Baby's Name: Devin Zane Sia

Date of Birth: 9/1/2007
Time of Birth: 3:50 am

Birth Weight: 7 lbs 14 oz
Birth Height: 21.5 inches
Parent's Names: Chris and Cate Sia

[Cate]:

We switched practices to LCM when I was 35 weeks pregnant. We were nervous about changing things so late, but LCM was ready to give us the support for a natural childbirth that our other practice wasn’t. I only wish we had gotten to know the midwives for the whole pregnancy!

I knew labor was beginning with some mild contractions and bloody show the night before. My contractions were still mild in the morning, but regular. Nervous and excited, I asked Chris to stay home and work so he'd be close by.

The day of early labor went by pretty fast it seemed. Chris and I chatted, walked the dogs, and tried to stay calm, as the contractions seemed to come closer together and gain strength. By 7 or 8pm, we figured we might go to the hospital soon. We called Chris’s parents, who came in an hour to take the dogs off our hands. Wendy and Blue looked a little confused but always happy to go for a ride.

When we arrived at the hospital, Margie told us that while I was fully effaced, I was only 1cm dilated. That came as a bit of a shock and let down, but we certainly weren't the first expectant parents to come to the hospital too early. We quickly agreed that going home to get some rest (if possible) was of more interest that staying at The Birthing Inn. It was around 11pm when we got back home and we were pretty tired. Any extra rest for the work that lay ahead sounded good.

Almost as soon as we got home and into bed my contractions seemed to ramp up! Crazy as it seems, since I had only been 1cm dilated, I had the urge to push and couldn't control it.

[Chris]:

Subconsciously I could hear my wife heading to the bathroom in the middle of the night. I was torn between getting up and soothing her, and getting more sleep so I was able to perform as her coach more effectively in the very near future. This duality was shattered by one low and chilling moan let out by Cate.

I sprang up. Looking at the clock I had noticed only forty minutes had passed. “This is much too soon to be heading into hard labor”, I thought. The moans emanating from my wife painted a different story however. The following hour taught me the importance of two things. One, knowing and trusting your partner is paramount, and two, noticing the differences or deltas in any situation can enable you to make the proper calls in most situations.

The moan that Cate let out next made it clear. Chills rolled down my spine as Cate let out a loud and prolonged grimace, which told me that no matter what stage of labor we were in, we needed to be at the hospital.

The drive back to the hospital mimicked the previous one with one difference; Cate was in greater pain and speaking less. I was secretly freaking out that we were heading in too early and that Cate would only be two centimeters dilated. We headed back into the birthing center and the nurse promptly examined Cate again. Five centimeters! Oh man, that is great…wait…, holy crap! She is in hard labor! Oh yea, that pushing she felt earlier, that was really pushing!

I helped Cate walk to the labor room where the nurses were setting up. When Margie checked again, Cate was at a whopping 7 centimeters! This in the course of thirty minutes! At the next check fifteen minutes later, Margie stated, “A little over nine centimeters, time to push”. Only an hour at the hospital and Cate was pushing!!! That’s my girl! If the past hour saw increasingly more intense moans and screams, the next half and hour would see the hardest work that could be performed by a human being.

[Cate]:

Despite Chris's misgivings about seeing what was going on 'down there', he watched Devin appear with great excitement all the while giving me the encouragement I needed to push the baby out. Certainly not the easiest task I've undertaken, and though it got tough, it was amazing to be fully aware of everything going on with my body and to feel the baby find his way out.

With Margie and Chris, I felt confident in the entire process. Even when Devin's heart rate dropped a bit during early pushing, she was calm and gave me some oxygen and Devin a chance to get going again.

[Chris]:

“One more push!” I kept after Cate who was now looking exhausted, but as determined as ever. One of these times I figured I would be right, and it would truly be the last push. As if nature pulls the grandest magic act of all time, his head, what I thought was the size of a small coconut, blossomed into a mass ten times larger then I had imagined. Devin’s head was now fully visible. I could not believe what I had just witnessed, and as if it were one last trick, my mind was thoroughly blown as Cate pushed one last time and the rest of Devin’s body was passed out into the world!

[Cate]:

The afterbirth was actually a little tedious and, dare I say, more painful. In a way it was more difficult to endure because I already had my 'prize' in my arms. Once we were through all the standard procedures, we had time to just marvel at and celebrate the amazing miracle in our arms. The staff at the Birthing Inn and LCM made a great team and made the experience that much better for us!

[Chris]:

All in all there were a few scares, a whole lot of work, and for Cate a lot of pain, but in the end we got the greatest gift a couple can receive, a healthy baby boy. Both mother and baby recovered quickly from the hardest work they will ever do, and now that the hard work is done, all we have left to do is take care of him. :-P

Baby's Name: Avalon Gwin Gallardo

Date of Birth: 1/20/2007

Time of Birth: 2:18 pm

Birth Weight: 7 lbs 15 oz

Birth Height: 21 inches

Parent's Names: Ollie and Meghan Gallardo

After 34 weeks of pregnancy, we switched to Loudoun Community Midwives and the Birthing Inn from an OB practice and Reston Hospital. And I am so relieved that we did.

I was diagnosed with gestational diabetes (GD), but was able to maintain my blood sugars fairly easily with diet. The OB practice we were with had a hard rule that for GD patients, they would induce by 40 weeks. We were taking Bradley classes at the time and our instructor, Karen Marsh, suggested we switch to midwifery care, as it was more suited to the natural childbirth we were hoping for. We saw it as the best of both worlds; midwifery care, but in the safety of a hospital…and it turns out we needed both.

Ok, so here’s our abbreviated war story: I was in labor for 30 hours; 22 of those hours were hard, and then HARDER labor. I went into labor Thursday night. I had a regularly scheduled appointment early Friday morning, where we discovered I was 6 inches dilated. Yay! So we waddled on over to the Birthing Inn and got ourselves a room. My husband (and coach) and parents and sister were there to share in the excitement. Margie kept popping in to say hi. It was fun…at first.

My progression slowed to the speed of a tired turtle. It would be another 14 hours before I was fully dilated. In the meantime, my baby had turned posterior, and I was experiencing back labor. My contractions were so incredibly painful as to induce involuntary projectile vomiting…every two to seven minutes, for many MANY hours. (In all my reading about childbirth ahead of time, I never read that this could happen.) I had never experienced exhaustion like that. When Margie suggested we consider an epidural so that I would have strength left for pushing (we were hoping for natural, drug-free, childbirth) we trusted that it was the best course of action for our situation. It afforded me a couple hours of rest before enduring 4 hours of pushing. Margie was amazing throughout the entire delivery. She was calm and supportive of our wishes, and was great at including my support team in the delivery process. She held true to the philosophy that if the baby was fine (which she was even though she was swimming in goopy meconium), and the mother was fine (relatively), then there’s no reason not to stay the course. If we hadn’t switched to LC Midwives, I would have had a C-section.

In the end, SURPRISE! We had a beautiful, healthy baby girl. Next time, well start from the beginning with Loudoun Community Midwives.

In my 34^th week of my pregnancy, I became very unhappy with the doctors that I had been seeing. I had submitted my birth plan and was in essence laughed at. I was told that I did not have the right to make decisions about my birth and that the Doctor “would be handling it”. Additionally, I found out that the hospital I was set to give birth at had a 50% rate of C-Section (the national average is 15%) – that meant that for every two women going in to give birth – one would end up having a C-Section. I didn’t feel confident with all of this and thanks to my Bradley Coach, I found the Loudoun Community Midwives. I immediately made the switch to the Loudoun Community Midwives after talking with Wendy Dotson about my birth goals and I’m so glad I did. My husband and I had decided to try for a natural childbirth and the midwives offered the support that we were looking for while my previous doctors had not. I was not afraid of having a C-Section but did not want to have one un-necessarily.

My due date, March 18^th, 2006 came and went. I was scheduled for a non-stress test appointment on March 25^th – the day I was celebrating my birthday to make sure everything was ok. I went in and the testing and sonogram went fine but baby was in no rush to enter the world. Wendy stripped my membranes hoping to possibly get the baby going and I went home and celebrated the day with my family. The next day contractions started. They began at 10 minutes apart and moved down to 7 and then 5. I called Wendy, the midwife on call when my contractions hit 7 minutes apart and she told me to call her when the contractions got down to 5 minutes apart. The contractions finally got down to 5 minutes apart about midnight that night and then suddenly stopped. Baby had decided she did not want to make her entrance that day. The next day, Monday, March 27 ^th the new midwife on call, Paula Senner called me to ask how I was doing. I told her that contractions had stopped cold turkey. We made an appointment for me to come in the following day.

I then left to go get a manicure and pedicure and when I reached the nail shop at 11am, contractions had begun again – 10 minutes apart. I didn’t pay any mind to them as I thought they would stop again as they had the night before. I got my braces tightened, went into work and cleared up some loose ends. By the time I left for home at 3pm, my contractions were between 5 and 7 minutes apart. I got home and had my husband order a pizza – we ate pizza and then took a bath to relax. In the bath, my contractions got down to 3 minutes apart and realizing that the baby wasn’t joking this time, we called the Midwife on call. While I was waiting for Paula to call me back, my water broke. When Paula called me back, she told me to take a shower and then come to the hospital. While I was in the shower, my contractions changed to 1 minute apart. My husband and I realized we needed to get on the road as the hospital was 30 minutes away.

We got to the hospital at 8pm and I was in hard active labor. Paula arrived and checked me and I was 9 1/2 cms!! It was almost time to push! About 5 minutes later, Paula checked me and told me I could push. I started pushing, I pushed on the bed, on my side, but I was having a hard time and baby was not moving down. Then Paula told me that our baby was having a difficult time – her heart rate was taking a nose dive – she tried having me lay on my side. But every time I pushed, the heart rate would dive down. Paula called the Dr in to see if the baby could be taken by forceps but she had not moved down low enough. Paula then told me that they were going to have to do a C-Section; the baby was having a hard time – her heart rate was very low. I eagerly consented as I KNEW this was necessary for my baby; not just a convenience. I was quickly wheeled into the OR and given an epidural. My husband was brought in per our birth plan and our beautiful little girl, Ella Wren Anderson was born via C-Section at 9:24 pm.

Although I ended up having a C-Section, I couldn’t have asked for a better birth experience. I had a wonderful labor day; the support of Paula, and the knowledge that the C-Section was not being done out of convenience but out of necessity. Paula respected our wishes and helped us make informed decisions without any pressure. I would highly recommend Loudoun Community Midwives to others who need their service. They will provide you with outstanding quality care as they did for me and my family.

Thanks!

Jen Dugan

I had been having contractions for weeks. Well on Tuesday 2/7/06 they started to shift into the REAL kind. While I was having my NST they were like 10 or so minutes apart, while I was starting to breath through them, they weren’t serious. So home I went!

They got progressively stronger as the day went on… to the point that I called Anton at work at 4:30 and was like, if it wouldn’t cause a problem, maybe you should leave work so as to beat rush hour (we have some of the worst rush hour traffic in the nation here in No. VA). But I told him if it would cause problems if he showed up at work tomorrow because I hadn’t had her, not to leave. I didn’t think that it was IT but I wanted to cover my bases. So he left and came home. I was still contracting but they weren’t getting closer together or incredibly painful, just crampy/gassy feeling and I was breathing with them. Called Midwives to tell them what was going on, she said same thing as always, call me when you can’t cope. So I took a bath and then went to bed sometime between 10 and 11. I had officially come to terms with the fact that she would come when she was ready so I wasn’t feeling too worked up about it all. Woke up several times throughout the night because of contractions but again they weren’t coming often enough to make me get out of bed or anything.

At 2:30AM I went to pee (part of my nightly routine) and then Anton came to bed. Right when I climbed back into bed, I had a rough one. Turned over and tried to sleep and had another one approximately 10 minutes later. Laying on my side wasn’t helping them, so I tried my back and had another. Gave up at that point and decided to go out to living room to watch TV and wait for them to go away (like they always did). THERE IS NOTHING ON TV AT 2:30AM and I was stuck watching Fresh Prince and whatever other random crap was on Nick at Nite at that hour I was exhausted and wanted to sleep so I curled up on the couch. But every 10 minutes I was getting really bad contractions that weren’t letting me actually sleep. Slowly they got STRONGER and I found myself climbing onto all fours to deal with them. They started to increase from 10 to 8 to 7 then to 5 minutes apart. By 5AM I was in real pain and they were very regular. I told myself to keep dealing and try to make it to 6 or so, as this was a reasonable hour (I wanted to be accommodating).

At 5:45 I couldn’t take it anymore and I woke up Anton. Told him calmly to get up and get “ready,” didn’t want him to rush around, because I knew we had a little bit of time, but I wanted him to get started. He got up, walked dogs and sat with me in the living room. I called the midwives and Margie said keep dealing as best I could and I could head into the hospital whenever I was ready, that they would be ready for me. At 6:15 I told Anton we were going to the hospital, I was EXHAUSTED and couldn’t deal anymore, all I wanted to do was sleep. So my plan was to go to the hospital, maybe get an epidural and SLEEP!

We head out to the car. It’s FREEZING outside and the car we have takes forever to warm up. I knew that sitting through the contraction wasn’t going to be pretty so I stood outside the car with hubby (while he smoked a cig) and had one that made me need to lean on the car for support. We got on our way finally and the ones I had in the car were not enjoyable, on our 15 min drive I had three and then I had another really bad one as we headed into the hospital. Got there and buzzed in and waited for someone to check me in and monitor me. We were at the hospital at 6:30 and didn’t get monitored until 7AM. Paula arrived and they checked my cervix, I was 7CM dilated :-O We went over my plan, I repeated what I’ve said all along. “I don’t want an epidural in general, BUT if I’m screaming for one, please give me one.” She said, I will not mention one, if you want it you ask me and I’ll tell you if it’s even doable at that point. They get me a room and we move to it. I was in the room by 7:30 and they were strapping me into the wireless monitors they have so I could take a bath or walk around. Because laying down wasn’t cutting it. While they strapped me up I had the worst contractions I had had. I was yelling in pain and wanted to be doing anything but laying down. They were trying to do my IV and I was going crazy.

Paula comes back in around this time and checks me again, I’m 9CM and ready to go. No epidural for me. They made me roll to my side so she could break my waters and I was practically screaming in pain. At that very second the contraction I was having broke my water for me and it GUSHED out of me. I was like “EW” and VERY relieved. For some odd reason I was PETRIFIED of them breaking my water like it would really hurt me or something.

Shortly thereafter things went from crazy to blur. All I know is I was being told to push, I remember telling them “I Can’t do this” and them coaching me through it. I was yelling with the pushing at one point and Paula told me to stop, that it wasn’t helping me push and I know they gave me IV fluids at one point because I was close to hyperventilating. I still don’t know how I did it. I know Anton was at my side the whole time telling me how great I was doing and coaching me along. My nurse was EXCELLENT and kept me as calm as she could. I really questioned how I was going to get that baby out. My early pushes were horrible, I wasn’t pushing right, I was using my face and instead of getting her out she was going out and then back in. Somewhere though I got it right and around 8:25 her head popped out. They told me it was out and I said, and I QUOTE, “Is she a girl?” They said they didn’t know all they had was the head and to keep pushing. So I pushed and they told me she was out, to which I repeated, “is she a GIRL?” Anton was laughing at me, I was so afraid the sonogram had been wrong.

When they popped her on my chest I lost it, every emotion, every minute of lost sleep took over and I just cried. Saying OH MY GOD over and over and over. I didn’t know what to say or do, there was this living, breathing being on my chest and she was the most AMAZING thing I had ever seen. They took her to clean her up to my left and my MW got to work sewing me up, I had a level 2 tear of my perineum, though to tell you the truth I wouldn’t even know that I did if they hadn’t told me. The stitches were probably my 2nd least favorite part of the labor (being stuck on the bed during contractions was the other) All I wanted to do was put my legs together and hold my daughter and instead I had to hold them up and keep them open another almost 30 minutes. My hubby was great through it all, though he had NO IDEA what the hell he was doing, bless his heart.

I was able to attempt Breastfeeding within the first 30 min and she had a perfect latch from the very beginning, and once she was on, she didn’t let go. Everyone was amazed! My MW and I hugged for a while and I thanked her for being amazing. I truly made the right choice going with them and couldn’t have gotten that kid out with her helping me along. Same with my nurse, they kept me as focused as they could and truly helped me through it all, even when I didn’t think I could do it anymore.

Antonia’s apgars were 8 and 9 OR 9 and 8 I can’t remember. And she had two HORRIBLE hematomas on her head from me not pushing right in the beginning.

It was Super Bowl Sunday, and I was getting tired of being pregnant...

I has already bought the ingredients for my famous 7-layer dip, when I suddenly had a strange feeling in my lower abdomen. This strange feeling was the first of many contractions I would be experiencing. I stayed home, writing down the time between each and wondering if I was really in labor and if I was indeed going to have a baby very soon. Around 6, the contractions began to be 2-3 minutes apart, and it was time to head for the hospital. After checking in, I was sent to the wireless delivery room where they could monitor my baby while I still had the freedom to walk and go in the bathtub to labor. Wendy showed up and checked me, and while I was progressing quickly, I still managed to labor in the bathtub for a relaxing hour or so... but then I felt the need to push. I got out of the tub and was almost fully dilated. When I was ready to push, I had a little bit of a tough time because (unbeknownst to all of us) my son had his hand up to his face, and was in fact delivered like that at 10:20 pm, only four hours after hard labor began. Upon arrival of the cord, we found that he had a true knot that could have pulled tight at any moment and he would not have made it... so I consider him my miracle baby. I had no epidural or episiotomy, and I didn't even tear at all, and I credit Wendy, as I know this was no easy task! My son Ethan was 7 lbs., 5.5 oz., and is doing very well. I had such a wonderful experience with LCM that I would HIGHLY recommend them to anyone desiring a personal, caring and natural pregnancy and birth experience. Thank you for an incredible experience!

Blossom, Dave and Ethan Martin

Baby's Name: Alexander Michael Rogers
Date of Birth: 12/7/2006
Time of Birth: 11:27 am
Birth Weight: 8 lbs 4 oz
Birth Height: 20 inches
Parent's Names: Lauren and Jason Rogers

When I became pregnant I knew that I wanted a natural childbirth. I set out to find caregivers who would support me in that. I got more than I had hoped for from Loudoun Community Midwives. Not only did they give excellent physical care, but emotional care as well. I was supported and encourage from the time I placed the first phone call to their office and throughout my entire pregnancy. They are friendly, knowledgeable and caring. After meeting the midwives, my husband felt much calmer and more confident about the birth process knowing that we had such wonderful women guiding us. They encouraged me to labor at home for as long as possible and I did. I was 9 cm by the time I reached the Birthing Inn. I must admit I was a little disappointed that I didn’t get to use the labor tub. The encouragement I received while pushing was invaluable and the care of my perineum was appreciated. Thank you Paula and Wendy for making my natural childbirth wish come true! -Lauren

My Labor Story by Tina M. Kinney

Lily Kinney Clarke, born on September 14^th, 2006, 11:14PM, at 7 lbs 11 ounces.

I woke up early in the morning, about 6:00 am, with an upset stomach and diarrhea. The latter was nothing new, I had been having that on and off for two weeks. I thought I again ate something that upset my stomach and blamed it on the chocolate chip cookies I made the night before.

Throughout the day I didn’t feel well and at 11:00 am I got a message from Ed’s coworker that they were throwing him a surprise baby shower at work at 2:30 pm. Apparently they had been trying to contact me for days. So I called the coworker back and decided to go to the shower. I thought it would be a fun surprise and a time for my husband Ed Clarke to get some attention. So I arrived a little early and Ed’s coworker met me at the front door. Unfortunately, on the my way to the party room, I bumped into Ed in the stairway so the surprise was ruined. He had suspected there was something going on though.

I was definitely not feeling well but I waited till after the shower to tell Ed and I thought I was in labor. I was walking a lot slower and Ed took note of it. But because I wasn’t sure I was in labor, I went home and Ed stayed at work till 6pm. I was really uncomfortable driving and also trying to write down my contractions. They were all over the place, ranging from 3 minutes apart to 15 min apart. I just didn’t know if this was it.

However, I decided to take a warm bath, relax and still write down my contractions. I called my sister and chatted with her a while. She suggested I might be in false labor but I still wasn’t sure. At 5:30pm, while still in the tub, I became more sure I was in labor. When Ed got home I was pretty sure and he started writing down the contractions for me. When he got home I was about 10 min apart but still all over the place. We called the midwife on duty, Paula and told her I wasn’t sure I was in labor. She said soon I would know and to keep her informed.

Gradually I decreased to 7 min apart, then 6, the 5 min. At 9pm, while talking with my mom, my water broke. I felt this gush, yelped and jumped off the couch to avoid getting water all over it. I went to the bathroom and my pants were wet, the water was clear with a little color in it. We called Paula again and she said I could stay home longer and call her for any changes.

After my water broke, my contractions got a lot stronger which I expected. I told Ed we needed to go upstairs and lay down. Then I went to the bathroom and I had a whole lot of meconium and thought, we have to go to the hospital. We called Paula and started going. My contractions came fast and so strong that I had to lean over or get on my hands and knees to get through them.

Ed was running around like crazy trying to get our stuff together. I was getting impatient, wishing he would hurry up so we could go. Between contractions I was fine, I could walk around, talk, even laugh. But once they came on, they were strong and all I could was try to relax and get through them. That’s why it was hard to tell how far along I was. My notorious tolerance for pain was making me unsure of what stage of labor I was in. In retrospect Ed was filming me around 8pm and 9pm and it was hard to tell I was in labor. Amazing!

We thought labor was going to take so long…it’s rare to be a speedster. But I was that and inconsistent.

We arrived at the hospital around 10 pm. I had a contraction in the car (Ed said it was 9 min since the last one) and one in the parking lot. Again I wished he would move faster. We walked in and knew exactly where to go since we had toured the birthing inn before. We had to walk down the hallway to get a nurse. Later the nurse told me she didn’t think I was that far along when she first saw me, but knew when I had a contraction that I was further along then she thought. She immediately put us in a delivery room and gave me a gown to put on. I literally threw off my clothes in anticipation of the next contraction. Then I had to lie down and they put a fetal monitor on me and an IV. This is when my contractions got a whole lot worse.

At this point every contraction made me writhe in pain. I couldn’t wait for Paula to get here. She was delivering another baby. I am not sure how much time passed but I would guess 20 minutes (my husband said it was about an hour). She came in and I was relieved because I felt something had to be done. I was ready to push and felt incredible pressure like I had to do a #2. When she examined me I heard her say, “She’s 10 cm dilated but this baby is butt down not head down.” I turned to Ed and asked, “Does this mean I have to have C-section?” I pretty much knew. Ed and I knew all the scenarios.

Paula came to my bedside, took my hand and told me what I had already heard her say and she said the safest thing to do was to have a C-section. I said OK. Then a flurry of activity started, several nurses entered the room, one nurse asked what kind of vitamins and medications I was on, Paula set up the catheter. Soon they wheeled me into the surgery room.

It was a really bright white room. The anesthesiologist introduced himself. It seemed like he was trying to decide what kind of painkillers to give. I think I remember him saying that he was going to try a spinal tap, which he did. He periodically asked me what I was feeling. And he spread out my arms and said to keep them there and not to “fight” him like some other mothers do. OK!

I could not feel anything, just numbness and some tingling. I was anticipating feeling a tugging, like I have read that some mothers feel but thankfully I didn’t feel anything. The doctor and the neonatologist introduced himself. The doctor warned us that the baby would not breathe right away and they had to do a lot of suctioning first. I am glad he warned us about that.

Paula was helping with the surgery. Then someone asked, where’s the dad? Ed had not been there so far. Finally he came in and sat beside me. Then he announced with tears in his eyes, the baby is out. They took her to the right of me and I could see her under the drapes. When she cried it was the greatest sound. It was high-pitched and very unique. Then they held her near me so I could see her. I wasn’t emotional. Maybe I was in shock. But I was glad she was OK. They told me they had to take her to the nursery for an hour and Ed went with her. He took pictures of her.

After the finished the surgery, I was wheeled into the recovery room. I was shaking uncontrollably, which I knew would happen but it lasted almost the whole hour until Paula gave me some medication for it. I was still numb but it was already starting to wear off. I chatted with the nurse who was taking care of me. Paula came in and filled out all the paperwork and complained that she had to fill out admitting papers (duh).

After an hour I asked the nurse, can I see my baby? She apologized and said she had a few more things to do. Finally they took me to a hospital room and I again asked the nurse to get my baby. Not too long after Ed and the baby came in, and I finally got to hold her and breastfeed her.

In retrospect, I would have had a vaginal exam during my prenatal visits. I had refused them because they don’t really tell you much (like when you will go into labor) and they can introduce infection. However if I had an exam, they may have been able to tell she was frank breech.

But Lily had us all fooled. All four midwives thought she was head down, including my chiropractor. We will never know when she turned. Was she always butt down? Did she turn late in my pregnancy, especially when I had those “active” days when she was constantly moving? Even Paula said “Next time we won’t trust our hands. We’ll give you an ultrasound.” She also said I would be an excellent candidate for VBAC (vaginal birth after C-section) because I progressed well; I obviously could handle the pain. We just needed to be sure of the baby’s position next time! I also appreciated the fact that she said I did have a natural labor with no medication, and I made it to 10 cm. So I know I could do it again.

Sarah Lindsey Yelverton

Born January 17, 2007

7lbs. 9.5 oz

20 inches

Before I became pregnant, I was a patient of an OB/GYN at Fair Oaks Hospital. When I found out I was pregnant, I wanted to find a practitioner closer to home. Since I reside in Ashburn, I wanted to deliver at Loudoun Hospital. When I found the website for the midwives, I was ecstatic! As an Advanced Practice Nurse, myself, I knew I could expect outstanding quality of care from this group. My expectations were met & well surpassed. The office staff was so kind and professional and each and every one of the midwives were knowledgable and supportive. I was unsure if I wanted an epidural with this delivery, due to the complications I experienced with the delivery of my first child; as a Nurse Anesthetist, this was foreign to my friends & colleagues! The midwives were supportive and discussed other pain relief options with me during labor. Margie was on call in the wee hours of January 17th. I awoke at 2 am with minor cramping every 2 minutes...it wasn't too uncomfortable at this point, but Margie left it up to me whether or not to come in. Due to the logistics with my 5 year old son at home, my husband & I opted to call our caretaker in & head to the hospital. I wasn't in active labor, but I was continually monitored in triage. Paula came on at 7 am. My contractions picked up and became more regular & I began to slowly progress. Once I was admitted in my labor room at 11:00 that morning, Paula checked my progress...5 cm! She broke my water around 11:30. After walking with my husband for a bit and breathing through the contractions, I wanted to try the tub in the labor room around 1 pm. Paula & my nurse, Christy, prepared the nice, warm bath for me...and Paula even brought in a lamp for dim "mood lighting"! She sat by my side while in the tub and chatted with me between contractions & supported me during the contractions. At 1:30, she wanted to check the baby's heart rate, and I asked her to check my cervix as well, as I had decided that at that point I wanted an epidural! I was 8 cm...it was now or never! The anesthesiologist arrived and began to open the epidural kit....at the same time I felt a lot of pressure! Paula said she could see the baby's head & it would be easier just to push her out instead of sitting up for the epidural placement! My laboring mind was racing....I looked at my husband and said, "I can't do this without an epidural!!!" But I was proven wrong! After a couple of pushes, Sarah Lindsey came into our lives at 1:58 pm! Paula was absolutely wonderful to my husband and me. She and the labor/delivery team were outstanding! I highly recommend the midwives to everyone who asks me for referrals...I know first-hand the quality of care you receive from them and their office staff.

Michelle Yelverton, CRNA

Birth Story, Brady Patrick Kenney 6/12/2005 9lb 2oz.

In January of 2005 I switched to Loudoun Community Midwives, I was in my fourth month of pregnancy. I was 33 years old and I had a normal textbook pregnancy. This was my first time being pregnant and I was excited. My mother kept telling me that I was going to end up having a c-section because she and my sister had both had them, but I felt confident that the Midwives would be able to handle my delivery as it unfolded.

I was given a handout that described labor and let me know when I should call the hospital, but when I actually began to labor I became pretty confused and wasn't sure what to do. I called Wendy Dotson who was on call and she was patient, kind and helpful. We ended up going to the hospital after I labored many hours at home with my husband. When I arrived I was admitted to the Birthing Inn.

Wendy was extremely available and attentive. I ended up opting for an epidural because I was exhausted and soon felt very comfortable. Since I did end up having a c-section I'm so glad I got one! Anyhow, my labor continued all day with my mom and husband staying with me and Wendy and the nurses checking on me. I never progressed past 8cm and at some point it became clear that my baby was stuck or not going to progress anymore, or something. Because of Wendy's wonderful manner, I was able to stay comfortable, calm and informed while she suggested that I go for a c-section. Other methods had been used to assist my labor but she finally determined it was time because we had tried everything else. I was prepped for the section and very quickly found myself in the operating room. I was surprised and happy that although a surgeon made my incision it was Wendy who delivered my very robust 9lb 2 ounce son, Brady Patrick. She was so wonderful and contributed to the joy we felt that day.

As an addendum to my birth story, when I came in for after care at my six week check up I was diagnosed with post-partum depression. I had never had anything like that and felt shame (which I know is foolish) but I was miserable, just miserable and sick and sad and crying and of course I had no idea what was wrong with me. My perspective was shot between new baby, sleeplessness and my hormones. The midwives gave me medication and within two weeks I significantly improved to the point where I could function, enjoy my baby and felt like myself again. I continued the medication for a few months than tapered off successfully. I am very grateful I had a trusting relationship with them so I could receive the help I needed to get.

I feel as if I had first class treatment with Midwives. I would have been happy and grateful to have any of them attending me. I highly recommend them. In every circumstance I felt unique, respected and carefully cared for. I can't praise them enough except to say Thank you for my healthy boy!!

Kerry Ann Kenney

Baby's Name: Alanis Marsh
Date of Birth: 8/24/2004
Time of Birth: 11:03 pm
Birth Weight: 7 lbs 12 oz
Birth Height: 19.5 inches
Parent's Names: Melanie and Jimmy Marsh

Comments about your experience:
About mid-way through my pregnancy I became very unhappy with the doctors that I had been seeing. I made the switch to the Loudoun Community Midwives after interviewing several other doctors and midwife practices. I’m so glad I did.

The midwives were all very friendly and knowledgeable. My husband and I had decided to try for a natural childbirth. The midwives offered the support that we were looking for while other doctors and midwives did not.

Margie Branquist, the midwife on-call when I went into labor, was great. She gave positive encouragement throughout my labor. During the pushing stage she helped me focus and coached me through techniques that helped my labor and delivery along. She respected our wishes and helped us make informed decisions without any pressure.

My experience with Loudoun Community Midwives met all of my expectations and more. All of the staff members exhibited a warm and caring approach and were consistently professional at all times. They demonstrated a sincere interest in my care and well being and always made me feel comfortable. I feel very fortunate to have found this practice and for my daughter to have been brought into this world by such wonderful people. I would highly recommend Loudoun Community Midwives to others who need their service. They will provide you with outstanding quality care as they did for me and my family.

July 1, 2004 at 4:25 p.m.
6lbs 14oz and 19"
Parents: Dusty Sparrow and Jonathon Perrelli
Comments: Paula was right by my side every challenging moment to give me care and support. The midwives and staff are all incredible - we are looking forward to the next one!

Hope all is well! - Dusty

Our son Ryan was born August 31 2004 @ 10:04 am. He weighed 6 lbs 6 oz and 19 1/2 inches long.
Thanks so much for your help and support.
Sincerely, Chris Bullock & Camille D'Amato

We are very satisified customers of the Loudoun Community Midwives and the Birthing Inn.

On June 2, 2005 I gave birth to my giant baby, Miles Hudson Mailman, who weighed in at a whopping 11 lbs, 7 oz!!!!! I was able to give birth NATURALLY with the support of my husband and Wendy. Check with Wendy and she'll tell you it's true!!! Miles was my second birth with a midwife (first son born in Philadelphia). Both of my boys are happy and healthy.

Baby's Name: Garrison Sypolt
Date of Birth: 7/8/2006
Time of Birth: 3:36 pm
Birth Weight: 9 lbs 7 oz
Birth Height: 22.5 inches
Parent's Names: Jessica and Greg Sypolt

I switched to the midwives midway through my pregnancy because the practice I was at was too large and too far away. I had a great pregnancy and no problems so I was hoping that my boy would come on his due date, or maybe a day or two earlier! My due date came and went and at 41 weeks I was scheduled to have an appointment and have some testing done to make sure everything was ok. Of course I went into labor that same night! My husband and I had been walking every night and this night when we got back my contractions didn't stop, and they were about 5 minutes apart. We went to bed to try and get some rest if this was the real thing, that didn't happen. My water broke about midnight and after about 5 minutes the contractions were long and close together, I had called Wendy to let her know what was going on. My Doula came and we labored at home till about 4am and then decided to go in, I live on the 3rd floor and was worried about getting down the stairs. I was in hard active labor when I came in and they had a room ready for me by the time I got to it. Wendy came and checked me and I was 5cm's, I have to admit I was hoping for more like 10! I labored in the tub, in the rocking chair, leaning on the bed, and in about every position I could get in. The contractions were all on top of each other and a lot of times I wouldn't have much of a break but everyone rallied around me and I never felt like it was impossible. I started to feel like I wanted to push but Wendy checked me and I was only 8 or 9 cm's - she told me to wait until the urge became unbearable and so that's what I did. At about 10am Wendy checked me and told me I could push, finally I thought, he's almost here! I started pushing, I pushed on the bed, off the bed, with the squat bar, on my side, heck even on my back... he was taking a long time! After about 2 1/2 hours Wendy checked my progress and somehow he had turned posterior, she said to take a little more time and try to turn him because we really wanted to birth with minimal intervention. I pushed for another half hour or so and still had made no progress, I feel like at this point my choice of choosing Loudoun County Midwives really paid off. I am sure in the same situation with someone else who doesn't trust the process of birth we might have been told that a c-section was our best or only option and would have been pushed into it. Wendy however gave us options, we were concerned and a little scared but everyone helped us make the right decision and gave us plenty of time to think about what we wanted to do. Wendy wanted us to try forceps to try and turn him and then make it easier for me to push him out, she also advised me to have a partial epidural. I had labored without medication up until this point but I trusted that Wendy knew what she was talking about and got the medication. So now it was a little different, a lot of people came into the room and they had to turn on the lights and get everything set up. We met Dr. Doogle (spelling?) she and Wendy really put our minds at ease about using the forceps. Dr. Doogle put in the forceps, touched his head and he turned. I remember her saying "I didn't even have to use them!" He just needed a little touch! At this point Wendy took over again and I think everyone thought ok, now this will be quick. I don't know if everyone stayed because they had to or they just wanted to cheer me on but that's what it felt like, everyone was focused on me and helping me push. They turned down the lights again and there was so much positive energy in the room, it really made a difference. They got the mirror for me to see his head and I touched it, that really helped me focus. I pushed, and pushed and pushed some more. He was right there, I could see him and everyone kept saying he's almost here, your almost done! After about 45 minutes of pushing he was finally here, his shoulder was posterior and Wendy helped him out but I didn't realize that till later. He was put directly on my chest and was so warm and soft, I will never forget the feeling. He was born at 3:36pm after about 6 hours of pushing! He was a big boy, with a big head that didn't mold much! I had a few little abrasions but nothing that needed stitching, thank you Wendy! During my pregnancy when I was asked what my goal was for his birth, I said that I wanted to be able to recall his birth with a smile and contentment. I have that, and it's so special. I really can't thank Wendy and everyone at the Birthing Inn enough.