Where experience matters!
Give birth in the comfort of your own home or at our cozy birth center with Killeen, Texas' most experienced and sought-after midwife !
With over 25 years of experience in birth work, our midwives have molded into passionate providers who stand alongside women in one of their most amazing times.
Dulce Birth and Wellness Center was founded to support women during birth and to meet the growing need for well-woman care, pregnancy, birth, & postpartum support in our community. A woman’s memories of her birth experiences last a lifetime and can have profound effects on her self-esteem and confidence. We are committed to helping women, couples, and families feel empowered, and supported as they experience life and birth.
Checkout Midwife Anita’s Incredible Stats!
- 100% VBAC success two years in a row
- 7% Transfer rate (1 FHR , 3 Pain Relief)
- 1 Preterm Birth
- Catches: 4 Mom , 30 Dads, Grandma 1
- 1 C-Section
- We did Vbac, single, after 2, 3, & 4!
It’s our goal to help mothers learn to trust in their beautiful strong bodies and to trust in their birth. The moment that a baby is born, is joyous, and wondrous, and it is our wish for mothers and their partners to experience the birth of their babies as fully as possible. We believe in supporting families with non-judgemental support, care, and compassion. The very essence of our work IS a heart of service to others. Our team of amazing support specialists and midwife staff serve families here in Bell County, Texas and surrounding areas. You matter! Your baby matters!

Birth center amenities include
• Beautiful light-filled space, newly remodeled
• Deep birth tub for the ultimate water birth experience
• Comfort measures & tools for labor, including shower, rebozo, birth swing, birth ball, and more
• Full kitchen to store and prep your labor snacks and postpartum meal
• Secure 24/7 access
• In-house birth support, lactation support & chiropractic care
• Largest local birthing suite with room for family!

Meet your midwife
Anita Hernandez, CPM, LM
Senior Staff Midwife, Preceptor and Founder
Anita Hernandez, Certified Practicing Midwife, Licensed Midwife, Senior Staff Midwife & Preceptor, Clinical Director & Founder, “Anita is a Christian, wife and mother to 5 amazing children, 4 boys and 1 girl, ranging from 25 to 4 years old. She is the daughter of Cuban immigrants and is bilingual in Spanish. After working as a support specialist for many years in and out of the hospital system, Anita realized that if she was going to truly help bring about change, it would be as becoming the provider herself. She serves the women of Central Texas with a heart for woman-centered care. Empowering women to take charge of their care and becoming an active participant. Anita also founded our local community midwifery school in conjunction with Ancient Arts Midwifery Institute. She is a preceptor & mentor to our amazing student midwives and helps to prepare students for community midwives in the area.
- National American Registry of Midwives / PEP Apprenticeship Program
- National American Registry of Midwives Bridge Certificate
- National American Registry of Midwives Preceptor
- Mercy in Action – Expected the Unexpected, Emergency Birth Skills
- Breech Pro – Breech without Borders
- Breech & Twins Master Class – Breech without Borders
- Reteach The Breech, includes twins – Dr. Stu Fischbein, OB/GYN
- Shoulder Dystocia – Spinning Babies
- Empowering Midwifery Education – Multiple Advanced Courses
- Advanced Midwifery with Midwifery Wisdom Collective Includes:
1. Core Fetal Positioning
2. AP Midwifery – Shoulder Dystocia
3. AP Midwifery – Preventing & Treating Hemorrhage
4. AP Midwifery – Labor Encouragement Techniques
5. AP Midwifery – Suturing After Birth
6. AP Midwifery – Emergency Breech Birth
7. AP Midwifery – Fetal Heart Monitoring
8. Ultrasound Basics for Midwives
9. In the Field: Humanitarian Aid from a Midwifery Perspective
10. Perinatal Mood and Anxiety Disorders - The Midwives Guide for Supporting Reproductive Journeys
- Extensive Herbal Training, while also pursuing her Clinical Master Herbalist designation. (Heart of Herbs Herbal School) & (Science & Art of Herbalism)
- Advanced courses in Anemia, Thyroid, Midwifery Labs from a functional medicine perspective & Fertility (Preconception included)
- Over Easy – Manual rotation of the occiput posterior
- Advanced Resuscitation of The Newborn
- Integrative Resuscitation of The Newborn
- Cultural Competency & Respect in the provision of Maternity Care
- BLS ( Basic Life Saving )
- Advanced Provider NRP (Neonatal Resuscitation Program)
- Acupressure for Pregnancy Care, Labor Support & Postpartum Care
- Lactation Counselor
Meet the team
THE incredible people that keep the wheels turning
Together we are here to help support you on your journey towards a beautiful birth experience.

Bernadette Herrington
Certified Nurse Midwife
Bernadette is a nurse-midwife and an advanced practice registered nurse. She received a master’s degree in nurse-midwifery from Frontier Nursing University in 2020. After graduate school, she completed a six-month fellowship at Holy Family Birth Center in Weslaco, TX, and provided care to numerous women at a private clinic in San Antonio. As a certified nurse-midwife, Bernadette provides care to women from adolescence to menopause and newborn babies. In addition, she enjoys educating and assisting women in caring for themselves and their families and endorses the midwifery model of care for low-risk pregnant women who desire a natural birth experience. Bernadette moved to San Antonio in 2012 with her husband and son, and she spends her free time cooking, reading, walking, and shopping.”
- CPR and First Aid Certified
- NRP Certified
- BLS Certified

Chelsea Crawford
student midwife
Chelsea is a homeschooling and homesteading mother to 4, three daughters and a son and wife to James. She has almost 8 years of breastfeeding experience and has had 2 home births. She is driven to help mothers and babies have voices. She has a degree in Complimentary Alternative Medicine, specializing in herbal medicine, has her Master Herbalism, Master Aromatherapy and her RYT 200 Yoga Teaching.
- CPR and BLS Certified
- NRP Certified
Lactation and Oral Function Course

Courtney Diggs
student midwife, Receptionist
Courtney is married to a wonderful husband and has two beautiful little girls. Midwifery is something that God called her to after a traumatic birth with her youngest. She knew that birth could be more. More peaceful, more parent-led, more personal and wanted to be part of the movement making it possible for women to experience that. She believes there is almost nothing more rewarding than watching women born into mamas, and babies born into their daddy’s arms or their mama’s hands surrounded by love. It’s an honor and a pleasure just to be able to be in that space.
- CPR and BLS Certified
- NRP Certified
- Certified in Phlebotomy
- Skillz and Drillz via Midwifery Wisdom Collective Experience
- Lactation and Oral Function Course
30 births attended *and counting!

Esther Ramirez
secretary, notary
Esther is a Christian and wife to Daniel. She was one of the eldest children of a large family and always around sweet babies. She completed her Doula certification through Childbirth International at 18. She has worked alongside Anita since the age of 16, and has truly enjoyed working with birthing mothers. She is currently pursuing a degree in nutrition and her desire is to continue to guide mothers on their walk.

Triston Persinger
Student Midwife, In-House Doula
Triston is a wife and mother of five. Her children range in age from 1 to 19 years old. Her family is excited to be retiring to the area after her husband’s 26 year military career. Triston has served the community for the last five years both in and out of the hospital as a doula in multiple specialties. She also provides one-on-one childbirth education on top of working as a birth assistant. She serves the women of our community in the way Jesus has led her, with kindness, compassion and skill. When she’s not at her clients’ side she can be found outside with her family camping, grilling, and fishing.”
- CPR and First Aid Certified
- NRP Certified
- BLS Certified
- Certified Doula
- Still Birthday Training
- Rebozzo Training
- Certified Newborn Hearing Screen Practitioner
- TENS Unit Trained
- Bloodborne Pathogens Certified
- Breastfeeding and Lactation Trained
- Postpartum Nutrition trained
- Social and Socio-Economic Injustice in Birth Training
- Emergency Birth Skills

Amanda Wloka
Birth Assistant
Amanda is both a small business owner and a birth worker in the community serving women through birth photography and videography services, placenta encapsulation and assisting at births. Amanda is a wife, mother, and Christ-follower. Everything she does flows from those three relationships (and they’re what make her so good at what she does). She is a crunchy momma with a deep love for reading and spending time in the sun.”
- CPR and First Aid Certified
- NRP Certified
- BLS Certified
Sweet words from happy clients
Dulce is easily the greatest investment we have ever made. The moment I walked into their doors I knew they were different. The environment was so peaceful and calming I didn't know what to do with myself. This was my first pregnancy and I went in knowing almost nothing about how to prepare for birth. From the very beginning, Anita and the rest of the team provided us with endless resources on nutrition, exercise and anything else I needed to have a smooth and healthy pregnancy as well as prepare my body for labor. If we had a question they had answers and like four sheets of paper to give us on the topic. Any time we were presented with tests or different options they thoroughly discussed what our options were and empowered us with the ability to make our own decisions. Every appointment was at least 30 minutes long and super personable. My husband and I greatly appreciated Anita's passion and energy throughout the entire experience. And I haven't even mentioned our birth yet! We decided to use the birthing center for our birth. They did an incredible job at creating a warm and peaceful space, one that made it easy to tap into a more primal state of mind throughout labor. If I ever wanted to change positions or use a different space everything would be prepped for me before using it. They gave us plenty of privacy throughout labor. Any time they had to check baby's heartbeat I didn't have to change position or do anything. My baby ended up being asynclitic and Anita knew all of the positions I needed to try to help shift him. I ended up needing her to help move his head and she knew exactly what to do and when to do it. Because they had done such a good job at educating us leading up to the birth we always knew what was happening and were able to make educated decisions. We were never really caught off guard by anything. Baby Atlas arrived after 20 hours, my husband got to catch him, cut his umbilical cord and weighed him. No one else even touched him after he was born aside from my husband and I. Even though he was asynclitic and gave me trouble coming out I wouldn't change anything about the experience. I look back on his birth and I love it. I'm sure had I gone to the hospital I would have been labeled a failure to progress and ended up in an "emergency" c-section. Instead I was surrounded by women who encouraged, empowered and held patience for me every step of the way. Oh! They even provided a breastfeeding course during pregnancy which has been such a huge help in my breastfeeding journey. It took out a lot of the guess work and what I am sure would have been painful hours of trial and error for me. Even after he was born they continue to support us. Offering help over the phone. Giving herbs to help with healing. Easing my new Mom anxieties. I will always look at my baby and know we gave him the best possible start to life thanks to everyone at Dulce. They say it takes a village and I believe Dulce is mine!
Nikole
"I just finished my 6-week postpartum visit and am so sad I won’t be seeing Anita and the rest of the girls every month. They took wonderful care of me and baby throughout my pregnancy and delivery while my husband was deployed. I have always felt valued and respected and love that they ask permission before every part of care. Consent matters! Cannot thank the Dulce Midwives enough for everything they do. They’re the best around!"
Amber
"Having experience with several other Midwives in my lifetime, I can say that Anita is the best. She does anything and everything to make you feel comfortable, she tells you the truth, and just really cares about women and their families. I don’t know how many more babies we will have but I do know that I will never go with another Midwife other than Anita. They’re always wonderful and willing to help all women that come to them. I have had several years now of experience with Anita. They helped me through a homebirth which turned out beautiful and perfect in all ways! They had helped me with a loss before that. In fact, they have helped many ladies through both sad and joyous situations. All of them feel like family to me now. Anytime I go in there, I admire how each of them help out the ladies that come to them for help. I always see patience, reassurance, encouragement, and just overall love and care. They truly care about you, your baby, and your family as a whole. I had some labs done today and I didn’t even feel it when they took my blood!! I continue going to Dulce as my primary care for my feminine appointments as you just can’t get anything close to them. Their knowledge as Midwives is mind-blowing and I just love them all."
Amy M.
"Our family cannot say enough good things about Dulce. They have truly become like family, assisting us with several home births. They are respectful of your choices and offer the perfect amount of guidance needed throughout the process. Thank you Dulce for allowing us to feel empowered during pregnancy and birth."
Sommer Johnston
"3 years ago, my husband and I had what seemed like a routine induction at a hospital end with an injury to our daughter. So after doing so much research and reading while not pregnant, I knew I could never could back to the hospital setting. And then, we got a positive test. So many feelings swirled but I knew we needed to do this one differently. Being led by God. I wanted a free birth (was I crazy???!!!!) and my husband needed someone to help us (always so level headed). I had so many anxieties and nervous feelings and they calmed every one. I remember crying to Anita because I was almost 42 weeks pregnant and she hugged me and said "you can't be pregnant forever, momma. Your time will come." Ohhh and in a hurry he came at 130 am on a random Friday right at 42 weeks! The people at Dulce will care for every bit of their mommas. Not make them feel like a number or a medical problem. Birthing is natural and can be enjoyed even in the pain. It can bring so much healing and also remind us that God created women to birth babies naturally. Medicine is there and useful...but it is NOT necessary every time. Thank you so much Dulce for allowing us to experience midwifery care in the best way possible."
K. Hen
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