Let me start with the conclusion drawn by everything to follow: Kathe is the best as far as…read moremidwifery care goes. She is full of wisdom, expertise, and compassion to care for you, your ohana, and your baby during pregnancy, labor, and post-partum. She is amazing, a real gem and gift to midwifery. I am convinced Kathe is fulfilling her calling and I am so thankful for having found her prior to giving birth to my children.
Me and my husband first met with Kathe when I was about 13 weeks pregnant with my first baby. At the time we were with Kaiser Permanente and doing our prenatal visits with them. Her level of care, genuine sincerity, comfort, & expertise is top notch. She listens to your concerns, she asks questions to see if there is any supplements you would benefit from as well as any concerns she may have, and offers her advice which is actually helpful. After our first consult (we hadn't even paid or decided to use her yet) she directed me to start on her recommended iron supplement and within two days I was no longer exhausted and falling asleep at 7:30pm. I was amazed! She instructed me to get a number of other supplements as well which also have proven to be very beneficial. From there she could identify the baby's position immediately, taught me how to find my uterus walls and the baby's position, and finds the heartbeat instantly every time (still true, 3 more pregnancies later). Whereas at Kaiser they took my vitals, peed in a cup, continually asked me to get the flu shot even after I told them no, please stop asking me, and it would take at least 10 minutes for them to find a heartbeat. It felt like such a waste of time, impersonal, and unsatisfying, like there was something lacking. And there was! Any hesitancy or fear I had about doing a home birth was washed away as we continued to meet with Kathe and experienced how sound and complete her care was. And she was and has continued to always be available by phone or text for any questions that arise in between visits. We had peace that we were in sure hands.
With our subsequent pregnancies, she has included each additional child in the prenatal meetings and it has been such a wonderful experience for all of us. In doing so, she not only prepares you, but your children too just by including them in the process of the visits and bringing to life via their senses the majesty that is having a new baby in utero and out.
From the start she became part of our ohana and 6 years later she has been with us for all 4 of our children...each of whom adore her. We've had long-ish labors (15 hours) down to 3 hours, we've had hard labors and easy labors, we've had labors go past their due date, we've had our last labor which had a brief complication that Kathe maneuvered expertly and calmly without putting me in a frantic state, we've had a post birth transfer due to circumstances beyond Kathe's control, we've had lactation and breast feeding questions answered. In every situation she has been reliable, consistent, calming, prepared, full of wisdom and knowledge, and a guide through the journey, leading with love for you, your ohana, and baby. And she does this all the while making sure she takes care of as much as she can so you and yours have the best opportunity to enjoy the bliss of welcoming your new baby into the world. Every birth story is different and some don't go the way you planned, but Kathe is who you want in both situations. She will do everything she can to give you the birth you guys plan on, but she also will be very honest about whether a change of plans or even a transfer is needed and goes above and beyond in those situations to accommodate, help, and serve you in the event of needing to transfer care.
Currently we are not in need of her professional service, but we still occasionally go to visit with her. She is so welcoming when we do and the visits are full of us, our kids, and "Aunty Kathe" reading books and playing with some of the timeless toys and trinkets she has been keeping for many years. There is no one else I would trust more for pregnancy, birth and post-partum, plus I genuinely just enjoy her presence and look forward to meeting with her, which makes her the best of the best.
Kathe's care is unparalleled, I can't urge you enough to meet with Kathe if you are at all curious or considering a home birth.