I hired Susana as my midwife during my first pregnancy in 2021, during the height of COVID. I chose her because I wanted an unmedicated home birth, and at the beginning everything felt consistent and supportive. My prenatal home appointments were regular, and initially I felt comfortable with my decision. Toward the end of my pregnancy, however, I became increasingly fearful and ultimately ended up being induced at the hospital. What followed was a very traumatic experience that resulted in a five-day hospital stay and an unexpected C-section. During this time, Susana was only partially present, as she was dealing with serious health issues involving her husband. After my C-section, she did come to check on me at home and advised me to remain mostly bedridden and not move much. I followed this advice. Two weeks later, I was rushed to the emergency room with a blood clot. Based on what I later learned, I believe that early movement and walking could have helped prevent this, and I was physically capable of doing so at the time. Overall, my experience was deeply traumatic and left lasting emotional and mental scars that I am still healing from. Looking back, I believe things could have unfolded very differently had I received more comprehensive support and guidance during such a critical and vulnerable time. I'm sharing my experience in hopes that it provides insight for others as they make decisions about their care. read more

I had my baby with Susanna November of 2025 and started working with her in April of 2025. Susanna is extremely knowledgeable and was very supportive throughout my prenatal and postnatal care. She respected my decisions during pregnancy and guided me when I didn't know enough about certain tests and she never judged me or my husband. When it came time to give birth, she showed up promptly and extremely prepared. Her and Tiffany (her amazing birth assistant) monitored the baby's heartbeat during labor and knew what positions to guide me into to help the baby's heartbeat and position. My entire labor and delivery was so calm and peaceful- if I had another baby I would choose Susanna again and again. read more

Susanna Napierala - Weighing the baby - Midwives Near Me

Working with a midwife like Susanna has always been a dream of mine, and she exceeded every hope I had for what this experience could be. From the very beginning, her rare combination of skill, deep experience, warmth, and dedication to building a true relationship with our family put me at ease. She trusts birth as a natural process, and that trust was contagious. Few midwives are as devoted to their craft as she is. She spent so much time with us, never rushing a single visit. Every appointment felt spacious, thorough, and unhurried. She was attentive to every clinical detail, while also bringing so much heart and presence to the process. During the birth itself, Susanna held an incredibly powerful and steady presence. I felt completely safe in her hands. I truly don't believe my home birth would have been possible without her. The amount of surrender required in that moment was only possible because she created such a strong, grounded, and safe space for me to let go. As a first-time mom over 40, I am deeply grateful for the care and confidence Susanna brought to this experience. She helped me have the birth I dreamed of, and I cannot recommend her highly enough. read more

My husband and I are grateful for Susanna's support during the time we had our miscarriage, and the effort she put into the prenatal appointments. Ultimately, however, we feel that it was not worth anywhere near $7,000 and wish we could get that money back, and erase the negative memories she left on our pregnancy journey and birth experience. We believe that her time has come to stop practicing and hope that she will soon. Here is a summary of our experience: Pros: -Very generous with her time, will stay at prenatal appointments for essentially as long as you need -An expert on herbal medicine -Nonjudgmental about people's life experiences and has a progressive mindset -Sweet and caring demeanor, she loves babies -Very knowledgeable on the physiology of birth Cons: -Speaks negatively about her colleagues behind their backs, even midwives she hires to assist her. -She does not meet people where they are at, she thinks her way is best, and will shame and push until you cave. -Combative with hospital staff, which could be very stressful if you end up having a c-section or transferring. -Don't expect a spiritual experience, I asked her to do guided meditations at the start of our prenatal appointments and she told me to find some on youtube later. -Concerningly forgetful, has to be constantly reminded of important things in health history -Almost no education was done on breastfeeding, which was extremely detrimental to us. I suffered greatly and unnecessarily because I didn't know how to breastfeed. Working with Susanna it quickly became apparent that her decades of experience caused her to have an arrogant and infallible attitude about her, as if she knew better than everyone and was never wrong because she had done this the longest. One example is this: meat and animal products made me extremely sick during my pregnancy but because I had suboptimal iron levels, she constantly pushed me to eat animal products and even told me, "This is about your baby not you." If I hadn't followed her advice to eat meat I would have had a wonderful nausea-free pregnancy. Despite all the cons we listed above, we were still hopeful for a wonderful homebirth or doula experience with her. But unfortunately, Susanna completely disappointed us and let us down. She did not catch that our baby was breech and had been breech for about two months. She was CONVINCED that he flipped one day to the next during week 35, which was completely untrue. I brought up my concerns that my baby was glued to one spot and wouldn't move and she said it was "fine". For weeks the "head" she was feeling was actually a butt, but she was convinced that my 9lb 4oz baby flipped spontaneously in the late third trimester without me realizing it. Before the 36w ultrasound discovered he was breech, she had talked to us about discontinuing care with Kaiser as an option. Thank God we didn't!! Susanna would have had us deliver a breech baby at home because she didn't realize (despite her decades of experience) that he was head up! We opted for a scheduled c section after an unsuccessful ecv- we had talked to Susanna about her being there post-op for aftercare support. Susanna insisted on coming pre-op, and did nothing but sit in the chair in the room with her feet up, eating chips, and barking at kaiser staff causing my husband and I to be extremely uncomfortable and add a lot of stress. She tried to control the entire room and questioned every nurse about everything, starting unnecessary conflict that nobody asked for. I think she felt she was being an advocate for us, but it was more stressful than anything. Post-op, she barges into our recovery room, barring our family from entering because she has something "important" that she needs to discuss with us, and says she has a family emergency and must leave. We were in a daze and had no choice but to see her off. But not before my family walks in the room, and she loudly announces to them all, "you should all leave, she needs to rest." We had never told her anything about our family not being welcome, in our culture it is customary for all of the family to come immediately and this is exactly what we wanted. It was very awkward and made them feel unwelcome. We told Susanna to take her time with her family emergency because we didn't even want her around us after what happened. I suffered so much with breastfeeding in those first few days, and you would think for $7,000 she would cover how to latch a baby. She sent another midwife to see us at home when we were discharged, which was a lovely experience, and afterwards Susanna spoke negatively about her questioning her skills, which was one of the last nails in the coffin for us. It was so disrespectful and distasteful. It took us a long time to sort out our feelings about our experience and birth, and after the second postpartum visit we told her exactly how we felt that she didn't serve us and that we didn't need her to come around anymore. read more

One year ago today it was pouring heavy rain and my wife started contractions. Visibility was barely enough to see Susanna in her Prius in front of me as we raced to the hospital. Even in my very capable 4WD Touareg SUV I still was nervous. My wife was in labor for a long time at Sutter's $158 million state of the art facility and we were all starting to get worried as everything the nurses were trying was not working. Susanna went to her Prius and brought in the birthing chair she always kept with her. My wife delivered my son Thomas only 10 minutes on the chair. The nurses who had resisted allowing her to even bring the chair in were shocked. Thank you Susanna for being my family's guardian angel and delivering both of my kids. Today is Thomas' one year birthday. Thank you again Susanna! read more

Susanna Napierala - Thomas is one year old today. - Midwives Near Me

My wife and I were very happy that we choose Susanna as our midwife. She is professional, kind, caring and goes the extra mile to make us feel like family. We highly recommend her to anyone considering a home birth. Pre and Post care is outstanding. We'll be calling on her again if we are blessed with another child. read more

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I called Susanna when I was 20 weeks pregnant. From our first conversation I knew that she was thorough, experienced, incredibly warm, and just delightful. I felt at home with her right away. The care that Susanna provided was truly above and beyond. Our appointments took place in my home and she was never in a rush to leave. Everything she said and did was very careful and intentional. She always made sure to answer all of my questions and she would follow up on the phone to check in. Under Susanna's care, I had a healthy pregnancy and the most beautiful home birth I could ever have hoped for. During my labor I never felt afraid in the least bit while in her presence. After the birth of my son she met with us and called us frequently to make sure we were all doing well. She demonstrated great love for me and my baby. I am so blessed to have found Susanna and I feel that she has become a part of our family. If you are considering home birth, there is no better midwife than Susanna. She was born to be a midwife!! Thanks be to God for her loving care. read more

Susanna Napierala - Susanna checking on baby when he was 3 days old. - Midwives Near Me

Susanna not only brings a wealth of experience and wisdom with her, but a gentle and encouraging spirit. My husband and I were looking for a midwife who not only had the expertise, but someone we could form a relationship with and share a soulful connection. She worked with us to plan a pregnancy and birth that we had invisioned and took excellent care of me both prenatal and post birth. This was my 3rd birth (2nd home birth) and was excited to still be able to learn new things about my own care and babies...with her advice I was finally able to get my 3rd posterior baby positioned correctly which resulted in a quicker and less painful labor. She also helped me avoid mastitis, which I suffered from with both previous babies. We would happily recommend Susanna to anyone looking for an incredible home birth experience. read more

If anyone is looking for a warm and experienced midwife, I want to recommend Susanna Napierala. She has been a rock throughout my pregnancy, labor, and postpartum journey. She is educated and loving and the care she provides is truly above and beyond. Through my rough labor and a case of mastitis, she was there to help and I am so grateful. In the crazy Covid and wildfire time we are living in, it helps to have someone who you can trust for you and your baby and call any time with questions and concerns. read more

Susanna Napierala - Midwives Near Me

I chose Susanna as my midwife after a less-than-perfect experience with the OB/GYN department at Kaiser. Kaiser treated me as a number and not a person, and declined my request multiple times to see the same practitioner each visit. I was rarely addressed by my name and the entire experience was impersonal, depressing, and stressful. After a couple months of this I decided I wanted the opposite experience, and Susanna was exactly that. She is amazing. She came to our house regularly and got to know me, my husband, my baby, and my dogs. She was always available for questions, concerns, or just to talk anything pregnancy and baby. She made sure to recommend plenty of appropriate prenatal care and always check in to see I was doing well during my pregnancy. My delivery was fast and furious, and Susanna was an absolute rockstar, and made me feel like one too! I could not imagine anyone better to have coach someone through any kind of birth. She is so experienced and confident, and so calm and collected. I very highly recommend her as a midwife. You will not be disappointed! read more

As I write this, my two-month-old son is in my arms sleeping. When I reflect on my son's birth story, I can see clearly that Susanna was a huge part of it. This was my first child, and I had no idea what to expect in terms of having a baby. I knew in my heart that a home birth was the route that was most desired for myself and my child. When I hired Susanna, I knew that she had a lot of experience with home births. My greatest fear was needing to transfer to the hospital but not making it in time. Susanna assured me that if we needed to transport, she would be able to make the call well in advance before a situation ever became an emergency. Susanna has an enormous amount of experience and has seen it all. I mean this incredible woman pioneered water birth before it was mainstream (seriously, go read her book). It was her knowledge and experience that attributed to our easy, beautiful, near perfect home birth. Not to say there weren't challenges, there were, but every obstacle that came up during birth, Susanna easily maneuvered. Later my doula would tell me that often, those same obstacles that we saw during my son's birth lead to c sections in the hospital. I don't mean to say this to scare any moms out there, but I think it is very important to realize that the outcome of your birth can go hand in hand with who you select as your care provider. I also wanted to touch on the level of care I felt while working with Susanna. To compare, I would still go to my prenatal doctor's appointment at Kaiser. This would mean I'd drive 25 minutes, get to Kaiser, wait another 30 minutes to be seen, then see my doctor for a total of 5 minutes. To top it off, my husband was not allowed to go to any of the appointments with me due to hospital covid policies. This seems completely unfair to fathers/partners, they have every right to be a part of these appointments too. To be honest, nothing about Kaiser felt like real care to me. It all felt like checking some box and following certain protocol that protects the hospital but doesn't truly consider mom and babies best interests. To say I was refreshed when we started working with Susanna, is an understatement. Firstly, she would drive all the way to my home in Geyserville (an hour trip one way). Our meetings together would be once a month and as we got closer to my due date we would meet once every two weeks, and finally once a week while we were in the "home stretch". Each meeting would be close to an hour and thirty minutes. During these meetings, she would sit down with both my husband and I to answer any questions we had, check vitals, and lay the groundwork to help us prepare for labor and post-delivery. Due to these meetings, we built a strong bond of trust and communication both of which are essential to have when you are going into labor with whomever you choose to help on your "team" . When it came to the actual birth, the birth itself was perfect. I gave birth to a healthy baby boy five hours after Susanna arrived at our home. I would largely attribute the reason for this near perfect birth to Susanna's experience, the trust and bond that I built with her over the 9 months that we met together, and to Susanna's education that helped prepare me for labor and post delivery. After my son was born, Susanna came to see us frequently to make sure both myself and my son were thriving. I truly wish all women and their babies could received this level of care. It is clear to me, that my near perfect birth story wouldn't have been the same without Susanna by my side. We are so incredibly thankful that she was a part of our son's birth story and will forever consider her like family. Thank you Susanna for everything! read more

Susanna Napierala - Midwives Near Me

In March, we welcomed our third child into the world with a beautiful homebirth, attended by Susanna Napierala. After a wonderful homebirth experience with our second child while living overseas, I knew that I wanted to pursue another if at all possible! The process of finding a midwife in our area was daunting, but I was immediately drawn to Susanna's warmth and kindness and the wealth of experience she offers. Susanna came to our home for all care, which was enormously helpful with two other little ones. Our visits were never rushed, she answered any questions and concerns we had, and was available by phone 24x7. She worked with us to make our birth affordable without the help of insurance--and truly, the investment is worth every penny. The quality of care, from our first prenatal to our 8-week postpartum visit, is above and beyond anything I've ever experienced. She gave me the space I desired during our birth while remaining attentive, professional and thorough. I felt completely safe and supported, able to focus entirely on what I needed to do. I birthed our son into my own hands in the water, something I wondered if I'd ever get to do again after my daughter's homebirth. It was peaceful, gentle, incredible. I believe that birth (while long, in my case, and no doubt challenging!) is a natural, beautiful and transformative experience--something you will remember and reflect on for the rest of your life. And so it was important to me to find someone I knew could support me to do what I know my body was made for. Once again, I am able to look back on my birth experience as one that made me feel empowered, inspired, and grateful, equipped to nurture my baby and excited, Lord willing, to do it again! We'd hire Susanna again in a heartbeat. read more

I will forever be grateful I hired Susanna as our family's midwife! I don't even know where to begin. Having had births at hospitals with traditional "care" there is just no comparison. Her level of care, compassion and knowledge couldn't be touched by other healthcare. She takes her time with you, becomes a real friend, includes your partner, problem solves and really CARES about you. She treats birth as the beautiful blessing it is. I highly recommend her! The care continues for your newborn and it is such a special experience to have your healthcare provider love your little baby like a part of her family. Nothing like it! read more

Susanna Napierala - Midwives Near Me

I don't even know where to start with this review. How about saying that if you are planning on having a safe home birth you need to give Susanna a call. That's what I did the moment I learned I was pregnant. I was surprised and impressed to know that Susanna is one of the home water birth pioneers in the US and that she lived so close to me! The prenatal appointments were about 2 hours long, she would come over to my home and spend all the time we need to go over the pregnancy month, and what to expect next. Her demeanor was always calm, kind and reassuring. At any point I felt pressured to make choices that I didn't want to. Susanna would weigh in her professional opinion and allow me and my partner to make the final decision. And no matter what we decided we never felt judged by her. She answered my questions with knowledge and always went after more information for me if I needed. Susanna was available by phone 24x7 and if we left a voice message she would call as soon as she could. She was also available via text, which was super helpful. She is the type of professional that keeps up with what's new and is always renewing her knowledge on midwifery. On the day my baby daughter was born we called Susanna to let her know I was having contraction. Shortly after she arrived and was ready to what was coming. She knew what to do and was that constantly peaceful presence in a moment when, as first time parents, we had no idea what to expect. But Susanna knew, and with her experience and kind heart she was the firm presence we could lean on and finally meet our baby. My birth experience with Susanna has only left me amazing memories. She was there for me and my partner every step of the way. I felt I was in good hands throughout my whole pregnancy and birth with her. I am soon to finish my post natal care with her and very sad she won't be coming over every month to see us. Our heart and home are always open for her. Once you meet Susanna you will wish she will be part of your life forever. Thank you Susanna for the amazing birth and for being such a wonderful person! read more

It is impossible for me to put into words how much Susanna means to me and my family. She is truly one of the best humans I have ever met, and I feel so incredibly lucky to have had her by my side during two of my pregnancies and births--I wish I had known her for my firstborn! Not only is Susanna an expert at midwifery with decades of experience, she is also incredibly tender-hearted, nurturing, and warm. Our pre-natal visits were always so wonderful, just like having any friend over, but with all of the same prenatal care (and so much more!) that you would receive at a doctor's office and without ever feeling rushed. During the pandemic, I had a lot of anxiety leading up to the birth, and Susanna tended to me like a mother; always lending a listening ear, offering comfort, words of encouragement, and an open door to call her anytime. During labor, I was stuck in transition for about an hour because of a cervical lip. Susanna, of course, knew exactly what to do to keep things moving along, and I felt very comfortable the entire time. Both of my labors were very short with Susanna, and I will always attribute that to feeling so safe and comfortable with her. (My first labor and birth at the hospital was 48 hours long! Again, I wish I knew Susanna for that birth because I'm sure it would have gone a lot quicker!) During postpartum, Susanna was, again, like a mother to me. Mentally, I was not feeling my greatest during postpartum, but my mood was always boosted whenever Susanna called or came over to check on us for our postnatal appointments. I was sad when our last postnatal appointment came and went, because I knew we wouldn't be able to see each other for a while due to COVID. Overall, I cannot recommend Susanna enough. Pregnancy and childbirth are such significant experiences in a woman's life, and it truly makes a world of difference when you have such a knowledgeable and beautiful person like Susanna by your side. My husband and I, and our three boys, will always have a huge place in our hearts for Susanna and can never thank her enough. read more

Haven't officially met Susanna yet, however from the first conversations i felt so much calm. I cant wait to make it happen financially to work with susanna. Im excited to meet her. Shes so caring and i will definitely be writing a even more thorough review postpartum. A big thank you this far Susanna. read more

I gave birth to my daughter at home this past December and Susanna was my midwife. I could not have asked for a more trustworthy, experienced and caring woman to be my midwife. I am forever grateful to Susanna for taking such amazing care of me during my pregnancy, birth and postpartum. Susanna is an amazing woman, I highly recommend her care and wisdom! read more

Working with Susanna was a dream. She is as professional and knowledgable as she is loving and gentle. I loved how she came to our house for pre-natals, spent a ton of time with us (I am a talker...especially when pregnant), got to know our kids, and gave me and my husband tools to really work together during the birth. I wish we knew Susanna with my first two pregnancies, but I am thrilled we met her for the third. read more

Susanna Napierala - Day 1 with baby sister. It was a dream to be in our house with our family the entire time and not have to go anywhere! - Midwives Near Me

Susanna was a blessing to have as our midwife. Each meeting was extremely personal and really in depth to make sure me and my little one were in good health. I got way more out of our appointments then I did at the doctors. She helped guide us and gave us recommendations and was very understanding and open to our opinions and wants. I had a couple of unnecessary scares from our main health coverage provider but Susanna talked me through everything and made me feel much better about the situations. She knows what she is doing and is very good at it. She is extremely knowledgeable and kind. We love Susanna and know she will be apart of our lives forever. read more

We are SO pleased we hired Susanna for the birth of our second baby girl. Susanna goes above and beyond for her clients !!! She became a part of the family by the end of our care and we will forever treasure her and all that she did for us. Susanna has such a kind and supportive way of being with people, we all felt very nourished after our appointments (which are all done at home which is such a gift). She is also extremely down to earth , able to keep things light when that's needed but also very grounded and solid too. At the birth she was so present with my wife, she felt so supported it was such a powerful positive experience for all of us. If you are looking for an extremely experienced, rock star midwife then look no further!! read more

Susanna Napierala - Midwives Near Me

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Best midwife we could have hoped for - and her guidance was absolutely pivotal in bringing our son into this world in good health. She also was the biggest help in keeping the mom (my wife) healthy before, during and after childbirth. We are 1st time parents, and started knowing nothing. We felt much of the support/guidance was missing from our traditional health care insurance, and Susanna Napierala filled the void and then some. Susanna helped us build a foundation of pregnancy knowledge, health foundation for the mother, and gave us all the tools we needed throughout the 9 month process and also after birth. Traditional hospital visits often felt rushed and quick (15 minutes or so), and Susanna's house visits averaged about 1.5 hours (or more) and she took however much time was needed to give all the needed help. We did the monitrice service (Susanna guided us through entire process and we delivered the baby at hospital). Susanna also filled the void after the baby was born (healthy normal birth at the hospital). The pivotal postpartum period was intense - and it was Susanna who provided nearly all the support to the my wife (the new mom). I wish every parent could get the services of Susanna - we are grateful for everything she has given us and our baby. Without her, it scares me to think how many things we would have been lacking. With her, we had expert guidance, all the best resources, and someone available 24/7 to help. Highest recommendation possible - and hope this review can help any to-be parents looking for the best expert to help bring their healthy baby into this world. read more

Susanna Napierala - Midwives Near Me

When my wife was in her last semester of medical school we found out we were pregnant, only three months after our wedding. To us as doctors, safety and kindness during a birth are essential for all women. This led us to choose Susanna as our midwife. We want to say Susanna Napierala was a blessing for us. We met her over the phone when we were outside of the States. We found her through her website and when we first talked we connected immediately. Susanna cared for my wife when she arrived to California and during the rest of the pregnancy. She supported us medically and emotionally in a very vulnerable period of our lives. I always felt included in every consult and at the birth of our dear Michelangelo despite being unable to travel to California at that time. This midwife has such a strong spiritual aura that she shared with all the family, which made us confident about what was to come. This was especially important for my wife's mother, an experienced physician, who opened her home and heart to host the birth. Susanna is very professional and skilled. During childbirth my wife had a complication but the midwife remained calm and worked efficiently at all times. Fortunately, everything went well. Today we feel so grateful to call Susanna our midwife, and now, close family friend. We recommend Susanna Napierala without reservation to all parents hoping for a home birth. Mira, Lázaro & baby Michelangelo read more

Susanna met with us in our home for our initial interview, was gracious and patient with us as we made our selection of midwife, and was clear and direct in answering all our questions and concerns. As she continued to provide us care our relationship grew and now a month out from my birth I continue to feel supported by not only an experienced provider but someone I am happy to call a friend. She has been kind and responsive in addressing our concerns, continues to prioritize our experience, and our birth was nothing short of amazing because of her support. I switched to midwifery care at 20 weeks and there is no doubt in my mind that my pregnancy and delivery were more calm and comfortable because of Susanna's care, guidance and support. read more

Susanna was my midwife for the birth of my daughter 7-8-2017. She was amazing! We started early with her in the pregnancy, and she had an answer for everything, every time we had a question. She was available all the time within reason. When in doubt, we just called the midwife! If you have any questions about her practices, I would be happy to answer any questions. Frankly, this review does not do her justice, but my daughter is 4 days old and I'm still in shock about how amazing the experience was with her. read more

Susanna was my midwife for the home birth of my daughter on 7/8/17. We began receiving prenatal services from her when I was 6 weeks pregnant. She provided wholistic, comprehensive prenatal care. We monthly until the 8th month, then biweekly, then weekly from the 9th month until delivery. I received prenatal care through an OBGYN tandem to her care and the services Susanna provided were leaps and bounds more wrap around, inclusive, and encompassing. Her visits were often more than an hour. She would spend ample time evaluating to deeply understand the current condition and would provide homeopathic suggestions to concerns. She was highly accessible by phone whenever we needed anything; would provide a compassionate ear and thoughtful advice. Being that this was my first pregnancy/child, it was wonderful to have someone like Susanna to guide me through the process. The day of the birth, Susanna was exactly the support I needed. When I felt the pain was too great and was doubting my body and my ability to give birth, she talked to me just in the way I needed, connected with me empathically, and used touch/guided imagery to help me relax and let go. I don't know how I would have gotten through the process without her. Following birth, she continue follow up visits to monitor my healing and assess the wellbeing of my baby. I would highly recommend Susanna to anyone who is interested in perusing home birth. The experience was completely life changing. read more

I can't imagine a better person to help us bring our baby into the world than Susanna. She is a wonderful person and a very knowledgeable, skillful midwife, with decades of experience and a very good record. She is always so kind and loving, so personal with her care, yet so professional and thorough. My wife and I came to love her as part of the family when she helped us with our first baby, so we just had to have her as our midwife for our second baby as well. She is low key and not overbearing at all, always listens very attentively, but she also can take control of a situation no problem when necessary. Such strength and such delicacy are rarely found in one person. My wife always felt comfortable (as comfortable as possible in such a situation!) knowing that Susanna knew exactly what she was doing. It allowed her to relax and place herself in Susanna's hands during labor. I highly recommend this lovely woman to any expecting moms/couples. Two of the greatest days of my life were with Susanna, and for that I will always love and remember her. read more

Susanna is an absolutely amazing person and the care that I received from her before, during and after my pregnancy was outstanding. The time, engergy and love that Susanna puts forth for her expectant mothers and their families is unsurpassable. I grateful everyday that we were lucky enough to have her help us bring our child into the world. read more

Susana Napierala Midwifery Overall: Susanna offers the most extensive care I have ever received from any other care provider or midwife (I have 2 other children, and my third baby was born with Susanna). It was my best birth and postpartum experience ever, and I attribute all of that to the outstanding care given by Susanna. She is a true master midwife with loads of expertise, advice, and passion for her clients. I can only hope that all expecting mothers could get the type of care and birth experiences that Susanna has delivered me. Even as I write this review, I am overcome by the emotions and nostalgia around our visits, and my baby's extraordinary home water birth. It couldn't have worked out any better than it did and that is owed in large part to Susanna. Prenatal Care: Each of our prenatal home visits took about 2-2 1/2 hours, which I really looked forward to. Most of this time was spent getting to know each other, my family, my own individual concerns (no matter how small) and my birth plans. Susanna took every one of my concerns to heart, and offered her own in-depth knowledge of medical and homeopathic remedies. Susanna made me feel very comfortable with my decision to have a homebirth while truly understanding my position to take any necessary medical attention if needed; this I appreciated very much. She provided very thorough customized care and considered my whole body and being in the process. She helped my husband and I setup everything for our home water birth. Birth: Susanna and her backup midwife were a great team for my birth, as both of them complimented each other very well. Susanna coached and comforted me through each contraction and encouraged my husband to do the same. She let me take charge of my birth and allowed me to move freely in and out of the tub and around my home as I wished. She trusted my intuition and allowed me to push when I felt the need. Through her ongoing support and prenatal care, I was able to have the most incredible home water birth imaginable. I was able to catch my very own daughter as she entered the world! There are no other words to describe the emotions that flooded my soul, my being! She was instrumental in my birth, and I couldn't have ever dreamt of a better birth experience. Postnatal/ Postpartum: Susanna encouraged me to come up with a postpartum plan for my older children's and mine' care before my baby was born. She really stressed that I should not take on too much too soon after my birth, and that I really slow down and bond with my baby. Once my daughter was born, Susanna made frequent home visits to check on both of us. She called me almost everyday for the first few weeks to make sure I was doing all right, both physically and emotionally. She really emphasized the need for extra support at home to help aid with my smooth recovery. She gave unmatched lactation assistance with her wisdom around herbal lactation aides and really giving myself time to rest and heal; for the first time, even though I had two previous births, I was finally able to have a great milk supply and fully feed my baby without supplementing with formula. This has been a huge achievement for me, and I am very proud of myself for sticking with Susanna's advice and having her as my midwife. read more

I cannot recommend Susanna Napierala enough! Susanna is as wise as she is kind. There are not enough good things I can say about her and the experiences I have had with her as my midwife, for BOTH of my children. I lucked out finding her when I was pregnant with my first, and insisted that she be my midwife for my second. She is thorough with the prenatal visits and I much preferred her prenatal visits vs the hospitals (I did tandem care while pregnant, by choice). During both pre and post natal she is available 24 hours a day, and genuinely loves to hear from you at any time of day. She listens to your desires for labor/birth and truly is your guiding voice during labor. Her knowledge and wisdom during labor really puts you at ease, you never have to question the next step, as she is with you the whole time. With that said, she allows space when needed and steps in when needed, I never felt like her presence was too much, at any point in time; she knew when to give space. Your health, mental wellness, and best labor possible is in her best interest. She is objective and informative throughout pregnancy and goes over any questions or options you may have. She never judges you based on your decisions and just wants to provide you and your baby the best care. Her new born care and post natal visits are extremely thorough and she focuses on the mother just as much as she focuses on the baby. Susanna has become family, and our friendship is truly one that I cherish - I would recommend her to anyone considering a home birth! read more