"Practically perfect in every way." Little else can be said to accurately sum up my experience…read morewith Katie O'Day and Rebecca Price-Wood of Sacred Transitions Midwifery, yet I still have so much to add! Endowed with compassion and supremely skilled, Katie and Rebecca seamlessly blend the art of classical midwifery with the science of modern obstetrics to create a model of care that is awesome to behold. Their personalities complement each other beautifully, and they each breathe a unique air into their shared practice. Prenatal appointments are comprehensive yet relaxed, and postpartum care is exceptional, like nothing else I have experienced (and this was my fourth pregnancy and third homebirth!) Katie and Rebecca will treat you with compassion; your time and journey will truly be held as sacred while you are in their care. You will be respected. You will be heard. You will be enlightened, empowered, educated. Dare I say, you will be loved. For my fourth pregnancy I sought out Katie at the recommendation of my former midwife who had retired. I was nervous about having to find a new midwife after having such amazing previous experiences, and assumed that the odds of finding the "perfect" midwife for a second time were slim. One meeting with Katie was enough to assuage those fears, as it was clear to both my husband and me that she was compassionate, competent, and skilled. We trusted her immediately and we always felt safe and confident under her care. Rebecca joined Katie's practice late in my pregnancy, at about 36 weeks. I am generally very quiet and take a while to open up to people, but Rebecca immediately drew me out of my shell and I was chatting with her like I had known her for years. In addition, she was clearly as knowledgeable and passionate about her craft as Katie, and I was so thrilled to now have two amazing midwives directing my care! When they twice detected concerns with baby's heart rate late in my pregnancy, they humbly suggested that I visit the hospital for fetal monitoring to be sure there were not more serious concerns - it was easy to trust their judgement; I was not pressured to agree, and I was still in control of my choices. (On one such occasion, Katie even went above and beyond by driving me to the hospital and staying with me during fetal monitoring when I had no one else to available to go with me.) When labor day came, Rebecca arrived at my door first, with a smile, and was an incredibly intuitive labor coach, while Katie assumed the role of doula and assisted with pain management. They were such a great team! They seemed to know exactly what I needed at any given moment and made sure that I was taken care of so that I could focus on labor. I was confident that they were in control of the details, while I simultaneously maintained my autonomy. When my baby experienced shoulder dystocia, they handled it with such poise and skill that I was barely aware that something was amiss until after my daughter was safely in my arms. Postpartum was stellar! In addition to an extended window of care and more visits than the contemporary status quo, Katie is certified in "Mother Roasting," which combines traditional postpartum healing practices from around the globe to aid in recovery and transition you gently into motherhood. It was truly an honor to experience postpartum in this way; I felt so incredibly valued and was encouraged to take my time to heal. It was my most stable and successful postpartum period of all four of my children, and I know it was a direct result of Katie's extra-special attention and care. To top it all off, they even offer continuing well-woman services! They take a kinder, gentler approach to the necessary routine feminine checks, and are sure to address the full scope of your health. It is almost a year to the day since I gave birth, and I still think upon my experience with Katie and Rebecca often, and always with fondness. I have recommended them to others and will continue to do so for as long as they willing to offer their indispensable services to our community. My only regret is that this was likely the last baby for our family, and I will not have occasion to work with them again.

Sacred transitions birth services also offers placenta encapsulation, mother roasting to promote…read morepost partum healing and they have several highly recommended doulas they work with regularly. I would definitely use them again if I was planning another birth! my home birth was amazing

Kim was my midwife in 2020 and it was a great birth experience. Her prenatal and postpartum care as…read morealso top-notch.

Kim was an excellent midwife throughout my pregnancy and into postpartum. She was really just…read moreamazing and wonderful. She helped us through every decision and provided support and information with all the medical options. Our birth ended up in the hospital but Kim continued to support us through our stay in labor and delivery. Without her love, encouragement and support we would have had a much different experience. We are so grateful for Kim.

The BEST thing about this place is Dr. Christopher Mills! An A1 physician in my book! i have been…read morea pt of Dr. Mills for over 15 yrs....have followed him from his practice in NH to CT to MA -- There aren't any other docs i would travel that far to see, but he's not an ordinary Gyn doc --- his approach to medicine is much more holistic and transcends the usual 'get 'em in, get 'em out' trends of today's medical practices. i won't get into my personal story, but i'll suffice to say, Pioneer is very fortunate to have a doctor on their staff as valuable as Dr Mills.

I am not from Vermont and arrives with a semi surprise pregnancy. I needed to find a OB quickly. I…read moreresearched for one and Four Seasons Midwifery came up. I'm so glad I went there! The care is excellent! Their staff is very professional and eager to answer all my questions. I would highly recommend this OBGYN to everyone needing care.

Rosy was a fantastic doula. They say that births with a doula present are less likely to encounter…read moreinterventions. I believe this to be true after birthing with Rosy present. I would not have been able to do it without her! Rosy helped me every step of the way- she came right when I called her, she timed my contractions, contacted my midwives when it was time for them to come, never hesitated, was always present, calm, composed and quick to respond when I needed help. Rosy helped me drink, eat, provided aromatherapy, administered herbs, controlled my TENS machine, massaged me, help me move about...She basically was the greatest support I could have ever asked for and she did everything without me having to ask. She intuitively knew what I needed and when. I truly believe our home birth went so successfully because Rosy were there. Rosy is a clear communicator and has a wonderful and calm demeanor. When I was scared Rosy was there to comfort me. She cheered me on and told me I was doing an amazing job when I was feeling discouraged, and when my daughter was finally born, after a FULL day of labor I was so touched by Rosy's dedication & resolve and so grateful that I had her support. I highly recommend Rosy as a doula, a friend and a great advocate during labor and birth. Thank you, Rosy, for all that you did for us, from the bottom of our hearts! We look forward to working with you in the future for postpartum doula services and writing you another stellar review for that!

Rosy was my doula and helped me have an amazing labor experience when I gave birth to my baby girl…read morein January, 2015. It took my a while to find the right doula as I wanted to find someone who connected with me and made me feel comfortable. The minute I met Rosy I knew she was the one! She's absolutely great! The type of person you want to have around when you're having painful an strong contractions as she has a very calm, soothing voice, sweet personality while at the same time being a firm advocate at the hospital for the birth experience you want to have. My husband and I are incredibly grateful and would recommend every expecting mother to partner up with Rosy. She was always on time, replied to all my emails, all my calls, provided excellent resources, checked on me frequently and was 100% with me throughout labor. It would have been a lot harder to make it without her. After many hours of labor I was able to give birth vaginally to my beautiful baby girl, Paloma. She's also an excellent prenatal yoga teacher so she can recommend exercises to prepare your body for birth and stay healthy throughout your pregnancy, or take her classes, which I did :) She had great connections in the community and referred me to a great chiropractor and acupuncturist who both helped me a lot at the end of my pregnancy. Thank you Rosy!

I had pelvic floor therapy after a c-section here, and thought my pelvic floor therapist, Cathie,…read morewas great! She helped me get back to feeling comfortable in my body again.

Absolutely wonderful place, staff is consistent and friendly.read more

My pregnancy was very eventful, it seemed like each day brought on a new difficulty. My Ob office…read morewas not helping me and didn't care about what I wanted for my pregnancy, labor and delivery. I sincerely do not know what I would have done without Vanessa. She helped me and my husband through a very difficult pregnancy, labor and delivery. She started as my midwife but quickly turned into my doula since a home birth wasn't recommended due to gestational diabetes's. She gave me information and guidance to help me stay off insulin and medication. Vanessa really cared about what "I" wanted and that was a breath of fresh air considering all the other OBs and midwifes I saw in the area like to tell me what I was going to do. I'll forever be grateful for her being by my side and helping me look forward to what was really important a healthy baby. Thank you from the bottom of my heart Vanessa. You have been such a wonderful midwife, doula and now friend to me. Thank you for what you do, for supporting what women want during their pregnancy and empowering them to do it. New Life Blessings will give you the information but let YOU make the decisions. If that's what you are looking for New Life Blessings won't let you down :) God Bless!

One of the best decision I have made during my first pregnancy is to work with Vanessa. As I was…read moretalking to her I felt connected and comfortable with her to share my most personal exPerience. She was warm and caring. At the same time she was able to demonstrate her knowledge and yet remained flexible to guide us into our own birth plan. She never imposed her opinion. She showed evidence from most current researches and helped us make our own decision. I was induced due to my overdue. With my second round of pitocin and induced labor being intensified, we asked her to come over and she showed up at the hospital. She maintained calm for entire time and her presence was absolutely reassuring. I truly loved her counter pressure and she reminded me to breath to get through the intense pain. She also knows all the procedures that I felt completely advocated by her. Also my husband felt comfortable with her coaching how to help me and he got some rest with her being with me. It was extremely helpful to have Vanessa who can professionally maintain healthy distance and guiding this overwhelming process with patience and kindness. She blended with my team and detected what I and my husband wanted accurately. I ended up having a c-section due to my fibroid and I was so scared. I never received a surgery in my life and I felt like a failure. I also hated that things did not work out the way I planned. I was very hesitant to make that decision. She was able to assist me in communicating with my husband who wanted me to get the surgery but respectful to my wish. When she gently mentioned that, I realized I tried everything I could to give a natural birth and it is the time to go on a plan B. She waited until my surgery was over and made sure we were ok. We only had positive experiences with Vanessa and strongly recommend her for anyone!!! She will make the precious birth experience as the best as it can be!

So welcoming and very easy to talk to so happy I switched to her from my last OBGYN. Best decision…read moreI could have made

Five stars are not enough. The Capital Region is SO blessed to have midwife Michelle Doyle. For the…read morerest of my life, no matter how relieved I may be to say goodbye to the Albany area, I will look back and remember how fortunate I was to be cared for throughout pregnancy and childbirth by Michelle. Perhaps she was the reason for our sojourn here. I'll try to keep this brief, but it will be hard because there's so much to say about the woman and our experience with her, and my brain is addled from the sleep deprivation of a new parent. Please bear with me... I always knew that if I had a healthy, low risk pregnancy, I wanted a home birth. Not sure when or why or how the notion got into my head, but it's been with me a long, long time. Of course when the time came, I did my due dilligence re, the facts surrounding the midwifery model of care, safety statistics, etc; and felt certain that it was right for me. Enter Michelle. She has nearly 30 years of experience in hospital, birthing center and home birth deliveries. She has outstanding statistics for everything from transfers to cesareans to tearing, all of which can be seen here: http://www.localcaremidwifery.com. She *thoroughly* explains the whys and hows and risks and benefits of everything you might encounter during your pregnancy and birth and never, never talks down to you, rushes you, or substitutes her judgment for your own. Of course, like any good midwife, she is extremely careful about whom she agrees to attend. You can be sure that if she agrees to take you on as a client, you are in fact a stellar candidate for a home birth. My husband, who despite (because of?) coming from a family of doctors, has a huge amount of anxiety surrounding even routine medical care, even said upon leaving one prenatal appointment, " I always feel so much better after seeing her." And during the birth, which we were both uncertain how he would handle, he stayed calm and engaged because he had such tremendous faith in her judgment and training. As for me, I don't want to bore anyone with a birth story, so I'll just say this- there is a reason that doctors "deliver" babies, and midwives "attend" births. During the birth, I had only the vaguest sense of Michelle as a calm and encouraging presence. I was occupied with the work of bringing our son into the world, and she never forced the attention back to her. I remember a few low and calm "beautiful, beautiful, everything is fine, this is what you have to do to meet your baby, yes, yes, good..." but otherwise she stood back and let me move how and where I wanted, to vocalize the way I needed to, and to close my eyes and shut everyone out when I couldn't handle the extra stimulation. I knew, in whatever small part of my mind that was still capable of logical thought, if she was calm, I really was fine, and that if for some reason things became "not fine," she had the training to manage it. When it was all over we ate a scoop of Cherry Garcia and climbed into our own bed with our baby right next to us (well, on top of us actually), where he belonged. American obstetrics is in a truly sorry state, and current practices endanger women and babies, and undermine things of vital importance (bonding and breastfeeding as well as confidence in your body and your judgment at a time when you most need it) but that's a rant for another day, so I'll leave that alone for now. Suffice it to say, Michelle has our eternal gratitude for the beautiful birth of our son. * I would be happy to answer any questions about Michelle or about our experience with home birth- just message me ETA: Michelle also does Well Woman (gynecological) care.

Very early on in my pregnancy I decided to pursue a home birth. Fortunately for me, my husband was…read morefully supportive in this choice after meeting with Nancy Farr for the first time. We both quickly felt very comfortable with Nancy; she has a gentle yet professional manner with decades of experience (she attended the births of my nephew and niece over 25 years ago!). Appointments are thorough, as Nancy addresses all the expected physical concerns as well as diet, lifestyle, emotional health, etc. Nancy is exceedingly knowledgeable and takes her time in explaining everything and weighing up any options as they come up. Nancy and her support midwife did an amazing job assisting me during the labor and birth. As first time parents with a newborn, many questions came up which I texted Nancy about and always received prompt and thorough responses. Nancy proved herself to be the perfect midwife throughout my pregnancy, birth and postpartum journey. I feel very privileged to have been able to experience birthing in the comfort of my own home while having the security of two skilled midwives by my side. Nancy is wholeheartedly recommended to all who prefer seeking natural approaches to health.

For anyone seeking a homebirth experience, you will not regret going with Nancy. What convinced me…read moreto hire her for my first homebirth was that her transfer rate is less than one in 10 mothers and the primary reason is maternal exhaustion. This convinced me that homebirth is natural and safe for low-risk mothers. I was thrilled that she spends a full hour with me and gets to know me and my family throughout the duration of the pregnancy. She manages to do this while still being extremely professional and making sure to check all the necessary biomarkers to watch for any potential risk that may come up. It is not the same as a certified nurse midwife as they tend to favor managed care and have slightly less flexibility than traditional midwives. Nancy is one of the very few CPM's in Connecticut. Of course when I got pregnant again after my first homebirth she took care of me for my second one! She helps toddlers transition into siblinghood which is a huge benefit! I cannot stress enough how awesome it is to not have to worry about unnecessary interventions such as a mother would have to experience in the hospital. I know it's extremely difficult to have an intervention free birth when in the hospital and being able to focus solely on labor and delivery as nature intended took so much pressure off of me and I was able to have the outcome we were looking for. You will be well taken care of going this route my only regret is that I did not use her for my first birth 12 years ago!