Stories & Testimonials

Women share their birth stories, and by the time I had my first meeting with Sierra, I had the distinct feeling that I had heard way too much. Early in my pregnancy my anxiety was something like butterflies in my stomach, but as I grew closer to my due date, I had to acknowledge that I was experiencing something like panic. I often tried to hide these feelings, but they would inevitably catch up with me in the middle of the night, in the bathroom, or anywhere that I was alone, in ugly snotty sobs of “I can’t do this!” I came to the realization that if I didn’t face these feelings head on, they would prevent me from letting my body surrender to labor.

I began to address my fears at my visits with Sierra, probably in an unremarkable way. She would listen carefully, answer my questions calmly and honestly, systematically, and often would go into the other room and come back bearing printed research to support her claims. I never felt brushed off, as I often did in my first prenatal visits in the doctor’s office. And if she couldn’t answer my questions immediately, she would say, “Let me get back to you on that.” And she always would.

I would like to say that my fears ceased, but they didn’t. In fact, the afternoon that I went into labor I was in complete denial that I was in labor (I really didn’t want to be in labor) which probably ended up helping my situation, since I was able to labor so long in the comfort of my home. When I arrived in Flagstaff, I was quite far along, and quite afraid. Sierra kept the lights low, and went about her business preparing the room and the birthing tub. I told everyone that I wanted to be alone, and to “stop looking at me!”, and eventually shut myself in the bathroom, where Sierra would quietly and respectfully come in to check on me. I was able to focus on the work of labor. Hard work, but not the terror that I imagined it would be. Just before I got in the tub to deliver the baby, a particularly intense contraction caused to me to call out, “I’m afraid!” And Sierra said something like, “That’s normal,” in a very factual and reassuring way. I remember those words stopping my fear dead in its tracks. I remember realizing that part of what I was afraid of was being afraid, losing control, making a spectacle. Knowing that what I was feeling was acceptable and even “normal” made me feel so much better.

When I had my second baby, my fear was mostly gone. I sat eating a Subway sandwich at seven centimeters, hopped into the tub to be a little more comfortable, and let myself be taken care of by my wonderful midwife, who happened to be quite pregnant herself.

It is a life changing experience to receive the kind of care that Sierra provides. Her hands are gentle, healing, and self-assured. She is thorough in her care. She approaches care thoughtfully with the emotional and physical well-being of the mother and baby as her highest priorities. My husband and I often remark at how we do not have one single complaint about the births of our children. With all of the stresses of childbirth, this seems an improbable statement to make. But it is absolutely true. Between the two of us, we cannot think of one thing that we would change. There is no doubt in our minds that we received the very best care on Earth from Sierra.

Jeanne