08/07/2023
Midwife Sarah here... this is going to be LONG, y'all.
After over 20 years of attending births as a doula, midwife, friend, and even as a grandma/auntie, I have a HUGE announcement to make.
For the last 3 years our family has known that we want to relocate out of Idaho, but it was impossible to think of leaving such a hole in our community. Ancient Paths Birth & Wellness has served over 1200 families (many who have had multiple babies with us) both at the center and at home, and the thought of leaving such a gap in our community has kept us here far beyond what we planned. Our amazing families just kept having blessing after blessing, and there was never a "good" time to move into our new season of life. As many of you know, our birth center was Coeurd'Alene's first freestanding birth center, and being right next to the hospital has allowed so many families the safety of being near services (a big deal with birthing in a snowstorm in the middle of the night) while also being a home away from home for so many. We could not imagine the center not existing, so we just kept waiting year after year for the final nudge to make such a big change.
As our youngest child (of 6) prepared for her Senior year, it was made clear that it was time for us to make the move to where we wanted to be. Years of sacrificing sleep and enduring the stress of this amazing life has created health concerns for myself that deserve (and demand) my attention. So... we found the perfect house in a town we fell in love with this last year, and in faith we just decided to make the jump. In what can only be described as Divine timing, that same week I offered the birth center to a local midwife who I know will carry on the spirit of what APBW has stood for all of these years, and she accepted!
As of September 1, 2023, Kasha deRoos and her team at Juniper Midwifery will be taking over the birth center and we couldn't be more thrilled. This transition has been happening for a few months now so this may not be news to many, but we wanted to make an official announcement. While we have a full schedule of people due still and plan to work at the center until the end of 2023, we have been fielding all of our repeat and new patients due in 2024 over to Juniper Midwifery. Between their own repeat clients and the many call we get weekly, they have been filling FAST, so please do not hesitate to call them for a consultation should you find yourself needing services.
So far this transition has been one of excitement, peace, a little sadness, but mostly just about as smooth as any of us could ask for! I am confident that Kasha will continue and expand on the vision I always had for the center, making it her own in a way that will bless our community beyond measure! Kasha is competant, kind, and we KNOW she will serve our Ancient Paths families in the ways they deserve when it comes to their birthing experiences. ❤
FINALLY... I want to give a HUGE shout out to the providers that we have worked with over the years that have been instrumental in providing care to our patients when needed. These are listed in no particular order, btw 😉
Midwife Heidi Pham - Dr. Heidi if you will. You are one of my best friends and I am so grateful that God brought us together. I would not have made it these past few years without your commitment to me, this work, and our families. You are such a compassionate and wonderful human, and your skill as a provider will continue to benefit families for years to come. Who knows what the future holds for us 🙂 but I will forever be grateful for your friendship and the work we have done together. I truly love you.
Jessica Miles - henna artist, mental health therapist, and human extroidinairre. I adore you. You were the first to sign on to my vision at Ancient Paths and it has been wonderful hosting your business and experiencing your friendship. You have my heart, always.
Dr. Rick Thomas at Life Chiropractic in Post Falls. You have provided top notch, specialized pregnancy adjustments to our families for over 20 years and to my personal family for over 23 now (I saw Rick for my own pregnancies and home births back in the day!). You've seen our people in the office last minute, during labor, and have come to our center or their homes on holidays, weekends, and the middle of the night even when asked. You have helped us to avoid transports for crooked babies countless times by your skilled and experienced hands, and I can't even imagine practicing without you as a resource. I am so grateful for you and will always sing your praises. Our community is so blessed to have you. (Everyone, go see Rick!)
Sheree DiBiase at Lake City PT. Your team paved the way for Pelvic Floor therapy in our community when no one even knew it was a thing! You've taught countless PTs in our area about the importance of pelvic health and trained just about everyone who is working in our community in this field. You personally have treated my own daughters and changed their lives for the better. I am in awe of your integrity, your commitment to the profession, and your heart for people. You are an inspiration on every level and I wish you continued success in all that you do.
Dr. Doug Brown at Valley OBGYN and Dr. Nathan Meltzer at Kootenai OBGYN. I don't even know what to say about these men. For over 20 years our local hospital had a "VBAC ban", and these providers worked tirelessly to provide evidence based, respectful care to families and gave them CHOICE when no one else did. They were a constant source of support, information, and encouragement for only for our patients but for me as a midwife. Knowing we had such amazing providers to consult with and refer to over the years has allowed us to give our patients the very best options outside of our care. A good OB is priceless to a home birth community, and ours is beyond blessed to have these two practicing.
Dr. Julie Meltzer is the OB that started the Hospitalist program at Kootenai a few years ago. These are the doctors we transfer to for emergent care, and it has been the biggest game-changer of my career to have this program in place. Prior to it being implemented, any emergency was transferred to a random OB on call. It was always a private practice OB and whether or not we would get someone respectful, friendly, etc was a toss up. While some were great to work with, we also had doctors literally refuse our presence at our clients birth once transferred. People were shamed for choosing an out of hospital birth, some physically assaulted even, driving many midwives to seek care for their patients all the way into Spokane just to avoid going to Kootenai. We had people go in to be triaged for a headache or dehydration and be induced or Csectioned without cause. I truly cannot describe how difficult it was to witness and I still see other communities that go through it and it reminds me just how bad it used to be here.
Because of the work that Dr. Julie Melzer and her team of hospitalists have done over these last few years, along with the recent OB staff at Kootenai, I can now say that Kootenai is THE place I would want any patient needing higher care to be. Change has not been easy, but they made it happen. They are compassionate, competent, respectful of families AND of us, and they are why we can confidently transfer when needed and assure our patients that they will be received with open arms and have the best of care. For out of hospital midwives, having THIS kind of support and resources absolutely impacts our ability to provide not only safe births but a good experience. I have seen dozen of communities where there is so much contention and strife between the hospital and midwives, and to not have that dynamic here anymore is a blessing I can't fully describe. I fully attribute this positive change at Kootenai to Dr. Julie and her work with her team to change the way birth is seen and managed in our area, and I have the highest respect and admiration for her and her team. THANK YOU.
Finally, to the Ancient Paths families I have served over the years. Ugh. This is really hard. We have walked together through easy births, hard births, losses, and Rainbow babies abound. We've become more than midwife/client over the years and I consider so many of you as family. I know for a fact I've officiated several of your weddings, babysat on occassion, and held you through life expereinces far beyond childbirth. On the flip side, you've seen ME through so much of my own life experiences. While I am looking forward to being off-call, sleeping for a bit, uninterrupted date nights with my husband, HOBBIES, and time with my kids/grandkids and away from my phone, if I ever return to this work it will be because of the experiences I've had with YOU. Thank you for letting me be a part of your lives, your journey, and the care of your most precious gifts. This was always more than a job to me.
Midwifery is truly a calling and it takes as much as it gives. The countless holidays, birthdays, nights and days of no sleep, time away from my own family - it was hard but it was worth it. Being front-row to the most miraculous events our world has to offer has been both an honor and privilege. As I enter this new phase of life, know that I will remember every single moment I spent with you and you will always be in my thoughts and prayers. I'll be watching your families grow and thrive from afar, and I am SO proud of the work we've done together. You have given my life so much meaning and I am forever grateful. Keep on keeping on, one breath at a time. Lean into the discomfort, trust yourselves, and DRINK YOU WATER. 😉
So much love - Midwife Sarah
PS - As promised, we are hosting a Going Away party for our friends and APBW families at the Landings Park on Wednesday, August 23rd from 6 - 9PM. There is a splash pad and we reserved the covered gazebo. I'll be making a seperate event for this, so PLEASE RSVP as we will be providing dinner/snacks/drinks as well (feel free to bring something to share if you want but also just come as you are!). This would be a GREAT time to return any books and baby carriers you have - please! 😉 Oh, and pics of your family/notes would also be amazing to have as I'll be making a scrapbook of all the families we've served here through the years to take with me. xoxo
