Holistic Home Birth, LLC

It’s that time again! My annual statistic report is complete. For the reporting period of 10/01/21 to 09/30/22:

I helped a total of 57 clients give birth.

-ZERO maternal losses!
-ZERO fetal or newborn losses!
-2 clients transferred in to the hospital after the onset of labor, neither of which were emergent. Both of them had cesarean deliveries (1 was entirely elective) which makes my over all C-section rate only 3.5%
-ZERO maternal transfers immediately after birth.
-ZERO newborn transfers immediately after birth.
-1 maternal hospital transfer in the first 24 hours for blood loss assessment.
-1 newborn hospital transfer at 24 hours for feeding difficulties.
- I also had a total of 8 other clients who started prenatal care with me, but required transfer into OB care at various points during pregnancy, for complications including: PIH (pregnancy induced hypertension), IUGR (intrauterine growth restriction), PPROM (preterm prolonged rupture of membranes) and severe unresolved anemia. These numbers are slightly higher than usual, but it seems to be the new normal in our Post Covid world. All of these clients were appropriately referred out, and received the extra care they needed to have happy, healthy babies. This is a VERY important part of midwifery care!! ❤️

-There were 24 💗 and 33 💙 babies.
-The largest baby was a 9lb 10oz 💙
-The smallest (at home) was a 5lb 14oz 💙
-5 out of 5 attempted VBACs were successful! (2 of those were primary VBACs!)
-8 of these were first babies 😊
-Perhaps my favorite statistic of all~ 21 of these were REPEAT clients! It’s such an honor to be trusted by a family to serve them again and again!

As ALWAYS, the families I work with are MUCH more than just statistics to me. You will never know how much each experience of walking beside you blesses my life. ❤️🧡💛💚💙💜

Awesome 👏

October 15th is pregnancy and infant loss remembrance day. One aspect of midwifery that most people don’t consider is the tremendous, heavy, terrible, devastating, beautiful honor of walking with families through the journey of losing a baby. 1 in 4 pregnancies end in miscarriage, though most of those very early. I have helped so many navigate that process. More than I can count. Tonight (and always) I remember everyone who has suffered a loss, and keep your babies in my heart with the tiny baby that I lost too. 🤍❤️🧡💛💚💙💜

Apparently it’s National Midwifery week. What a great time to share one of my favorite 2022 birth photos! Check out all of the hands. ❤️ Sometimes midwifery is catching babies…and other times it’s more like juggling! (photo credit- Colleen Harvey photography)

I’ve had the privilege of being the “family midwife” for quite a few sister/sister-in-law/cousin groupings. The record for births I have attended for one extended family group is 10, but I have a few that are closing in! Yesterday, I attended the 8th birth with one sister group, and today the 9th for another sister/cousin group! Even better- my next client due is also part of one of my sister groups, and that baby will be the 6th I’ve attended with them. How cool is that?! It kind of feels like a family reunion! ❤️🧡💛💚💙💜

❤️🧡💛💚💙💜

Man, these babies got me hustling this week! 3 AMAZING, super speedy births in the last 3 days, or more accurately~ 22lbs0oz of sweet, squishy baby arrived Earthside in the past 60 hours! 💜💜💙

Baby #1200 arrived swiftly & sweetly today. He jumped in line ahead of several other babies to pick this special day, and I’m so glad I got to celebrate this milestone with him ❤️ Its an overwhelming honor to have been present for so many Birth-Days, and each one has been equally important.

24 years ago today I attended my first birth (other than my own) and my life was forever changed. I am currently counting down the final 5 babies to 1200! It never gets old. ❤️🧡💛💚💙💜

The very best instrument trays for early morning births should always include a cup of goooood coffee. Welcome sweet baby! ❤️

I spent this morning at a workshop about Eating Disorders in Pregnancy/Postpartum, lead by an awesome local therapist. One of the main topics was the terribly negative impact social media has had on this issue!! Wow. That was really eye opening. Also- can we all please drop the term “snap back after baby” from our vocabularies permanently? 🙏

Sometimes my favorite part of attending a birth is the big siblings. One of the big sisters from today’s birth decorated my instrument tray with flowers, and when she witnessed her baby brother being born she asked, “Is anything good going to come out of there next? Like cake?” 🤣😂 🍰 💜

Happy International Day of the Midwife! This calling is a LOT more than just catching babies, sometimes you catch the mamas too. ❤️🧡💛💚💙💜

Fun fact that never really occurred to me before now- I was amongst the first 100 midwives to be licensed in the State of Colorado. Number 0000096 to be precise. How cool is that?! ❤️🧡💛💚💙💜

It’s a well known fact that kids p**p almost immediately upon walking through my office doors. Babies, Toddlers, potty training kiddos…even big kids! I like to think it’s because I have such a relaxing environment here that they can really let go. 😂 Last Wednesday was an all time #2 record, with 4 toddlers and 2 newborns “getting comfortable” in my office. So for my birthday on Friday, my darling husband gave me a lovely diffuser. Does that man know me, or what? ❤️💩

This is BRILLIANT!! Where was this advice when my kiddos were little?

20+ years and almost 1,200 babies later, and something about THIS PEN makes me feel like a grown-up midwife! Don’t worry, I’ve got plenty of them for everyone…

Alright my lovelies, it is LONG past time for me to update my website. I have a goal to sit down this week and completely revamp it! This brings me to my request~ If you happen to have any photos from your births that you would be willing to share, would you please send them to me?? They can be of you and your partner, just me, both of us, your whole birth team, big siblings, with baby, labor, birth, newborn exams, office appointments, action shots, posed shots, videos…really anything, except the SUPER unflattering photos of me with my chins tucked down, weighing your baby. I have plenty of those!! 🤣😂 🤦🏻‍♀️You can either share them on this post, or PM/Email them to me. Please let me know if I should include any photographer credits, etc. THANK YOU SO MUCH!!!!! ❤️🧡💛💚💙💜

Pro Tip #1024: When you are setting up a post-home-water-birth recovery spot, kitties make excellent seat warmers. In fact, they insist upon it. 😂 Welcome baby B! 💙

I have some seriously ingenious clients! The dad this morning came up with a brilliant solution for quickly filling the birth pool. Good thing too, because this sweet baby didn’t want to wait! ❤️

I LOOOOVE it!! This little handmade beauty has found her way to a place of honor on the Call the Midwife shelf in my office. Do I have the BEST CLIENTS EVER, or what?! ❤️💙❤️

I’ve had several people recently ask me how many births I’ve attended. I’ll admit I have completely lost track, since lucky 1111 (or eleventyleven for you Tolkien fans 😉). As I was writing up my latest entry, and realized I was 3/4 of the way through Birth Journal #6, I finally counted them up. I’m thrilled to report I’m currently at 1,171! That means that baby 1,200 is currently in my care. Oh my goodness…I’m overwhelmed with gratitude to have been entrusted by so many families. I can tell you that when I attended my very first birth, I didn’t expect to see my self here 24 short years later. ❤️🧡💛💚💙💜🖤🤍🤎

I just caught my first baby of 2022, who arrived safely, sweetly, and COMPLETELY en caul- no less! I hope this sets the pace for another incredible year. ❤️🧡💛💚💙💜

Merry Christmas❤️💚❤️💚

My husband handed me this mug full of coffee as a I raced out the door on my way to another super speedy birth early this morning. I made it there in under 12 parsecs! 😂

It’s yearly statistic reporting time again! We midwives are no longer required to manually provide our statistics to the state when we renew our license (they are automatically collected), but it’s still fun to stay updated every year! 2021 has continued to be a weird year, in so many ways, yet no less packed full of amazing and beautiful births!

For the reporting period October 1, 2020 September 30, 2021:

I had a total of 59 clients give birth
(33 had boys and 26 had girls) which is nearly the reverse of the previous year!

-No maternal losses, no fetal losses, and no neonatal losses!!
-3 clients transferred to the hospital after the onset of labor at home, which adds up to a 5% intrapartum transfer rate. This is a little higher than usual, but it fits with the weirdness of the times! It also shows that part of excellent midwifery care can include appropriate transfer to the hospital, when required.
-No mothers transferred in the immediate postpartum period.
-1 baby transferred within 2 hours of birth. She required a little extra oxygen, and was later discharged healthy!
-I had 4 clients attempting VBACs. 3 were successful HBACs, and 1 was a CBAC- which was only my 3rd ever (in this case due to a persistently breech baby).
-ZERO 3rd or 4th degree perineal tears.
-ZERO baby’s with low apgar scores at home
-The biggest baby was a 10lb 1oz girl
-The smallest was a 5lb 2oz boy
(Which was also the opposite of last year!)
-Most common boy name was a tie between Benjamin and Felix!! A staggering 24% of “my” boys had one of these names!
The girl names didn’t have a front runner, but the most common theme was a name starting with the letter E. Over 20% of them, in fact!

Thank you to everyone who trusted me with their care this last year, and every year. Your incredible births have been the bright, shining reminders of hope in an otherwise weird year! ❤️🧡💛💚💙💜

Yes, absolutely. It’s about time!!

Got called out early this morning to catch another deliciously squishy baby. That makes 3 juicy babies 💙💙💙 born this past week, all weighing between 8.6-9.10lbs. I don’t know what it is about the extra fluffy ones, but I just want to nibble on them a little bit. Yummy baby rolls…🤤

Anyone interested?

Remembering all of our babies lost too soon tonight. It’s more than . In fact, 73% of my clients giving birth in just 2021 have experienced a previous pregnancy loss. Some more than one. You are not alone mama ❤️🧡💛💚💙💜

🤣 💵 💰

Today I welcomed 2 beautiful baby boys in 3hrs 6min. No, not twins…just birthday buddies! 💙💙

This photo popped up in my memories today (shared by a client, posted with permission), and I think it illustrates the beautiful connection that we midwives get to have with our clients. Birth is first and foremost about the birthing family, welcoming their baby and sharing in the emotions of the day....but midwives can't help but get a little emotional too ❤️

It sure makes life easy when I only have to walk 7 houses over to catch a sweet baby! In fact, if everyone would just move into my neighborhood, that would be greaaaaaaat. ❤️

I am SO excited about the new additions to the kid area in my office!! So are the little girlies who just left my office after trying on every single one of the princess dresses and “dancing like ballerinas”! You can’t see them- but I also have super hero and firefighter costumes for the non-ballerina kiddos. Goodwill for the win! So much fun!!

Sometimes I want to take them home in my pocket too ❤️😂

Happy National Midwifery week!! A calling you truly hear with your heart. ❤️

I gave birth today to my parents…. 😂

Family centered birth also means family centered prenatal care! Kids love being involved in my office. They help listen to baby’s heartbeat, take vitals, and even eagerly watch blood draws! Were your big kiddos involved with your care?

My nephew and his wife started an online childbirth education course tonight and saw a familiar face! I had NO CLUE!! I guess it’s official…I’m famous. 😂