Levi’s Birth Story
Levi Elliot MacVean 1-17-18 2:39am 9lbs, 22 inches Levi’s birth story starts with the birth of our first son, Henry, who is now 2 ½. With Henry, we were committed to a natural birth but didn’t feel completely on board with having a homebirth, so we decided to have...
Reese’s Birth Story
Reese Catherine Markey Born at home on April 4, 2017 10lbs 6oz of love! I finally left work over 41 weeks pregnant and my mom, your Ama, came to Albany to help us prepare for you and help me stay grounded. On Sunday, April 2nd, we thought I was going into labor and...
Shaunda’s Birth Story
Nine years ago, with 4 children under 5 at home, I was 26 weeks pregnant and received a letter from my OB that he was going out of business. The cost of malpractice insurance was closing his single doctor/wife as his nurse practice, and he was joining a large practice...
David’s Birth Story
You were born at 2:25pm on Monday, February 6th, little David. Your birth in our home was everything your Dad and I had hoped it would be and a whole lot more. Here is the story of your birth as told by your mom... It all started on Sunday afternoon. I had been having...
Paula & Steve’s Birth Story
We have used Heidi and Maureen at all of our births. Maureen was at our first birth and Heidi at the birth of number two, three, four, five, six and seven. Numbers three and four were twins!! We had six (seven) AMAZING births. The birth experiences were so...
Rosy’s Birth Story
Giving birth was the most amazing day of my life. I could feel the unique bond I had with my baby all through the pregnancy and had spent many quiet hours envisioning the birth I hoped for and talking with my baby about the whole process. I truly feel that this helped...
Arden’s Birth Story
Heidi and Maureen (HeartSpace Midwifery) were with me from the beginning of each pregnancy straight through the birth and deep into the postpartum period for both of my two children. I could write about how knowledgeable they were - their breadth of experience, their...
What is a midwife and why would I use one?
“What is a midwife, and why should I use one for my birth?” This is a question that’s frequently asked by people who aren’t familiar with birthing options outside of a standard hospital birth. A midwife is a trained health professional who...
The Difference Between Home and Hospital Birth
If you’re here, you may be wondering, “What’s the difference between home and hospital birth? Why would I want to give birth at home? Isn’t that risky?” We hope this article answers those questions for you! First, let’s address risk. As midwives, we’re...
Is Home Birth Right for You?
Interested in home birth? If you’re looking for a natural, non-interventive birth, home birth might be a great option for you! While most healthy women are able to give birth at home, there are a few contraindications that would lend themselves to...
Arlo’s Birth Story
Arlo rocketed into this world on a sunny Saturday morning in May. It was a moment that I had been preparing for my whole life. Yet, no matter how many times I watched a birth on a sitcom, I was not prepared for the real thing. The moment was full of anticipation,...
What is HeartSpace & Who is it for?
Who are the people who walk through this door, settle in on the couch, feel the HeartSpace vibe, and decide that this is where they belong? There is no one “type” but there is certainly a common thread. That thread is faith: faith in the process, faith in themselves,...
Stumbling into a Successful Business
Last night, after a wonderful date with my husband made possible by the generous offering of a restaurant gift certificate from a client, I stopped by the independent book store in town. I was hoping to find something along the lines of Entrepreneurship for Women's...
Thoughts on Solo Midwifery Practice
As the New Year has come around, I’ve been thinking a lot about the idea of solo practice midwifery. I find myself, through no intention of my own, the sole proprietor of a thriving home birth practice. As strange as it sounds, the reality of this has snuck up on me....
A HeartSpace Mom Tells Her Birth Story
Ivy Kathryn-July 4, 2012 I started with Owen and Nathan's birth stories not only because I wanted to record them, but because I wanted to portray the vast differences between their births and Ivy's. Consider yourself warned, this is really long!I had wanted to try...
Caona’s Birth Video
We are pleased to unveil this special birth video. We feel so honored to share these moments with families. This story highlights the power of intention. This family had a vision of who would accompany them on their journey and as you will see, each person shines...
Haiti, 2012
In July, I had the opportunity to travel with Midwives for Haiti to Hinche, about 60 miles northeast of Port-au-Prince. Hinche is in the central plateau region of Haiti. Although it wasn’t physically damaged in the 2010 earthquake, thousands of survivors took refuge...
You’re Doing WHAT with Your Placenta?!
When I first heard about humans eating placentas, I had the knee-jerk reaction that probably most of you also had. However, after the initial yuck-factor, when I really thought about it, it made sense. I grew up on a farm. My first experiences with birth were with...