Our family moved to Idaho early 2020 while I was 21 weeks pregnant. Suzie was referred to me and I am so grateful for that referral. From our first meeting I knew she would be the midwife we needed in our journey to bring our fourth baby into this world. Being pregnant has its own set of considerations that need attention but we were also throwing in moving across the county halfway through a pregnancy and, as it turned out, into COVID-19.
Throughout my pregnancy in Idaho, Suzie was caring, knowledgable, personable and a great comfort. With every visit, Suzie paid close attention to not only my physical wellness and the baby’s health but my mental and emotional state during a very stressful and confusing time for everyone. There was no doubt she cared for me as a whole person. She was very good at reading me and knowing what I needed, whether it was words of encouragement, words of wisdom or a listening ear. And I knew she was always a quick text away if I needed anything outside of our scheduled appointments.
During our very first meeting, she asked what kind of support I was looking for from a midwife during delivery. I said I needed someone ‘in the wings’ so to speak. To let me labor with my husband but to be ready and jump in if she saw me struggling. She granted my wish beautifully and perfectly. She let me labor with my husband and could tell simply by my tones during contractions that she was needed to come in and be ready for the delivery. When I was struggling to control my final pushes, her calm tone and intentional words helped me give the final push I needed to bring our baby girl into the world.
She constantly proved her expertise by her honest, confident, calm and compassionate way of working through complications. When my water broke without contractions, she was relaxed and clear about how we would proceed. When meconium showed up, she did not become anxious and cause me to have unnecessary fear. She simply and skillfully helped get labor going, all while setting such a comforting environment I was laughing during our process at 2:00 in the morning. When our baby was slow to let out a full cry, she took the necessary progressive steps to help without causing me to freak out; her words comforting and reassuring me the entire time.
We were so blessed to have Suzie be part of our home birth experience. I thoroughly enjoyed my care from Suzie from beginning to end and I would whole heartily recommend her to anyone planning on a home birth.
