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Offering homebirth
and birth center birth
at
360-808-3973
A little more about me
I am a mother to four boy spawn. I gave birth to my first son by cesarean. I was blissfully ignorant and just assumed I would walk into the hospital sufficiently dilated and push out a baby. I arrived at 6 cm dilated and the nurse after checking my cervix said "oh honey, that's not a head, that's a butt and we don't deliver breech babies vaginally". So, I was wheeled off to have surgery.
I was well supported but in hindsight I learned that there was so much more that my son and I could/should have had in that experience. We were seperated for hours and he was bathed and all the newborn procedures could have waited until we were reunited.
For my second son I took Bradley Method Childbirth classes while pregnant and became empowered!! I changed doctors and decided to birth in a hospital an hour away with a doctor who was willing to support my VBAC wishes. I went on to birth my 10 lb 2 oz second son, unmedicated, after a long 42 hours of labor. It was wonderful!
Sadly, I had a miscarriage between my second and third sons. I am thankful for the Bradley Method Childbirth classes I had taken as it helped me to have a peaceful birth of that baby even though it was only 13 weeks, there was still discomfort to manage and trusting of my body. I own that birth and that experience and will not succumb to the taboo notion that we should not talk about miscarriages.
My third son was born in a birth center in Topeka KS. It was 2 hours away from where I lived. The hospital that I had my first VBAC at had changed its policies and no longer allowed VBACs. My third son's birth was amazing and even better than the last! He was at bit early at 37 weeks and he weighed 6 lb 10 oz but was healthy and eager to be earthside.
My fourth son was born at home unassisted. We had moved to Des Moines Iowa and my options were to birth at home or in the hospital. My midwife and I didn't really like each other but it was a good professional fit and I was confident that I could do it on my own if it came down to that. She missed the birth by half an hour!
My fourth son was born after 2 1/2 hours of labor including pushing. I had been 5 cm dilated for the week before he was born. He was going to come when he was ready! We were worried that he would be born during an ice storm that was coming our way so we tried everything to get labor started and nothing happened. Not even a good poop after I took castor oil. Babies will come when babies are ready.
With each new Bradley Method Childbirth class that I teach I get to talk about my own birth stories. The growth and learning that I did and the beauty that was welcoming my sons into the world is outstanding and I love to share the ways in which I was changed as a woman and as a human being. I want all women to feel empowered in their birth experiences!
"I felt empowered and I draw on the strength that I learned I had inside me, even today."