01/11/2026
Today my youngest turns 16...✨️✨️
Sixteen years ago, she entered this world at home, in water, surrounded by family, dear friends, and an extraordinary midwifery team. And my life was forever changed. 💜
That day wasn’t just the day I met this fierce, beautiful human. It was the day I fell completely in love with home birth. I experienced firsthand what it looks like when care is rooted in trust, evidence, intuition, and deep respect for birth. I felt held (not just physically, but emotionally and spiritually) through pregnancy, birth, and the tender postpartum weeks. And something in me shifted. I knew, without question, that this was the work I was meant to do.
To my midwives and birth team: thank you. Thank you for your skill, your calm presence, your wisdom, your humor, and your unwavering belief in me. Thank you for walking alongside our family with such love and care. The midwife I am today was born alongside my daughter because of you. Layla, Christy, Alice.... thank you!
And to my girl... happy sweet sixteen! You came into this world powerfully and lovingly, and you continue to live that way every day. You are strong, compassionate, funny, and deeply yourself. Watching you grow has been one of the greatest privileges of my life (even on the days when teenage sass makes an appearance 😉).
Sixteen years of loving you. Sixteen years of gratitude. Sixteen years of loving home birth.
🎂🎂 Happy Birthday, Mariah 🎉🎉
(Link to my birth story in the comments)