Juniper Birth

I didn't realize until my third trimester how afraid I was of a hospital birth environment as a first time mom. I am glad that I reached out to Jen when I did at almost 38 weeks along to have her help me through my questions and concerns about how a hospital birth might go. Things happened to work out that she was able to be with me the night of my daughter's birth, and I'm so grateful for that. I know that the support she offered from start to finish improved my birth experience. She helped me with different labor positions, supported my husband, and advocated for me when speaking to my doctor. I was able to have the unmedicated labor and delivery I wanted. There were complications while I was pushing that were traumatic for me. When Jen came to my house the following week to check on me, she made a point to bring it up and talk about it. She has a gentle, quiet presence, knows when to step in and when to stand back, and has intimate knowledge of the hospital system due to her time as a labor and delivery nurse. She offers a valuable service that I would recommend. -Emily

I saw this banner in the window of a local shop during pre-vaccination Covid times and it really struck me as a great reminder that although quarantine was in effect, we were all still in the mess of a pandemic together and would have to find ways to depend on each other - without meeting in person - in order to get through it (thanks for the delicious takeout ). The banner resonated with me so strongly that I found it online () and bought it for my cloffice (closet+office for those who don't know). Around a month ago, I noticed that the store had taken the sign down and as I got more confident with interpersonal interactions post-vaccination, I wondered if I might do the same. Ultimately, I decided to keep it where it was, because its message related to the work I do as a labor and delivery nurse, the work I do as a doula, and the work we all do together as interdependent human beings. Sadly though, the banner's original intent - about getting through the pandemic together - has recently become as relevant as ever with the Delta variant picking up transmission speed and causing ever more serious illness. So I keep the sign up and share the sentiment of it with you as we navigate the mess and recommit to the notion that "Together We Will See it Through."

Download this free PDF for researching the birth statistics for your birth location!

5 WAYS TO FIND BIRTH STATISTICS It can be surprisingly difficult to track down the answers to questions like, "What's the cesarean birth rate at my local hospital?,"…