There are many reasons why a woman will choose to forgo the usual physician and hospital approach and have her baby outside of the hospital. Regardless of the reason, out-of-hospital birth with a licensed midwife is a safe alternative for maternity care and birth.
Read moreKaitlin's Birth Story: Emery
10/24/18: I texted Alex at 4:30pm and told her that I had been cramping through the night and off and on through the day. I texted her again at 6:30pm and let her know I had just had some blood tinged mucus. She asked if I was having any regular contractions and I told her they were about 10 minutes apart. She said great and to keep her updated. I also texted April (nurse friend) and let her know that I had lost some mucus plug. She told me to take a bath and maybe some Benadryl. I took a lavender bath along with Tylenol pm about 9pm. Ben and I went to bed about 10:30-11.
Read moreElise's Birth Story: River
"2 days after my due date I had been having contractions consistently since 6am every ten minutes. Naps, cleaning, chiropractor appointment, walking, and eating all that day didn't speed things up. I would have bouts where the contractions would be 5 minutes apart but would slow back down any time I rested. I gave my birth team a heads up that this looked just like my other labors and we were going to be in it for the long haul.
Read moreTricia's Birth Story: Emiliana
"Kingston (first son) had been sick with a fever so Zach (husband) slept with Kingston in his room so we could try and prevent Teddy (second son) from getting sick. Our plans were for the boys to be in the room during Emiliana’s birth. Unfortunately Teddy started coughing early Tuesday morning. It was a rough night for him. He did throw up twice on me that night from coughing. I think I maybe got about 3 hours of sleep.
Read moreAmelia's Birth Story: Londyn
Londyn Beth was born March 12, 2016 at 5:22pm, weighing 7lbs. 11oz. (exactly the same as Jameson) and was 20 1/4inches in length. Londyn came 7 days late and we were all anxiously awaiting her arrival. We had a beautiful water birth at our home in Lubbock, Texas with Grandma Robertson visiting to witness the birth. It was perfect, she is perfect and once again I’m reminded of the beauty, the sacredness and the miracle of birth. Here’s how the story went...
Read moreKnowing Your Options & Creating a Birth Plan
Did you know that the average couple spends more time researching what car to lease or what house to buy than they do preparing for the birth of their child? Don’t be a statistic! Learn about your options so that you can make the best decisions possible regarding your pregnancy, birth and the start of your baby’s life. In doing so, you can use these options and the ones that are important to you, to create a birth plan to share with your care provider and your doula to make sure you all are on the same page (and if you’re not, it’s time to think about finding someone who is). Here are some choices you have that you may have never thought about or known were choices before…
Read moreParty vs. Privacy: Who Should You Invite to Your Birth?
The conversation usually starts with a client asking, “Who can I have at my birth?”, but the answer to that question isn’t really what they’re looking for since my response is, “Anyone you want!”. I then help them to rephrase their question so they can ask what they’re really wanting to know…..“Who should I have at my birth?” And that’s a great question, but not one that I can answer for them…
Read moreInterview Questions to Ask Your Care Provider
When you are interviewing your care provider (midwife, nurse-midwife, or doctor) before signing on for care (and you definitely should!), it’s difficult to know what questions to ask. Some people worry that by asking questions, they will inadvertently offend the provider, or that they will “ask a stupid question” and be looked down upon. I’ll tell you this right now….if your care provider is offended or treats you poorly for asking a legitimate question, they’re not the provider for you! So how do you know what questions to ask and how to go about interviewing a care provider? I’ll walk you through it…
Read moreLacey's Birth Story: Emalynn
I discovered I was finally pregnant with Emalynn almost 8 months after my husband and I began the journey to become pregnant. It seemed like those 8 months were truly years. I was anxious that something was wrong and that we wouldn’t be able to get pregnant. The day the test showed positive, I was an emotional wreck. Earlier that week I had taken 2 pregnancy tests and they had shown negative. The fact that it was positive was a shock, even though I wanted it so badly, and even though my body had been telling me for a while that it was beginning to support a new little life. I had been feeling sick and very tired. The positive pregnancy test was definitely an answer to all of our prayers. This was my second marriage and my 4th pregnancy. Our daughters were 13, 12, and 9. We had all been dreaming and praying that we would get the privilege to add another member to our family.
Read moreA Midwife's Own Birth Story: Part Two "Hunter Jackson"
When I became pregnant with Hunter in 2010, I was not only thrilled that we would be welcoming a new little one into our family, but also that I would have the chance to give birth differently than with my daughter. While her birth was wonderful (see my other blog posting “A Midwife’s Own Birth Story: Part One Keira Sage”), it felt like something was missing for me. I couldn’t put my finger on it, but I knew I wanted something different….something more empowering.
Read moreWhat does a home birth look like?
I get asked this question frequently by first time moms or moms who have only ever had hospital births before, but this question doesn’t have a quick answer. How do you describe the most incredible experience a mother will ever have? How do you put into words the sense of astonishment and pride she will feel in herself when she reaches down to pull that sweet baby onto her chest for the first time? Or the joy of a father at being able to catch his own baby? Or the emotional, physical and spiritual connection that develops between those persons present to witness another of God’s miracles? I’ll never be able to fully put into words what a home birth looks like, but for those who’ve never experienced one, I’ll try…..
Read moreA Midwife's Own Birth Story: Part One "Keira Sage"
I knew that I eventually wanted to be a midwife before I even got pregnant with Keira, but it was her birth that led me down the path of midwifery much sooner than I had initially planned. I had wanted to wait until I was done having kids and they were all in school, but I found myself called to start my midwifery schooling when she was only a few months old. My daughter and her birth changed me in many ways, and I’ll be forever grateful. To fully understand how, I have to start a little further back…
Read moreHow I got started.....
Growing up, I changed my mind about what I wanted to be about every day, and sometimes twice. Some days I wanted to be a ballerina, a professional horseback rider, a veterinarian, a teacher, a therapist, or even a kitten cuddle specialist (yes, to my 8 year old self, that would have been an awesome job creation just for me). I had many professions that I felt I would be good at, or that I would enjoy doing, but I couldn’t seem to find my “calling”.
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