River Valley Midwives

08/03/2025

While celebrating for her 50th birthday, I looked over and saw a bunch of kids fooling around at the Photo Booth and realized I have been midwife to all of them! This is one of the many beautiful reasons I love being a Community Midwife♥️

06/21/2025

My current favorite picture (Roody the dog! aka “dog doula”). I had no idea he was there as I was receiving his new sibling! (full story to follow)

06/07/2025

I believe in signs. I believe in the power of nature and the power of nature‘s communication. As I headed to 2 home visits the other day, I watched a drama unfold. A mother deer was crossing a road somewhat well traveled road. She stood in the road looking back and I saw she was trying to coax her. Very very young fawn to come with her. She got to the other side, but the baby wouldn’t come! I had pulled to the side of the road and put my hazards on trying to let other people know to slow down. Another car in the opposite direction did the same thing. When the baby wouldn’t come, the mama deer came across the road again and tried to nudge her baby to follow her lead. She started to walk across the road once again. But the baby wouldn’t come. By now, there are three or four cars in both directions waiting and watching. At one point, a man got out of his truck and tried to coax the baby who ran into the forest. Now the mother was getting very nervous and attempted one more time by crossing the road and then trying to get the baby to come. She went halfway across the road, then went back with the baby and finally surrendered to her baby and entered the forest on that side. It was at this moment, during all this drama, that I received a call that another mama, a human mama, was in labor and wanted my support. In order to go to her home, I needed to take a left at the exact place that the mother and dear had just been That birth, as the mother described it, was a complete “physical, spiritual, emotional transformation! I needed to be reborn!” During the pushing stage, I just kept flashing on the mother deer trying to coax her baby fawn to the other side. No pushing is easy, but this mother really had to do a lot to coax this baby out. And in this case, unlike the mother deer, and after three hours of pushing, her baby did join her in the other side♥️

06/01/2025

Moments of a midwife on call, episode 1001! 2 AM, received a call from a second time, mama. Contractions coming every 5-6 minutes. Because second time babies are notorious for coming quickly, I respond quickly as well. As I walk out the door, it’s down pouring rain, and dark of the moon night. I get into my car and something doesn’t feel right. I have a complete flat tire! Darn stone! Thankfully, my son was awake and quickly transferred my equipment to his car and I headed out! This mama was powerful- 1 hour after arriving, she asked “so do I think maybe I’ll have this baby in the next eight hours?” Me: “ I believe we’re going to see him much sooner than that!” Two hours later, joined by Kristin Brennan and Carole Renard , and the fathers gently coaxing his son “oh son, we can’t wait to meet you”they welcomed their baby in arms at home.

02/06/2025

Snowy day herbal tincture pouring. Assisted a homebirth in the night, took a nap and got inspired🌱 Midwifery, Wise Woman Care and Herbalism have gone hand in hand for thousands of years in every culture. We’ve been celebrated as well as burned for our knowledge. And Still We Persevere, Empower and Rise.

12/21/2024

This intimate moment… when you first meet your baby once they emerge into this world from your womb… wet and immediately was ting to nurse (even if it’s your cheek!)

10/06/2024

Feeling exceedingly grateful as sister midwives came together in person and on zoom as Massachusetts Midwives Alliance members to commune about the new midwifery legislation and the future of our MMA organization.

09/28/2024

Love this… grassroots activism

The purpose is to raise awareness on the U.K.'s low paternity leave benefits, which currently stand at two weeks of paid time off for new fathers.

08/24/2024

Over the last couple of weeks, I have assisted 3 sister midwives in their clients births, (7 total) , along with several births of my own practice through . When life takes on so much energy, I’ve learned to focus in the moment. I believe the big picture and ability to be present in the moment is one of my strengths in the multiple roles I play as a midwife, psychiatric and addictions, nurse, mother, friend and human walking this planet. And so… I have not posted hardly at all about any of my experiences because I did not choose to prioritize that in my preservation of my health and focused energy. Multiple people have reached out saying that they’ve missed my posts about the births I attend.
Now that I’m coming up for air… what I want to share about this birth is the unbelievable ferocity of this woman has humbled me, and uplifted my belief that a birthing woman is super human!

08/24/2024

There is something so sweet about this homebirth. Squeamish and protective over his mom, big brother wanted to be with his newborn sister, but not around any “fluids “. When it was time to birth the placenta, he had the perfect solution!

07/18/2024

Mama’s little helpers. Prenatal care is a family event. Often, if siblings are engaged in the process, they feel closer and more bonded with the new baby that’s coming. Yesterday, these young ones, one of whom was born as an HBAC (homebirth after cesarian) with River Valley Midwives, are curious, and helpful, and joyful. The oldest even brought his own stethoscope to listen to the baby., They took my dolls and put them under their shirts and asked me to listen to make sure their baby is OK! Midwifery has traditionally always been a family event!

07/17/2024