Growing families one birth at a time

Thank you so very much for all you did to help our first home birth be such a glorious success! Your patience and encouragement and support meant so much while I was giving birth and throughout the weeks leading up to my birth. We are so thankful for the confidence and skill that God has blessed you with. We wouldn't trade our home birth experience for the world! Words fail me...just know that we are so thankful to have been blessed by your sweet hearts and skillful hands. Thank you, thanks you!

Love, Kate

I need to tell you how impressed my husband was by both of you.  From the moment I started researching and considering a homebirth, he was against it.  He told me that he would go meet you with me, but nothing you said could change his mind - but you did in a huge way! So THANK YOU, THANK YOU, THANK YOU!!!
 
I am so excited for what the future holds!

Thanks, Katie R.

I have to tell you that I dreamed my home birth would be amazing; but I never imagined my breech birth would be so wonderful. Thank you for making my dreams come true! I am so proud of myself! Thanks for all you did to help me have the birth I wanted. I can 't imagine having a baby in the hospital now!! You are the best!

Georgia D.

I never imagined pregnancy being such a joyful experience!  I always thought I’d go to the hospital for at least our firstborn, but I am glad that my husband encouraged me to seek out the care of midwives.  Their knowledge and their patient answers to our questions truly have set us at ease and have taken away a lot of the fears I once had.  Joi and Stacy have exceeded my expectations thus far, I couldn’t be more pleased.  It is evident that they love what they do, and they are very good at it.  Their joy is contagious!  Also, I really appreciate the fact that they want to include my husband in the “catching” of our baby.  I never thought I would look forward to the birth experience so much, but I am now because I know that I will be in excellent hands and that the birth of our firstborn at home will be an incredibly awesome and miraculous experience.

Tracy T.

My midwives came to my house around 11 pm. I stood and leaned on my husband: swaying, back and forth during the contractions. His strength while holding me was so comforting. There was a comforting feeling having him so close as we worked together to give birth to our baby. It was hard work till 2:25 a.m. when my beautiful first-born daughter, Carly, appeared. It was an amazing experience. The little things were nice—eating and drinking during labor, being in my own bed and having the comforts of home all around me. And then there were the big things—people who I had grown to know were caring for me and helping me birth my baby. I felt safe as my midwives looked in my eyes and whispered how great I was doing. They encouraged me with the words, “You doing such a good job.” “It won’t be much longer and you will hold you sweet baby.”

Had I been in the hospital, I know I would have had interventions and would have felt less than satisfied with the birth experience. Instead, my birth experience at home gave me confidence that I can do anything. My choice to have the midwives of Texas Midwives Group walk with me through labor, delivery and postpartum was one of the most empowering decisions of my life!

My sixth baby was breech and I insisted on a home birth. The midwives were very patient and put warm compresses on my back. I loved being able to walk around and get in the shower. I also loved being able to eat and drink whatever I wanted. It gave me a lot of energy. When my son was born, he was frank breech (bottom first). The midwives very carefully helped him out. I didn't tear at all and my bottom isn't even sore! Not bad for having a 10.5 lb breech baby!"

Linda, mom of six

Our beautiful Belisia Angelina was born on July 3, at 6:34 p.m. I will never forget that magnificent day!  That was a day I was privileged to give birth to a beautiful baby girl in our peaceful home!

My husband was skeptical at first, but then he supported me after he saw how qualified the midwives were. He was impressed that together they had delivered hundreds of babies.

I can’t thank you enough for helping me with the birth, postpartum and my new baby! With much love, hugs and warm and happy thoughts!

Keyla

I just wanted to thank you again for being a part of our homebirth. I just heard a horrific birth story from a girl in my Sunday school class and all I could think of is how blessed we were to have you. By the way, I think she's seriously considering using my midwives for the next one (I told her about our breech birth and she couldn't believe it).

Thanks and I hope you have a very blessed day!

Mariel

Thank you so much for giving us a special day to always remember !! You are truly one of a kind and we will hold you near and dear to our hearts--ALWAYS!!

Love, The Beans

We just wanted to thank you so very much for making the birth of our daughter, Emilee Faith, a great birth! Even though Emilee is our 6th child, she was our first homebirth. Thank you so much for making it a truly peaceful, beautiful experience!

It was so wonderful to let my labor take its natural course, and happen peacefully, the way I truly feel a birth is supposed to be. It was so wonderful to be in my own familiar surroundings during the labor, delivery, and postpartum. What a wonderful feeling to be tucked into my own bed with my brand new baby, only a few minutes old. A hospital birth doesn't even compare! Thank you both for making it a wonderful experience.

Also, thanks for working with us on the financial part of things and filing with our insurance. I have referred you to everyone I know who might be interested in homebirth. Should we have another baby, we hope to have another homebirth, with our Texas Midwives attending us!

Thanks and God bless you,

Paula C.

The midwives made a big difference in the quality of my pregnancy and the delivery of my little daughter Kelly. While my traditional doctor was trying to scare me from having a birth with midwives, my midwives were very positive and encouraging. They helped me believe that healthy women can have the birth of their dreams at home.

Labor and delivery was easier than I had expected, but I know that being comfortable at home and not in the midst of strangers made a big difference. Kelly arrived in this world underwater and into the loving hands of her father, Sean, and was greeted happily by her amazing midwives. Thank you!

We wouldn't change a thing about our birth experience and will definitely choose Birth World again when the time comes.

Cristina C.

Thank you for giving me the gift of a blissful birth. I feel healed, complete, and full of love as a result of Ethan's birth. Your expertise, friendship, and encouragement has meant so much to me over the past year. I am forever grateful for your strong mind and steady hands at my beautiful homebirth.

With love, Amanda E.

We are forever grateful to the wonderful Midwives who have shared our highest and most beautiful moments on this earth. You have been considerate, thoughtful and beautiful during this incredible journey.  You have shared your wisdom and insight with us and most of all you have been especially loyal and honoring to God who gave each of you this high calling.

May we one day see in this country that the Midwives in every community are held in high regard with respect and even with a touch awe.

“They are around the miraculous constantly, their prayers are often the first said for, their faces often the first seen by and their hands often the first to touch each dear life they help bring into the world, fully alert and surrounded by love.”

All the midwives in your group are amazing midwives.They cared for me & my unborn son for the first half of my pregnancy. When it was discovered that I had a placenta previa, they did not hesitate to refer me to a doctor. Their referral was an outstanding doctor who believes that birth does not have to be a "medical procedure".

The midwives have continued to keep in contact with me even though I am officially no longer their patient. Even though my dream of a home birth will not become a reality, the midwives put me in contact with a doctor who cares about what his patients want from their pregnancy & delivery experiences.

Lori, 2004

Thank you for the wonderful birth. I never imagined birth could be so peaceful. I know that Sara's good nature is in part to her gentle birth and peaceful, secure beginning. Thanks for making it happen. Steve was relieved that our insurance paid. We thought it was going to cost more to have our baby with a midwife... but it costs us less!

Thanks for everything you did for us.

Wendy, Steve, and Sara

This thank you is a long time coming, I know. But, I really wanted to take the time to convey to you how much you and Joi mean to us. I must say, there are almost no words to thank you for everything that you have done for us this year. For the past twenty years, rather than dream of the perfect wedding (like many little girls do) I have been dreaming of the perfect pregnancy and birth. My dreams were nearly shattered when I was convinced that I was going to have to settle for someone else directing my birth and whisking our child away to a cold nursery.

You came to our rescue! I was absolutely terrified after walking into that hospital for the tour, something was just not right, and I was not about to place my child in harm's way (even though I couldn't place my finger on what it was exactly). You responded to me so quickly after I contacted you. You brought calm to my frightened and disappointed heart. Thank You!

Not many doctors or midwives would have taken on a six month pregnant momma. You gave me the strength to listen to my body and my baby! You are truly an angel, encouraging other baby angels to come out and join their parents and the whole new world.

You were so patient and comforting during my "every-evening-for-a-week-labor". I know that you, Joi and Shayna were so tired from all of the other births, but you stuck by me, smiling the entire time. I watch the birth video over and over and it just makes me feel so wonderful about how everything went. You were so gentle and `compassionate and just let my body and my baby do their work. Then telling me to grab my baby and pull him to my chest was just amazing. The entire experience was so empowering! I can't wait to have another baby in the same way!

You are not only our midwife for life, but our friend for life! Thank you for giving me the greatest gift ever, my dream birth!

So much love, Monica Garza-Vickery, Mark Vickery and Baby Liam Edward Cooper Vickery

"My baby was never taken away from me! I just loved that! When she was born, her muscle tone wasn't good and she wouldn't breathe. Our midwife did CPR on her while she laid on my stomach. She kept telling me that the baby would be fine. She looked in my eyes and said, "Trust me. I'm not just saying that to you. She really will be fine. Keep talking to her and let me work on her." It only took a few minutes and my baby had cried and was ready to breastfeed. If I had been in the hospital, I would not have seen her for hours!"

R.W. mom to 4

"At first I thought my wife was crazy to want a home birth. After I met her midwife, I felt a lot better. The birth absolutely amazed me. I thought it would be bloody and messy but it wasn't. In the hospital, I nearly fainted when the doctor cut my wife (episiotomy). The midwife used warm oil to help my wife's skin stretch over the baby's head and she didn't tear at all. That was a relief! It was amazing. We will definitely hire these ladies again!"

Rance

From Grandparents...

"Early this morning, 12:29 am, our big 10 pound 1 oz boy was born. I think he was 21" long. His name means "gracious gift of God (Jonathon), happy and blessed (Asher), and enthusiastic (Rhys)."  He will be called Asher, or Ash. And he is a Michelin man, sumo wrestler type. He's a 10 lb sack of sugar!

The birth was at home, as was planned and hoped for, and Merechel was in a large padded birthing pool, filled with warm water. She was comfortable until the last big painful pushes. Her midwives were amazing, with wisdom of the ages plus modern technology. At the moment of birth, there were angels all over the place. We were kneeling around the pool, Merechel had been gripping Marcy's hands (her dear sister-friend), then David and Merechel simultaneously delivered baby Asher. He was big and beautiful and came to the world peacefully and with so much joy. It was truly a blessed event. You should have heard the shout that went up when we saw he was a boy! After a while we all toddled off, leaving the Hanvey's in the capable and soothing hands of her terrific midwives. MD"

From Siblings...

The Best Baby is Born

July 3, 2004 was a happy day. It is my sister Allison's birthday. When our midwives came I helped set up. My sisters and I watched a movie for a little while. After that I ate a popsicle. It was almost time for her birth so I went to watch. I saw her be born. It was a water birth. I got to cut Allie's cord and hold her. We all got big sister presents and ate birthday cake. A few weeks later Allison's smiles got cuter and cuter. I love her so much. She is the best baby.

By Melissa Holcombe

September 16, 2004

"I liked my mom staying home when my brother was born. My Aunt Diane had her baby in the hospital and my cousins stayed with us. I would miss my mom if she went away."

Keel, 6 yrs. old

'I wanted a sister because I have two brothers. I was so glad that she was a girl. When my mommy took a bath, Daddy tucked me in bed. Stacy knew I was crying because I wanted to hold my sister. She asked mommy if I could hold her and Mommy said yes. The midwife tucked her in bed with me and took our picture. I still have that picture.'

Ashley, 5 yrs old