Allie Duzett, Provo, Utah

When we first discovered we were expecting, my husband and I interviewed several midwives. We actually heard about Richelle from another midwife we were interviewing–this other midwife said she really respected Richelle for her incredible wealth of knowledge and experience, which she said exceeded her own. Our interest was piqued! We scheduled a meeting with Richelle and were sold immediately!
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Richelle does indeed have a huge wealth of knowledge and experience. She knows a lot not just about birth, but also herbs, nutrition, and supplements. I love how she manages to navigate the intersection of science and intuition: her recommendations for me were all based in science, but at times she would suggest something that was based off intuition, and it would turn out to be so perfect. At the same time, she honored my feelings and instincts and intuition, and I felt like she really honored me and my desires and my emotions and my decisions.

My sister was pregnant at the same time that I was, out in Maryland. My sister ended up “needing” an emergency C-section, about 8 weeks before my own baby was due.

It was really amazing to discuss the situation with Richelle. I asked, “what would YOU have done differently in my sister’s situation?” and Richelle provided me with a comprehensive plan that I found just astonishing and wonderful. I left that conversation feeling like if my sister had birthed with Richelle instead of the hospital, my sister wouldn’t have “needed” a C-section. I also left the conversation feeling secure that if a true hospital-level emergency arose during my own birth, Richelle would recognize it immediately and ensure that I got to the hospital in time. I felt very reassured by Richelle’s competence. My actual birth itself was good. My previous babies had  all been sunny-side up, and this one was too… until Richelle pulled out there bozo and sifted that baby into the proper position! It was incredible! My last midwives just had me stick out a 44-hour labor with that baby badly positioned. In this case, Richelle just fixed the position! And when my labor was slowing at the end, she knew just what herbs toad minister to help my body get back into gear. It was amazing! That whole labor was about 10 hours from start to finish–and only about 90minutes after she sifted my baby into the right position. Overall, I felt like I totally had lucked out to find such a fabulous midwife. We will definitely use her again if the need arises! If you value knowledge AND wisdom, scientific knowledge AND intuition, competence AND experience… Richelle is probably a perfect midwife for you.