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Rebekah Hawkins
Rosemary McNaughton
Clover Lewis
Kristin Taylor
Sarah Rossmassler
Jolene Cook
Mynnde Corey
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JOLENE COOK
"For the birth of my fourth child, I felt extremely prepared. I had given
birth three times already, twice in my own home, and had successfully gotten
through an extended pushing session to birth my 10 pound son. I had read
over a dozen midwifery books and I had scoured the internet over the last
five years for community with other home birthing mothers. So, with a clear
vision in my mind of the birth I wanted to experience this time around I set
out to find the perfect match in a Midwifery practice.
There is a long list of questions that are always asked of midwives when
they are being interviewed by an expecting couple, easily found with any
internet search. The trouble is that sometimes the most important things
are near impossible to ask a person before you choose them to attend your
birth. I did ask all those standard questions, and got fabulous answers that
met or exceeded all my expectations. But Sacred Birth Midwifery was the
perfect match for me because the midwives possessed an incredible skill that
I never would have realized was so important. They were somehow able to
walk the tightrope of understanding me, both as a woman and as a PREGNANT
woman. Seeing before them a woman who knew exactly what kind of birth
experience she desired and yet, continually understanding how to support me
through frustration, utter joy, confusion, and all the rest of the ups and
downs that come with pregnancy.
I think the main strength of Sacred Birth was that while they trusted me
fully to I know my own body, they also were quietly confident in their
knowledge of the pregnant woman: from every angle, through all its
possible twists and turns. At the birth and before, Tanya knew enough to
stand back and let things happen - but only to stand far enough back to
catch me when I started to fall! When doubt crept in, when I couldn't quite
remember how awesome my body is. she knew what to tell me and how to make me
understand.
The pregnancy was easy by all standards, and I looked forward to my midwife
visits so much- I felt supported and loved each time- and that is saying a
lot because I can be exceptionally slow to warm up to people! Every aspect
was handled with both professionalism and compassion, a rare combination
these days for certain. One way that Tanya showed her confidence was
evident in the planning stages of my second trimester. After three births I
know that I truly love to be surrounded by my closest friends during labor
and birth. This means quite a full house, and some midwives are less than
supportive of this choice. It was easy to see that Tanya trusted both my
judgment and her own ability to maintain safety and control in the birth
environment, never intimidated by the escalating amount of estrogen in the
room!
My fourth birth was spectacular; MacEwan was born into the water. And I,
surrounded by immense love and strength became a mother all over again. In
the weeks afterward, though my recovery was absolutely by the book, Tanya
and Kirsten called, visited and even checked in with my husband and friends
to be sure all was going well. I felt that my birth experience wasn't over
until I said I was ready. The pictures of that birth will always bring me
back to a time in my life when I got to feel the true meaning of the word
midwife: With Woman.
"
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