Birth Experiences
Browse the experiences shared by some of the amazing women and families I've been blessed and honored to work with. All experiences and photos shared with permission.
**References are available upon request if you would like to talk with some families I've served.**
Joanna
I have four beautiful children, and all of them were home births with Joy! I have to say that having the experience of laboring and birthing at home was such a huge blessing! It was so important to me that I was in an environment where I felt comfortable and supported during my birthing process, but also had access to medical intervention should it be needed. I also really valued the assurance Joy gave that if there were any warning signs of something wrong or if I ever got uncomfortable with being at home, that a transfer to the hospital would be top priority.
Joy provided the best of care in all aspects of the birth. She was very informative during each pregnancy and answered any questions I had. She was present, encouraging and supportive during the labor and honored our wish for my husband to be able to catch the babies if possible. He was able to catch all four and he says that was one of the most amazing things he has ever done!
My last birth was very hard for me and I did not progress quickly or easily in labor. Joy was patient and willing to let me labor as I wished but also had some very good suggestions as to different positions and ways to help my labor progress. In the end it worked and I was able to fully dilate and have a successful water birth.
After each birth I was given an hour or more of immediate skin to skin time with my babies to breastfeed and bond before the newborn assessments and weight checks were done. Postpartum care was well established with both phone calls and follow up weight checks where I never even had to leave the home! Joy is a wonderful midwife and I would highly recommend her to anyone who is looking to have a home-birth experience!
Joanna
Los Lunas NM - 2015, 2017, 2019 and 2022
Harriette & Baby "Tally"
When I found out I was pregnant, I knew I wanted a home birth. Joy came highly recommended by another midwife in the area, and after an initial consultation we decided that we would love to work with Joy.
Joy was such an amazing person to work with during my pregnancy, she had such an aura of calmness and I always looked forward to our appointments at home. She was incredibly reassuring and supportive throughout, and constantly reinforced her belief that I could easily give birth how I wanted, at home. The birth was honestly, one of my favourite moments of my life, I absolutely loved it. Joy allowed me to birth how I wanted and only stepped in when I wanted her to. Taliesin, my son, was born at home and swam out into the pool, where I was able to catch him. It was the perfect birth.
Having Joy come visit over the following 6 weeks was so important to me, when I was choosing a midwife. With my first son, the constant check ups at the doctors office, really made the nesting, breastfeeding and the postpartum period very difficult for me. Having all the newborn care done at the house made those first 6 weeks so much easier, and so the newborn phase was just a dream. I fee so lucky to have been able to have Joy as our midwife, and highly recommend her to anyone else. Thank you!
Harriette
Albuquerque - May 2022
Zoe & Baby Boy
Even before I found out I was pregnant, I knew I wanted to give birth outside of a hospital setting. I live in Atlanta and was planning on giving birth in a birth center there, but plans changed and I decided I wanted to come home to Albuquerque to deliver. I immediately switched my mindset from wanting to give birth at a birthing center, to wanting to give birth in the place I grew up; my home. I immediately started looking at home birth midwives and that’s where I found Joy. I was drawn to her because of her nursing background and liked the idea of having someone closer to my age. She was always very attentive and thorough in her explanations at all of our appointments and was always there to answer any questions I had, very helpful for a first time mom. I also appreciated how open and understanding she was when it came to my delivery wishes. I felt like I was able to voice my opinion and that it was actually being respected.
When it came time for me to deliver, Joy was very present and comforting when needed, but was also hands off and allowed me to navigate through surges with my Husband and Parents. I ended up having issues dilating completely due to a cervical lip, which Joy calmly explained to me and helped me get through. It wasn’t until I did more research later that I realized how my birth may have ended in a C-section if I was delivering in a hospital. I am very thankful for the knowledge and professionalism she had the entire day. Even more so, she took time once I delivered my 9 lb 6 oz baby to provide a detailed examination of us, which included giving me stitches. I never once felt unsure or unsafe with my decision to have a home birth even after 20 hours of labor and I attribute a lot of that to Joy and how prepared I felt based on our appointments. I would definitely recommend Joy to anyone wanting to have a home birth.
Zoe
Albuquerque - June 2021
1st Time Grandma
I am the first time Grandma of one of Joy’s success stories!!!
I had three natural births myself and was very proud of my daughter for electing to have a natural birth. However, I must admit, I was a little reluctant and had great concern for a water birth in my living room. I was a medic for my career and knew how things could go from good to bad to really bad quickly. (News flash of an overprotective mom: I had a rescue crew on standby…)
I have never been more impressed with a nurse/midwife! Joy was a true JOY! My daughter’s labor was over 20 hours and Joy was here for the majority of it. I know at one point, there was a time to possibly think of making our way to the hospital when my daughter was having such a difficult time progressing but Joy was calm, cool, and collected. She never gave any indication of worry or emergency or urgency. She coached my daughter the whole way through and never gave any of us in the room any reason for doubt or concern.
Joy was not only professional but comforting and compassionate. My grandson is 8 days old and Joy follows up every few days to see how he and the new mama are doing. She has been attentive to my daughter’s concerns regarding nursing and other new-mom questions.
I highly recommend Joy! And THANK YOU JOY!
1st Time Grandma
Albuquerque - June 2021
Katie & Baby Everleigh Grace
I work as a registered nurse on a postpartum unit and I had never even considered a home birth before. What I have previously experienced with home-birth has not been positive. I have only ever seen what can go wrong.
But I have had three previous unmedicated hospital births and was preparing for a fourth. When the whole world was suddenly turned upside down. In an instant I wasn’t going to be able to have my husband or my mother by my side during the delivery like I had always had previously. I was going to be isolated and I was going to have to wear a mask during a time of intense pain and discomfort. I wasn’t going to be able to have my kids and my family there to support me and help to welcome the newest little member. None of it felt right and I just didn’t want this to be our story. It was enough for me to start asking questions. To start looking into other options. And the advice I received from all of my providers was that I was an excellent candidate for a home-birth.
And that’s when a friend put me in touch with Joy and there was no looking back. What a difference! I honestly could never go back now. The prenatal care was excellent. Joy spent a lot of time talking with us answering our many questions, putting our minds at ease. I loved having the visits right at my house with my children and my husband there and involved. I felt so comfortable and like we mattered. It wasn’t just business anymore. We were developing a relationship and building trust along the way towards the end goal of her helping me through natural childbirth.
As we got closer she was available anytime I called or texted even just for some reassurance if that’s what I needed. When I went into labor she came as soon as I requested. Our actual birth experience was absolutely amazing and unlike any of our other ones. Joy really let me listen to my body and allowed me to just do what felt comfortable. And we got to be surrounded by our family and our older children instead of in isolation. I was so comfortable and at peace. It was our quickest delivery to date and I think my mindset was probably part of it. It’s surely an experience I will never forget.
I was so thankful that we were put in touch with Joy and that we were brave enough to go through with it in the end. My husband kept saying how nice it was to be able to just be home and be in our own space afterwards and not have so much poking and prodding. We are seasoned parents and yet every baby is still so different and it was nice to have someone that took my thoughts into consideration with her plan of care and gave me her recommendations, but ultimately allowed me to make the final decisions.
We would definitely do it again.
Katie
Los Lunas - May 2021
Lauren & Baby Serene
"My husband and I chose to hire Joy as our midwife to attend the birth of our 6th child and what would hopefully be our first home birth.
Joy was extremely thorough and attentive during all my prenatal visits. She even allowed me to have our younger children at the visits and was intentional to include them in each appointment. Having Joy as my midwife was my second experience using a midwife in a pregnancy. I loved the attention she gave. She kept excellent records and was very organized.
At the time my water broke I was 4 days past my projected due date and Joy and her nurse assistant, Joanna arrived quickly! Joy had been In touch with me daily. She did routine blood pressure and temperature checks. She always replied in a timely manner to all my questions.
Unfortunately, my contractions were not beginning on their own after my water broke. Joy helped me and encouraged me in different natural methods to encourage labor, and after a night of stimulating contractions, my cervix still wasn’t dilating. Joy was open to anything my husband and I wanted to do. I never felt pressured to do anything I didn’t want to do. She was very proactive and attentive.
After being awake all night together, We all agreed that it would be best to transfer to the hospital for a possible induction. Joy was very understanding and drove behind us to the hospital. Unfortunately because of the hospital’s health rules at the time, she wasn’t able to come up with my husband and I to the Labor and Delivery Ward.
The hospital transfer was extremely smooth and the nurses were very encouraging. Within a few hours, I was able to deliver our healthy, beautiful daughter.
Joy’s postnatal support was wonderful. She came to my home multiple times after the birth to check on my daughter and I. She did complete well checks and kept great pediatric records. I was so thankful that she came to us. Especially in those postpartum weeks.
I highly recommend Joy, she’s very knowledgeable in birth. I still pray that I may get to have a home birth someday and I will absolutely call Joy to be my midwife."
Lauren
Edgewood - Dec. 2020
Jeff, Juae, & Baby Callan
My husband was adamant: for our first child we were going to have a hospital birth. He didn’t know what to expect and wanted the assurance that a giant institution with all its support staff, doctors, exams, nurses ect. affords.
Then Covid happened and we learned that there was a good chance they would separate us during delivery and even quarantine our child at the merest possibility of infection. That was enough to change his mind and we decided to pursue a home birth.
We were referred to Joy through a connection of our Bradley Birth coach. We liked that she had experience in hospital births as a labor and delivery nurse, experience in home births as a midwife, and her own experience as a mother of 3. She sounded kind on the phone so we met her and it was an easy decision from there. Right away she put us at ease with her warm and friendly nature.
The transition from the hospital/doctor to her care was seamless; she took care of arranging my prenatal tests and screenings. She answered our many many questions with a depth of knowledge clearly won from her extensive experience. Throughout the whole pregnancy she was just a text away. As my due date approached, she checked in often. Then the big day came. It started as many of my prior false labors had but this one lasted longer. As with those prior false labors Joy checked in regularly by text to see how I was doing.
The labor started in earnest at 11 pm. I woke my husband, “I think this is it”, I texted Joy and she shot over to our house. She found me standing naked in the shower, modesty discarded with my clothes, and my husband scrambling around to get the birthing pool ready in between coaching me through contractions.
Joy took charge, checked my vitals, and helped me to a better position. Things progressed quickly from there and before I knew it I was in the pool pushing. Joy was warm, calm and in control the whole time. I felt safe with her, her sister (who was assisting) and my husband there.
Our son, Callan was born at 5 in the morning. My husband caught him and cut his cord. Exhausted, hungry, but very very happy we celebrated his birth with Joy and a McGriddle.
It should say a lot that immediately after this we knew we would always want a home birth with any future children and we would want Joy to be our midwife again.
Jeff and Juae
Albuquerque - July 2020