Vivante Midwifery & Women's Health

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Vivante Midwifery & Women's Health

Vivante Midwifery & Women’s Health offers home birth and GYN services in the Portland, Oregon and southwest Washington metro area. www.VivanteMidwifery.com

05/16/2025

Home birth transfer to hospital is NOT a failure. That can never be said enough.

Most hospital transfers are not medical emergencies. Most are a quiet exit from the birth plan. That doesn’t mean it’s easy, but to surrender to your birth and your baby sometimes requires you letting go of your home birth.

When we broached the topic of support, Nessa immediately started the conversation by stating she absolutely did not want to go to the hospital. We fully supported that. She began asking insightful questions and was able to share with us her thoughts, her struggles, her perspective, and what mattered most to her. It was a beautiful journey of deep reflection and self-discovery. She said she wanted to feel strong. Wanted to be present. Wanted to welcome her baby into the world with joy and energy.

She then went on to say, “I want to treat future Nessa with respect and kindness.”

It was a proud and empowering moment when she looked at me with dignity and said, “I need the epidural. Let’s go to the hospital”.

**SENSITIVITY WARNING** The second slide is a video of vaginal birth.

Yes mama, you are SO STRONG 💪🏾 🥹

03/10/2025

I didn’t know birth could look like this. Even as someone that has the privilege of being a part of births on a weekly basis as a labor and delivery nurse. The control of my own body, the empowerment, the movement, the encouragement, and trust that was so gently held by my birth team is something I will never forget. At times my fear was louder than my courage and those behind the scenes would confidently take my hand and walk me through. My entire labor and delivery experience was 7 hours, from the first contraction to my baby being placed on my chest. While I whole heartedly believe I had the power to do this myself, this experience would have been drastically different without this group of strong, powerful women. They created space for each and every emotion that was felt. When I doubted myself there was a gentle hand or voice lifting me up, walking through the muck with me. The fact that my baby came into this world surrounded by powerful women can only enhance who she will be as a person. Powerful women should scare you. We can and will do anything to support and protect each other.

Thank you to my midwives .zandt and of course my inspirations and can’t forget about

Posted •

12/28/2024

‘Tis the season to be jolly 😍🎁

Introducing Theodore! He surprised us by coming 12 days early. Just in time for Christmas and the best gift his parents could ever receive.

Theodore’s mama (.lychavez) demonstrated immense strength in labor. There were moments she leaned heavily on her support team, especially ) and times when she asked to be alone.

Alone isn’t something you associate with labor. We speak often about labor support from doulas, partners, family and even midwives, but there is something about laboring alone in the stillness, shrouded in the dark. It brings our awareness inward. We feel the power and energy flowing with the surges, but the quiet dark also helps us to lean more into the stillness we find in the space between ✨

In labor, everyone finds their own path. Whether they are wild and roar or draw inward for strength. No matter how they appear, they are finding their way, their power, and ultimately themselves.

12/19/2024

Ooh Lordy....have you been in this position!?

In labor we use this position if you’re having strong contractions but baby is still high, not really engaged in the pelvis yet. It’s held for a limited number of contractions and encourages the pelvic brim to open a *fraction* wider. It’s extremely intense and most people find it difficult to endure, but it can also be really effective for babies who seem a little “stuck” at the inlet or entrance of the pelvis. Maybe baby’s chin isn’t flexed, baby is coming in posterior, the pelvic inlet is a bit narrow for this baby’s head, or there’s an overlap and you can externally feel or see baby’s head overlapping the top of the symphysis p***s?

It’s called Walcher’s but it has been around since the 17th century! It’s an oldie but a goodie for a reason. In this birth, mama held this position for 4 contractions and 64 minutes later she had baby in her arms ❤️

08/21/2024

Even under the most idyllic situations birth can be complex and unpredictable and often beyond the neat control of our narrative of “believe and it will be.” Genetics, anatomy, ancestral coding, life circumstances, our care provider and birth team, our partner’s energy, subconscious fears, embedded trauma, our baby’s own process- ALL impact our birth journey.

So, when things don’t go according to plan and a mama ends up getting an epidural, or a csection, or she struggles through her homebirth and feels traumatized after, or she walks away with pp depression, there is a silent, subtle implication that it’s her fault. That she should have just breathed more deeply or trusted her body more or read another birth book.

Any mama who planned for a homebirth and needed hospital interventions or ended up on the operating table has probably felt some shadow of shame or even silent scorn from the people who so excitedly encouraged her before birth.

If you’ve experienced a homebirth transfer, you might have felt as though you don’t quite fit in anywhere. You might not resonate with women who chose hospital birth, and you might resonate with women who birthed at home but feel like you don’t qualify for the title of ‘homebirther’.

You are not alone. You ARE a homebirther. You do belong.

Transferring to hospital from a planned homebirth takes immense courage and surrender. Entering a system that you didn’t want to birth in, one that may have caused you previous trauma, is incredibly difficult.

To have your hopes and dreams dashed and have to advocate for the birth you want in an unfamiliar environment with strangers takes such strength.
Processing your grief for the birth you wanted takes time, and it’s often not acknowledged.

We must do better. We need to create space to hold the gratitude, but also the hard stories.

06/12/2024

We barely made it to this 10lb 3oz birth. It’s been a year since your birth, but we’re still in awe of you 🤩

05/29/2024

Curious about the lub dub beats 🎶

05/16/2024

Birthing under the Aurora ✨

It is said that women in labor leave their bodies...
they travel to the stars to collect the souls of their babies, and return to this world together.

We witnessed just that.

Address

2928 SE Hawthorne Boulevard, Ste 107
Portland, OR
97214

Telephone

+15036528076

Website

http://www.vivantemidwifery.com/

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