NOVA Natural Birth Center | Health & Beauty

I am forever grateful to Peggy, Kelly, Marina, and Nikki, for doing what they do every day for women. They were so professional and caring. THIS is how babies are meant to be born.  Emily W.

Peggy, Kelly, Miriam, and all the other midwives at the birth center are amazing ladies. We were so blessed and privileged to have access to their care. Their wisdom, knowledge, efficiency, patience, support, and passion for what they do helped make our daughter's birth a true joy.  Jessica D.

We love our Midwives at NOVA Natural Birth Center!! We would use them over and over in a heartbeat, and here's just a few reasons why:1. They care about us; they love us. When I first called them at 5 weeks pregnant to set up an appointment, the receptionist shouted with joy like she found out her own sister was expecting, even though I had never even stepped foot in their office. Their warm hugs, unexpected phone calls just checking in, prayers, and kind encouragement meant so much to us. We truly know they wanted our best.  They celebrated highs with us, and guided us through some low points. We felt special and loved by them, knowing they constantly had our backs and would do anything to help us. Kurt said it best: "I loved that they loved you and William."2. You get lots of time with a midwife. Every appointment (prenatal and postnatal) was an hour long. No quick 10-15 minute check ups here! :) All that time was used by them asking me questions, me asking them questions, and doing thorough baby/mama health checks. We really got to know each other beyond a name on paper, and that formed a deep trust that was super necessary come birth day. And on the day of birth, there is no pressure to hurry it up... they will stay with you for days if necessary.3. They respect your body. It was never assumed that I would get internal exams, or that they could just stick their hand up there to check the status of things willy-nilly. All those decisions were left to me and Kurt. If we didn't invite them "down there," they wouldn't go there. That is very important to me, and left me with my dignity. During the birth process, all decisions about what would be done to my body or put in my body was up to me and Kurt. Midwives understand that a woman's body is a sacred thing, and deserves respect at all times.4. They push you to be better and healthier. At each appointment, I would bring in a food diary of everything I ate since the last appointment. They would check it over and tell me things I needed to change. Honestly, sometimes I hated that part because I knew they would find something I could do better. (leafy greens and vegetables... my achilles heel!) But now, seeing the health of both myself and William, I am grateful they constantly pushed me to cut the junk and work very hard to get more of the good into my body and my baby.5. They check for the root of the problem, and don't just offer a band-aid. Since midwives can't prescribe drugs in VA, they seek to solve the core problem, not just make symptoms go away. They can't cover up the discomfort of the issue, so they have to remedy the heart of the problem. (An added benefit of this is that their solutions are natural, holistic and easily accepted by the body.) For example, I was GBS positive throughout pregnancy. Instead of suggesting antibiotics during birth and leaving it at that, they recommended changing diet and forming better habits to have a healthy GI tract, attacking the GBS where it began.6. They are positive and chill. They don't assume something will go wrong. Instead of thinking of pregnancy as something that could blow up at any time, they trust the process, God, and the baby, and are willing to wait things out. If something looked off, we would look into it of course. But they didn't get flustered or immediately think we were doomed. And thankfully, although my pregnancy wasn't complication-free, everything worked itself out. Their confidence in my body gave us confidence.7. They let you make your own decisions. We were presented with the research and stats on various options during our pregnancy, and then they let us decide what to do. When we needed help making a decision, we would ask for their input and they'd step in. But the hard work of educating ourselves was part of the deal; it was our responsibility. This helped us a learn a lot about various options in maternity care, the pros and cons of various tests, and the place of interventions. We never felt forced or coerced, and each decision about our baby was our own, with their careful guidance and oversight.8. They have the best bedside manner come birth day! I remember during the throes of intense labor, our midwife got to our house and sweetly kissed my hand to let me know she was with me. Even though I was deeply in labor land, that stuck out to me and calmed me. Both midwives present at William's birth were perfectly calm even though I was... well... not. ;) They had a sense of humor at the necessary times, and stayed back to let my body do its thing. It was awesome. Their confidence and warmth got us through a successful birth!9. They have deep faith. Not every midwife believes in God, of course. But praise the Lord, to our knowledge most at our practice do! It was such a relief to be able to say, "we're praying about what to do and trusting God" when making hard decisions and hear them agree that prayer is the best thing you can do. Knowing we all trusted God together throughout this whole process gave such peace and unity.  Reason #10: They're witty :)There's lots of fantastic midwives out there, but obviously we know our midwives best:http://novabirthcenter.com  They do home birth, birth center births, VBAC's, water births, have an in-house chiropractor and massage therapist, host tons of pregnancy/birth-related events, and offer free prenatal yoga classes. So check 'em out, yo!I feel like we could write a bajillion posts on midwives and midwifery and sing their praises 'til kingdom come. But we'll take a chill pill and leave it at this (for now). :) If you're interested in using a midwife, check them out!