Back Home Midwifery

06/17/2026

This family holds such a special place in my heart. I first met them during their second pregnancy as they planned their first homebirth. I still remember her 36-week home visit because her mother-in-law, a Labor & Delivery nurse for 30 years, came with plenty of questions. Safe to say, she has since become a strong supporter of homebirth. When they reached out for baby number three and another homebirth together, I was beyond excited. Mom said, “If we could just repeat last time, that would be great.”

That is exactly what happened, just even faster. More than a week past her due date, contractions began around 9:30 p.m., and by midnight they had become more consistent. She called us about 45 minutes later, admitting she had been holding off. When I arrived about 20 minutes later, she was already feeling the urge to push. The birth pool was filled, the bed was ready, and she was quietly laboring beside her husband. At 1:38 a.m., her water broke on its own, and just three minutes later, their baby was born peacefully into the water. Her fastest birth yet, with just 1 hour and 45 minutes of active labor. A beautiful third daughter, already so deeply loved by her mom, dad, and big sisters.

06/16/2026

This first-time mama came prepared. She had read all the books, but what stood out most was her attitude. From the very beginning, she trusted the process. She had faith in her body, faith in birth, and faith that whatever needed to happen would unfold exactly as it was meant to.

Her labor began in the evening, though the days leading up to it were filled with starts and stops. By 5 a.m., her contractions became more consistent, and by 6 a.m. she was calling us in. After working hard through the night, she chose to have a cervical exam right away for reassurance that things were progressing. She was already 7 cm dilated!

Before long, she began feeling more pressure, and it seemed like baby might be arriving soon. But baby had other plans.

By 8:45 a.m., she had progressed to 8–9 cm, but labor seemed to stall there. Her contraction pattern changed, and we suspected baby wasn’t in an ideal position. Through it all, this mama never wavered. She stayed grounded in her faith, listening to prayer throughout her labor and leaning into her trust in both God and her body. When labor is long, attitude matters, and hers was remarkable.

She changed positions, rested whenever she could, used hydrotherapy, stayed positive, and spent hours resisting the urge to push before her body was ready.

Then, around 4 p.m., something shifted. After waking from a short 20-minute nap, she felt a much stronger urge to push. Baby had moved down and was finally ready to be born.

Less than an hour later, she was holding her beautiful daughter in her arms. Mom and dad are completely smitten, and it was an honor to witness the endurance, patience, and unwavering faith that brought her into the world.

05/14/2026

On labor watch….. first time going out with my camper!

05/04/2026

Six minutes.

That’s how long it took from the moment I walked through the door to the moment this baby arrived.

This family chose homebirth with their fourth for a lot of reasons, but one of them was her history of fast labors. Last time, she made it to the hospital just in time. Just in time.

This labor started around 2:30 AM with mild contractions. She stayed in bed, tried to rest. At 5 AM, her water broke: still in bed. She wasn’t even sure she needed me yet, so she called her doula Joslin, who lived right down the street.

By 5:30, the Joslin was calling me. Labor had shifted.

Mom still wasn’t sure she needed me to come.

I left anyway. Gut instinct.

I arrived at 6:01. Baby was born at 6:07.

Total active labor: 37 minutes.

Soon after, her husband was singing Christian music, and making breakfast. The best part: their children were waking up to a brand new sibling.

Fast. Intense. Powerful. And unbelievably beautiful.

05/04/2026

04/25/2026

Wow! Another family told me about this yesterday. If you are looking for anything baby related, there is a huge sale this weekend.

04/24/2026

There is hope after loss.

This mama came to me halfway through her pregnancy. I was already full for the month, but her story made it an easy yes. She was looking for someone to believe in hope with her. So we did, honestly, tearfully, and one step at a time.

She has five beautiful children. She homeschools them while tenderly caring for one with complex medical needs.

She also carries deep grief. Her last two pregnancies ended in loss in the second trimester.

March 10th was a date she had been dreading. It marked her baby girl’s burial the year before and the day her midwife suddenly passed away. Two profound losses tied to one day.

Labor began early in the morning while the house was still quiet. She was having mild contractions, and before long, little feet started padding out of bedrooms. Her youngest climbed up for snuggles on the couch. Thank goodness for the doula, who helped round them up and keep them occupied.

She had planned to labor in her bedroom, but with children still sleeping there, we quickly made space in the guest room. Homebirth is about adaptability.

She moved through labor with strength and softness. One moment, she was crying tears of joy, so grateful she gets to keep this baby. The next, she was swaying through contractions, singing psalms.

Then she chose the shower. The warmth, the sound, the privacy. It was exactly what she needed.

Soon she was calling for her husband, and before long, on her hands and knees, she birthed her chunky, beautiful baby girl right into her new midwife’s hands.

We were all crying.

She took a chance on me, and I took a chance on her. She trusted her instincts every step of the way.

Most importantly, she got to hold the daughter she had been waiting for. On March 10th. A day that once held so much grief now also holds new life.

04/14/2026

Due Date Baby?

Everyone hopes they’ll have their baby on their due date, but I often remind families that a due date is really just a guess. Babies come on their own time, typically between 38 and 42 weeks.

This second-time mom woke at 5 AM already in active labor with contractions every 2 to 5 minutes. She had slept completely through early labor! By 6 AM, she called to say things were getting stronger.

I had just helped another mom give birth 30 minutes before and was an hour away! We made a plan for her to get into the shower and see how things progressed. At 7:15, she texted that contractions were every two minutes…..we drove fast, but safely.

When Moe and I arrived, she was clearly in advanced labor. There was no time to set up the birth pool. Her husband and father-in-law were getting her 2-year-old out the door, and her aunt, who was her doula, was still on her way.

In the middle of all of that, she stayed focused and grounded. She worked through each wave with strength and determination.

At 8:30, she moved onto her hands and knees and began to push. Her water broke at 8:34, and at 8:40, her baby was born.

No one knew the baby’s s*x (one of my favorite parts of homebirth), and in that moment of surprise and joy, they welcomed a beautiful baby girl…..on her due date. ❤️

***Her goat surprised her with a baby a week earlier***

04/01/2026

She wanted something different this time.

Not just another birth story, but a different experience. One where she felt respected, where she didn’t have to fight to be heard or advocate for herself. She wanted peace. She wanted trust. As a woman rooted deeply in her faith, she carried a quiet confidence trusting both her body and God to lead the way.

Her day began gently, with mild contractions. Nothing urgent, nothing demanding. I was at another birth when she called to tell me things were starting. We made a plan: rest, take it easy, and keep me updated when things shifted.

So she did exactly that. She spent the day with her beautiful little daughter, soaking in those last quiet moments as a family of three. She took a nap. She waited. When her husband came home around 3 PM, they went for a walk together. Somewhere along that walk, she admitted it. This was real.

There’s something about second-time moms. They often don’t believe they’re truly in labor until they’re already deep in it. I’m not sure if they’re waiting for it to get as bad as they remember, or if it’s just so different from their first that it’s hard to recognize. Either way, it’s something I’ve come to recognize and talk about with every second time mom.

I changed my advice from “tell me when it’s getting intense” to something more specific: I should know you’re in labor when you can’t lay in bed anymore. When you think it’s a good idea to fill the birth pool. When you’re taking a shower to feel better. When you’re doing anything to get through contractions: call me.

For her, that shift came around 5 PM. She called me to come over at 5:10. I had just warmed up my dinner and asked, half-jokingly, if I had time to eat. She reassured me things were just starting to pick up, and she only lived 10 minutes away.

At 5:30, her husband called while I was on my way. Her water had just broken in the kitchen, and things had become very intense, very quickly. He was filling the birth pool as we spoke.

When I arrived, the energy in the home had completely shifted. Her daughter was safely across the street with family. The blinds were drawn. Soft Christian music filled the space.

She was in her living room, leaning over the birth pool. Already full…… with very cold water.

(Quick tip for birth partners: check the temperature of the water going into the pool. Keep it between 92° and 98°.)

We pivoted quickly, moving into the bedroom. I always have families prepare their bed just in case. This was one of those times when that preparation mattered.

Just before 6 PM, she began to feel pressure. Without hesitation she followed her body, instinctively moving onto her hands and knees. Focused. Grounded. Ready.
Gently soon after, her baby began to arrive.

At 6:13 PM, her beautiful baby girl was born.

Her active labor had lasted just over an hour. It was fast. It was powerful. It was deeply, unmistakably peaceful.

Faith is at the center of this family’s life. In one of the most tender moments afterward, as I completed the newborn exam, she asked me something I’ll never forget: Could I place her baby’s footprint inside her Bible?

A sacred keepsake. A mark of this journey. A reminder of what her body, and her faith had carried her through. It’s something I’ll now offer to other Christian families, inspired by her.

She trusted her body.
She trusted her God.
In that trust, she brought her daughter into the world peacefully, powerfully, and on her own terms.

11/26/2025

We have 20 turkeys available for families in need this holiday season.

Pickup is tomorrow, Wednesday 11/26.
To reserve one and get all the details, please text 518-250-9719.

Huge thank-you to Kyle Lyle’s Exit 21 CYO Program in Catskill, NY for this incredibly generous donation — your support makes a real difference. ❤️🦃✨


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