Is Homebirth Right for You?

2021: Kelly is currently retired and not available for births. You will still find great info and resources on this site, so read on…

the moment of birth

the delicious newborn baby’s head

Nursing a newborn is so lovely

If you are pregnant or thinking about becoming pregnant, choosing a care provider is one of the most important items on your To Do list. In Santa Cruz County, we are blessed to have a variety of options for prenatal and birth care. One important option to explore is homebirth with a midwife.

As a licensed midwife, I provide prenatal, birth, and postpartum care for healthy women who are planning to have their babies in the comfort and privacy of their own home. Water birth is a welcome option with me. If you’re interested in reading some birth stories, grab a cup of tea and enjoy! If you’re curious what life for a midwife retired from active practice is like, you can follow me on Instagram. Older posts will be much more midwife and birth related.

For healthy women, homebirth with a licensed midwife has been clearly demonstrated to be as safe as hospital birth. In many ways, it can be a safer option, particularly regarding avoidance of unnecessary medications, episiotomy, and cesarean section. If you’re interested in the safety of homebirth, click here. If you like research about homebirth, I’ve got you covered. Looking for resources for homebirth in Santa Cruz? Try this page!

Homebirth with a midwife is not the right choice for every woman. But if you’re curious if it could be right for you, get in touch for a complimentary interview. Also be sure to check out what clients have to say about my care. Even more reviews can be found on my Yelp page.

All photos used with permission.

It’s taken me 5 months to write this review; not because I didn’t want to or because I didn’t think Kelly was deserving but because she is such a wonderful person and midwife that it’s been challenging to find the words worthy enough.

My husband and I went into our interview with Kelly knowing that a home birth was what we wanted to welcome our first baby; however we went in feeling a bit overwhelmed not knowing if we were asking the right questions or being thorough enough. From the moment we took a seat, a sense of comfort and ease came over us. Her warm down-to-earth presence immediately brought comfort. She allowed us to ask our questions and voice our concerns but guided and filled in where we may have left blanks. We knew that she would be the midwife we wanted and needed by our side throughout our pregnancy and delivery. To cover our bases, we did interview a couple of other midwives but kept finding ourselves returning to Kelly.

Throughout our entire pregnancy Kelly was attentive, supportive and extremely knowledgeable. She was proactive in our care, always explaining and discussing all options that were available (we had to overcome a breech baby and anemia). During all prenatal appointments Kelly was extremely professional yet maintained her fun approachable personality.

We had a challenging delivery but with Kelly’s guidance, professionalism, and expertise we were able to welcome our sweet baby boy in the comfort of our home. Kelly did propose “plan B’ options throughout the challenging part of our delivery. We appreciated her remaining realistic and grounded incase an alternative route was needed. Through a ‘power hour’ of a warm shower and chicken soup, a baby was brought earth side… and for that, I will forever be grateful for Kelly.

We cannot recommend Kelly enough. We are not allowed to leave Santa Cruz until all babies are born under the care of Kelly. Perk: Kelly has fruit trees… if they’re fruiting, you’ll be gifted delicious apples, figs and plums until your heart’s content.

Kelly you’re something special! Keep doing what you’re doing… us mamas are thankful. ~~AC, vi Yelp (in reviews not currently recommended by them)

Heart’s Content

Kelly Olmstead is an exceptional Midwife! I treasure the time I spent under her care, safely discussing my pregnancy and wishes for my daughters birth, while I sat on her comfy couch. She is extremely knowledgeable, thoughtful, and caring. I recommend her wholeheartedly and hope that every mama gets to have as wonderful of care as I had with Kelly. ~Sarah