I wish I could give Laurice, Bill, and Natalie 10 stars. They were a godsend during my pregnancy!. We started off working with Laurice as a temporary thing because we weren't locals in the area but were here with relatives to escape a covid hotspot. However, we fell in love with the level of care, Laurice's expertise and warmth, that we decided to stay for the entire pregnancy and give birth in our relatives' home. From the very first intake call, Bill was so warm and welcoming- he must've spent an hour with me over the phone, and even though I wasn't their patient yet and hadn't paid anything, he was letting me know what kind of supplements they recommend to ensure a smooth pregnancy without complications.
During the pregnancy and birth, Laurice's care was unparalleled! We looked into other midwives and OBs and I honestly believe that Laurice is the cream of the crop. I find that other places operate on fear too much: pushing for all kinds of tests, trying to find something wrong, refusing to take on certain patients, pressuring women into induction way too early. Laurice operates completely on love- she LOVES what she does, she loves helping women, she BELIEVES in you and your ability to have a spectacular and uncomplicated birth and it truly makes all the difference. She also has a ton of experience both in hospital and at home, she's attended thousands of births, and even has experience. with twins and breech when others do not. She cares enough to connect with you emotionally which is so rare in today's world, she makes your partner feel involved, and she makes you feel like you can accomplish anything. Laurice and Bill make themselves available 24/7 - you can call anytime and don't have to wait for the office to be open. This has been so helpful for me to dispel any fears I had because she truly knows what is normal and will tell you what signs to look for.
The birth itself was an absolute dream!!! So many other places, especially hospitals will make you feel like a bystander of this momentous event that you should be creating and rob you of that empowering experience, leaving you with baggage or birth trauma. My greatest goal going with Midwives & Associates was to avoid any kind of birth trauma, but I gained so much more than that! I cried because of how empowering and healing this birth was to me as a person, how it made me realize I am capable of anything (which Laurice already believed even if I didn't), and nowadays I feel sad that I am already forgetting the details of the birth and wish I could re-experience it. I honestly would not even describe the birth as painful- I would describe it as raw, tender, loving, and intense experience. This was all thanks to Laurice encouraging me to look into Hypnobirthing, and thanks to how Laurice and Natalie (doula) handled the entire labor and birth. They allowed my partner and I to labor together and steer the wheel for the most part and they would only intervene when they saw we needed the help to progress our labor- every time their advice was absolute gold. They treated me with dignity and respect and like I am a person instead of just a body or a patient to get through. I'm also pretty sure I would've been induced or had a c-section if I went with an OB because of how my labor stopped and started for a few days, so I'm especially grateful.
After the birth, the care was phenomenal as well. Laurice and Natalie cleaned everything up, and stayed with me a few extra hours to make sure I was showered and feeling good, and that breastfeeding was off to a good start. Laurice continued to come back for home visits to check on us. I was nervous going into homebirth initially, but after experiencing it, I will never have it any other way. We are actually thinking of moving to this area partially because of Laurice. Their practice feels like family now. Do yourself a favor and go with Laurice. People will have you believe your pregnancy/birth outcome is just luck, but if you truly follow all of Laurice's advice, you will see it isn't. Give yourself the birth you deserve. read more