My husband and I have three children, all born at home with Alyssa. We have nothing but good things to say about her, Sara and Teresa! They are kind, caring, thoughtful, professional, and knowledgeable. They are experienced and enjoy what they do. I really appreciate being given the choice of what testing to have/not have without pressure; the individualized care; their respectfulness in always asking for permission and letting me know before doing anything; and their support and encouragement during labor (especially Sara!).
There are so many more things I could say, but I think one of the things that's been the most important to me is that Alyssa's first priority is the the health and safety of both mother and baby. When I found out I was expecting my first baby, homebirth wasn't even a thought. Not an option. I only knew stories of things going terribly wrong, so I never considered it in the beginning. I didn't know anything about pregnancy or labor or birth, so I started researching online, finding out everything I could. I really didn't like the way things seemed to be done with an OB, how cookie cutter-like it was and that you didn't really seem to have much say in your care (why is this done? it just is-standard practice). I didn't want to have a particular test just because it was standard practice, when I didn't have any risk factors, and I wanted to be left alone in labor unless something came up. The more I read, the more I liked the midwifery way of doing things, and the view that pregnancy and childbirth are natural- not a medical condition that needs to be constantly managed.
So I ended up looking for a midwife, found Alyssa, and I think asked her some questions, but I was disappointed when she said she didn't deliver babies in the hospital, only at home. A bit more time/research/questions later, and we became convinced that having our baby at home with Alyssa WAS actually the right thing for us, provided the pregnancy went well and I was low risk.
In all of my reading, and I spent many, many hours reading everything I could related to pregnancy and birth, I read a ton of homebirth stories, both good and bad. What stood out to me was that in nearly every story of something going wrong, it wasn't because of the birth being at home, but rather that the warning signs were ignored because they did not want to have to transfer to a hospital. The midwife put "not going to the hospital" over the safety of baby and mother. Obviously when you choose to have your baby at home you do so because that's your preference, and you'd rather not end up in the hospital; but it's so important to have a midwife who IS willing to transfer you if that does become necessary, and puts health and safety first. And Alyssa does. She doesn't hesitate to send you to a doctor if there's something concerning that she's unsure about; she's equipped and knowledgeable to handle complications during and after labor (I hemorrhaged after each of my first two babies' births which she handled quickly and competently) and discusses with you the situations in which transferring would be necessary; she discusses with you ahead of time your hospital and doctor preferences should something come up during labor and you need to transfer; and she is known by, and respected by, doctors here in Kirksville (I don't know many doctors here, but the three I do know all speak very highly of her). We trusted her during and after the pregnancy and birth of our first baby, but that's just been confirmed more and more with each of our other babies.
Alyssa, Sara, and Teresa provide excellent care. They will be our first choice with any future babies.Hannah
Kirksville, MO
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