  

Meet Emily O Kimm

Emily O Kimm has a Master’s of Public Health degree from Columbia University’s Heilbrunn School of Population and Family Health. While attending this program, Emily’s maternal grandfather, Lee Stancliffe Read, Jr, paid her living expenses. When he insisted that she did not pay him back, Emily decided to, one day, pay it forward. Many years, a lot of debt, a few jobs, a few moves, a wedding, two stepdaughters, a miscarriage, a granddaughter, a toddler and a newborn later, Emily found herself, in Spring 2018, deep in postpartum depression…but also in a position to help.

During this time, she read an article in the Washington Post about the devastating outcomes for Black birthing people and their babies in DC. She knew then that this public health issue is where she wanted to put her focus. Pregnancy and birth are challenging for anyone; systemic racism and, in some parts of DC and other places, a lack of health care access and resources can make it immensely more so.

Drawing on her own birth experiences with Midwives, Doulas and Lactation Consultants as well as her public health education, Emily began to imagine how to improve childbirth outcomes in a city she loves. The idea of a scholarship for Black Midwives was born. She reached out to a Midwife mentioned in the Post article with her idea. That Midwife gave her a name of a phenomenal Student Midwife: Brittney Riddick. And then our journey began.