Who's your Midwife?

It's the question that many people have been asking me and I can't wait to tell you all about her! If you have been following my blog for any extended amount of time then you may have heard of her, because she delivered our sweet Eleanor at Birthways. I loved my entire experience at Birthways and Kristen Schuchmann was the midwife that delivered. 

She now has her own practice - LifeSong Midwifery - in Northport, FL which is about 45 minutes away from us. She's such an amazing midwife and teacher. She is the Executive Director of Charis Childbirth, an international school for midwives, childbirth educators, doulas, and lactation counselors that she founded in January of 2003. Her heart is not only for the women in her own backyard, but GLOBALLY! She trains and equips birth professionals to go out and positively impact women and families! 
I adore her, her heart, and hope to one day attend her trainings (future midwife...possibly)! Woo hoo! 

Today, we had our first appointment with her and while it was uneventful on the baby front, it was really great to see her practice. She has quite the setup! She practices out of her home and has a really cool "office" setup. It feels like you're going to a trusted friends home who happens to deliver babies, ha!-So different from what I assume a Dr.'s office to be like. 

It's so amazing to be afforded the opportunity to experience birth and pregnancy like this. So many women don't get this chance-maybe out of medical necessity, fear, unavailability or even partner/spouse request. I feel blessed to enter this experience with a trusted midwife like Kristen. 

I'll never forget the day that she gave me a piece of advice that I apply to my life and business daily. During one of our prenatal appointments with Eleanor she spoke to me about her philosophy of midwifery care and her past experiences; she said to me that in order to touch someone's life, you have to "earn that right" and to this day I apply it to my interaction with mothers. So often health care professionals, birth workers and, even other mothers tell you things that "they think you should know," never having earned that right to do so. It's only through our actions and kindness that you earn that right to speak into someone. It's only through training and designation, that we gain the knowledge to lovingly lead and guide these beautiful creations called, Mother.

I leave you with more photos of Kristen doing what she does best!

xoxo