Words can not describe how blessed we as a county are to have Sue and Shasta Midwives available as an option to birthing women. Peaceful, informed, prepared, empowered, minimal intervention, fear-free, joyful... birth as it was meant to be. My birth at the Shasta Midwives birth center was the best day of my life. Restored my faith in myself as a strong capable mother. The midwives protected our family space, carefully monitored our safety, and trusted my mothers instincts...and there was not one instant where I did not like or felt out of control with what was happening. If you desire an out of hospital birth you cannot get better. thank you Sue read more

Shasta Midwives Birth Center - Midwives Near Me

Words cannot express the gratitude that I feel for Sue Wolcott, Theresa Maurer (midwife assistant) and Andrea (assistant) who assisted me dar a luz, "bring light/birth" into this world in December 2016 to a healthy boy. I was so lucky to find Sue after my family and I relocated to Shasta when I was 37 weeks pregnant. From the very beginning my interactions with Sue and her team were always positive and full of learning. Sue has such a kind way of explaining everything there is to know about birthing and answering all questions in a non-judgmental and knowledgeable manner --she's also extremely funny which made all of our visits a delight. Such a profound honor it is to be stepping from maiden into the birthright that is Mother and it's a real privilege to be cared for by a strong, kind, and powerful women. I am deeply grateful to Sue Wolcott and her assistants for holding patience and positivity during my long labor. They drove during a blizzard, had little sleep and despite it all showed love and compassion all the way through. From a deep place in my heart words cannot explain the gratitude that I have even more than these words can express for these three women. Sue and her team provided excellent, personalized care that every wombyn needs during such a delicate time. She trusts your body to do what it was meant to do and works as your advocate throughout the whole process - including the post-partum period. As I said earlier on, I couldn't be more grateful and happy with my experience and strongly recommend Sue's services to everyone. I do intend to return to this center for my second birth. Holy Ix Chel Mother of all pray for us now and at the hour of our trials. read more

I could not recommend Sue Wolcott more highly! From her immeasurable expertise to the nurturing environment of the birth center, I had the most wonderful experiences working with her and her devoted care throughout two pregnancies and births. The unconditional support and confidence Sue instilled in me allowed me to fully trust the process and have two dream homebirths ! My desire to have more babies has increased because of my incredibly positive experiences! We are forever grateful for Sue and feel so lucky to have her in our lives! read more

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I highly recommend Sue at Shasta Midwives Birth Center! Sue is so caring and supportive of all my needs as an expecting mother, she is confident and kind and takes her time during each appointment to support and share all of her knowledge with me. Sue offers a very clean, beautiful and well supplied office that is welcoming, comfortable and calm. I feel blessed to have the opportunity to work with Sue and go on this journey with her for my 3rd baby. I recommend Shasta Midwives Birth Center to any family looking for a non invasive, non judgment, calm, supportive, caring atmosphere surrounded by people who truly care about your journey as a family with a new baby read more

I had two of my babies with Sue. My first child was born in hospital and after that experience I decided I wanted to have my next baby at home. I wanted someone experienced and medically trained but a midwife at heart. Sue is all these things, along with kind, and patient. Her intuition is very keen and she goes above and beyond to make sure mom and baby are comfortable. The other Midwives etc. she surrounds herself with have always been caring and helpful. I'm so very thankful I found Sue to help bring my little ones into the world. When we thought we might be having one more little soul, I called on Sue without hesitation and she was there for me even when that little one wasn't meant to be. Thank you for all your love and support over the years. read more

Words cannot begin to describe my wonderful experience with Sue. When I first became pregnant, I was really excited but also nervous. I DON'T LIKE HOSPITALS. In my mind, that's where you go when you are really sick. I'm not sick - just pregnant. Also, I don't like the idea of possibly getting cut open, taking out all of my insides, take out the baby, then stuff everything back in. So it seemed like a no brainer that a natural childbirth was the route for me. After what seemed like months of research on natural childbirth in the hospital, I came across a different option - natural childbirth at home. Enter Sue. Our first meeting wasn't the easiest. While I was about 80% sold on the idea of a home birth, my husband was not. I had a 2 page print out of questions I was suppose to ask any potential midwife - Sue answered all of my questions AND my husbands' questions calmly, confidently and with a bit of humor. We were immediately set at ease and without any pressure at all from Sue, we were both convinced. The next few months consisted of regular prenatal visits at my home after work. That in itself was a godsend. My husband and I commute over an hour each way to work everyday AND carpool. Not having to coordinate visits to a doc office during school hours (I'm a teacher) was fabulous. Our visits were never hurried and always took the time to answer all of my (sometimes silly) questions. When the big day finally came, I texted Sue that my contractions were about 5-6 minutes apart and a minute long for the past hour, BUT my water hadn't broke yet. That was the beginning of a 36 hour labor... Not once did she complain or even hint that things were taking too long and needed to be escalated. Sue and her team kept checking the baby's heartbeat to see if he was stressed (he wasn't) and gave me suggestions on how to progress things naturally. We love Sue and recommend her wholeheartedly. read more

Sue is amazing!! I moved to California when I was in my third trimester, my husband moved several months earlier. Prior to moving my husband and I had consultant with both doctors and midwives. My husband was ecstatic about the idea of a home birth; I was kind of neutral. What was really appealing to me about working with Sue was the opportunity to cultivate the relationship with our unborn baby, connect more with my husband, and learn more about the birthing process. She encouraged us to have conversations about everything--the pregnancy, the birth, circumcision, eating/ nutrition, immunizations, breastfeeding and provided us with information to make well informed decisions. Sue's knowledge and experience as a midwife and mother and a nurse really helpful when our son was a couple of weeks late. Sue let us know what our choices were and we decided to have some testing done to make sure everything was okay. We were a little concerned about the baby's health and concerned that if I went to the hospital, I might be admitted to have a C-section. Sue provided us with a referral so we could have the testing done without fear. Sure enough our son just needed more time. Our son was born 3/12 weeks late. Sue was an awesome guide through the entire process. Through her guidance I learned to trust the process, trust myself and my body, and trust my husband (in a much different and deeper way). Sue Wolcott is truly amazing! read more

Our family loves Shasta Midwives! We met Sue during our first home birth and she was kind, supportive, and become an instant friend. When we found out we were expecting our second we knew we wanted Sue more involved in the pregnancy and birth. As a midwife Sue is knowledgeable, professional, understanding, and insightful. As a person she is loving, compassionate and hilarious! We can't say enough about how much we love and adore Sue. We are so grateful we got to work with her! Sue has done our community a great service by opening the birth center. Offering not only birth services, but Breastfeeding support, birth classes, birthing team information(such a doulas and lactation consultants ) all in a comfortable welcoming space. I would highly recommend Sue and Shasta Midwifes to any expecting family. read more

I 100% recommend going to sue if you are ready to have the most wonderful experience for you pregnancy an child birth. If you are looking for somebody that actually cares for you well being an your unborn child look no further. Sue and her team are amazing strong women, and they helped bring my beautiful son into this world drug free without any complications. I won't ever have my children any other way. read more

Sue Wolcott is truly as good as it gets. For our first baby, my husband and I decided on a home birth. We had a truly AWFUL experience with another local midwife (her assistant couldn't tell the difference between the baby's oxygen mask and the mother's, she got irritated if I asked questions, and she dumped me because I was afraid of needles- WELL INTO MY THIRD TRIMESTER!) On the recommendation of our Bradley instructor, Kathy Killibrew, we decided to call Sue Wolcott. She answered all of my questions and we set up a time to meet. From the start, she and her assistant Adriann Anfiteatro(now a midwife in her own right- WOOHOO! So deserved!!) put us at ease. They were so reasonable, so calm, so rational. The baby was born just two weeks after our first visit with her. My labor was long and painful- so long that I would have been transported under my previous midwife's protocols. Sue came at eleven P.M. and stayed until two mornings later, when the baby was finally born! She and Adriann were supportive throughout the ordeal- mostly just keeping an eye on me and doing anything I needed. Their calm, unconcerned manner and conscientious monitoring reassured me (as much as I could be reassured) that nothing was wrong and that the baby was doing well. Our son was born healthy and strong, and I walked a mile the day after the birth! I would never have been able to do that with a cesarean! It was a painful experience, but it led to a great outcome for both of us and Sue and Adriann could not have been more supportive and competent. Needless to say, we returned to Sue for the birth of our second baby- being under her care for the entire prenatal period was a joy, and the labor and delivery were smooth, quick, and amazingly problem-free! Nancy was her assistant by that time, but I had requested early on the Adriann attend the birth if she possibly could. I went into labor in the middle of the night, and I almost cried when my husband brought me out of the bathroom and into the living room to get into the tub- and there was Adriann! Just as I had asked! And Nancy, too! I would recommend Sue Wolcott immediately and without reservation to anyone. Just, please, don't have your baby when my next one is due- because I'll ALWAYS be birthing with Sue! read more

A good midwife is worth sticking around for and Sue really is that good. We are staying in LA for another year just so we can have our next baby with Sue. She was amazing through all of the prenatal, BIRTH and postnatal care. She assured me every step of the way and helped me worth through the few minor complications that arose. read more

I'll do my best to remain objective, but to be honest, I love Sue. She has been my midwife for the birth of my two children and I'm not entirely joking when I say I would consider having more children for the chance to spend time with her. I ultimately chose Sue because she has an impressive 30 years of experience as a midwife and is also a registered nurse. It was important to me that she had spent time on the conventional as well as the homebirth side of the birthing experience. It was always a joy to see Sue's car pull into my driveway. Prenatal visits with here were always a treat. During these visits, I took all of the exact same tests and received the same standard of care that I would have had with a conventional OB. The clear difference is that Sue would give an hour (sometimes longer) to answer all of my questions and check in with how I was feeling every step of the way. She would made sure I had all of the information I needed to make informed decisions throughout the process and was also available anytime I had one of those pregnant mama freak outs about something I read online in the middle of the night. During the entire process and especially during the births Sue was available, informed, grounded, and professional. I trusted her totally and completely. For all of these reasons, I highly recommend Sue and am proud to call her not only the best midwife in Southern California but also a friend. read more

When we moved to the SGV in the summer of 2010, my wife was 7 months pregnant with our first child. We didn't have a place to live yet, either. We had seen a midwife where we were previously living and knew that it was going to be tricky to get care so late in the pregnancy. We did some research and made an appointment with Sue. Our anxieties disappeared immediately. Sue's professionalism, her demeanor, and her charming humor were exactly what we needed and fit so well with our outlook at the time. She was so patient, so clearly knowledgeable both in terms of know-how and experience. We talked about what TV shows we were watching for a good portion of our first visit, comparing notes on our favorites. When it was time for the delivery of our first, Sue came and stayed for a lot of pre-labor that she wasn't really necessary for. But, she was obliging and very helpful. She found quiet and subtle ways of engaging my wife so that she wouldn't be taken over by the exhaustion and pain of labor. Her presence, even when she wasn't actively doing anything, was a blessing. The second delivery was a breeze, but she was integral to that experience, as well, performing house calls, providing all the necessary procedures and equipment so that we could take charge ourselves (for instance, blowing up the pool, filling the pool, etc.) and then be there for help when we asked for it. She is a special and gifted midwife who has spoiled us with the highest standards of care that we could ask for. We plan to have more babies and we plan to have them with Sue! read more

Sue is one of those special midwives (actually just a special woman!), who embodies every ideal you have when seeking out-of-hospital care. She is extremely experienced and professional, having spent her entire adult life in the profession. The prenatal care is excellent, very individualized, and very attentive. Unlike a physician, Sue is always available via phone or email and she truly cares about even the most mundane pregnancy symptom you might be dealing with. In addition, her naturopathic approach is a fresh and profound model of care. If you want to have an approach to your care that draws on the benefits of nutrition/healing foods, supplements, and herbal remedies, then Sue is the midwife for you. Sue is a practitioner that has acute manual skills, making her able to know things about your baby that a physician would only know via technology. Prenatal testing is done only after you, the client, are fully informed of the risks and benefits. Often, several varieties of tests are available, giving you options based on your specific risk or concern. She is extremely knowledgable about all the variations of normal birth. She is wise enough not to be overly hasty to refer out clients for risk, but takes no chances when the risk is real. Her c-section rate is very low. She is generally hands-off, allowing you to birth freely and naturally. Before I found Sue, I gave birth to my first child in a hospital and called it "natural" because no drugs or procedures were used. Well, I didn't really know what natural was until my homebirth. With Sue as my midwife, I was "allowed" to truly listen to my body and move through my labor according to my body's and my baby's needs. She never told me no, she never instructed me how to birth, or forced me to do anything I wasn't comfortable doing. She just stood by while I birthed, checked baby's heart tones, and made herself ready for the unlikely occurrence that her emergency skills were needed. After the birth, she and the other midwife cleaned up EVERYTHING while our new family bonded and rested together. I saw her several times after the birth, got my 6-week check-up, pap smear, etc. Newborn procedures were all offered as in a hospital, but much more info was given to me about each procedure so that we could make informed decisions. No judgment or hassle was given for the procedures we declined. I can't speak highly enough about Sue Wolcott and the home birth experience I had with her as my midwife. I would not want any other person to act as my guide, confidant, and medical professional throughout my pregnancy and childbirth. read more

I am so eternally grateful that I met Sue when I did, she played a pivotal part in changing my life. I'd completed a doula training in the SF Bay Area the year before and just moved to LA. My regular career as a graphic designer had been going well, but I was feeling drawn and pulled toward doing birth work. It was the spring of 2008 and after attending the Trust Birth conference in Redondo Beach, so I was all jazzed up about getting involved in the SoCal birthing community. At the time Sue was practicing with Diane Dawson and they both agreed to meet me for lunch to talk about being a doula. Halfway through they both decided that they would like me to apprentice with them and I knew I couldn't throw away an opportunity like that! Sue and Diane gave me the confidence and push I needed to make the decision I'd been tip-toeing around for over a year. A week later I was enrolled in midwifery school and attending my first home birth with them. It was the most beautiful water birth of a sweet boy, with candles and music and both Sue and Diane working together like fluid dancers. I knew then that I had found what I was meant to do and spent the next 8 months learning as much as I could from Sue and Diane. Sue was such an amazing preceptor. With her wealth of knowledge and experience, she was always open and willing to answer my questions and share with me. I learned from her directly and indirectly as she cared for all the amazing families we worked with. I realized how lucky I was to work with a midwife with such compassion and expertise. Now that I'm a licensed midwife I look forward to having my own apprentices and passing on the beautiful skills, knowledge and traditions that Sue shared with me. read more

I had my first child recently at home under Sue's care and it couldn't have been a better experience. She taught my husband and I so much about pregnancy and the birthing process. Going into labor I felt so confident in my ability to have my baby at home. Through every stage of labor I had an understanding of what was going on with my body and my baby, and that gave me the courage and confidence to have a natural birth. My labor lasted 7 hours, no complications, and my husband caught our precious son in the birthing tub. These are just some of the highlights. I admire Sue's passion to keep learning about pregnancy and labor. She stays up to date on trainings and certifications. If there was a complication I had full faith in her ability to handle the situation. I highly recommend Sue and Shasta Midwives for your pregnancy and birthing needs. read more

During my first pregnancy, Sue was my midwife and I was also seeing an OB and a perinatologist. If I had exclusively seen Sue, my pregnancy would have been stress free. The OB spent barely 5 minutes with me each visit--I ended up not going back once I was about 7 months. The perinatologist was upset that I was still planning to have a home birth even though my daughter was breech. Sue was amazing! She spent so much time with me every visit and always took the time to answer any and all questions. Her confidence in me and her great energy kept me pretty relaxed throughout the entire pregnancy and birth. Without her in my corner, I would surely have had a scheduled C-section. She handled the breech birth like a pro! She took a pretty hands-off approach (mostly just supporting my daughter, loosening the nuchal cord and gently guiding her limbs free) and was so patient and calm. Sensing her confidence and how relaxed she was during the entire labor and birth is, I'm sure, why it went as smoothly as it did. I love that she's a Naturopathic midwife! A huge plus since I'm very much into holistic healing. She was also very supportive and a great reference during the first few days and weeks of breastfeeding. I'm thrilled that I'm pregnant with my second and Sue is once again my midwife. I feel so fortunate to have found her so easily the first time. I can't imagine having had anyone else be there for me during that birth since I was always terrified of even the idea of childbirth. I cannot recommend her enough to anyone looking for a natural pregnancy and birth. read more

I was pregnant with my first child and really wanted to have a homebirth. We wanted someone who was experienced as well someone we felt comfortable with. In addition, my mom went to 42 weeks with all her pregnancies so I really wanted someone who wouldn't insist on interventions if my pregnancy were similar. We interviewed three midwives in our search - the first one told us she'd help us learn to wear our "mommy and daddy hats" and that I'd have to put on my "big girl panties" when it came to going through labor (ugh... we were going to her to help us have a child not talk to us like we were one), the second was at a birth center (not ideal for us) and took more of a standard medical care approach than I liked given that she would insist on interventions earlier than 42 weeks. Then there came Sue. First, she was the only one who came to us instead of us trekking around Los Angeles. Moreover, she was easygoing, extremely experienced, and was quick to understand and address all our questions. It was immediately clear to us that she was the one. She was professional and reassuring at all of our appointments. She addressed all of our questions thoroughly and made the experience relaxing. We truly enjoyed her visits and found ourselves chatting with her about other things as if we were all old friends. Such a comfort. As it turned out, I went to 42 and 1/2 weeks. While Kaiser (where we did our prenatal tests and such) would have induced much earlier than that, Sue reassured me all was fine. When I was getting worried, she went with us to the Kaiser appointment to monitor the baby and look at an ultrasound to make sure the placenta was still okay. She knew what she was doing and explained that it all still looked fine and that I could continue to wait. I went into labor the very next morning, and Sue arrived when labor was just starting to get more intense. She had suggested at earlier meetings that we consider getting a doula since it was my first time. I probably should have listened to that advice! Sue was definitely present and available as I labored and monitored me at various points, but she mostly gave me the space for me to do what I needed to do. An important note... She is not a doula! She is a midwife who is there to make sure the baby is delivered safely and that the mom is laboring safely. It felt clear she knew what she was doing and her after care and all (including stitching me up!) was done well and she checked up on both of us in the follow-up appointments including counseling on various phone calls when I was struggling with nursing and then mastitis. She even managed to take some wonderful pictures of the birth that we would never have had if it hadn't been for her. Overall, I felt in extremely good hands and felt completely comfortable with Sue as our midwife. Her confidence, easy nature, sense of humor, and general kind vibes made for a wonderful experience and so much better than I would have had in a medical setting. I'm very Grateful we found her! read more

Sue was a wonderful guide through my entire pregnancy, birth, and postpartum time. So knowledgeable, calm, and caring. She was always available to answer my questions/concerns quickly via text, email, or phone, which was so comforting since this was my first pregnancy and I had a lot of questions, and information online and in books can be unclear or at times conflicting. I always looked forward to our visits, which took place in the comfort of our home. She was so accommodating with scheduling appointments so both my husband and I did not have to adjust our already packed schedules too much. She's also really organized and professional and has a very user-friendly client only website that she uses to upload reports of every visit, test results, forms, files, info packets, billing info etc. It was great to have access to all of that throughout the pregnancy for piece of mind and also for insurance information. When it came time to deliver our baby she was so steady and worked really well with our doula and my husband. She came with her back-up midwife (who was also great and is a certified nurse midwife) and her very kind assistant midwife. I felt so protected and cared for the entire time by my birth team. I think it was a combination of their expertise, my preparation, and good luck, but I had a very uncomplicated labor and wonderful delivery. My early labor was long and started on Saturday morning, Sue was there on the phone to keep me calm and checked in with me throughout the day. We had an appointment Sunday morning, by then my contractions had stopped, but she kept in touch with how I was doing by phone. By Sunday evening it seemed to have started again. She gave me great advice to sleep for as long as I could to rest up, which is what I needed. I woke up at about 4:30am had my husband call my doula and after watching me for 20 or so minutes they called Sue. Sleeping though the night was great advice, I never felt too exhausted once active labor started. Being in the warm water of my shower and the birth tub were great comforts. The pushing stage was really quick and once the baby came at 11am, the midwives were there to make sure both she and I were alright, which we were. Sue and her assistant Nancy got me to bed, weighed and measured the baby checked our vital signs, while the other midwife Sarah put away the birth tub and reset the house so it looked like nothing had happened, it was even cleaner than when they came since Sarah decided to tidy up and even do our dishes and put a load of towels in the wash. The postpartum visits at my home have been great and Sue, as part of her services encapsulated my placenta. I have not had any postpartum depression which I think has something to do with the placenta capsules but also the fact that I could labor, deliver, and recover in my own home without outside stress. I can not recommend her more. read more

I had an amazing homebirth with Sue Wolcott. I highly recommend her for her experience and skill as a midwife. She attended my homebirth with my 3rd son. I gave birth naturally the first time in a hospital and the second birth occurred at home with a different midwife. I have long labors with posterior baby's who are born large, 9 and 10 lbs. During my homebirth with Sue Wolcott, the baby's head was born, but because he was over 10 lbs, it was several more contractions before the rest of him was born. Sue helped me immensely with different positions and her calm attitude and strength to encourage me to birth the rest of the baby. I was pretty tired after pushing for a few hours. My son was trying to descend through the birth canal with both shoulders, not quite shoulder distocia, but he definitely was not fitting easily. Sue was every experienced and my son was born and I did not tear at all. I really enjoy the midwifery model of care because I feel loved and supported during pregnancy and childbirth! Sue came to my house for each appointment and was very helpful with nutrition. After my son was born, she gave me a great postpartum tea which almost completely removed the pain of postpartum contractions which shrink the uterus back to pre-pregnant size. read more