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Below you'll find a list of all posts that have been tagged as “corvallis”

Pelvic Floor Health & Pregnancy: An Interview with Corvallis Physical Therapist Kerry Boysen

AE Johnsdottir May 2, 2016 Corvallis Midwife Blog Leave a Comment

Tell our readers more about yourself and what you do! My name is Kerry Boysen, and I am a physical therapist that specializes in Women’s Health physical therapy. I recently opened my own practice, Restore Physical Therapy here in Corvallis. There is a need in the Mid-Willamette Valley for the types of services I provide, and that need was not being …

Morning Sickness, X-Rays, & Crazy Hormones- Dr. Laster Tells You Everything You Didn’t Know You Needed to Know About Keeping a Healthy Smile During Pregnancy!

AE Johnsdottir December 15, 2015 Corvallis Midwife Blog Leave a Comment

I couldn’t believe my good luck when the amazing Dr. Tom Laster agreed to answer my questions about pregnancy and dental health! We sat down earlier this month and he answered some questions I’ve had about how mothers to be can keep their smiles healthy. Dr. Laster, before we get started, tell us about yourself. My name is Dr. Tom Laster. I am …

I originally planned to have a regular hospital birth with my first daughter since I couldn’t find a midwife in my area that I was excited about, who would also accept my insurance.
I resigned myself to the whole hospital experience but could not shake the discouraging feeling I had before and after every OB visit. I had imagined pregnancy to be a special time in my life but left all my appointments feeling like I was being treated for just another medical condition.

Halfway through my pregnancy, I decided to scrap my hospital birth and search for a midwife and by some luck found Ash! And she accepted my insurance! Switching to Ash was the best thing I could have done for my daughter and I.

Ash was very accommodating and had no problem taking me on halfway through my pregnancy. She was exactly what I was looking for: extremely knowledgeable regarding the medical side of pregnancy and childbirth but also very in touch with her intuition. Many of the midwives I had looked at initially seemed to lean too far to the woo woo side for me personally. Ash is the perfect blend of everything, down to earth, spiritual, with heavy emphasis on medical practice, while also being very well versed in holistic care.

During my appointments with Ash, she thoroughly explained all the medical tests and procedures in a way that was easy to understand. She never jumped to worst case scenario, but instead outlined all the possible outcomes, how likely they were to occur, and what could be done to have a healthier pregnancy.
She always took my questions and concerns into consideration so I never felt silly asking her about anything, although she honestly does such a good job explaining everything that I rarely had many questions!

Ash’s home office is a breath of fresh air! Clean, comfortable and nicely decorated with soft lighting. Appointments with Ash always felt more like visiting a friend who also happens to be extremely knowledgeable in all things pre and postnatal. I really appreciated her attention to detail about what might make a pregnant woman more comfortable such as little pillows for lower back support, beverage offerings, as well as the light but not overpowering scent of citrus to calm a nauseous stomach.

During labor, I could not have asked for better support. Ash gave me plenty of space to labor alone with my partner during the early phase, as I had requested. When I went into active labor she never left my side and was the best cheerleader! She was gentle yet firm in her encouragement and never ran out of new positions or techniques to try if one wasn’t working for me.
All of her encouragement was true and genuine. I never felt like she was trying to give me false confidence or say something just to make me feel better.

Ash is not only stellar during pregnancy and birth, but exceptional during post delivery and the weeks after. I always felt like my babies were in good hands during post birth checkups. I was so impressed with the level of care I received postnatal, as it consisted of multiple visits instead of the single visit checkup so common with an OB. Even months after my care with Ash had ended, I always felt that she was available to address any questions or concerns that I might have, as well as fawn over cute baby pictures!

I’ve had Ash as my midwife for two pregnancies and couldn’t be happier. Her level of pre and postnatal care is outstanding! She is so knowledgeable, experienced and such a genuinely sweet and down to earth person.
I can’t think of a better woman to guide a child into this world than Ash ?

Amanda Bristow
8/20/2021
Ash is the best! She was extremely informative, caring, professional, and organized. Knowing our child would be born into her hands, provided our family with the confidence necessary to have a successful, life-changing at-home birth. Thanks Ash!!!

Joseph Maurer
5/13/2022
Ash is wonderful. She takes time to explain things to make sure her clients can make informed decisions. She also had a wealth of knowledge for all the resources I needed!

Natasha Anderson
9/05/2017
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
Ash is a fantastic midwife. The personalized and comprehensive care you get from her practice is second to none. She was always there to answer any questions we had day or night and the appointments are lengthy so you never feel rushed. I also really appreciated the combination of modern innovations and practices mixed with a more naturalistic approach. We would definitely have her as our provider again!

Amanda Maurer
8/10/2017

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.