Homebirth, Naturally
Sara Peters
Certified Professional Midwife
homebirthnaturally@gmail.com
(573) 767-0193
Shortly after moving across country from Wisconsin to Missouri, my husband (Aaron) and I found out we were pregnant! We knew very little about the community of natural birth in the Kirksville area but were eager to find a midwife who would join our pregnancy and birthing team. After some research, we discovered Homebirth Naturally and quickly read everything on the website that we could find. With excitement, I phoned Alyssa and we set up our initial consultation meeting. Aaron and I left the appointment so thrilled to have found such warm, welcoming, down to earth midwives who were so supportive of the mommy-baby and mommy-partner relationships during pregnancy and labor/delivery. Throughout the pregnancy both Alyssa and Sara were very thorough, professional and approachable to discuss anything that we had questions, concerns or thoughts about. They were very animate to tell us they were available 24/7 and reminded us of that quite frequently. At the onset of labor, the ladies were very available to come to our home and offer support at any point we thought necessary - even before I had progressed enough into active labor. They quickly arrived and very quietly and swiftly began to prepare our birthing room for delivery. As they shared with us ahead of time, one of them would tend to mom & baby during labor while the other one stood by ready to switch. They offered as much assistance as we desired but also gave us autonomy as a couple to labor in privacy. They were wonderful to step in at times and relieve Aaron from assisting me and were very proactive to keep me well hydrated and fed! As I began to enter the final moments of labor, pushing, I found myself very calm as I looked to Alyssa for assurance and comfort in my exhaustion and anticipation to be near the finish line. Both Alyssa and Sara remained incredibly calm and gently coached me through the pushing process. During this stage of labor, the ladies both teamed up offer assistance; one continually available to mom and one to baby. As soon as our baby emerged into the birthing tub, the caul still fully intact, Alyssa very swiftly and yet calmly tore open the sac as she simultaneously pulled baby up out of the water. It was a beautiful moment as she put our baby on me, that mother-baby bond instantly formed. The ladies immediately began to make sure both baby and mom were stable, healthy and comfortable. Aaron thought it was such a neat treat that the midwives encouraged him to participate with them in weighing, measuring and assessing our baby in the comfort of our bedroom. Before leaving, they quietly washed and organized laundry used in the birth and were very gracious to tidy up our home without us even knowing it until after the fact! We were so thankful for such personable and kind midwives to be there for our labor and delivery. Throughout our pregnancy and especially at the birth both Aaron and I grew to see these wonderful women as not just a part of our birth team but our dear friends! We would highly recommend their expertise and services to anyone looking for a natural birth!
Ally
Kirksville, MO