Testimonial for Martha Girard
Part 1: Planning a home birth? Read this! 9/25/21 was my second birthing experience with Martha. After my first birth (see review posted on 8/4/19), my husband and I knew we were going to hire Martha again for our second birth. We decided to do a home-birth this time, and my #1 goal was to stay out of the hospital. I initially contacted Martha for any Midwife recommendations in my area, and she gave me 3-4 recommendations, which helped to narrow down my search. I already knew the type of birth and prenatal experience I wanted (no interventions, declining pretty much everything- I had my hemoglobin checked and that was it). The Midwife used the fetoscope during office visits to listen to baby's heartbeat. I didn't want any dopplers, but the Midwife said she needed to use one during the birth in order to effectively do her job- in the end it didn't matter, keep reading to find out why! Martha is always supportive of one's decisions, without judgement. She encourages you to make the best decisions for you, and to follow your instincts.
When my labor started, I was 1 week post due date. That night when I felt things were progressing, I called Martha and the Midwife at the same time. After a short description of how I was feeling, Martha was on her way without hesitation. The Midwife suggested I wait until contractions were consistently 5 minutes apart and lasting at least 1 minute long (this is standard). Up until that point I had some really strong and longer contractions, followed by some shorter and weaker ones, so things weren't consistent. Martha later told me she doesn't follow those "rules" for contractions, because every woman and every birth is different, and basically you never know what might happen during a birth. See part 2...
-Kaylin
November 10, 2021
Martha Girard
Birthkeeper Martha
Birth Fee: $2700 to $3000
Postpartum Rate: Not specified
