Honoring Childbirth with Gentleness

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!

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 the rebozo 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 to administer 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 90 minutes 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.

She really took the time to get to know me and to listen to all of my worries and concerns. I knew that she really cared about me. She eliminated my need for a doula since she was totally supportive with all of my birthing wishes. Her warm, kind and loving nature helped me to feel totally comfortable with her. One of the things that impressed me the most is her incredible knowledge of natural healing methods and ways to address any problems that arise. She has an amazing ability to follow her intuition and spiritual guidance and that, more than anything, made me feel completely safe in her hands. I knew that I was being taken care of by one of the most qualified and amazing Midwifes available to me and that gave me the peace of mind to focus all my energy on birthing my baby!

Richelle patiently and skillfully provided gentle and thoughtful care throughout my pregnancy and birth, addressing all concerns with the utmost diligence and consciousness.  She is an exceptionally gifted midwife!

Her knowledge and experience made the birth of my daughter absolutely wonderful! In labor she knew the spots to push on in my back to make the pain go away. Even when I was hemorrhaging she didn’t panic. She was so calm and she knew exactly what herbs and stuff to give me. She even held down on my uterus and sat that way for about an hour. I know that she had to be exhausted, but she made sure that I was taken care of. She was my third midwife and because she took such good care of me, it was the fastest recovery so far. I loved that during our pre and post care, she never seemed like she had anywhere else to be. She is very focused and patient. We had such a great experience.

I had such an amazing experience with her during prenatals and the actual birth. She always made me feel nurtured and empowered through out the whole process with her knowledge, calming presence, and really being on the ball with things. She really was able to adequately address all of my concerns that came up- physical,mental/emotional, and spritual. She really is the best of the best. I semi joke that I’d have another baby just to go through another pregnancy journey with her as my midwife.