I worked with Michelle for the first time delivering my 4th child.  My first two children were born at the hospital and my third at a birthing center.  I chose Michele because she had so much experience and was better prepared for possible medical emergencies.  (Our previous birth was preterm and might have benefitted from having oxygen, according to some doctor friends of ours.)   We were going through a complicated move near the end of our pregnancy and I had to be put on bed rest.  I hated this but when I realized after going into labor again, I became more compliant with Michelle’s instructions, even in my grumpy, hormonal state!  Our daughter was born only a few days early and perfect.  Michelle really helped make the labor smooth and helped make the few pushes more effective.

When our daughter was not even a year old I was very surprised to find myself pregnant again!  Again, I would have preterm labor again but Michele was able to modify my bed rest and help monitor how things were going.  This time I would go into labor and stop several times but eventually I went two weeks overdue instead.    Finally, Michelle and I agreed that it would be a good time to induce labor.  This labor was more complicated:  Our baby had gotten wrapped in the cord three times around the neck and was having trouble descending into the birth canal.  During pushing, Michele had to carefully monitor the baby’s heart beat and coach me on making these contractions work for the good of our baby.  She was very intuitive.  Baby was born and healthy!  The joy we had over such a perfect baby being born through so much effort.  But while we thought we were at the finish line, Michele had been trying to continue getting contractions to deliver the placenta.  My placenta wouldn’t come out and Michele had to do some emergency medical care so I would not “bleed out” and before my uterus contracted with my placenta still intact.  This was not fun, but necessary and I am so grateful.  I consider her to have rescued my baby’s life and my within an hour’s time.>
It just so happened that my cousin who just became licensed to practice midwifery and my aunt who home birthed almost all her eight children were in attendance along with other experienced birth helpers that are friends of ours.  They were amazed at Michele’s ability to calmly care for us.  She is great.