I’m here to tell you about my care and my birth with Kristen (which was before she was partnered with Barri, about whom I’ve heard wonderful things).
I had a hospital birth with my first child. It was a great experience overall - I felt empowered, my baby and I were healthy and happy, all went well. But I didn’t feel truly cared for by the people whose job it was to care for me. I didn’t know that at the time - I was glad I’d had a great birth. But now that I’ve had Kristen, I see no way to compare their care with hers. My OB, whom I’d been seeing for over a decade, was a great person whom I’d always liked. But our appointments were just a few minutes long - that’s all she had. It was in and out. Then I had a tough experience with the hospital prenatally - my baby was measuring small, I had all these scans, I was told I couldn’t birth in the birth center, I was on bed rest for months and labeled high risk, yada yada yada. My OB was pretty cool through the debacle, but she couldn’t go against what the MFM docs said. Birth was great, postpartum care sucked (she called me once, which was nice, but I didn’t see her for six weeks after, which is nuts if you really think about it, and I HATED the crappy postpartum “care” at the hospital). So basically I wanted a different experience the second time. I had some trepidation about home birth - my parents are in the medical field and I was pre-med in college and WHAT IF SOMETHING WENT WRONG? - but I wanted to feel heard and cared for and felt the hospital was the only thing I didn’t need to birth my baby successfully (assuming all was well).
I peed on a stick and called my doula, who said to call Kristen if I serious about home birth. I was 5 weeks pregnant. I was told she would be booked for my due date if I waited until 6 weeks!
We met at 8 weeks in a cafe. I spilled my guts to her, including sharing some trauma that I felt was relevant. She listened. I told her I wondered if I was a good candidate for home birth. She told me I was. I left feeling so good about her.
I went to my OB once more, to confirm it wasn’t twins and tell her I wanted a home birth. Then my journey with Kristen began.
I’d never experienced care like hers. Except maybe from my doula! She gave me her time. She listened to and laughed with me. She encouraged me to deal with things that would help me birth better - namely, some anxieties about asking my mother to attend my birth, and my fear that she wouldn’t make it a priority (she didn’t make it in time, but she was so emotionally available it was as if she was there). Kristen involved my toddler in our appointments, talking to her about the baby. My husband didn’t attend most of our visits, but she was attentive to him too. Working with Kristen was a dream.
We had an epic birth. It’s kind of famous and you can read about it elsewhere if you want. The part that’s important here, is that it transformed my entire life. I will never be the same. My (now second) daughter and I totally rocked it and I felt more empowered than I knew was possible. (I’m crying as I type this). And it never would have happened without Kristen’s incredible care.
Kirsten was there for me before, during, and after the birth of my baby as no other medical provider had ever been in my life (and I have had LOTS of medical care). She helped me worked through my fears and anxieties - all of the unknowns. She was straight up with me - “You don’t have to look forward to labor. It’s okay to dread it,” was one thing she told me. She met with my doula and was on the phone with me at a moment’s notice anytime I needed her. She had a very clear plan for hospital transfer in case that was needed, which was important to me. She was relaxed and so much fun to be with. She basically gave herself to me, her whole authentic self, and forever changed my perception of myself. So much so that I made a career change and am now working in birth and lactation.
I can’t wait to have another baby at home with Kristen - and/or Barri!
