Post Archive by Month

Below you'll find a list of all posts from November, 2015

Resources & Referrals for Oregon Mothers in Crisis

AE Johnsdottir November 18, 2015 Uncategorized Leave a Comment

Information for Oregon mothers in crisis- abuse, addictions, suicide, eating disorders, alcohol and tobacco. Information for uninsured mothers. Download the free PDF referral list for Oregon Mothers in Crisis

Simple Statements to Help You Cope with Anxiety During Pregnancy or Other Times

AE Johnsdottir November 13, 2015 Uncategorized Leave a Comment

Many women deal with anxiety, but it can be more common in pregnancy & postpartum due to hormonal changes. It’s definitely something that I’ve seen women struggle with in my work as a midwife. A tricky part about anxiety during pregnancy and postpartum is that some women who have used medicine to help cope with anxiety may need to stop …

And the year was 2020....
I was hoping to have a homebirth with my daughter that ultimately ended up a hospital birth and a very traumatic one at that. When I found out I was pregnant in late 2019 I was 100% going to respect my partner and his wishes for a hospital birth, I guess to make us both feel better just in case something went wrong this time around and then a pandemic hit and everything I wanted for my secure hospital birth went out the window and I started seeking out midwifes to have a homebirth.
When I realized I would have to wear a mask in labor and delivery and my daughter wouldn't be able to meet her sibling immediately after birth I was pretty upset by both these factors and to add in only one support person or no support person could be present, I threw the idea of a hospital birth out the window and knew a homebirth was the way to go for me, personally.
In a way I wanted to redeem myself and say "I did it, I birthed my baby at home, my way!" And I 100% did and it's all thanks to Ash!
When I first met Ash I really felt I vibed with her and she was definitely going to be the midwife to help me deliver my sweet babe. I contacted her at about 35 weeks and was uncertain if I'd be able to have a homebirth due to insurance but I was very low risk and passed with flying colors. At about 37 weeks my partner and I weren't in a great place and I didn't think I would be able to continue care with Ash but when I talked to her she put my mind at ease, told me everything was going to be okay, that this was my path and it'll all work itself out, and it absolutely did.
Ash is so special and a kind soul and she got me through a very rough time in my life and this pregnancy and I absolutely recommend her.
Ash has an assistant midwife, Anita. When my doula didn't show both Ash and Anita kept me calm and helped me birth my little guy. At one point during contractions I didn't think I could really do it and was ready to throw in the towel and go to the hospital, I was already invested at this point. Ash reassured me everything was fine, it was going to work out and everything in this moment is perfect and she was absolutely correct. Everything worked out the way it was supposed.
I'm so thankful and grateful for both Ash and Anita. My baby had a shoulder distocia, they knew exactly what to do when to do it. I feel if I was in the hospital things might have not worked out the exact way it was supposed to and ultimately I'm not sure what would have happened.
I completely redeemed myself with this birth and am overjoyed with the way things fell into place, in a way this birth helped me heal from the traumatic one I had with my daughter and 100% of that goes to Ash, she got me through it and knew I could do it when I doubted myself. Ash absolutely knows what she's talking about and can help you birth your baby, your way!
Thank you Ash for all you do, you're a saint and an absolute asset to the community.

Brytney Gillingham
7/15/2020
I chose Ash as my midwife and I can say with great confidence I made the right choice!! This was my second birth and I wanted to do it at home and natural! My first birth wasn’t terrible or traumatic, but there were some things I wanted to do differently than my first! Ash was very supportive with the decisions I made during my pregnancy and birth! I love how she’s pro organic and into herbal medicine! She was very informative and reassured me whenever I had fears about my birth. I had the BEST natural birth experience thanks to her!!! I’m just so over the moon with how well my natural birth experience was! I highly recommend Ash as your midwife if you want a natural home birth and are into herbal medicine! She’s just to great!! ♥️?

Katelynn Tomlinson
10/27/2022
I’ve been assisting Ash at births for almost ten years now. I have also asked her at times to provide coverage for my practice, and trust her with my clients.

She is a kind, competent midwife and a good friend. My experience assisting her has been that her clients are happy and well taken care of.

Elizabeth Baer
11/21/2022
Ash was my midwife for my second child. She was great, always highly responsive whenever we needed to get a hold of her and she was great with my 4 year old. I gave her a 4 out of 5 stars only because she is medically minded and we had different beliefs in medicine but overall, my home birth was a success thanks to her!

Carolina Barajas
6/25/2019
We chose to have a home birth for our third baby, and could not have made a better decision going with Willamette Birth! I never thought a birth experience would leave me feeling so empowered and whole. My previous two births took place in a hospital, and when we found out we were having a third, it felt like the perfect opportunity to get the healing birth experience I deeply wanted. We transferred to Ash’s care just before the third trimester, so we did not get to walk through the early prenatal appointments together. Nonetheless, Ash treated my partner and I with so much respect, and took extra time with us to answer questions and explain things. Ash offered new perspectives, shared research and evidence based information, and helped me process and make sense of my previous prenatal and childbirth experiences. She is a great listener, and makes no assumptions about what I wanted or what I knew/didn’t know about pregnancy and childbirth. Ash brings a depth of knowledge with so much passion. Her confidence and experience increased my own confidence in my body’s ability to do something incredible. Every time we walked away from our prenatal appointments, my partner and I had a new energy and confidence in our decision. Our excitement and anticipation grew and grew after every appointment.

My partner was an incredible birth partner for our previous children, and Ash complimented our dynamic perfectly. She read the room, and supported at all the right moments to help me progress. Ash allowed my partner and I to share this incredibly intimate process, but knew when to step in, creating a really great balance. I think it's really special that she is able to carry so much knowledge in an area, and still trusted me as the expert with my body.

One thing that really stood out to me was how Ash would ask permission to do anything related to my body. I think I had grown so accustomed to relying on medical professionals to do whatever they deemed necessary, but learning how to trust my body, listen to myself, and be in charge of what I needed was one of the most empowering experiences I’ve ever had. She allowed that growth for me, and there are not enough stars in a review that can thank her enough for giving me that gift. Ash is a talented and knowledgeable midwife, but she also has a depth of skills that can’t be learned from books. She is gentle, caring, genuine and safe, and choosing her for our home birth helped us achieve so much more than the birth of our sweet baby – it gave us this beautiful life experience that we can be proud of and cherish forever.

Billie Cannon
12/16/2021

Willamette Birth Ash Johnsdottir, MIDWIFE Serving the greater Willamette Valley.

Call 541.908.9188 to talk about midwifery care or submit this form to ask a question or request a consultation with midwife Ash Johnsdottir, BSM CPM LDM.