MOV Birth

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Providing preventative maternity care and home birth support promoting self-awareness and responsibility, confidence, and instinctual birth.

Disciple of Yeshua/Jesus - Functional Midwifery
Home Birth & Wellness Care in the Reproductive Years
Mid-Ohio Valley & Beyond
Private-Health Ministry Association 508(c)1(a) I believe life begins at conception, that you and your baby were - created - to make this birth journey together and breastfeeding completes birth preparing your baby for life on earth, while the whole childbearing year gets you ready to care for this child through spiritual growth. I offer the preconception and perinatal education, support, and care that you request and require throughout this adventure. Midwifery, Doula, & Lactation Care - www.MOVbirth.com
Perinatal Education - www.EsaliBirth.com

10/12/2026

Midwives [should be] trained in physiology and normal variations.
Midwives should know when to sit in a corner quietly knitting.
Midwives should know when to support the variations that surround physiology so that they don't move into a pathology state.
Midwives should know how to be with women and their families without medical training.
Midwifery is NOT medical.
It is OK if midwives know clinical skills and use medical tools as well.... but those are MEDICAL skills and tools NOT midwifery skills and tools.
Listening and watching a woman to recognize her sounds, actions, demeanor...etc., to see she is in a state of physiology is a midwifery skillset.
Taking a blood pressure, doing a vaginal exam, or administering any type of medication is a medical skillset.
Using a rebozo, herbs, hands-on palpation, emotional support...etc., are midwifery skillsets.
Assessing fetal heart tones, reading a CTG monitor, timing contractions...etc., are medical skillsets.
Modern midwives often have a lot of clinical medical skills - and quickly moving into those skills being taught first and glorified. Its OK to have these clinical skillsets - they can be a valuable asset for midwifery, at times.
However... the majority of women thrive from the midwifery skills that have been used throughout history to manage the normal variations of physiology.
Clinical and medical skills as a routine do not improve outcomes... (please, read AS A ROUTINE)... but midwifery skills do improve outcomes as a routine.
Teaching nutrition improves outcomes.
Teaching emotional well-being improves outcomes.
Teaching body balancing improves outcomes.
Teaching physiology, patience, and trust improves outcomes.
Being a quiet presence, attentive to the variations of physiology, improves outcomes.
About 25% of women/babies will also benefit from clinical assessments.
A smaller portion of these 25% will benefit from medical management (forms of medication, induction, cesarean...etc.).
That means 75% of women and babies not only benefit from non-medical midwifery care... but THRIVE in it.

10/10/2026

Physiology is really cool... not only does it just work when all is in balance... it can also work to re-balance.
A mother and baby that were healthy BEFORE/AT conception (which means Dad also has to be healthy) have a lot of flexibility within physiology before we get to the normal variations. They feel sensations in their body that tell them they are becoming imbalanced... like hunger, thirst, overwhelm, and tiredness. But, when they are intentional and responsible and supported enough to be able to listen to this physiological communication, they can take the steps to simply provide the life needs to prevent their body from becoming chronically imbalanced and quickly bring their body back into a state of balance.
Physiology can look like imbalance at first, but you realize a body in a health physiological state doesn't stay imbalanced long and doesn't need intervention (other than the normal survival things like food, water, fresh air, sleep, and rest) to maintain health.
Healthy physiology can handle... actually thrive with... intensity every day. The intensity that comes from physical work that makes you tired enough to want to sleep as the sun goes down but balanced enough to wake as the sun rises. This is nourishing to the whole body and healthy physiology actually needs this kind of "stress," with a day of rest every week for full recovery, to become resilient.
Truly, there aren't a lot of women that live in this kind of physiology... they generally experience the normal variations surrounding this physiology where a bit of wise guidance becomes valuable.... stay tuned for more discussion on normal variations.

10/04/2026

When mom's not ready to get in the pool, but you're getting it half full with hot water so it will be faster when it's time..
well... dad is... dad is hauling all the 5 gallon buckets...
then she decides she'll get in soon before you're even half way full and dad has to take out multiple 5 gallon buckets because the wood-fired hot water is so stinkin' hot that the cold water just isn't enough.
Mom totally agrees that pool management is an excellent Dad task. She absolutely loved that he had something to do. 🙌
Baby number 6, and one of this mom's longest labors at about 8 hours total.
First water birth for her.
First time with me as her midwife (at least the first time I've attended one of her births... she dearly misses her first midwife that moved away 💔)... there really is something special about being the first midwife to walk this transformational journey with a mom... they will forever stay in your heart and head.
Only the 2nd (if i remember correctly) time I've attended a water birth where every drop of mom's placenta separation bleeding stayed within the amniotic sac and didnt gush into the pool... and then I dropped it... I couldn't hold onto the placenta/bag and reach for the bowl at the same time and it spilled 😭🤣😂

10/03/2026

What a beautiful placenta!!!

It’s interesting... a fatty deposit and minor circummarginate ring... but we might have expected a different appearance for a mom with Lupus and pre-existing hypertension.
Although, balance prior to conception, even if with medication... and when Jesus is the center life... it makes a difference.

Mom's don't have to be a high risk label.
That doesn't mean we approach care the same as anyone else, or that we don't consult with OBs or MFMs or seek parallel care, or end up in an ER for concerns with pre-eclampsia, or even plan home birth initially... or transfer care if we did... or transport during or after birth… or have challenges postpartum…

It means we look at the whole picture.

We have even more conversations than usual about alternative plans, boundaries, and what the surrounding community thinks and why they might be fearful of the label (just being honest here).
We strongly consider the recommendations of the medical community... even reevaluating the day that labor might be starting.

We accept the unknowns, inexperience, and lack of data. We continue to learn and respect the changing mind of the medical professionals that are also willing to learn and humble enough to be honest about it.
We’re grateful when those providing information can respect someone's decision to do something different.

It means we often see parents more fully understanding what individualized care and responsibility means and feels like.

Of course, lots and lots of talking to Yahweh. Lots of community support that is felt from the very first phone call to the PRAISE THE LORD messages after the birth.

God kept saying, “But… look what I can do.”
20 hours of labor... lots of ebb and flow… wondering... almost transporting 🥴
Frank breech baby that decided to rotate a bit funky 😬... but kept coming!
Bit of direction through pushing... and I’ll be honest, much was to help me feel more comfortable supporting this whole situation... but it still supported choice... still supported physiology... and was intentionally applied
1000 mL that came moments after birth, all with the placenta 😱
A baby that took a few hours to latch on

And no medical intervention was necessary at any point.

Not one step of this journey was easy.
But look what Yahweh our God can do.

JOY... in the midst of it all.
PEACE... in the difficult decisions.
TRUST... when a family has a truly supportive village.

Praise Jesus for His constant presence... to not take this lightly... to not assume every situation like this results in this amazing way... for His strength and control.

09/19/2026

The essence of midwifery care is knowledge and skill of prevention and support during physiology of pregnancy and birth as well as the knowledge and skills to support the normal variations surrounding this physiology - allowing physiology to continue, educating to prevent pathology, supporting the non-medical approach to variations of physiology and serving to bring variations back into balance without medical tools or techniques.
The majority of women will experience normal variations during pregnancy and birth for which a midwife's knowledge and skillset is beneficial.
This knowledge and skillset does not, at its foundation and core, include medical training or skill.
Not even blood pressure assessments (though, midwifery skills would include the ability to assess cardiovascular, kidney, and stress health without a blood pressure cuff or lab test).
Not even dilation assessments (though, midwifery skills would include the ability to assess the transformation of labor without the use of vaginal fiddling).
Obtaining these, and other, clinical skills has become a part of the modern expectation of midwifery, and as time passes, more and more medical perspectives and skills get adopted into the midwifery training approaches where many midwives forget what the true value of their midwifery gift is… or completely forego learning the foundation of their trade.
Approximately 25% of women will experience some type of pathology for which a medical skillset will be beneficial. (To clarify, this does not mean cesarean - this means the medical array of skillset from assessments and labs to some type of medical tool or technique).
There is NOTHING wrong with learning, or using, clinical skills or tools judiciously and appropriately as a midwife (and especially when we value the training and tools of medical practitioners and their ability to treat mothers in a pathological state and their foundation in medical experience). But we do need to understand the difference between midwifery knowledge and medical knowledge, and we do need to approach midwifery education with midwifery knowledge first (or we'll lose this valuable gift in our communities).
We need to stop expecting midwives to practice medically or to manage pathology... AND
We need to stop expecting medical practitioners to practice non-medically or understand how to support physiology.
We can actually do better when we have a village approach for support, rather than expecting one person to do all the things in all the situations, but it does include respecting the value of these gifts for each other.

08/27/2026

Isn't she GLOWING?!!?!!
We are joyfully awaiting the arrival of this little one in the coming weeks.
I am so blessed when a mom lets me illuminate her belly with her baby's position. Its such a lovely way of connecting and getting to know each other a little more deeply... and also...isn't it just so neat?!

08/26/2026

Who loves drinking red raspberry leaf tea in their childbearing years? What an amazing, nourishing, refreshing tea to gather in the woods, grab from the local herbalist, or be gifted from a friend or elder. Its tonic (meaning: nutritive) properties are just what the uterus needs.
Leaves of plants in the same [rosacea] family, such as strawberry leaves, other berry leaves, are quite similar... even dandelion leaf and nettle leaf have similar nutrient profiles...
But... here's the "secret"
Red Raspberry Leaf has never been shown to directly bind to oxytocin receptors… and there is even evidence that high doses can actually reduce the effectiveness of oxytocin-driven contractions. This is why it is so great at preventing miscarriage and pre-term birth while also progressing already-occurring miscarriage or full-term labor (part of the reason it has the reputation for “causing” labor… but it is actually giving the body what it needs in nutrition form to allow the body to do what it needs to be doing at the time).
Red Raspberry Leaf can support the body’s ability to release oxytocin. This means it has the potential of making you feel more loved and safe and comforted and absolutely does support spontaneous labor. But… so does a hug, family and village support, a walk in nature, and of course faith and peace in Jesus. And, come on… we know that red raspberry leafy can’t come close to the effects of oxytocin release from orgasm…
ALL foods high in magnesium, Vitamin C, Omegas, flavonoids (especially quercetin), probiotics, and sucrose, among others, support the production, release, and receptor sensitivity of oxytocin in the body… This means that fish, capers, onions, apples w/ skins, dark leafy greens and cruciferous veggies, peppers…etc., have the same ability to “get labor going”.
… TO SUM THIS UP… EAT THE PLANTS & FISH + BUILD INTIMACY!

08/25/2026

It is very important to use the name Yahweh in areas of Christian speaking, and especially in midwifery and birth culture.
Not because God is incapable of being big enough to know He is being referenced by the one that is speaking of Him when they don't use His name... but because so many people say "god" or "lord" and do not mean the God named YHWH and this confuses others hearing the messages because they assume they're talking about the same spiritual being.
Most birth education, childbirth books, midwifery books, midwifery classes, midwifery training... that are well accessible and read and shared... are not Christian and some are anti-Christian... but they still mention "god."
This concept has been around since Moses when Yahweh chose this name for Himself because Moses asked so that the people Moses would speak to would know which god he was referring to because they served other energies and beings that they termed "gods."
So at times, we need to be very clear of whom we are referring to if we are Christians.

08/23/2026

Blessed Sunday!

PSA: If the work you do isn't changing your approach to life, noticeably creating spiritual convictions that align more with the Holy Spirit as time passes or leading you down a deeper path with Jesus... you're not in the right place or you're not paying attention.

It doesn't matter how beneficial your services are - if we're doing Yahweh our God's will, we won't simply impact what is happening out there... WE will change.

08/21/2026

Understanding the Transformation of Labor allows us to view birth with less of a mechanistic perspective (which is how most birth education approaches teach, and most birth practitioners believe... but is a relatively new perspective for understanding birth), and more of a holistic perspective that WOMEN have known, deeply, since women first started birthing.
My favorite part of birth to witness is the SURRENDER... when a mom gets to the point where she knows she can't "control" it any more... dad gets to the point where he knows he can't "fix" it any more... and any one else in the space needs to "trust" that her and the Holy Spirit are working out just how to get this baby through her body in a way that TRANSFORMS her in to this baby's mother so that this baby can do the work of Yahweh our God.
A lot of births miss that... focused on the stages, the numbers, the definitions, the location, the how... we forget that this birth is to bring a new soul into this space for something much bigger than all of us.
What's your favorite part?

Address

10468 Ravenswood Road
Ravenswood, WV
26164

Telephone

+13044824729

Website

http://www.MOVbirth.com/

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