Why We Love Our Houston Area Midwives {Part One}

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Houston area families have many options available to them when it comes to deciding how they want to welcome their babies into the world. One of the many decisions families need to make is who will attend them during their special day. We have a thriving community of talented and caring midwives in the Houston area, and we are excited to tell anyone and everyone who is willing to listen how much we love them. When Sarah Clarke, Curriculum Developer over at Birth Boot Camp, asked instructors why we love our midwives in order to write a post celebrating National Midwifery Week, I asked her if I could write a Houston edition. I asked for testimonials in two local pregnancy boards, and there was no shortage of enthusiastic responses. There was so much love shown to our local midwives that I had to break the responses up into two parts. Read Part Two here.

"I love my midwife because she made me feel worthy, loved, and empowered! She will forever be my friend."
-Tamie Fugleberg, attended by midwife Shannon Stellhorn

"I love my midwife because the model of care made me feel like a person, not a file, and she held space with me while I labored and never questioned me."
-Kimberly Ramos, Houston area doula

"I love my midwife because she truly cared about me as a person, as a woman, as a mother, and as a patient. And I love my midwife because I delivered my own baby and she was happy and delighted to attend me as I gave birth- exactly what birth attendants should do!"
-Camille Parker Grow

"I love my midwife because she has given me back my right to birth as I please and has filled me with so much knowledge. She is more than a midwife; she is family and love."
-Candice Shaunesey

"I could go on all day... Because she listens to me! Because she believes in me!"
-Michelle Mallory

"I love my midwife because she listened to me. I love her because she trusted in my instincts and intuition. I love her because of her faith in the process of birth. I love her because she treated my husband and I like people and not lab rats. I love her because she gave me options. I could go on all day. Shannon Stellhorn is amazing, and I am so grateful to have had her for my daughter's birth.
-Jasmine Theriot

"She respected what I needed."
-Sara P.

"I love my midwife because she trusts that I am a responsible, smart adult that is capable of making the right decisions for me and my family."
-Holly L.

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"Because she acknowledges not only the whole me but also my family. She involves the soon-to-be older siblings and takes the time to truly be present in both the prenatal care and the birth."
-Melissa Nealy, Houston La Leche League Leader

"I love Shannon Stellhorn because she believes in me and my body and respects my birth!!"
-Amy E.

"I love my midwife because she cares. Because her care goes beyond the physical and into the holistic. I love my midwife because she practices with heart and evidence AND she knows I make every decision after education. I love my midwife because she is about family, and mine matters to her. I love my midwife because the way she poured into me has allowed me to pour into others. I love my midwife because I can NOW describe myself as beautiful, powerful, worthy, smart, whole, capable, loved."
-Andie Wyrick

"I love my midwife because she treated me like a person, not a baby incubator. I love her because she empowered me to have a healing VBAC and supported me and believed in me every step of the way. She still does."
-Maureen Knight, attended by midwife Shannon Stellhorn

"I love my midwife because she took the time to not only care for my growing baby, but my emotional and mental well-being and even after the birth has still made sure I'm doing well."
-PJ King Barnett

"I love my midwife...because she supported me through my whole labor. She stayed in the room with me while I labored (I've never had a provider do that before). She went out of her way to make sure I was comfortable. She helped me manage my breathing techniques when times got hard. She brought snacks and drinks to make sure I stayed hydrated. She empowered me to birth the way I wanted to. We both have a lot of the similar views on pregnancy and birth. Glad to call her, not just my midwife, but my friend."
-Paula D Holland

"She provided quality education, mental and emotional support, and gave me space to listen to my intuition. She facilitated a birth experience that my heart knew was possible. And for that I am forever grateful."
-Caitlin Crowell, attended by midwife Kellie Moeller

"I have birthed at home with two different Houston area midwives for three births and am preparing for my fourth home birth in January, and I loved working with both of my midwives. I love my midwives because they gave me all the information I would need to make evidence-based decisions regarding my prenatal care and delivery. I was spoken to as a person, not a number to be hustled through, and my emotions and time were valuable to them. I never felt anxious, leery, or in the dark about the information or procedures they offered/recommended. They encouraged, listened, explained, taught, and cared for me and my babies. They believed in my body's ability to do its work, and I trusted in their ability to recognize a problem beyond their scope of care, should it arise. Thank you, Natalie Wommack and Shannon Stellhorn for being part of my births!"
Rosie Kratti

"I love my midwife, Chris Duffy, and then student/now midwife, Ashley Musil, because they only brought what was necessary: trust, skills, compassion, and love."
-Jenna Keehnen, Houston HypnoBirthing Practitioner

"I love my midwife because it was finally MY birth. I made the choices. I had options. She helped give me the birth I'd always desired! I felt so comfortable and free around her."
Veronica Davila, attended by midwife Bernadette Olivier

"She believed in me!"
Abby M.

You can learn about midwives and why more Houston families are choosing to have midwives attend their births in local childbirth classes. Choosing a care provider who is supportive of the type of birth you want is the most important thing you can do to have an AMAZING birth.

A huge THANK YOU goes out to all those who contributed to this post and the midwives who helped during these amazing births!