Kirsten Lane, Jharna Harvey-Ahmai and Kristen Bernard
Family-Centered Homebirth Midwives
River Valley Midwives embraces birth as a normal process
in a woman's life, working with each family individually to build trust
in a woman's ability to give birth naturally.
We are a team of three experienced midwives who have
attended home births, water births and VBACs (vaginal birth after
cesarean) collectively for more than 25 years. Together we have assisted
more than 1500 women and their families welcome their new babies into
the world.
Based in Western Massachusetts, River Valley Midwives serve
families choosing to birth at home in the Northampton, Amherst,
Springfield, and Greenfield areas as well as the surrounding communities
of the Hilltowns, Berkshires, parts of central Massachusetts and
northern Connecticut. We are willing to travel up to 1.25 hours from our office in Northampton, so if you are not sure if we cover your area, please call 413-256-6166 or email (see below) us to find out.
Midwife mean “with women” and we dedicate
ourselves to this definition in all that we do to support natural,
family-centered and gentle care during pregnancy, birth and postpartum.
To truly be "with women" - the very essence of midwifery - we know that
families deserve the benefit of both skilled care and sensitive
attention to all aspects of welcoming a new child. Our roles as your
midwives can take many forms. We advise. We inform. We guide. We
observe. We reassure. And while we are trained to rescue, we very rarely
need to. We listen to your concerns and problems, feel your growing
belly and baby, wipe your tired brow in labor and eventually gaze with
you at your newborn nursing in your arms. As homebirth midwives, we
honor the physiological, emotional, spiritual, sexual and cultural
aspects of the birthing process.
For more information about us please visit our website at www.rivervalleymidwives.com or email us at rivervalleymidwives@gmail.com