Silke, Kim (my birth was the last of hers with Two Rivers, sadly) and Caley are ultimately the most…read moreincredible midwives and amazing human beings around.
Selecting a team of midwives in Portland is a real joy, as there are so many highly qualified, empathetic practitioners in this town, but my partner and I ultimately chose to have our pregnancy and birth care with Two Rivers because of Silke, Kim and Caley's beautiful presence, depth of knowledge and full trust in my body as the pregnant and birthing body to know what was needed to bring our child into the world.
Prenatal care with these three was wonderful - each of them offered an incredible depth of knowledge to any and all of our questions without pushing us in any decisional direction, and when asked for more information (or even their personal opinions!) they were always straightforward, honest, and non judgmental. I was quite afraid of having to transfer to hospital and that I would not have the home birth I envisioned, and they helped me work through this fear and to realize that they would only transfer if there were tools we absolutely needed to make use of at the hospital that we did not have at home, and that they would do that transfer not upon emerging crisis but when things were looking necessary - to minimize the interventions that could be prescribed. My partner and I trusted them fully to know where that line was and we do not regret our decision at all. We also just loved hanging out with them during our sessions, a good sign if there ever was one. Their care throughout my pregnancy was absolutely the best possible.
My birth itself was long (about 30 hours), slow and grueling, but also the most beautiful and magical experience I could have had. Silke, Kim and Caley held the space for me to labor in with such patience, trust and grace, even through their own exhaustion. My partner and my mom were my main birthing partners, but the midwives were there throughout encouraging me when I needed it, intervening when it was appropriate, gently guiding me through the absolute hardest thing I've ever done with a presence and availability of emotion that I cannot have imagined. At hour 27 of labor and hour 3 of pushing there was talk of a hospital transfer, but instead of pushing one way or another they gave me the chance to fully focus, put all my might behind birthing our babe, and successfully give birth vaginally at home without any medication within the next few hours. I value their care and involvement in this birth more than I can possibly express.
We are now in the postnatal care phase of working with Two Rivers, and the experience continues to be so sweet, nourishing, and deep. I truly love all three of these midwives and if I ever decide to go for pregnancy number two we will certainly choose Two Rivers again!