Testimonials

I have been very blessed to have had Rachel as my midwife and friend through all 6 of my pregnancies. She calmed our concerns from the very beginning and supported me in my desire to have a natural birth.  I appreciate her easy-going personality, but also that she was straight forward enough to help me make informed decisions. I could always count on her calming presence during labor, especially during my first two when I didn’t know what to expect. My second was breech almost until the end and I was doing everything to avoid a c-section. Rachel walked me through labor to keep baby in the right position and I was able to have the natural birth I wanted. But she is also very hands off, unless a situation arose or I asked otherwise. This allowed me to labor how I felt comfortable. When issues and concerns arose, she was respectful knowing what I wanted, but also gave her thoughts about what we should do. I had some complications with my fourth birth and Rachel stayed calm and handled the situation very professionally. She stayed by my side and calmly informed my husband what was going on and what to do. Afterwards, her knowledge of herbs and vitamins aided tremendously in my recovery. During postpartum care, she always made sure that my physical and emotional needs were taken care of as well as checking the baby and addressing any concerns I had with breastfeeding or newborn care. You can tell that Rachel loves what she does and that she truly cares for her clients.

I decided I wanted to try a home birth with my third baby after my older sister had one with her third. I googled midwives in my area and I found Rachel. She came to my house for an interview and she was awesome! She came to my home for all the prenatal and postpartum visits. She even included the kids in the process. I had concerns about delivery based on past trauma and speedy labors. She talked with me and my husband about it and helped us make informed decisions and brought the calm I needed. She is not pushy, very down to earth and knows a lot! I had the best first home birth experience and a few years later, she delivered my 4th one at home too! She has become a good friend and we all love her!

Rachel delivered my third daughter, and allowed me to have my first homebirth experience. She took me on as a VBAC who other homebirth midwives had turned away, and made my dream of having a home birth a reality. Of the 3 babies I have had, it has been my favorite delivery and will be forever one of my most precious memories. My daughters and my parents got to meet our baby when she was just minutes old. I loved not having to rush off and leave them when labor got intense. Rachel has an exceptional gift of intuition, and while respecting me  and my wishes, she knew exactly when I needed human touch for comfort. She asked permission before she did, and her encouragement got me through the most difficult parts. My favorite of all has been the support I have received postpartum. Instead of waiting 6 weeks to see my practitioner, I have had multiple visits in my home to check that I am mentally and physically well. As well as, checks on my baby’s physical health. Honestly, I can’t wait to do it again. Rachel will be one of my first calls

Rachel was my midwife for half of my kids. I wish I’d met her sooner. My first birth ended in an iatrogenic cesarean, which meant all following births were VBACs. The first was a hospital VBAC, and while it went okay, I knew I needed to not be in a hospital again (I never wanted to be in one in the first place) to give birth. My care with her was so different. The way a midwife (or at least Rachel) connects is different than an OB. It feels more community-based and less like being a part of someone’s workday. The power imbalance feeling isn’t there. And Rachel listened and showed respect in a way that taught me to better value my needs with care providers going forward. The first birth with her happened at her birth center, and it was so fast that I almost didn’t get there on time! She had to cajole me inside, where I barely made it before moving into a half-crouch and popping out the baby. She immediately sprung into action, but in a way that involved me and let me respond to the baby naturally instead of being told what to do while being prepared to take over if needed, so we got through what would have been a terrifying and traumatic moment (baby was born not breathing) without traumatizing me and with a healthy, happy baby as the outcome! In fact, Rachel was spectacular at trauma-informed care, and I definitely healed with her care. My last labor started when Rachel was a couple hours away in a snowstorm, but she turned around and headed right for me. Baby was transverse at the start but turned as I went to the hospital under Rachel’s advice. After being checked and confirmed everything was fine, I went home, and the very long wait started up. Rachel and her assistant helped my kids be as involved as they liked and took good care of me. I was able to have the precise birth I wanted with humor (like me shouting, “The enemy gate is down!” at Baby during the pushing phase) and support and feeling like I was surrounded by family. During my last pregnancy, I came out as nonbinary trans, and Rachel was respectful and caring as she had been with everything else. I also had to deal with my mother being diagnosed with terminal cancer, and she was kind and compassionate about that, as well. Finally, the aftercare following the births was wonderful. I wish everyone had access to what Rachel provides, because I didn’t feel lost and abandoned like I did with that six week gap after an OB-attended birth. She shared her education with me, partnered with me to provide the precise care I needed, and I can’t recommend her enough.

Rachel came into my life, seemingly by happenstance. My sister was preparing for her first home birth and Rachel was her midwife. As a part of my sister’s birth team, I got to know Rachel and her assistant, Lexi. It came up in conversation that I was probably done having babies, not really by choice, but because of some difficult health issues in previous pregnancies. I had struggled through each of my previous three pregnancies with hyperemesis gravidarum (without much support from my previous midwives), but also had no interest in having a hospital birth. I didn’t think it would possible to find a good balance between finding better support for my medical needs and my desire for a natural birth at home. Thankfully, I was so wrong! Rachel assured me that if I ever wanted to have another baby, she would be there for me to help me navigate a more complicated pregnancy and give me the option of a home birth.

With that peace of mind, my husband and I felt more confident in continuing to grow our family! Rachel walked with us through a missed miscarriage at 11 weeks and my next pregnancy with our first son. She was true to her word, and supported me every step of the way, connecting me with providers that could assist us in my medical needs, checking in on me on hard days, giving me options about how to manage challenges as they arose. She did it all with knowledgeable care, a dose of humor, and total acceptance of my choices. I also loved that my older kids were included in our appointments and their questions were always answered.

My water broke right on my son’s due date. Rachel and her assistant were there once active labor ramped up, helping me through very intense back labor (which was typical for my labors). As contractions continued, I was feeling very unsettled for some reason. Although, not a lot of time had passed, things weren’t progressing quite the same as my past labors. I felt stalled and very uncertain. When I asked her to check my dilation, I’ll never forget Rachel saying in a surprised, but very subdued voice, “That is not a head, that’s a butt crack.” I was at 8-9cm, but my contractions immediately stopped when this news was discovered. Somehow either right before or during labor, the baby had flipped upside down, despite having been head down for weeks prior. Looking back, I do remember at one point, him making a very large movement before I went into labor that must have been him turning.

Rachel told me to grab my coat—we were going the hospital to deliver. Home birth was no longer a safe option with how things had transpired. She already had a plan in place, and as soon as we were out of the driveway (my husband driving), she was on the phone calling the labor and delivery department to tell them exactly what was going on and how long it would take us to get there. She sat with me through many contractions in the car as labor ramped back up, reminding me not to push, to keep breathing, and that we were going to be ok. I remember all of us praying on the way, that we would arrive safely. And truly, I felt calm on our way there largely because of Rachel’s steady presence.

I had an emergency c-section, and our son, Sawyer, was born healthy and safe! We also discovered on that day that he was born with a birth defect had our anatomy scan had missed. When we got home from the hospital, Rachel provided all my postpartum care, and helped me to process his eventful birth, as well as some complex feelings about his unexpected limb difference. She has a way of looking at things that is matter-of-fact, and yet, full of heart and so validating. I always feel better after talking to her any issues! I’ve come to realize that a transfer is not a failure, just a change in circumstances. I trusted Rachel implicitly to know when that change was necessary, and am grateful for her insight and discernment.

She has most recently helped our family through another challenging journey, as my next pregnancy required progesterone injections most of the way through, routine IV hydration therapy, and more hyperemesis medications. This time, when considering a VBAC, Rachel talked me through potential risks and issues, gave me resources and facts to consider when deciding where and how to deliver. She offered me so much clarity when considering  what seemed to be a complicated, emotional decision. Using those resources, I was able to address the worries that I (and my husband) had, both about VBACs and a potential second c-section, in a really logical and peaceful way.

I decided that a VBAC at home with Rachel would be my first choice with this new baby. We spent time talking about potential fears and mindful preparation for various scenarios. We talked about intuition, faith, and trust. Several times, Rachel (knowing my Christian faith) would remind me to pray about the things that were on my mind, which I so appreciated! During this pregnancy, I spent a lot of time in meditation, really working on giving my anxiety to God, and letting go of any sense of “control” that I was trying to hang onto. I was really dreading the back labor that I’d had in each of my past labors, but I wanted to lean into the discomfort of the labor pains and really accept what my body was trying to do. Working with the contractions, rather than resisting them.

This time, when my water broke, labor moved pretty quickly. It was such a different experience than any of my other labors, which I really attribute to all the mental preparation beforehand. I did not have fear going into this birth. I also did not have the horrible back labor that I had experienced in the past! I ended up having my first water birth too, which was amazing, and Rachel got to catch this baby! This birth was so redemptive after all of the drama of the last one. I’m so thankful to have had such a wonderful midwife, who has been there for me (and our family) through many ups and downs! Our meeting was definitely not an accident. You are a blessing, Rachel!

Rachel provided an incredible 10/10 experience for our family. From our first meeting through postpartum care, we felt fully supported and at ease. Rachel is experienced, knowledgeable, and exceptionally clear with her communication. She truly helped us visualize and execute our ideal home birth. 
 After two prior hospital births, the comfort of delivering our third child at home and the following supportive care was a night and day difference. Overall, the experience completely exceeded our expectations. If we are blessed with a fourth child, we intend to work with Rachel again!