Post Archive by Month

Below you'll find a list of all posts from January, 2016

Birth Affirmations for the Skeptical Mother

AE Johnsdottir January 15, 2016 Uncategorized Leave a Comment

I love these birth affirmations, made by artist and doula Tina Ziegenfusz. Thanks to Tina for giving me permission to share them with Willamette Birth mothers! Print and decorate your birthing space at home with these beautiful affirmations.

Ash was my midwife for both of my children, and if I have a third I would choose her again in an instant. I have never in my life received medical care like what Ash provides.

I had known for a long time I wanted to have a home birth, so when I found out I was pregnant with my first, I started my search for a midwife. I chose Ash because of her approach to midwifery as a mix of modern medicine and homeopathy. She is respectful of her patient's choices for prenatal, labor, and postpartum care, and provides thorough knowledge to help her pateint reach the decision best for them.

A big reason I wanted to go with midwifery was the attention to care. I wanted to get to know the person who would deliver my baby, and feel safe and trusted in their hands. Ash exceeded all my hopes for a midwife. Each prenatal visit is spent entirely with her, instead of rotating nurses/OBs. The prenatal visit is long enough for you to ask ample questions and go over any concerns or worries. I never once felt rushed or like my concerns were unimportant. I have a history of being dismissed by doctors when I had valid fears, and Ash really helped heal a lot of that past trauma through her dedication to my prenatal care.

During both of my labors, she provided excellent support and gentle care when I was most vulnerable. Both of my deliveries were not entirely smooth and Ash handled the issues quickly and expertly.

Ash is a wonderful midwife who I would reccomend to any pregnant person. She really goes above and beyond and truly cares for her patients!

Aja Burns
7/28/2022
I've had two homebirths now with Ash as my midwife. They were both wonderful experiences.

Ash is a very knowledgeable, skilled and respectful midwife. She always laid out all the information for me and then respected my decisions.

With Ash I always felt like a person first, an individual, as opposed to my previous OB experiences where to them I'm just another patient.

I really appreciated how she took the time at each appointment to not only answer my questions, but also teach me how to do certain things myself like feel for my baby's position and use the fetoscope to listen to my baby's heart beat.

She was amazing and so kind with my two littles and made sure to include them when they attended appointments with me. She even let my 5 year old use the Doppler and blood pressure cuff!

Between appointments if any questions or concerns arose Ash was available via phone call, text, or through the patient portal and was always very prompt, (most of the time immediate) with a reply.

If you're looking to step away from a hospital birth and step into the midwifery model of care I highly recommend Ash and Willamette Birth.

Elissa Carver
4/07/2022
Both of my children were welcomed to the world by Ash, and I would choose her again in a heartbeat.

She gave me tough love when I needed to do my part in setting up for the easiest birth experience possible, she stayed cool headed yet compassionate when issues came up, and was consistently respectful of my physical being and my choices for my child. (The latter of which is especially important to me and rather hard to find in a health care provider.)

Ash is incredibly skilled and knowledgeable, and was an invaluable guide through both of my pregnancies and into motherhood. I couldn't be more grateful to have found her.

nashira bohlman
5/15/2022
Ash was my midwife for my first and second baby and she was amazing to say the least. She was very professional for our prenatal visits but at the same time I felt like I was talking to a friend, I was very comfortable talking with her. She was very understanding and respectful of my wishes and perspectives. She assisted me with my first birth at home and it went beautifully. I was able to labor with my partner alone until the end when I was getting ready to push and then she came over. She gave me the space I asked for, she encouraged me when I needed it and she helped teach me how to properly push. Afterwards she gave us a good amount of time to bond with my baby girl before doing everything else. She made an effort to be quick but still efficient with the newborn measurements and postpartum care in order to let us get right into loving and bonding with our new baby. With my second baby she took me in last minute, witch was a blessing. We were planning on having another home birth but because of ashes considerate suggestions we ended up giving birth in a hospital. My uterus was measuring way too big once I hit about 37 weeks, because of this Ash suggested that since my son was so big that he might have shoulder dystocia. Shoulder dystocia can be a serious complication where the baby gets stuck in the birth canal after the head is delivered because they're shoulders are too wide. It can require intervention that isn't always easily doable at home. We could have chosen to take the risk and still have a home birth but Ash urged us to give birth in a hospital because she wanted our baby to have the best outcome possible. We took her advice and I'm extremely glad we did. Turned out my son did have shoulder dystocia. We almost lost him, but thanks to the 3 nurses and two midwifes that assisted his birth he survived with no defects. If we almost lost him in the hospital I can't imagine he would've made it at home. Thanks to Ash we have two beautiful, strong babies. 12/10 recommend Ash as your midwife, she'll make you and your baby a priority over her paycheck witch is a highly valuable trait as a midwife.

Asia Tough
10/24/2022
Ash is such a great midwife! She made me feel secure and knowledgeable about our home birth. She also adapted very well to my family's needs and performed her services up and above the standard midwife. 10/10! See you next time!

James Lewis
7/12/2016

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.