Our final birth and new services announcement: A message from our Executive Director

December 22, 2025 | Uncategorized

Dar a Luz welcomed its last baby at the birth center, born in the water in Morning
Song. Sweet baby Acen was brought earth-side in the late night hours on December
13th at 2332. Tara and Philip were kind enough to allow a group of us to be present
to honor this birth, not knowing if it was our last or not. Three midwives and three
nurses were present to witness this mother’s strength and her baby’s safe arrival
from womb to water to land. His sweet cries came forth of his own accord, knowing
exactly how to move the air in and out of his lungs. His mother trusted her body, her
baby and the guidance of those of us in attendance. We couldn’t have asked for a
sweeter or gentler arrival.

Tara shared this with me:

“Dar a Luz has been supportive in insurmountable ways from the beginning of this
process and ongoing, by the entire staff—a kind of support that has been deeply
healing. We were due just after the cut off, and the entire staff worked diligently to
bring Acen here early to ensure we had the birth we dreamed of. Abigail is the
embodiment of what the birthing process should be—a calming confidence,
patience, and safety. This birth was made possible only because of the team that
held us. This experience was compassionate, beautiful, and intensely empowering. I
will always carry this birth in my heart. We consider ourselves the luckiest to bring our
baby into the world alongside Dar a Luz staff. It is the biggest honor to be their
last birth.”

I know it comes up in every newsletter but I am going to keep writing it…I AM SO
FULL OF GRATITUDE AND LOVE that my heart could explode. I had the honor to
catch our very first baby on April 18, 2011 and our very last baby, baby #1753.
It’s been the honor of a lifetime.

This is not the end of the story. Yes, birth has been our legacy for nearly 15 years and
this final chapter has been heart wrenching, to say the least. As we turn the page, we
are pushing forth to continue our legacy of giving the best and most comprehensive
women’s health care in this state. Just as the light slowly starts coming back after the
longest night of the solstice, we are rising into a new version of our health center that
will offer more services to more women/people with uteruses.

Our newest service which we have been envisioning for years: ketamine therapy.

Over the last several years, I have been following one of our consulting physicians on
his path into psychedelic medicine for mental health conditions and specifically for
people in the postpartum period. The amount of research taking place not just in the
US but around the world in the last couple of decades has been astronomical. The
outcomes are giving people who suffer from a myriad of mental health conditions,
and those who treat them, some incredibly promising results.

After many years of sitting across from mothers who were struggling with their
mental health and not finding relief on traditional anti-anxiety/depressant
medications, we, as providers, started paying close attention to the research around
Ketamine therapy. Two years ago, Alisa and I were so intrigued by what we were
witnessing, that we decided to get trained in Ketamine Assisted Psychotherapy (KAP).
And now we are ready to launch this service.

You can read about it on our website here (and if you are interested, or know
someone who might be, you can download and fill out the new client forms here.)

Now, to be clear, we are not therapists and we know this. But we are prescribing
providers and in a very unique position in an out-of-hospital setting who care for and
monitor mothers closely who are at-risk or struggling with their mental health,
sometimes within just days of their birth; sometimes, months and months later. Our
visits with these families often center around listening and making a plan with the
client that keeps her and her baby safe. Ketamine therapy is safe and fast-acting and
while it’s not a magic bullet, as nothing is, it can change someone’s mental state
within hours of an infusion. And from there, the work is not done. Our providers can
help you find a therapist if you don’t have one or an adjunct therapist for integration
after the Ketamine sessions.

Abigail and Alisa are the only KAP trained providers at Dar a Luz and will sit in
session with each client who chooses this therapy with us. You do not need to be
established with Dar a Luz and this is not just for people who have had babies. This
service is open to women who desire this therapy in our space with our providers.
We have taken the utmost care to create a safe guideline and warm space for this
service, just as we have with all of our care in the past. We are so excited to join the
expansion of mental health wellness through this therapy and we are thrilled to be
offering it to women throughout our community.

We will start scheduling Ketamine infusions the week of January 5th, 2026!

As always, thank you to this community and all of our donors and supporters over
the last 15 years. And as my father always used to say: Keep on keepin’ on.

With abiding love,
Abigail

DONATE HERE!

Book an Appointment!

DAL is now scheduling new and returning clients for the services below 🎉
We accept most major insurances including Medicaid!
Call us today at 505-924-2229 to book your appointment before the end of the year!
We’ll now be offering:

Well-Woman/Person Annual exams for all ages:
Pap smears
Contraception
STD testing and treatment
Evaluation of abnormal discharge
Fertility and pregnancy planning
Teen clinic
Sexual education
Miscarriage management and aftercare
Options counseling

Expanded Gynecologic Services
Fibroids and ovarian cysts
Evaluation and treatment of heavy or abnormal periods
Pelvic pain and endometriosis
Pelvic floor health (this is not pelvic floor PT)
Polycystic ovarian syndrome
Menstrual mood disorders

Peri-Menopause Care
Non-hormonal perimenopause symptom management
Hormone replacement therapy
Vaginal and vulvar dryness, itching, irritation
Pelvic pain
Irregular menstrual cycles
Postmenopause bleeding

Call us today at 505-924-2229 to schedule your appointment!

Other Donation Options

Please consider donating to Dar a Luz to set us up for an impactful 2025! Every
donation has a profound impact on staff and clients alike and allows us to continue
offering our exceptional care to New Mexican families.

We thank you for your support!

Other ways to donate:

ACH Bank Transfer
Stock or bond transfer, or charitable gift annuity (use this pdf)
Donor-advised fund gift
Cash or Check (info below)

Please make checks payable to:
Dar a Luz Birth & Health Center
7708 4th Street NW, Los Ranchos, NM 87107

You can designate us as your United Way charity, Benevity or name us as the beneficiary on your Smith’s rewards accounts. We are a community-owned birth center and a non-profit, so every penny counts!