Heart of Gold Birth

07/25/2025

Birth as prayer;
as an offering.
Maidenhood for motherhood.
Sacred alchemy.
The crucible.

To be stripped bare,
literally and figuratively, and then reconfigured into something new. The same, yet completely changed.

Where surrender, at some point, becomes the only option.

Over, and over, and over again. Because how else can this transmutation happen??

And so we do.

We do.

We DO.

Surrender.

And when the work is done, oh, when the work is done, we exalt.

Because, my god, what feat of indescribable proportions have we just completed?!

And so, birth as prayer.

Because something that brings us to such depths and such highs (and everything in between) is so worthy of this simple, powerful presence and intention.

Even if in hindsight.

And, so, birth as prayer.

May everyone in the room be reminded (at least once, if not a dozen times) that we are in the presence of something truly sacred.

And may it be so, for all. 💛✨



📸 of mama , shared with permission

05/19/2025

Greater AVL:
Looking?! Holler at yer girl!

Availability later summer, and beyond!

Will travel up to 2 hours for the right fit, but will easily travel within 1 hour of Henderson County!

I also offer PRIVATE childbirth classes in downtown AVL for those birthing at HOME.

Womens circle (to resume once repairs from Helene are finalized!).

Birth Processing.

Placenta encapsulation.

Link in bio!
🙏🏽💛💫

05/15/2025

‘Advanced Maternal Age’, as a diagnostic designation in and of itself, is NOTHING MORE THAN A CONTROL TACTIC.

Every time I need to talk someone through the label of advanced maternal age, a.k.a. geriatric pregnancy (and it comes up A LOT), it’s obvious to me that the designation has done its job. 🪄

Words are powerful. They are spells. Just plant a seed in someone’s mind and watch it grow. 🌱

Look how quickly it can snap even the most self-possessed women back in line. Coincidence?

You see, one of the gifts of aging is that we come into ourselves.

As we get older, we know more what we want and what we don’t want. We often exercise our discernment. This is something that is cultivated and comes with the gift of time.

For many of us, there’s a switch that flips in our 30s.

We are more ok with ourselves; our sense of self is more secure. The gifts of this decade are palpable. How many women say their 30s was one of their best decades?

And this is dangerous in an industry that more or less demands compliance.

And what an opportunity to regain control of a population who might otherwise desire more autonomy!

A game of dominance & submission.

Want to trust in the wisdom of your body? Decline ultrasounds? Forego genetic testing? WHAT?! You don’t want to be a BAD MOTHER, do you?

Don’t you realize how closely you and your baby need to be monitored now that you’re *GASP*- 35?! (The horror!)

I mean, really?? 🙄

So I say this:

Find a holistic community midwife, and ask her opinion.

Chances are she won’t bat an eye if you’re 35. Or 40. Or 45.

Because do you want to know what the greatest predictors of a healthy pregnancy are?

Your pre-pregnancy health status.

How well do you eat? Sleep? How much water do you drink? How much time outside do you get? How do you feel mentally, physically, emotionally, spiritually? Chances are this carries forward into your pregnancy.

These ACOG streets are rough. Make the decision to stay out from under the thumb of unfounded fear.

You’ve come too far to allow it to be taken too easily. 💛

📸 by of my geriatric birth at the old age of 42.

05/04/2025

5th annual Mother’s Day silent auction is live for 24 hours more! Closes 12pm 5/5. Sooo much amazing stuff, please bid! And share!!

03/22/2025

There’s no trophy for having an unmedicated birth.

Said mostly by people who have not had an unmedicated birth (particularly a birth at home where you feel safest, held, surrounded by all things familiar- people, lights, sounds, smells).

Or said by people (and this is even more 😣😤🤬🤮) who do not see/believe in/uphold the sanctity of physiological birth, the optimal hormonal cascade, or the existence of the dyad. We are mammals, after all.

And it’s dismissive bu****it, fyi.

This is not to say the work isn’t hard. It can be the hardest thing you’ll ever do, bringing you to edges you never knew existed.

But it is doable. And perhaps hard doesn’t equal bad. Perhaps hard means hard. And maybe we’re meant to work hard so that the reward is all that much sweeter.

What if that hard work was part of the design, and carried with it benefits (short and long-term) which are evident days, weeks, months, years, decades (and beyond) later?

This. This is the trophy.

You, your baby, your family deserve an intact (non fragmented) birthing experience. One where you felt loved by everyone in the room; seen, supported, witnessed, believed in.

This makes me think of my friend Laurie, who always says: birth is a love event.

May it be so, for all.



📸 taken by me, always shared with permission
Mama:

03/09/2025

Just before midnight, during the new moon in Pisces, she stepped with both feet into the Laborynth, and her initiation journey began in earnest.

It was at this point we were called to join her, to witness and hold space for the most sacred work of bringing a child earthside.

One of us sang the occasional song that gently merged with the liminal space she held, helping to ground her, while hands kneaded her muscles to release tension, a welcomed distraction from the intensity.

I sat nearby, knitting, whispering words of encouragement, offering sips of liquid & nibbles of food, heat against her back.

Up, down.
Standing, hands & knees, lying down.
Active, resting.
It’s the dark of night.
Tired, but unable to sleep.

Surges, once strong and close together became spaced out and short.

Until the pushing urges began, somewhat surprisingly.

The shift.

Can I get in the tub?
Of course.
The warm water enveloping her, helping her soften between surges.

Am I ok?
You’re amazing! Just follow your body.

I’m feeling the baby move down.
Ok! Let’s think about getting out of this shallow bathtub….

And as the sun began to illuminate the morning sky, she came.

Breech. Easily. Beautifully. Her first baby, a daughter.
Directly into her papa’s hands.
Not missing a beat.
Perfect. In every way.

And so, so strong.
Just like her mama.



you are incredible. Forever in awe. 💛✨

📸 always shared with permission.

12/18/2024

In the days following Helene’s devastation, this sweet family, who called their home, evacuated.

They lived just up the road from staggering flooding, losing neighbors to the raging waters. Like many of us, they had no power, and no running water; but unlike many of us, my dear client was VERY pregnant, in her due window.

After 3 days of being landlocked in her neighborhood- no way in, no way out- they spent 6 hours siphoning gas into their family car so they could make the trek east.

They packed what they could in their Subaru, and headed down the mountains, to family 3.5 hours away in Virginia. They made it to Virginia and settled in. And waited. Trying to make sense of everything; uprooting to safety so they could welcome the birth of their sweet baby.

I received a call during the dark of night. Surges were coming 5 minutes apart (5?!? I would never make it there in time for this 2nd baby!).

I hopped in my car, and hightailed it to Virginia, expecting to miss the birth. (Thankfully, a local midwife was also willing to be present for them).

I arrived at their home, and made my way to their quarters. The birth tub was filling; big brothers awake, unsure of what to be doing awake at 5am.

Once in the water, those guttural sounds that mean baby is close started to escape her lips; she followed her body’s cues.

Before long, her baby emerged as we all looked on. She claimed her daughter, bringing her from the water to her chest. The waiting was over. She was here. She was perfect. She was about the only good thing to happen since that damn storm!

In the water, beneath the glow of Christmas lights (in October), she arrived, directly into her mother’s hands, her incredible birth witnessed by her papa, big brothers, and us.

Helene, you took a lot. But babies are hope in tomorrow, in physical form. 💫

Welcome to the world, little one. We’re so glad you’re here.
💛✨✨✨

📸 shared with permission

10/16/2024

As many of yall know, I’m a midwife. You may also know that we moved from Texas to Western North Carolina last summer. And, unless you live under a rock, you know of the devastation that hit this region almost 3 weeks ago.

Please consider donating to this fund, that was set up to support the mamas and midwives/birthkeepers of the area. Many women and their families have had to relocate; many midwives have had to juggle their own logistics (destroyed/damaged homes, washed out roads, no power/water, sudden loss of income, needing to pay other midwives for services, though they have not been paid in full). But contributing to this fund, you are helping midwives, families and communities of WNC. If you can, please do. ❤️

Support WNC's Mountain Mamas, Midwives, and Doulas

09/01/2024

The face you make (equal parts disbelief, joy, relief, awe, pride) when you (QUITE triumphantly) rock your HBA3C. 💫

No one said the path would be quick or linear.
No one said the work would be easy.

Deep knowing, and steadfast commitment, brought you to this amazing moment, with your beloved and three older children by your side. 💫

📸 always shared with permission.
Mama

07/29/2024

To be in the presence of a fiercely determined woman is truly something to behold.

Someone who knows what she wants, AND what she doesn’t want, and who is not willing to settle for less.

Manifesting the perfect birth for both her and her babe.

She protected her headspace and energy, knowing the deep work of birth is more than physical. ✔️

She wanted to birth her baby at home. ✔️

She wanted to birth her baby in water. ✔️

She didn’t want her baby being breech to be the reason she had another cesarean. ✔️

Over the course of pregnancy, fears and doubts gave way to resolve. Not the absence of fear or uncertainty in the unknown; but rather, a willingness to remain unattached to the little voices, while letting the bigger voices guide her: deferring to intuition and deep knowing: that our bodies know how to birth, and our babies know how to be born.

Ultimately, her babe being breech was the catalyst which further cemented her resolve.

And so it was. A triumphant claiming (and reclaiming) of what was hers.

In the wee hours of the morning, in a labor just under 6 hours, with her beloved by her side, she had her baby girl, in the water, at home (her breech HBAC). A birth which checked all the boxes.

Just as she knew she could, and knew she would.

And what a sight to behold….



(Zoom in to see a little leg 🥰)

07/25/2024

✨Women’s Circle/Village Prenatal✨

Monthly Circle to begin August 21st 10am, and will be the 3rd Wednesday of every month.

Open to mothers and pregnant women. Bring a nutritious dish or herbal tea to share. Young children are welcome.

Located in Mills River, Henderson County (10 min from the Airport), but if you want to make the drive, come on down!

Will share again prior to meeting. RSVPs are encouraged at this time, so we can get a rough head count.

07/08/2024

Your reminder that when pregnant with your first, you absolutely can have a home birth. ⚡️

Your reminder that a history of birth trauma needn’t be the prerequisite to self-determination, autonomy and sovereignty in pregnancy and birth. ⚡️

Your reminder that a “proven pelvis” isn’t the exception- it’s the norm (with or without having had some misogynistic provider deeming it as such). Our bodies are quite literally made to carry, birth, and sustain our children. ⚡️

Your reminder that pathologizing pregnancy, women, birth, and babies is lucrative business. ⚡️

Your reminder that not all midwives are created equal. Get real clear on what you want, and the qualities you seek in someone who will walk with you. Then do not compromise. Operating from a place of faith vs fear (or the inverse) will most definitely be palpable- in pregnancy, birth, postpartum. Who and what is in the drivers seat? Is it in alignment with what you want? ⚡️

Your reminder that it is your body and your baby. ⚡️

Your reminder that your provider is actually there to be of service to you. ⚡️

Your reminder that how, where, and with whom we birth does matter. ⚡️

Your reminder that we can do hard things; we can dig deep; we don’t have to love every minute of it, and we will emerge on the other side forever changed. ⚡️

“Please, choose your birth attendant and place of birth carefully. Search hard for the attendant that you connect well with. You and your baby deserve to be treated with utmost respect and dignity. There are attendants who believe in the sacredness and sanctity of birth. You may, however, need to act as a detective to find them.”
–Janice Marsh-Prelesnik (The Roots of Natural Mothering) ⚡️
📸 of mama .c.smith, shared with permission
📷 by