Kelsey’s Top 5: Reasons to become a midwife

November 13, 2013November 13, 20131 Comment

5. This country NEEDS more CNMs. The biggest difference between most midwives and most OBs is their philosophy on patient care. Where OBs are looking for a problem or focused on their own schedule midwives are focused on their client; what does this mom need, what are HER preferences, how can I make her more comfortable. “For normal births, midwives offer care at a lower cost, use lower intervention rates, have lower mortality and morbidity as a result of fewer interventions, and fewer recovery complications.” So why are less than 10% of babies in this country born with midwives? I plan to be an evidence based care provider, like all should be, and to give my clients every opportunity to have the birth of their dreams.

4. My motivation is to help others not myself. The transition from doula to midwife seemed like a no brainer to me. I’m actually surprised more doulas do not go to midwifery school. It filled my heart to help moms through tough labors, to support people as they became parents, and to encourage friends to keep going when they wanted to give up. To know I will soon (yes I’m calling 8 years soon!) be back to serving families is what gets me excited for and will get me through school.

3. Now that I’ve witnessed the miracle of life again and again I can’t stop. Attending births as a photographer and doula has been the greatest experience of my life so far (aside from my own birth 😉 ). It is truly indescribable. The day I am able to be the care provider and have midwifery be my full time job can not come soon enough. When I thought about giving up attending births all together to simplify my schedule, I was on the verge of tears. Deciding to become a midwife means I will get to have this amazing opportunity on a weekly basis.

The 2nd birth I attended 9/29/12

2. I don’t want to “work”. You know that old phrase “Choose a job you love, and you will never have to work a day in your life.”? That is what I want! That is what I will have! I know the 2 am calls and 24+hr labors are tough, but I don’t care. Working in a birth center has given me a first hand look at all the hard work that goes into being a successful midwife that clients never see. I am ready for the challenge!

1. This is my calling. Plain and simple, I prayed and prayed about this and one day it just clicked that I HAD to return to school. I was good at birth photography but not amazing, and I was a good doula but could not commit full time. Between my family and co-workers constantly telling me “sooner or later you’ll be a midwife”, I should have known it would only be a matter of time before I’d have to say, “you were right”. Everything in my life has led me to this decision. If I had gone to college right out of high school it would never have been for midwifery or even nursing for that matter. I had to go on this journey to find the right career for me. There are still moments when I think this will be impossible, but I know God has a plan and I wouldn’t have this drive if I wasn’t meant to complete this mission.

Newborn Sneak Peek: Caden

May 14, 2013May 14, 20131 Comment

What better way to spend a mother’s day than with a new mother helping her capture her son in photos that will last a life time. I was excited to see Mr. Caden again and see how big he’d gotten in just a week and a half. Here is just a little sneak peek of his photo shoot.

Joyful Baby Momma

April 21, 2013April 21, 2013Leave a comment

You might be thinking the name of this post is a little out of the ordinary compared to my usual birth sneak peek posts, and it is! For several reasons:

I couldn’t use baby’s name in the title because this sweet girl is still being referred to as “new baby”.
Her parent like unordinary names…hence why they’re being a little indecisive about her name 😉
This was the birth of my friend and co-birth field worker/associate/referral/personal diaper supplier, Kristina who operates “JOYFUL BABY PLANNING“

Title make more sense now? 🙂

I was so excited when she asked me to capture the moments right after the birth of her next “surprise baby”. The only scary part was her last labor for her 2nd child was very fast and we were all prepared for this one be even quicker. “I know I’m going to have this baby in the car,” she told me several times, and that prediction wasn’t far from true.

We arrived at the birth center at the same time (just 2 hours after she text me “I think I might be in labor”) and she hurried inside to be checked. 10cm! She had showed up complete and ready to push. It wasn’t too long of a wait before a screaming, pink baby made her debut. Her parents were so relieved to have her in their arms they didn’t even check for gender until about 3 minutes after birth!

It’s a Girl

The great moments didn’t stop there! Since she arrived so quickly they had time to call their other two kiddos and tell them the good news….or bad news to big brother who was certain the new baby was going to be a boy.

Listening for a reaction from big brother…something…anything

He was not happy with the result, but his reaction sure was amusing for all in birth room! After crying, "nooo" he hung up on his parents. I'm sure he'll come around.

He was not happy, but his reaction sure was amusing for all of us in birth room! After crying, “nooo” he hung up on his parents. I’m sure he’ll come around.

I am so blessed to have been able to witness the birth of this family’s newest addition, and look forward to learning what name this precious girl has been given.

Mockingbird – a reflection on loss

March 12, 2013March 12, 2013Leave a comment

I try to keep a lot of my personal life separated from my business page, but in this line of work it is hard. I get so emotionally invested in the lives of my students and clients and it is hard to draw boundaries.

I was listening to the radio with my daughter last week when a song came on I hadn’t heard in a couple of years. “Mockingbird” by Rob Thomas is a song meant as a break up song I know, but with where my mindset was last week it struck me differently. Read the lyrics or listen to the song and look at it from the perspective of a family who has lost a young child.

Here we stand
Somewhere in between this moment and the end
Will we bend?
Or will we open up and take this whole thing in?
Everybody else is smiling and their smiles dont fade
And you dont even wonder why you just dont think that way
Maybe you and me got lost somewhere
we can’t move or we can’t stay here
Well maybe we’ve just had enough
well maybe we aint meant for this love
You and me tried everything
But still that mocking bird wont sing
Well man this life seems hard enough
Well maybe we aint meant for this love

Take my hand
And I will lead you through the broken promise land
Yes I can, ah yes I can
I can be there when you need it
I’ll give it all till you can’t feel it anymore
I don’t wanna love you now, if you’ll just leave someday
I don’t wanna turn around, if you’ll just walk away
Maybe you and me got lost somewhere
we can’t move or we can’t stay here
Well maybe we’ve just had enough
well maybe we aint meant for this love
You and me tried everything
But still that mocking bird wont sing
Well man this life seems hard enough
Well maybe we aint meant for this love

Maybe you and me got lost somewhere
We can’t move or we can’t stay here
Well maybe we’ve just had enough
well maybe we aint meant for this love
You and me tried everything
But still that mocking bird wont sing
Well man this life seems hard enough
Well maybe we aint meant for this love

Maybe we aint meant for this love
Maybe we aint meant for this love

Think about the lullaby line “hush little baby don’t say a word mommy’s gonna buy you a mockingbird”. Not every part of the song makes sense from that point of view, but I feel the overall tone sums up how I would feel in that circumstance. I pray that not only do I never have to go through that kind of loss but that everyone reading this does not have to endure that unimaginable pain. For those who have, my heart breaks for you. There are no words, no amount of time that can heal a wound that deep.

I have shared on here before the story of how I became a mom because of another families loss, but I always feel need to share it again. Here are some links to my personal blog that explain the story

http://letters2olivia.wordpress.com/2011/11/09/47-days/

http://letters2olivia.wordpress.com/2011/10/24/your-gaurdian-angel/

Finally I leave you with a few quotes and verses that have been on my heart lately. Please give your babies, new or grown, an extra hug and kiss today. Remember how blessed you are to have them with you.

“If ever there is tomorrow when we’re not together… there is something you must always remember. You are braver than you believe, stronger than you seem, and smarter than you think. But the most important thing is, even if we’re apart… I’ll always be with you.”
― A.A. Milne

Ecclesiastes 3:1-8 There is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under the heavens:

² a time to be born and a time to die, a time to plant and a time to uproot, ³ a time to kill and a time to heal, a time to tear down and a time to build, ⁴ a time to weep and a time to laugh, a time to mourn and a time to dance, ⁵ a time to scatter stones and a time to gather them, a time to embrace and a time to refrain from embracing, ⁶ a time to search and a time to give up, a time to keep and a time to throw away, ⁷ a time to tear and a time to mend, a time to be silent and a time to speak, ⁸ a time to love and a time to hate, a time for war and a time for peace.

“How lucky I am to have something that makes saying goodbye so hard.”
― A.A. Milne

Proverbs 3:5 Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding

Beckham’s BIRTHday

March 2, 2013February 25, 2017Leave a comment

Some families bring a smile to your face, others tears to your eyes, and a few make you laugh hysterically while smiling and crying! Lindsay and Adam are THAT couple. From Adam’s exclamations such as, “OH HE’S SO COOL!” and “DOESN”T HIS SWEETNESS MAKE YOU WANT TO HAVE ANOTHER BABY RIGHT NOW!” to Lindsay’s request for a Jimmy John’s Sandwich immediately after birth, they made a 3 day start and stop labor so much fun for those around without even realizing it.

I was so excited when these former students from my birth class asked me to assist them through their labor as a doula and photographer. Their sweet 8 pound (on the dot) baby boy Beckham made his arrival on February 23rd which just happened to be his actual due date (less than 3% of babies arrive on their EDD). Most of the labor and birth images I captured cannot be shared on the web, but I did want to share some of the sweet family moments from Beckham’s first hours of life. The joy in the room was contagious and everyone was smiling ear to ear. It was a perfect ending to such a long labor and a beautiful beginning in this family’s new chapter of life.

Cloth Confession #4

January 29, 2013Leave a comment

“Get me a REAL diaper”

When we began this journey to cloth diapering my biggest skeptic was my husband. He could wrap his brain around the fact that it would save us money but that was about it. We started off with just 4 diapers so we could get through the majority of the day and then use a disposable at night or on days when I didn’t do laundry in time. I thought after months of discussion and convincing that Thomas was finally on board with using cloth as our main type of diaper, but apparently I was wrong.

I work 3 half days a week and was getting quite frustrated when I’d come home to find that Thomas hadn’t put Olivia in a cloth diaper while I was gone. It was alway an excuse like “they weren’t stuffed” (we use pocket diapers) or “the pants I wanted her to wear didn’t fit over the cloth”. I never knew diapers could cause such an irritation between parents. What was funny to me was the fact that he never once complained if I was home and changing the diapers. So finally after a long stressful day I snapped (looking back it may have been a tad of an over reaction but it worked so….)

I’m pretty sure I yelled something along these lines, “IF YOU DON’T START USING THE CLOTH DIAPERS I’M JUST GOING TO GO SELL THEM BACK….NO WAIT I’LL JUST GIVE THEM AWAY SO IT’S A REAL WASTE OF MONEY”

Well that got my point across and Thomas suddenly stopped complaining about the cloth diapers. We ordered a few more to add to our supply and can now do laundry every other day. Things seemed to be going much better but I was still skeptical that Thomas was completely on board. I didn’t want to be forcing him to do something he really didn’t want to. Then this morning a wonderful sentence came out of his mouth.

Thomas started a diaper change for Olivia without realizing I hadn’t stuffed the diapers yet after last nights laundry. I figured I he’d just grab a disposable and we’d put her in cloth later, but mid-change he hollered, “Honey can you get me a REAL diaper I only have the cover”. Success! He then told me how he is glad they’re all clean today because the skirt he wanted to put Livy in would be too big if she were to wear a disposable.

I think today has proven that my husband is the true cloth convert of the this family not me. 🙂

Welcome Grayson!

January 17, 2013January 17, 20133 Comments

My first birth of 2013 is in the books! Baby Grayson was brought into this world by loving parents Adrienne and Ryan on January 16th. This 7 pound 3 ounce bundle of joy sure did take us all on a crazy (and fast) journey. Here are just a few of the images I was able to capture as this family’s doula and photographer.

I’ll be honest, when I got the text at 6:30am requesting I head to the hospital I was a bit hesitant. Adrienne was only at a 2 and was not have very strong contractions. At this rate it was looking like a long day ahead. Then I realized if I waited any longer traffic would be horrible. So I jumped in the car and headed off…just in the nick of time.

I arrived around 7:30 to find Adrienne and Ryan laboring beautifully on the birth ball. The nurse was telling them they were cleared to walk for a while and in about 30 minutes she’d be back to start the pitocin since Adrienne had not made any progress since the night before when she was admitted for minor complications.

We headed out the door and before we could make it 5 feet *splash* amniotic fluid everywhere! The simple motion of walking ruptured her water and set things in motion.

Back in the room things progressed quickly. I hardly had time to take any photos since her contractions picked up in intensity. Another exam revealed in less than 2 hours dilation had progressed from a 2 to a 9. With more control than most first time moms (or any laboring woman for that matter) have, Adrienne fought through 30 minutes of rough labor.

Before long she was ready to push and Grayson made his arrival at 8:57.

I can only hope the rest of my births for 2013 go as smoothly and beautifully as baby Graysons’.

Congratulations to the wonderful family! Thank you for letting me be a part of this special journey 🙂

Oh Those Lovely “Mommy Wars”

December 11, 2012December 11, 2012Leave a comment

The following Facebook status was written this morning by NaturallyBorn, an online community of moms and dads looking for and giving support to others. Of course when it comes to parenting boards there are bound to be disagreements. Giving your opinion on how you raise your child(ren) is one thing but flat-out bashing another parent who is doing their best is uncalled for.

The term “Mommy Wars” used to be reserved for Stay at Home vs Working Moms, but now it seems EVERYTHING a parent does is under the microscope. In today’s society parents tend to think,”if you aren’t doing something MY way….you’re wrong”. We are supposed to be the example for our kids, not the ones who teach them how to judge and attack others. You can be passionate about your parenting methods without disrespecting others choices.

Please follow NaturallyBorn’s hint and stay out of the conversations if you have nothing nice to say!

“Dear moms, here at NaturallyBorn we have a large (very large) group of moms who love their children fiercely. It is wonderful. Please be aware, however, that on this page you WILL encounter moms who parent differently than you. On this page we embrace natural births, homebirths, birth center births, C-section births, and induced births. Some of our moms breastfeed, others use formula, make their own formula or receive donor milk. Some co-sleep, and babywear, others have babes that sleep in cribs and love their swings. Our babies eat store bought and homemade purees, table food, and vegan food. Our babies drink cow milk, goat milk, coconut milk and almond milk. Some babies get all of their vaccines on schedule, some are delayed, some get none at all. Some visit the chiropractor, others do not. Some moms here love and trust their family doctor, others avoid him. BUT WHAT TIES US ALL TOGETHER IS OUR LOVE FOR OUR CHILDREN. It is time to stop the bullying and name calling and judging. If you are uncomfortable conversing with people who mother differently than you, this may not be the place for you. Poor behavior will not be tolerated. Thank you.”

Cloth Confession #2

December 10, 2012December 10, 2012Leave a comment

If you diaper right you won’t have to deal with leaks…as much!

A big opposition I hear from people when talking about cloth diapers is that they “leak more”.

Leaky diapers are a part of parenting. Disposable or cloth, it is inevitable. Don’t believe me, ask any parent what happened around 8 weeks old with their kids diaper. The most common answer will be something along the lines of “oh the blow out!” or “you mean the poopy diaper that goes up the back and get in their hair?” Yes, it will happen and there is nothing you can do about it except be prepared to clean it up. Cloth diapers have also changed A LOT in recent years! They have gone from a piece of fabric you pin together and put a plastic cover over to convenient, snap together, absorbent, and cute diapers that moms and babies love.

Maybe we got lucky, but since we’ve started using the cloth diapers we’ve had one leak that was totally my husbands fault (don’t tell him I said that). I’ll admit, you do have to use your brain just a tad bit more when using cloth diapers, but it is worth it. In the case of our first leak, my husband decided to use only 1 insert instead of 2 (we’re using pocket diapers) and we were out of the house a little bit longer than anticipated. If you plan ahead your baby…and car seat…should stay happy and dry.

Preventing leaks also requires you to care for your diapers properly; washing and drying does require a couple extra steps. Once you establish a routine it really doesn’t take up much time during your day and will prolong the life of your diapers saving you even more money!

Confessions of a Cloth Convert

November 19, 2012November 19, 20121 Comment

After receiving more car seat bases than diapers at my baby shower, I had a very funny/frustrating conversation with my husband, Thomas, that went something like this…

T: so how many diapers will we need?

Me: a lot

T: how many is a lot

Me: I don’t know! Babies use a lot of diapers

T: what do you think the average is?

Me: I don’t know! all babies grow at different rates they all potty train at different times…there’s no way to know how many diapers we’ll need

T: what if we buy too many then?

Me: I don’t know we’ll just buy as we go.

T: but I want to know how many to stock up on a head of time

Me: well we’re not going to know a head of time

***pause***

T: I don’t like not knowing… I’m going to keep track

Me: ok you do that

T: no really! That way for the next baby we’ll know how many to buy

Me: but each baby is different

T: well it will give us a starting point!

Fast forward 14 months and Olivia has gone through 1840 diapers and counting!

When we hit the 700 mark for size 4 I knew something had to change. We had considered cloth diapering before but had never bought any. Our main concerns were poopy diapers, hassle of laundry, and initial cost.

After hosting and attending a Cloth Diaper Class by Joyful Baby Planning and Parenting I finally took the plunge! We have now been doing a mix of disposable and cloth diapering for 2 weeks and have had quite an adventure already. In a new routine post I plan to call Cloth Confessions, I will share my experience and tips when it come to making the switch. Hope you enjoy!

Cloth Confession #1

“Dump the Chunk” is not that bad!

When one of my previous bosses began cloth diapering I was initially grossed out when she told me her diaper service would pick up weekly and only asked that they “dump the chunk” before boxing up the used diapers. The thought of having to go to the toilet and hose off or dunk the diaper after every change sounded like a waste time and a sanitary hazard. Low and behold it’s a breeze. I now change Olivia in our master bedroom instead of her room so I can quickly get up, chunk, and flush. I think one advantage to converting so late is that her bowel movements are mostly solid so I really haven’t needed to do much work. The phrase “it’s different when it’s your own” is so true! I don’t think I would be comfortable cloth diapering another persons kid (or diapering at all for that matter), but with my own don’t mind one bit!