Fort Lauderdale Home Birth with Midwife Christa West

I got the phone call from Shanitra mid-afternoon as I was neck deep in cleaning my kid’s bedroom (you never know where you will be when you get that phone call). I dropped everything immediately, threw on my scrubs, grabbed my gear and left my house within minutes.

I gauged everything off of her voice. It did not sound like early labor/chill. It sounds like things were happening.

At home births, things are less calculated. There are no hourly cervical checks to gauge where the body is at. Everything is done by voice and intensity. You need to get in touch with your intuition. It becomes the art of real life.

I walked into Shanitra’s home and knew everything was ok. Her midwife was not in a hurry. Her family all welcomed me so warmly. She made a custom t-shirt for every key member of her birth team. That was so incredibly thoughtful and provides insights into what a genuine human being she is.

Above you can see Shanitra being supported beautifully during her labor. At no point was she left alone. She had someone at her side through every single contraction.

What especially resonated with me was how her midwife and the two midwife students kept mama moving into a totally different position every 20 to 30 minutes like clockwork.

Often I’ve seen how staying in the same position for too long can have a negative impact on the progress within labor.

This truly amazed me how present Midwife Christa, and her midwifery students Dawna and Kelly, were during every step of the way. They weren’t just there. They were silently supporting mama in exactly the ways she needs to keep things moving smoothly forward.

I was so blown away by how this birth actually happened.

The midwife and the two midwifery students and I were all sitting in the hallway.

Early midwife Christa told mom “Your baby’s right there. When your water breaks, baby will be right behind it.”

And suddenly, as we sat in the hallway, dad announced “WATER BROKE”

We all got up and walked in, and low and behold, baby was crowning.

Just. Like. Midwife. Christa. Said.

Wow.

I’m just so in love with how powerful midwives are with their maternal intuition.

Dad didn’t even hesitate when midwife said to catch his baby. He knew exactly what to do.

Is there really a more powerful love story in the universe?

Relief.

I don’t think I have ever seen two midwifery students at a home birth plus the main midwife. I LOVED it. I LOVED everything I got to hear and learn. Makes me want to go through midwifery school just to learn. (not to be a midwife). I am obsessed with the beautiful information.

THIS WAS THE RADDEST FREAKIN' MOMENT when @dawnadoula laid baby girl out for me to capture the POWERFUL organ that GAVE THIS CHILD LIFE! There is NOTHING AS AMAZING as the power of the placenta!! You're either freaking out together with me about how amazing this is, how you WISH you had this exact photo of your babies (GIRL I HEAR YOU and I WISH I had this photo of my girls and their placentas - I never even saw how my first daughter's placenta even looked it) OR MAYBE YOU'RE LOW KEY FREAKING OUT THAT THIS IMAGE IS A LITTLE GROSS. Let me be the first birth worker to tell you: THAT'S OK! It's important to hold space for the fact that nobody is expecting you to be a birth advocate from the very first time you're exposed to birth. It's OK if the first time you saw a placenta or heard about placenta consumption made you cringe a little bit. I TOTALLY DID! You're NOT alone. ✋✋✋ What the difference for me personally was, when I got pregnant with my second child, and I thought back on my post partum with my first child and I realized how difficult PPD (post partum depression) was for me. I didn't want to go through that again. I began my research. When I learned placenta encapsulation (dehydrate placenta > encapsulate the powdered substance.... all in a sterile process) can help you have a defense against that and other post partum challenges, and I confirmed it was sanitary/not dangerous - I was instantly on board. (SPOILER: I totally couldn't have done a 2nd post partum with my second baby without my placenta pills) But besides the obvious benefit to YOU, this is a powerful organ your baby and your body grows and produces as a powerhouse of nutrients to grow your baby up until the very first moment your baby takes their very first breath in your arms. That is mind blowing. There is NO OTHER organ in existence that can do this. #placenta

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Have you ever just fallen in love with a kid! I love this little boy! I am so lucky and grateful I convinced him to give his mama a kiss on her cheek (when he thought no way!)

I just love this so much

Guest Blogger: Gelena Hinkley Midwife & Owner of Natural Birthworks Birth Center

WHY CHOOSE A HOMEBIRTH OR WATERBIRTH OR EVEN A MIDWIFE!

• Special guest blogger: Gelena Hinkley, Licensed Midwife at Peaceful Pregnancy Pathways and owner of Natural Birthworks Birth Center (you can learn more about Midwife Gelena here)

Gelena Hinkley, LM, CPM

Studied under the tutelage of renowned Midwife, Shari Daniels, at the International School of Midwifery in Miami. Gelena is a Licensed Midwife (LM) by the Florida Department of Health and certified as a Professional Midwife (CPM). Gelena’s passion for knowledge in her field has pushed her to continue her education and she is going for her Bachelors of Science in Midwifery (BSM) with the end goal being a Masters of Science in Midwifery (MSM).

What are Midwives? 

Midwives are trained professionals who assist a pregnant mom through her pregnancy, birth, and postpartum period. The training, licensing, and certifications they received are completely emerged in Midwifery care. This means they specialize in low-risk, know what's out of the normal, and are trained in how to address that safely, early, and quickly. Their training also discusses newborn care this way immediately following birth and up to 6 weeks after they can help with newborn issues. These direct-entry Midwives usually work in a homebirth setting and birth center.

Why doesn't every low-risk woman have one? 
That's a good question. England, and many other countries have Midwives as the lead for low-risk pregnant moms. When a woman requires a specialist due to a high-risk factor they then are sent over to an OB. This is how it should be for all woman. Since outcomes for low-risk women seen by a Midwife is extremely good this could really help improve the USA rating on our maternal/infant morbidity and mortality.

Why a Midwife and not an OB? 
Midwives are trained for normal, low-risk pregnant women during prenatal care, birth, and 6 weeks postpartum. OB's are physician's who've successfully completed specialized education and training in the management of pregnancy, labor, and postpartum. They provide medical and surgical care to women. Since pregnancy is a normal process for a woman, they should be seen by one who is trained for normal, if things become high-risk then they should be transferred to a specialist.

Is it safe? 
How many people are in the world today? Midwives are one of the oldest professions in our history. We continue to educate, receive continuing education and certifications to ensure we are providing the safest up to date care to our families.

What's a Waterbirth all about? 
Many believe that since the baby has been living in water for 9 months, then why wouldn't we help it transition with water to life? Other mothers believe the intensity of labor is eased when they can use the water. There is always the small group that also think the water soothing and moistening the perineum will help lessen their chances of tearing. Whichever option, they are all good reasons to consider the water.

You can learn more about Midwife Gelena Hinkley and contact her below:

Peaceful Pregnancy Pathways ~ P3 Birth

Home Birth Midwife

http://www.p3birth.com

info@p3birth.com

954.780.9033

513 Melaleuca Drive, Margate Fl 33063

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Peaceful-Pregnancy-Pathways-P3-146381202069267/?ref=bookmarks

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Natural Birthworks

Birth Center

http://naturalbirthworks.com/

954.960.3213 office

954.603.1471 fax

info@naturalbirthworks.com

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/NaturalBirthworks?ref=hl

Two Empowering Birth Stories of Women of Color

September Mama Birth Story

Powerful Woman Empowering Women

I love how mama looks at her first born (daughter) in such awe and admiration as if to say with her eyes — we did it, together!

When I first walked into her labor room in the middle of the night at labor and delivery in Boca Raton, the first thought I had upon seeing her was ‘wow this mama is powerful!’

She was laboring on all fours, at the very end stages of her labor, as her body was naturally progressing to 10cm on its own, without any medications, and I was in absolutely awe of her natural born power.
South Florida is a focal point in the U.S. with the highest c-section rates. And in today’s day, it can be terrifying to be an African American woman giving birth, because the mortality rates and mistreatment of women of color during pregnancy and birth are the highest out of any race of women in the world.

That is why this mama knew she wanted the most natural and holistic and safe birth experience so she made well researched choices when choosing her birth team. She went with a hospital midwife team (CNMs Courtney McMillian and Polina Goldenberg) that have the 3rd lowest c-section rate in south Florida and a reputation for being extremely gentle and natural minded.  (Boca Midwifery)
I am so wowed by this amazing first time mom! And so humbled that she would trust me 110% with capturing this moment for her!

Best of all, mama recognizes that I am a birth photographer on a mission and completely stands behind me with sharing her birth photos with you all and this powerful message. 

May Mama Birth Story

Best Position to Give Birth in

The best position for the baby to be in to pass through the pelvis is with the head down and the body facing towards the mother's back. This position is called occiput anterior (source: medlineplus.gov)

That is the position this sweet baby girl is being born in, about to be caught by her midwife & her mom.

When I was about to become a mom 6 years ago, I had never seen a beautiful, not intimidating photograph like this one. This doesn't show fear, grossness, chaos, danger. Instead, this image shows grace, peace, comfort, safety. We’ve been taught that birth is a hugely medical process and the scariest moment of a woman's life. But this moment proves that birth can be peaceful, calm, supported and completely safe, where ever you choose to birth if you make smart, educated choices.
The midwife catching this baby is Licensed Midwife, Gelena Hinkley of Peaceful Pregnancy Pathways and Natural Birthworks Birth Center in Margate, FL. She is also our Midwife Highlight of the week. 
I have received permission from my birth photography client, a woman of color, to speak out about the safety, tidiness and comfort of her birth. Having your baby the way she did, unmedicated and at home, does not have to be a lower class irresponsible, cheap and messy route to choose as sometimes is the common myth discussed among women of color. Having your baby unmedicated and at home can be empowering, clean, safe, and a wonderful experience for you and your entire family - as this mom felt.
Did you know that the statistics of mortality/complications during labor, birth and post partum are the worst numbers for black women in America? 
Key to changing these statistics begins with knowledge during pregnancy. Interview multiple providers with low c/section rates, low mortality rates and high positive feedback, hire experienced doula & make smart choices about the location you choose to birth in.
I am grateful to my birth client for being brave in giving me permission to share photos from her birth. Women of color have suffered far too long, it is time to bring peaceful, supported, empowered birth to all women.

Home Birth & Why The Hospital and Obstetricians came into the picture

What the biggest shock about birth is that no one seems to know about this seemingly well kept secret of home birth. The truth is, it’s really no secret. Our modern day society simply does not do a decent job of educating our country’s young men and women to honor, respect and take an interest in parenthood until they find themselves pregnant. The priority in schools is sexual education, but no emphasis or time is spent on educating about the amazing motherhood journey.

Home birth midwives here in south Florida carry a magic with them that needs to be shared with the world. They awake in the middle of the night, grab their luggage packed with midwifery tools, and go to a woman’s home to aid with the delivery of her baby. With a low risk pregnancy, any woman can birth at home under the care and guidance of a licensed midwife.

What is so magical about this to me is that this is how ALL babies use to be born. The shift to hospital births started in the 20th century. I scoured the internet to gather the history of birth for you, and landed whhy.org where an article written under the guidance of Rutgers University professor Margaret Marsh shares the history behind the transition from home to hospital in the 1760s.

“In the colonial period, all the way up to 1760 or so, there was no real challenge to midwives delivering babies,” explained Marsh. When a woman was ready to give birth, her female relatives, and friends would help her through the process, along with a midwife.

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Professor Marsh the went onto say that “it was a scary process, babies died, women died, having a baby was a frightening thing,”  (Source: whyy.org)

I wanted to touch on that statement, because it honestly stopped me in my tracks. The entire article featuring Professor Marsh was very fascinating, and while I think that is still a common misconception in the modern day world, and many home birth myths exist around this concept, I do think it is unfair to leave it at that statement. Midwives and obstetricians should find a healthy balance between high risk and low risk births, complications during labor / birth / post partum, and when an obstetrician should be required to step into the process.

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Professor Marsh continues onto say that: around 1760, upper class women started to want to have doctors at their births. They thought that because the doctors had more education they could deliver a safer birth. Doctors delivered babies in women’s homes, and doctor-assisted births became more popular over time. “In 1900, about half the babies were delivered by midwives. By 1935, only fifteen percent were delivered by midwives,” said Marsh.

“Over time, there developed a rivalry between doctors and midwives, ” she added. “Doctors would say ‘we know more about anatomy, we are better suited to do this.’ Midwives said ‘we are women, we have experience, we know how we do this.'”

For many decades, the tug of war over approaches broke down along the gender lines; all of the doctors were male, and all of the midwives were female.

The shift to hospital births started in the 20th century. “What happened in the beginning of the 20th century was anesthesia for delivering children, and they wanted to have pain-free childbirth.”

But Marsh says the outcomes for women weren’t that great. “Lots of complications, lots of infections, it didn’t have the effect that women desired. They wanted safer, less painful childbirth, but in the first third to half of the century, it was not always safer childbirth.”

Marsh explained that in the 1930s, most of the midwives were practicing in rural areas, and were often called “granny midwives,” people who learned their trade on their own. “It did seem for a while as if midwives were going to become obsolete. The 1940s, 50s and 60s, you get doctors, especially obstetricians delivering all the babies.” Marsh says the feminist movement of the 1970s revived women’s interest in midwives. “Women once again wanted to control their own childbirth experience.” (Source: whyy.org)

This past week I learned for the first time in my 33 years of life that my mom was born at home. My grandmother (my mom’s mother) went into labor in the early morning just as her husband was leaving for work, and she sent her cousin to get the local midwife (back then in eastern European slavic countries a midwife was called an Akuszerka). She was pregnant with twins, it was her second pregnancy. It was ten minutes in between the births of both twins, my mom was born second.

My whole life I grew up in south Florida learning about western medicine. For me, I didn’t even know what a midwife was or did, in all the 27 years of my life leading up to the birth of my first child, I had never been educated about birth, let alone home birth. And now, 6 years deep into motherhood, it is a shock and exciting revelation to me to find out that my own mom was born in her home.

Hannah’s Home Birth with her Fourth Baby

When I got to Hannah’s home, early afternoon, the air was still. The music was soothing.

I felt as though everything was right and still with the world. A peaceful, still afternoon.

Hannah was swaying through contractions. Her husband was at her side.

Togetherness - The Birth Journey Done Together with your Partner (Home Birth) Miami Beach, FL | Paulina Splechta Photography

As first time moms, even sometimes second time moms, we often don’t know what we should expect from the last few weeks of our pregnancies, let alone our labors and births. So it is completely normal when the partner (or spouse) is clueless as to how to support their significant other who is in labor.

Even if you’ve spent the entire pregnancy supporting her through hyponbirthing, childbirth education classes, maybe even the Bradley method (which involves both parents, prepares the mother to deliver her baby without pain medications and educates the partner in birth coaching techniques), it is still quite common and normal for partners to freeze during labor.

Birth is complex and often unpredictable. No two labors are alike, not even among a woman’s own three children.

I am a big believer in go with the flow, and fill the role that you feel called to.

You may not know what to say, you may not know what to do, but just being there can often be enough.

36 Questions to Ask a Home Birth Midwife

I take a very limited number of birth clients per month so that I can focus my entire attention and love and support on them, my two daughters, my marriage and my home. 

Once you are my birth client, you are also much more to me. I become a silent and supportive member of a mother's birth team. 

I aim for you to feel safe and supported by me.  I want you to have a happy, safe and supported pregnancy and birthing experience. Besides being your birth photographer or birth film maker, I aim to be a source of support and information so that you can feel this very positive way. 

Every single birth client is incredibly special and unique to me, and it is especially moving to me when my birth client reaches out to me in search of guidance through their pregnancy and birth. I want to support the women under my wing as best I can with information so that they can make the best informed decisions possible for their pregnancies, their births and their post partum. 

In the hopes of helping inform women about all their options, I have put together a list of questions I think are important to ask a Home Birth Midwife when you meet her for the first time. Many of these questions can easily be restructured to ask a hospital midwife and OBGYN, for moms who go that route. 

There is also a secondary reason for me writing this blog post and it stems from my own experiences. I had a less than supportive experience during my pregnancy with my first daughter with my OBGYN. I did not feel honored and most visits I felt belittled, almost as if I should have been apologizing for arriving to prenatal visits with questions. My birthing journey with that provider was a negative one that impacted both my physical and mental health.

In an effort to avoid another negative experience, I chose a different type of birth team for my second pregnancy. I chose to hire a midwife and a doula. However, what I did not realize at the time is that not all midwives and doulas are the same. Not just with various level of skill, but also their personalities are different, their character, how they handle various situations, their personal preferences for prenatal care and labor / birthing decisions, and equally importantly, how they make you feel. In retrospect, two and a half years ago, I chose my birth team for my second pregnancy for three reasons: because I knew them from work and we shared some of the same friends, because they were available, and lastly, because they carried the titles "midwife" and "doula".

Years later, with my daughter's birth in hindsight, I realize now, those were not good enough reasons for me for choosing my birth team. What I had been wanting during that pregnancy was to find a team that would allow me to feel safe, supported, heard, special, honored, and not judged. All things I did not have during my first pregnancy and birth. But at the time, I wasn't aware that those were the criteria I was seeking of my birth team. At the time, I could not put words to what I felt lacking.

And because I was not aware at the time that all midwives and doulas are not the same and do not offer the same level of support and skill, and because I was not aware that not every midwife will be the right midwife for you personally, I chose my team only out of convenience and availability.

As a result of the decisions I have made that took me down a path of a negative experience with both of my births, besides informing women of what important questions they should be asking their home birth midwives, my secondary goal with this post is to bring light to what expecting moms should be expecting of themselves:

What is your own personal criteria for choosing a midwife?

I would like to precede this list of questions to ask a Home Birth midwife with question #1, which is really a question to yourself:

Question #1

The most important questions, are going to be the Questions to Yourself. Because ultimately, as skilled, recommended and pleasant a midwife might be, they won't be the right midwife for you unless they meet your personal criteria.

As an innately wise woman, you carrying with you the gift of motherly instinct and intuition to guard yourself and your little growing life. I urge you to consider the following:

When you interview a home birth midwife, once the interview is complete, and you return home, allow yourself quiet, down time to reflect on the experience. Allow yourself to process how the meeting went.

How did you feel as the midwife spoke?

How did the things she said make you feel? 

Did she let you feel heard and not rushed?

Did her personality help you to feel connected and instantly safe and supported?

Take note of what feelings may rise from your instincts.

Those feelings will always be 100% right. 

They will become LOUD during your pregnancy and birth.

There is a difference, of course, between leaving the meeting with a midwife and realizing you have more questions for her, and feel unsettled until you follow up and clear up uncertainties. Not every first meeting will be perfectly complete.

However, if you feel hesitant or unsure regarding your very first meeting, and if any negative feelings are present, as your pregnancy proceeds, take into consideration that those instinctual feelings you had the first time will become louder and more pronounced and ultimately, unavoidable. It is impossible to hush the roar of your maternal instincts without compromising your peace. I speak so profoundly to this matter because I have lived this reality with my own experiences. 

Alternately, if during the very first meeting with a midwife you felt connected, safe, supported, and you smiled, perhaps a tear welled up in your eye because you felt like you found 'home' with this person, those feelings will amplify as you get closer to your meeting day with your baby and aid in creating a positive mindset for your labor and birth and boost your self confidence. And in order to have the peaceful, calm birth you desire, you must believe in yourself and feel supported in your decisions.

Here are some additional questions from the Birth Without Fear blog that I felt are very helpful in aiding you to process how you feel after your first meeting with a new midwife:

1. Would you be friends with this person? Why/Why not? 

2. Does either remind you of your mother? How do you feel about this? 

3. Were you able to ask all the questions you wanted to? Why/Why not? 

4. How did you feel about the birth when talking with them, compared to how you feel about it normally? More or less excited, more or less anxious? 

5. Was the visit enjoyable?

6. If there were other family members present, what was their experience of the interaction? 

The following questions depend on your preference of birth plan. Some questions may interest you and apply to you, so then write them down and ask the midwife you are interviewing, if you are curious to know the answer. Other questions you may naturally skip if you realize they are of no interest or do not apply.

Question #2

Vaginal Checks

How many vaginal checks do you do, during pregnancy, during labor; should I get them, how necessary are they, what are the benefits/downsides and when do I need to have them done? 

Question #3

Do you deliver breech? Do you deliver all kinds of breech? Do you have training and experience in this kind of delivery? If not, do you have a midwife you would refer me to if the baby had not turned?  Do you have experience with turning babies, not hospital version-style?

Question #4

Medical Situations

What kind of medical situations during pregnancy would require me to be transferred into the care of an OBGYN?

Question #5

Transfers

Under what circumstances would you transfer to the hospital? In the event of a transfer, (whether or not you have any privileges at the medical facility or know the doctor who I was transferred to, ) will you stay with me and support me through my entire birth and for the first couple of hours once the baby is born?

What constitutes a non-emergent transfer vs. emergent transfer? Where do I go in the event of a non-emergent transfer vs. emergent transfer? Who is your back up OBGYN, Who is your back up midwife in the event you have an emergency when I am giving birth? How many weeks ‘overdue’ could I go before you transferred my care to a doctor? How many minimum weeks pregnant must I be to be able to have a home birth (36 weeks? 37 weeks? 38 weeks?)

When can I meet your back up midwife and back up OBGYN? 

What is your hospital transfer rate?

Question #6

Under what less than ideal circumstances would you stay at home?

Questions #7

Delivery & Cord Clamping

What are your feelings on the dad catching the baby, or me catching my own baby? Will you deliver the baby, or will you assist me in birthing him/her/them?

What are your feelings about delayed cord clamping?

Question #8

 How many births have you attended? (From the mamabirth.com website, "Some mothers prefer a very experienced midwife, some don't. Some want a midwife who can handle anything that goes wrong and recognize it well before it even happens.  If one of the midwives is newer, maybe her back up OBGYN is more experienced and she may prefer to transfer you than handle a situation on her own.  You may want to know how many births they attended prior to being licensed AND after.") 

 How long have you been practicing midwifery? Why did you become a midwife? What is your training/education/certification?

Question #9

Do you do the Gestational Diabetes screening? Do you continue to see clients with Gestational Diabetes, or do you refer them to an obstetrics practice?

Question #10

How does it work with my insurance covering your midwifery services, how much do you charge, and by what date would the full amount be due? Do you accept payment plans? What is your refund policy if we decide to switch care providers?

Question #11

What equipment do you bring with you to a birth? Are you legally allowed to carry Pitocin (for rare post-birth hemorrhaging)? Do you? Are you trained in neonatal resuscitation?

Question #12

Are you planning any vacations, trips, major surgeries, or other events 3-4 weeks before my due date, or up to 2 weeks after my due date that would interfere with your attendance at the birth?

Question #13

What kind of postpartum care do you offer? Do you work with post partum doulas?

Do you do placenta encapsulation? Is there an extra charge? Do you facilitate water birth? What methods of pain management do you recommend?

Question #14

My partner has x, y, z fears about home birth. How have you dealt with this in the past?

Question #15

Communication

What is your preferred method of communication, prenatally (phone, email, text)?

Question #16

Have you had any loss (baby or mother)? Why and what happened?

Question #17

If I change my mind about home birth and ASK to be taken to the hospital, how will you respond?  

Question #18

Who comes with you to the birth?  If that person is another midwife, how experienced is she?  If that person is NOT another midwife, what qualifies her as a birth attendant?  

Question #19

 Can you resuscitate an infant?  Are you NRP certified? 

Question #20

How bad would a perineum tear need to be for you to feel it required a hospital transfer? 

Question #21

What things would make me "high risk" and necessitate transfer of care either during pregnancy or labor?  (Again a question from mamabirth.com - "Some midwives are only comfortable with very low risk and very healthy women. Limit how often they see things go wrong and may impact if they will or won't recognize it."  "You deserve to know what your midwife is or isn't comfortable with before the eleventh hour.")

Question #22

At what point during my labor will you come to my home? When should I call you?

*** Mention any concerns at this point about a history of labors women in your family have had that may be of importance to you for your birth 

Question #23

How does it work if I am GBS positive - how often do you administer antibiotics during labor and do you do specific procedures with the baby after birth

Question #24

What are the pros and cons of vitamin K shot and eye ointment

Question #25

Do I need to order a home birth kit on my own or do you bring it and include it in your fees?

Do you bring an inflatable water birthing tub with you or do I need to privately rent one and purchase a tub liner for it? How easy is it to connect a hose to your sink to fill a tub and are there certain plumbing situations that could prevent that?

Question #26

Do you prefer working with a doula? 

Question #27

What is your experience with herbs, homeopathy, and alternative medicine as pregnancy and labor support?

Question #28

Do you offer or suggest taking childbirth preparation courses?

Question #29

Do you routinely check glucose and protein levels via urine samples at visits?

Question #30

If my water breaks before labor (contractions) even begins, how long can I labor at home for before you are required to transfer me to the hospital?

** I personally include this question on this list, because it was one of my biggest concerns that this would happen due to my history of a medical condition I had with both of my pregnancies, and because this question was answered incorrectly by my midwife during my pregnancy and during my labor, because she did not confirm the answer during my pregnancy with her back up OBGYN, and it ultimately affected how and where my child was born and how I perceive my labor experience to this day. 

Question #31

What happens in the event of pre-term labor or a medically necessary induction?

Question #32

What do you do in the case of a nuchal cord? Or if the baby changes into a breech position during labor and it is too later to be transferred to the hospital

Question #33

Under what circumstances, if any, do you perform episiotomies?

Question #34

How long will you and/or your support team stay with mom and baby after the birth?

Question #35

How many postpartum visits are offered under your care and on what days do these visits occur?

 Question #36

Is breastfeeding support offered?

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Of course there are many more personalized questions that can and should be asked of each woman's midwife during her care. But I feel these are a good start that will give you an idea of whether this home birth midwife is the right fit for you and your unique birth plan and concerns. I feel that the right midwife for you will take the time to honor these questions, and as she answers them, you will know very early on during your first meeting based on how she is speaking, and what her answers are, if she is the right fit for you. Sometimes it won't even take you getting to the end of your list of questions to know either "this is definitely not the right fit for me" or "this is definitely the midwife I want attending my birth!"

Lastly, as the grand take away from this blog post, I want every woman to recognize that the instinct you have is the one you should be listening to. If it is telling you something is not right, honor that and explore that. If your instincts are telling you things are perfect, happy, calm, peaceful, embrace that and also yourself to feel empowered!

Birth is Beautiful | Home Water Birth of Second Baby Girl

This is one of the most beautiful birthing images I have ever captured, that I have ever witnessed! It is profound in so many ways. 35 minutes from this point, her second baby was born in her home. It was the quietest birth I've ever witnessed. She was a complete mama goddess. I was in awe. And I was inspired. We don't all birth this way, but it is a testament to how incredible and powerful the woman warrior, the mama warrior is. We all have different birthing experiences, and we can make them our own.

Take note that as of Monday, June 12th 2017, this post on my Facebook page has 40 likes, which is low for 3,000 followers, and no comments, no shares.

I saw a post in my FB timeline yesterday, from "On the Day" from 2009.

I had debated whether to share it. In comparison, my first child was born in 2012, 3 years later.

It said something to the effect of how I had to view photos or video of women giving birth and cesareans in some class in college and how I was pretty horrified because they looked scary and painful.

My life would have been really different had I witnessed and attended most of the births I have been to over these last 4 years before I had my first child.

I don't know how many people are aware of my own personal journey through birth, but I had traumatic birth experiences with both of my girls. I was in birth trauma therapy for 8 weeks after my second daughter. I am still getting over them to this day on multiple levels. The trauma, the disappointment, feeling like my voice and my own wisdom and intuition as a birthing mom were taken away from me, having my birth plans removed without reason, it is something I will probably carry with me in some capacity for decades to come, because YES, birth means that much to me. For me, the two days that I gave birth to my daughters were the days I changed forever in my thinking, in my feeling, in my compassion in my love, in my purpose on this earth, in the way I live.

Many of my birth clients may not know my births were traumatic, I try to bring only overflowing positive energy with me into the sacred space I co-occupy with my birth families, free of judgement, free of agenda. But I also feel my families are drawn to hiring me to capture their birth story because they can feel the passion and all the feelings in my work of what my heart and soul speak about birth.

I believe my path was meant to be. Some artists do suffer in ways to create beautiful art that is fueled by incredible passion and commitment. I do believe that is the story behind why I have laid down my life for my birthing clients and made these women, these sisters, as important to me as my own two daughters are important to me.

This image speaks too all of that. I pour my heart and soul into giving my birth moms everything I could never have, everything taken from me, and giving them this gift that I am able to create, gives my soul calm, knowing that this birthing story will impact their life, and generations of their families and friends to come in a way no one could have ever foreseen.

So lets rise up together my dear friends, sisters, and bring this image to the edges of this world, to young women in schools in every country, to know that birth does not have to be what I thought it was back in 2009 (scary and horrifying).... birth can be what you make it. Find your voice, find your empowering team that you trust blindly without hesitation, find your support system, educate yourself to the ends of the world, and find your path towards a birth you find beautiful, empowering and sacred.

Happiest Baby Boy Family Photography Session in Delray Beach, FL

Click here to Meet my partner Lena who captures all these beautiful memories from maternity and newborn sessions exclusively for my birth clients leading up to and following their birth stories... 

I use to be so scared to schedule family photography sessions (and especially scared to schedule newborn photography sessions) outside of the 'golden hour' (1 hour before sunset), I would explain to clients that I don't have equipment to deal with the harsh south florida lighting, etc... and I have to say that it is thanks to my two kids over the last year and a half, I have been docmenting Kate and Emma's days, in the middle of any kind of light, no light, too much mid-day light, and now its all I do.

I ain't afraid of no harsh south florida sun.

It is amazing how my own girls have had such a huge impact on my life as a photographer :)

When these amazing moms asked if morning is ok because that's when their little man is happiest, I was like yeah of course! 

Baby photography is one of my favorites!!! But I always always insist that it has to be family portaits... even though all my families know that my work has been drifting into documentary photography sessions / photojournalism, and I do less and less portraiture and posing these days and allow my families to really spend quality time with their littles during my photoshoots. 

I think that can be tough to do as a beach photographer, especially when families are not regular beach goers. So I have gotten really creative with looking for new locations as a south florida newborn photographer, and family photographer. A few days ago I ventured out with this amazing little family of three into a local nature trail...

This family means so much to me. I was their birth photographer.  

I was with them for.... over 20 hours of labor, I love these two so so dearly and it felt crazy and amazing to see Easton after 7 months...

he is the sweetest, chunkiest, happiest little boy!!!

I hope you enjoy their 7 month baby boy family photographic pictures session in Delray Beach as much as I did!

Feel free to head on over to my birth stories photography page to see Easton's birthing day with Paulina Splechta Photography.

561-400-8383

Family welcomes baby girl | Boynton Beach Birth Photographer

Quiet Thursday morning, the air refreshing with essential oils, home filled with good friends, family, wonderful women. Surrounded by laughter, smiles, good conversations. Baby Meadow was welcomed with peace and love.