Willow & Sage Midwifery & Women's Health

10/22/2025

🌸 Continuity of Care — The Heart of Midwifery 🌸

One of the most beautiful parts of midwifery care is the continuity — the way your midwife walks beside you through your entire journey. 💜

From those first prenatal visits — where we sit together, talk about your hopes, your fears, your nutrition, your baby’s position, and your birth plan — to the quiet hours of labor where I’m by your side, monitoring, guiding, and encouraging your strength…

And it doesn’t stop when the baby is born. 🌿
Your midwife continues to care for you and your newborn in the days and weeks that follow — checking in on healing, breastfeeding, emotional wellness, and helping you settle into life as a new family.

This kind of care builds trust. It allows space for real connection, informed decision-making, and individualized support. You’re not just a chart or a room number — you’re known.

Continuity of care means you have one provider who knows your story from beginning to end — someone who celebrates with you, advocates for you, and supports you through every transition.

That’s midwifery. 💫

Peep some of these sweet families at some of our most recent 6-week postpartum visits. We have the best clients!

10/19/2025

👇🏻👇🏻👇🏻👇🏻👇🏻

2-hour, expert led birth prep class.

10/15/2025

🌿 October is Infant & Pregnancy Loss Awareness Month 🌿

As midwives, we walk beside families through moments of incredible joy — and sometimes, moments of unimaginable sorrow.
This month, we pause to honor the babies who were deeply loved but not long held, and the families whose hearts carry them every day.

Pregnancy and infant loss touches more lives than many realize. Behind each statistic is a name, a story, a family who will never forget. If you are one of those families — please know that your baby is remembered, your grief is seen, and your love continues to matter. 💜

At Willow & Sage Midwifery, we believe that midwifery care includes not only welcoming life, but also walking tenderly with families through loss. Whether that means holding space in silence, creating ritual and remembrance, or connecting you with support — you are not alone.

🕯️ Tonight, October 15th, we invite our community to light a candle at 7pm for the Wave of Light, joining families around the world in remembrance and hope.

10/13/2025

🌿 The Power of Peer Review in Midwifery 🌿

This morning, 4 like-minded midwives and 1 midwifery student got together for pastries and good conversation.

In the world of midwifery, peer review isn’t about judgment — it’s about growth, safety, and sisterhood.
It’s a time when midwives come together to reflect on real cases, share experiences, and learn from one another in a supportive, confidential space.

Peer review reminds us that none of us practice in isolation. It strengthens our skills, sharpens our critical thinking, and reinforces accountability to the families we serve. Every birth we attend, every decision we make, and every outcome we evaluate adds to the collective wisdom of our profession.

It’s humbling, it’s inspiring, and it’s one of the most beautiful examples of community within midwifery — a circle of learning and care that ultimately makes birth safer and more empowering for everyone. 💛

Here’s to continued growth, open hearts, and shared wisdom among midwives everywhere.

10/10/2025

🌿 Did You Know? 🌿

There are a lot of misconceptions about midwives and out-of-hospital birth — so let’s clear a few up!

💡 Myth: Midwives only attend home births.
👉 Truth: Certified Nurse-Midwives (CNMs) are licensed healthcare providers who can attend births in many settings — homes, birth centers, and hospitals! Many of us have years of hospital experience before moving into out-of-hospital practice.

💡 Myth: Home birth means unassisted birth.
👉 Truth: A planned home birth with a licensed midwife is attended, monitored, and equipped. We bring oxygen, IV supplies, emergency medications, and the training to recognize when a hospital transfer is needed. Unassisted (or “free”) birth is a completely different choice — midwives are trained medical professionals providing safe, supported care.

💡 Myth: Midwives are “against” hospitals.
👉 Truth: Not at all! Most midwives value collaboration with hospital providers and will transfer care when it’s in the best interest of the birthing person or baby. The heart of midwifery is about options, education, and respect — not judgment.

✨ The beauty of midwifery care is that it meets families where they are — informed, supported, and empowered to make the best decision for their birth.

10/08/2025

🌿 Community Spotlight! 🌿

We’re so excited to share that our friends at Arrow Pelvic Physical Therapy are expanding their services to support families even more deeply! 💕

They now offer:

✅ Lactation support — helping new parents navigate breastfeeding with confidence (You can book a lactation consult at their booking site (arrowpelvicpt.janeapp.com) or send a text to 406-647-0749).

✅ “Arrow Empowered Arrival” Birth Prep Class — a 2-hour pelvic floor & birth prep workshop (for couples) coming up Wednesday, November 5, 6–8 pm
📍 Held in their studio
💲 $150 per couple (birth partners welcome)
In this class, participants will:

Learn hip mobility & pelvic mechanics that support birth

Explore labor-friendly positions and partner techniques

Practice breath & relaxation strategies to help your pelvic floor

Get prenatal lactation education + a take-home guide

Gain confidence, reduce anxiety, and be physically & mentally prepared

If you’re in your 2nd or 3rd trimester and want to enter birth feeling empowered (and your partner feels confident supporting you), this is for you.

🔗 More info & sign up: Arrow Empowered Arrival — Arrow Pelvic PT
arrowpelvic.myflodesk.com

Let’s give a warm shoutout to Arrow Pelvic for continuing to raise the bar in holistic, evidence-based care for mamas and birthing families. 💛

10/08/2025

10/08/2025

🌿 Behind the Scenes of Midwifery 🌿

Birth may seem spontaneous and unpredictable, but for midwives, preparation is everything. ✨

Before every birth, there’s quiet work that happens behind the scenes — checking supplies, sterilizing instruments, packing birth bags, filling up the birth pool, and double-checking every medication and piece of equipment.

Each birth kit is carefully prepared with love and attention to detail — from the gentle touch of newborn blankets to the sterile instruments used for emergencies we hope we never need. 💜

Sometimes you’ll find me finishing postpartum charting with a warm cup of tea after a long night, reflecting on the sacredness of it all — how every birth tells its own story, and how incredible it is to be invited into that space.

Midwifery isn’t just catching babies. It’s preparation, intuition, teamwork, prayer, and deep respect for the mystery and power of birth. 🌸

So when you see a midwife loading her car at midnight or unpacking supplies in the morning light — know that she’s carrying not just equipment, but years of training, readiness, and reverence for the work she’s been called to do. 💫

10/01/2025

🌿 Out-of-Hospital vs. Hospital Birth 🌿

One of the most common questions I get asked is, “What’s the difference between giving birth at home, in a birth center, or in the hospital?” Having worked in both settings, I can honestly say there are benefits to each—it really depends on what kind of experience you’re hoping for.

✨ Hospital Birth
Hospitals are designed for high-risk situations and have immediate access to advanced medical technology. For some families, that environment provides a sense of safety and security, and for certain medical conditions, it’s the best choice.

✨ Out-of-Hospital Birth (Home & Birth Center)
For healthy, low-risk pregnancies, home and birth center births offer a completely different environment—calm, quiet, intimate, and centered around the family. Care is personalized, interventions are minimized, and you are encouraged to move, eat, rest, and birth in the ways your body feels called to. The philosophy of care is rooted in trusting birth as a physiologic process and supporting your body to do what it was designed to do.

✨ The Best of Both Worlds
As a midwife who has practiced in both the hospital and out-of-hospital settings, I deeply value what each has to offer. My role is to ensure safety, whether that means supporting you through a smooth home birth or recognizing when it’s time to transfer care. Either way, your voice, your choices, and your experience remain at the center.

💜 Out-of-hospital birth isn’t for everyone, and that’s okay—but for families who desire a warm, family-centered, low-intervention birth, it can be a truly empowering option.

-Ashley

09/28/2025

📣 PSA for Expecting Families 📣

I want to take a moment to talk about something that comes up often near the end of pregnancy—castor oil.

Some families consider using castor oil to help get labor started, but here’s the important part: please, please talk to your midwife before you take it.

Why? Because castor oil can sometimes bring on labor quickly and intensely. If your midwife doesn’t know ahead of time that you’ve taken it, there’s a real chance she may not make it to your labor in time. And as your midwife, my role is to be by your side to monitor both you and your baby for safety.

Your midwife can also help you weigh whether castor oil is the right choice in your unique situation, explain the risks and benefits, and make a plan together.

💡 Bottom line: Don’t go it alone. Always loop in your midwife before trying anything to start labor—especially something as strong as castor oil. That way, you can ensure your birth team is fully present, prepared, and ready to support you. 💕

09/24/2025

🌿 Let’s Talk About Doulas and Midwives 🌿

I often get asked what the difference is between a doula and a midwife, and I love this question because it shows how much thought you’re putting into your birth team.

💛 A doula is there for your heart and your body in labor—holding your hand, rubbing your back, reminding you to breathe, encouraging your partner, and never leaving your side. One of the beautiful things about doulas is that they often join you in early labor, when you may still be at home wondering if “this is the real thing.” A doula can help you feel calm, supported, and confident until it’s time for your midwife to join you.

💛 A midwife is your healthcare provider. My role is to monitor the health and safety of you and your baby, assess progress, and make sure labor is unfolding safely. I typically arrive when you’re in active labor, because that’s when clinical assessment and decision-making become most important. Of course, I’ll also offer encouragement and reassurance, but my first responsibility is always your medical care.

That’s why I always tell families: if you’re hoping for continuous support from the very beginning of labor to the very end, the best team is both a doula and a midwife. With a doula, you have someone by your side through every contraction, and with a midwife, you have skilled clinical care to ensure safety for you and your baby.

Together, doulas and midwives create such a beautiful balance—you truly deserve that kind of support. 💕

09/23/2025

✨ Today was a bittersweet day — the last postpartum visit with this beautiful mama. ✨

It’s always a little hard to say goodbye after walking alongside someone through pregnancy, birth, and those first tender weeks of postpartum. This mom showed such strength, grace, and determination during her labor, and I couldn’t be more proud of the way she brought her baby into the world.

Postpartum visits are some of my favorite moments — seeing the growth, the healing, and the love that blossoms in a family. But they’re also reminders that my role shifts from being right beside them to cheering them on from afar. 💜

So proud of you, mama. You did it. 🌿👶