Chava Birth, Brigham City, UT (2026)

04/13/2026

That first stretch of skin to skin does more than most people realize. It is not just a cute moment after birth, it is active, functional, and deeply supportive! A newborn placed directly on a parent’s chest begins to regulate their temperature, heart rate, and breathing with surprising efficiency, often more effectively than external warming methods like a heating pad. Blood sugar stabilizes, feeding cues begin to show up, and baby is exposed to familiar bacteria that help start shaping their microbiome.

There is also a hormonal piece happening in real time! Oxytocin rises, which supports bonding, helps the uterus contract, and can even reduce bleeding. Babies who stay skin to skin tend to cry less, conserve more energy, and transition more smoothly into those first hours outside the womb. You can watch it happen. A baby who was unsettled will soften, their body relaxes, their breathing evens out, and they find a rhythm again.

In those first couple of hours, there are usually moments where mom needs to get up. Maybe out of the birth pool, up to use the bathroom, rinse off, or just get more comfortable after birth. Maybe just to have a break! When that happens, we are always thinking about how to keep that same level of support going for baby. Instead of swaddling or placing baby in a separate space, we try to keep skin to skin going whenever we can.

If dad is able, we will often suggest he take his shirt off and hold baby skin to skin during that time. Not as a replacement, but as a continuation. Baby stays warm, regulated, and connected, and the transition stays gentle instead of abrupt.

And then when mom is ready, baby goes right back to her chest, often rooting, ready to feed, and picking up exactly where they left off. There is no disruption, just a steady flow of support from one set of arms to another.

Skin to skin is not just one moment right after birth. It is something we come back to again and again in those early hours and even days. Fussy baby, regulate with skin to skin. Trouble latching, start with skin to skin. Just wanting to soak in those first days, skin to skin. ❤️

04/10/2026

Have you been lucky enough to meet these two yet?

I’m a NARM and MCU approved preceptor, which means I get to train student midwives on their path to becoming CPMs themselves. Some come through formal schooling, some through a portfolio evaluation, but either way this work requires a very hands on apprenticeship that moves through phases of observe, assist, and primary under supervision over the course of a few years.

Precepting is one of the most rewarding parts of this work, and also one of the hardest. It’s not just teaching them skills, it’s teaching how to think, how to assess, how to make decisions when things aren’t textbook, and how to take responsibility for real outcomes.

I’ve had to learn to step back more, guide, and let them grow into it. It also means I don’t always get to catch the baby, which is arguably one of my favorite parts.

But I didn’t become a midwife to catch babies. I became a midwife to take care of people, to hold them through one of the biggest moments of their lives, and there’s a parallel in holding the next generation of midwives as they grow into this work. It takes the same patience, the same trust, and the same willingness to stay steady while someone else steps forward into a new role.

My Alannah has been with me since her very first observe birth and is now in her primary phase. She’s put in the time, the work, has seen a lot, and is learning what it means to be a midwife. She’s ready!

Jordan came to me as an advanced student after working with other midwives (I’m her favorite of course 😂), bringing her own experience into this space, and now that she’s finished with her training, it’s been really fun to build on that together and refine how she wants to practice.

Right now we also have an observe student and an assist working toward this role, earlier on in the process but on that same path, and getting to be part of their growth at every stage is something I don’t take lightly.

Because THIS is how midwifery continues. Not just in the births we attend, but in the people we train, the responsibility we pass on, and the standard we hold. ❤️

04/07/2026

Every year around this time, we start getting messages and consult requests from people who just found out they’re pregnant, and realizing their due date falls right around the holidays!

End of November and December availability is always a little different than normal. A lot of midwives take very well deserved time off, so it can mean those due date spots tend to fill up faster for the ones of us who stay on call.

We DO plan to be here, around, and available for birth this holiday season! But it will be in a more limited capacity than usual so we can still show up the way we want to for each family we are caring for, while still being present with our own families too!

We still have one November and only two December spots available, so if you’re newly pregnant and your due date lands around Thanksgiving through New Years, it’s worth reaching out sooner rather than later if you’re interested in birthing with us! I truly don’t expect these spots to stay open very long. 🎄❤️

04/04/2026

Tiny hands, a fluffy bunny, and the kind of adorable curiosity babies bring to everything. ❤️

Spending so much of my life around birth has made me notice these little stages even more. The exploring, the grabbing, the way babies study the world like everything in it is brand new, because it is!

Easter carries a message of hope and new beginnings for many people. It’s a reminder that life can rise again, even after the darkest of days, and moments like this always feel like a small reflection of that.

And hopefully the Easter bunny remembers the chocolate. 😉 🐇

Happy Easter tomorrow if you celebrate!

📸: Salt City Birth and Newborn Photography

04/02/2026

April is C-Section awareness month!

Cesareans can be life saving. They have a place, and sometimes they are absolutely 100% the right call. They can also be calm, beautiful, supported, and even healing experiences. Many people I know would describe their experiences as just that. I’ve had the opportunity to support and be present for a few of them as well.

If you scroll, you’ll read student midwife Alannah’s first birth story.

It is not shared to scare you, but is shared because NO ONE should go through birth feeling unheard, uninformed, or pushed through something they do not understand. In any type and in any setting.

You can need a cesarean and still deserve clear communication, real consent, and to be treated like you matter every step of the way. These things should not depend on the situation!

There are so many moments in her story where things could have been different and should have been different. And thankfully, her next births were. Not because her body “failed” the first time, but because she had more information, more support, and more space to make decisions. Again, that’s the bare minimum.

If parts of this story feel familiar to your own, you are not alone, and your experience matters too. We are always here if you need to share.

Cesarean awareness month is not just about the surgery, it is about the experience, the conversations, and making sure people are seen, heard, and respected in every kind of birth.

Bare minimum. ❤️

04/01/2026

A repost from last year that is worth sharing again-

Just a reminder that this isn’t a joke. 1 in 4 of your friends have experienced pregnancy or infant loss. 1 in 6 people you know are struggling with infertility. Some out loud and some silently suffering. What seems like harmless fun and just a little joke can be deeply painful for those grieving or longing for a baby.

Be more creative tomorrow. Choose kindness. 🖤

03/29/2026

Morning sickness is common and can show up as nausea, vomiting, food aversions, extreme fatigue, or all of the above. Despite the name, it can truly happen any time of day and for some people it can feel relentless.

A few gentle tips that often help:
Eating small amounts frequently instead of waiting until you are very hungry. An empty stomach can make nausea worse.
Protein matters. Even a few bites can help stabilize blood sugar. Think eggs, yogurt, nut butter, cheese, or a protein shake if solids are hard.
Simple carbs can be your friend. Crackers, toast, rice, potatoes, or plain noodles are often better tolerated early on.
Hydration in small sips. Cold water, ice chips, electrolyte drinks, or sparkling water can be easier than large amounts at once.
Ginger in any form that feels tolerable. Tea, chews, capsules, or fresh ginger.
Vitamin B6 can be helpful for some. Many people do better taking it alone rather than as part of a prenatal.
Take prenatals at night or switch brands if they are making symptoms worse. Iron especially can increase nausea.
Rest matters. Fatigue and nausea feed each other. If you can rest, do it without guilt.

If nausea and vomiting are severe, constant, or you cannot keep fluids down, that is not something to push through. There are safe options in pregnancy and support is important. ❤️

Morning sickness can feel isolating and exhausting, especially when it interferes with daily life. You are not weak and you are not doing anything wrong. Sometimes the goal is simply getting through the day and that is enough!

03/26/2026

18 years ago I attended my first birth.

I had no idea at the time how deeply that moment would change my life, or that one day I would find myself working in the birth world. Back then I was just becoming a mom myself for the first time.

Today that baby turns 18!

Katherine made me a mother. She was the beginning of everything for me in that role. Every lesson, every mistake, every moment of figuring things out started with her. Somehow the tiny baby who started it all is now an adult.

18 feels so big. Not just because of the number, but because it marks the moment you realize you really did it, you raised a human all the way to adulthood.

And yet motherhood thankfully doesn’t end here. Fortunately, it just changes shape. You spend years planning for their future and dreaming of who they will be, and then one day you look at them and realize they’re there.

You love them deeply at every stage of course. The tiny baby you once rocked to sleep, the little kid who needed you for everything, the teenager finding their own way. But somewhere along the way something else happens too. If you’re lucky, that baby you raised becomes someone you genuinely enjoy as a person. Someone you can talk with, laugh with, and spend time with as a friend too.

In a lot of ways, I’m learning that that’s the quiet reward for making it through all those early days.

Katherine is talented, beautiful, thoughtful, steady, and strong in ways that make me incredibly proud. Watching her grow into the person she is today has been one of the greatest privileges of my life and I can’t wait to see what her future holds.

And I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again. Don’t blink.

Happy 18th birthday my baby Katherine ❤️

03/23/2026

It’s World Doula Week, and if you’ve ever wondered whether you really need a doula, the answer is YES!

Doulas provide steady, continuous support no matter where you plan to give birth, whether that is at home, in a birth center, or in the hospital. They are not tied to a location, they are tied to you! Research consistently shows that continuous labor support improves outcomes and increases overall satisfaction, but beyond the data, doulas help you stay grounded in the middle of something big. They help you process decisions in real time, offer physical comfort, protect the tone of the room, and hold space when things feel intense or uncertain.

I got my start in birth work as a doula. Long before I was catching babies, I was at bedsides and birth tubs squeezing hips, offering counterpressure, whispering words of affirmation, and learning just how powerful steady presence can be. That foundation shaped the way I practice today and why I believe so strongly in collaborative, relationship based care.

We offer packages that include doula support because we believe it matters, and if you are looking for recommendations, we are always happy to share our personal favorites!

And if you know and love a doula, tag your favorites! ❤️

03/20/2026

With women. Not the system.

Midwife literally means with woman. That is the root of the word. Not above her, not over her. WITH her.

And when I say women, I mean anyone who carries and births a baby and invites me into that space.

It is not anti medicine, but it is anti assembly line.

It means your questions matter more than a protocol. It means we talk through options instead of handing you a checklist. It means your intuition is invited into the room, and never dismissed.

The system is built for volume and liability. Midwifery is built for relationship and responsibility.

With women means longer appointments and real conversations. Shared decision making, care that is accountable to you, not to policy or convenience.

Care should feel personal. Because it is.

With women. Not the system. ❤️

_________________

Thanks to our amazing client who shared this incredible image with us that tells a story all on its own!

03/17/2026

Happy St. Patrick’s Day!

A little green, a bright rainbow, and one lucky baby. ☘️🌈👶

Bet you didn’t realize at first that the baby in the first photo isn’t actually laying under a Lucky Charms rainbow. It’s just a sticker placed onto the template in the second photo. Just a little phone magic.

The blank rainbow photo was shared with us for anyone who wants to make their own festive picture, so we’re passing it along too!

Here’s how to do it right on your phone:
1. Take a photo of your baby on a plain blanket from directly above. Leave some space above them.
2. Open the Photos app.
3. Press and hold on your baby in the photo until the white outline appears.
4. Tap Copy.
5. Open the blank rainbow image.
6. Tap and hold, then tap Paste.
7. Use two fingers to resize and move your baby into place.
8. Screenshot and save your final image.

If your phone won’t paste directly:
• Open a free app like Canva.
• Upload the rainbow template.
• Upload your baby photo.
• Use Background Remover.
• Drag and resize your baby onto the rainbow.
• Download and save.

Five minutes, zero sticky fingers, and the cutest little St. Patrick’s Day keepsake!

Let us know if you create one too, we’d love to see it! ❤️

03/14/2026

Have you ever heard someone ask, “What was the baby’s APGAR?” and not really know what that means?

APGAR is a quick assessment done at one minute and again at five minutes after birth. This is done no matter where birth location is and isn’t a pass or fail test. It is simply a snapshot of how a newborn is transitioning to life outside the womb.

APGAR stands for:

Appearance
Pulse
Grimace
Activity
Respirations

Each category is scored 0, 1, or 2 for a highest total of 10.

We are looking at things like:
Has the baby pinked up or looking blue?
Is the heart rate strong?
Is the baby crying or responding to stimulation?
Are they moving well on their own?
Are they breathing effectively?

Most babies who are born vigorous, breathing, and crying score well right away. Some babies just need a minute to adjust. A lower one minute score does not predict a low five minute one, and typically doesn’t affect long term outcomes. What matters most is how they respond and improve.

At home, this assessment is done right where baby is, often on a parent’s chest and still attached to the umbilical cord. Warm, supported, and observed. We do not separate unless there is a reason to. We are watching closely while protecting the transition.

It is a simple and helpful tool and just like everything in birth, it is all part of a bigger picture.

Chava Birth

04/13/2026

04/10/2026

04/07/2026

04/04/2026

04/02/2026

04/01/2026

03/29/2026

03/26/2026

03/23/2026

03/20/2026

03/17/2026

03/14/2026

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