I’m Stephanie with Gentle Birthing, and my interest in birth work was awakened the day my first child was born in 2010 at home, surrounded by our midwife and birthing team. It was at that point I realized that more women need to know their birthing options. We had 4 more home water births in South Carolina before returning to Southeast Michigan where we welcomed our 6th child at home in 2020.
I enjoy learning about the physiology of pregnancy and the process of giving birth and am fascinated with all the different natural coping techniques for pain management. With each of my own births, I implemented something new I had learned along the way. I have personally found relief through water birthing and bringing my own baby up out of the water to my chest was exhilarating! I hope to support expecting mothers in the ways I have received encouragement and support from the birth workers in my life. Their support changed the way I thought about birth and what I was capable of doing. There is so much truth to what Penny Simkin said: “I want people to appreciate how well their bodies are designed to give birth. Every cell in your body knows how.”
