Nourish Midwifery & Take Root Home Insemination

If you are looking for a midwife, I know this is just a Unilocal review and we don’t know each other, but you must at least talk to Michelle and see if she is a good fit for you. Seriously, you would be lucky to have a midwife as capable, competent and lovely as Michelle. We cannot recommend Michelle’s midwifery services highly enough! We literally thank our lucky stars all the time that Michelle was our midwife. She provided amazing, gentle, very skilled care throughout our entire pregnancy, labor and delivery, and post-​partum.
We concurrently had an OBGYN during the pregnancy and all the doctor would do is take a few measurements and send us on our way. We never spent longer the 15 minutes with my doctor. Michelle, on the other hand would spend each appointment asking me questions to really understand what I was experiencing emotionally and physically giving her a clearer picture of my health and the health of my baby. She spent as much time as was needed for each appointment and I never felt rushed. She made really good recommendations on lifestyle and nutrition as well as recommending some herbal infusions that made a big difference for me in my pregnancy. She also visited more often than I saw my doctor and came to my home so that our appointments were always very comfortable. This was invaluable post-​partum as we didn’t have to worry about leaving our house with a very small newborn baby and I was also in no place to be leaving he house either. She came to see us much more than we would have ever seen a doctor in the early post-​partum weeks. And if anything came up or we had any questions, Michelle was there to answer them. This is an amazing asset for new parents. You have your own personal medical professional that is available day or night and when she needed to come see us, she did so, even when it was not the regularly scheduled visit.
Where Michelle really shined for us was during our labor and delivery. We ran into more than a few hiccups during the very long process and through it all Michelle was like a rock. She calmly and quietly stayed back until she needed to step in and each time did so with a grounded energy that helped us feel like things were going just as they should. Her medical knowledge and skillful execution were so apparent during this process. Michelle has a low hospital transfer rate and a low tear rate. All good news!
Again, I truly from the bottom of my heart recommend a thousand times over Michelle and Nourish Midwifery’s services. You will be so glad you chose her! We definitely are! Michelle is the BEST!

I highly command Michelle for her incredible talent at making me feel good, along a process that is made of so much emotions… When we started looking for a midwife, my husband and I met great people, yet Michelle was the only one we had a simple and clear connection with, right from the start: We knew we could trust her, and rely on her skills and experience when the time would come.
She took care of me from the 3^rd month, and it was always a great pleasure to meet with her. She always took all the time we needed, even though I had tons of questions for her!
I ended up at the hospital after that my blood pressure suddenly rose in my 35^th week, and had to have an emergency C-​section. I stayed there for a full week, and I would have gone crazy without Michelle’s reassuring smile and kindness! She stayed with us until 2 am on the evening of my admission, was there hours before and after my baby was born.
She checked up on us until my boy was six weeks old. She found me options to work with when my breastfeeding got complicated, and never pushed me into one direction or another, letting me decide for myself.
I guess what sums up the best Michelle as a midwife: Compassion, kindness, warmth, reactivity, knowledge, experience, women empowerment… Needless to say, we will definitely call Michelle for the next baby, can’t wait to work with her again !

I would give Nourish Midwifery all the stars I have if I could. Michelle provided our family excellent care for the birth of our first child in October 2014. She respected our wishes and intentions (and supported us through our process of developing them), and she responded to our constant barrage of questions with well-​presented information and patience. Not once did she ever make us feel rushed, condescended to, or that any question or concern was silly or unfounded. We were always impressed with the extent of her knowledge (medical and otherwise) and her ability to explain it to us, building upon and responding to what we already knew… or didn’t. When a question exceeded the limits of her role or training, she communicated so and often looked into it for us or suggested where we could find an answer. We were secure in her care knowing that our family and baby were well taken care of.
Michelle remained by our side and made us feel secure and supported through a nearly three day labor, even when we chose to transfer to the hospital in the end (even though, with her help, we tried everything to get labor going at home!). In the end we had the healthy, safe, empowering, and loving birth experience that we hoped for to welcome our little one into the world (even in the hospital, where she continued to stay by our side) and this was due in tremendous part to Michelle. And we enjoyed the process so much, thanks to midwifery and thanks to Michelle!
While part of finding a good fit in a midwife is about feel and personality and energy compatibility, I’m quite certain that Michelle could midwife just about anybody. She is knowledgeable, professional, personable, respectful, tender, passionate, reliable, compassionate, intuitive, thorough, funny, adaptable, flexible, and generous. (And not a single of these adjectives do I use lightly or without a specific reason in mind!) She also offers a plethora of resources and information as well as a large network of other birth workers and health care providers for referrals. What else could you ask for in a midwife? I would almost have another child just to work with her again. ;-)
P. S. Michelle is an excellent choice for queer families (like ours)!

So after the review I left prior to this one, I got a rather quick call back from Michelle who explained she had been with a couple of her patients the past several days. Which was okay! But she immediately was quick to refer me to other midwives without hearing about my story until I mentioned it after she suggested the referrals… Was it the bad review that bad enough that she didn’t want to help me?

Michelle was the midwife for my baby’s home birth and prenatal care. When I got pregnant and started researching home birth midwives, I was amazed and overwhelmed by the many options in the East Bay. Michelle was the first person my partner and I interviewed, and after meeting her we decided not to interview anyone else. She gave thoughtful answers to our many questions, and seemed both calm and experienced.
All prenatal visits took place at my house, and lasted an average of 45 minutes or so. I work in a busy health clinic where patients usually see their medical providers for 10 minutes, and it took me a while to realize that Michelle had time for longer visits and wanted me to give more than one-​sentence answers to questions like, «How are you feeling?» I’m someone who tends to think way ahead, and visits with her kept me grounded in the self-​care and learning that made sense for my current stage of pregnancy, without leaping forward to what was to come. Michelle drew blood for labwork at home, provided detailed nutrition suggestions, and was flexible about testing and procedures, including ultrasounds, etc.
I had a challenging home birth, and Michelle was at our house for 15+ hours, many of those accompanied by Andrea Ruizquez, another fantastic midwife. Throughout my exhausting labor, Michelle was calm and comforting, answering my questions while helping me stay in the present and not get ahead of myself. She made sure I stayed hydrated, tried many different labor positions, and ultimately gave birth to my baby at home despite the fact that he was in a challenging position that required several hours of pushing with oxygen and other support. I didn’t even notice when she was communicating with Andrea and our doula about these challenges, and her calm presence kept me from getting scared even at the hard moments
As others have said, the postpartum appointments were one of the best parts of Michelle’s care. She was at our house several times in the first week as well as at 2 and 6 weeks, checking our baby’s development and giving me exams and recommendations to support physical recovery. She encouraged me to focus on heavy-​duty rest for the first 6 weeks, and offered a lot of emotional support when I found myself crying in a visit because I was tired and overwhelmed.
Michelle was available 24 hours a day by phone for urgent issues during pregnancy and postpartum, and quick to respond to email for more minor questions. Side note: my Anthem Blue Cross PPO insurance (as a UC graduate student) paid for about 50% of the care from Michelle, thanks to her billing skills and partnership with Larsen Billing. I didn’t have to do any extra work to make this happen, and it made midwifery care much more affordable.
I am very grateful to have received this care from Michelle, and am inspired as a parent/​patient and as a health care worker by what she offers.

For homebirth midwives in the East Bay, it’s hard to believe you could better than Michelle. She did home pre– and postnatal visits, and was the primary midwife for our first son’s birth. Michelle is a sweet and friendly person, but utterly capable. She’s smart and full of wise advice, but truly gifted at keeping quiet most of the time and only speaking her mind when she really needs to. Aside from her technical skills, that might be what makes her a great midwife.
In the 14 or so hours she was at our house for the birth, I never saw the slightest sign that she was tired – her quiet strength just keeps on going. Things got tricky at the end of labor, but we always felt safe and confident that we were in good hands. I’m normally someone who asks doctors a million questions and kind of doubts the answers they’re giving me, but I had total trust in Michelle – half because I knew she understood us and would keep our preferences in mind, and half just intuitively.
Having Michelle come to our house for postnatal visits was also great. Those first few days or weeks are so hard and so rarely mentioned when folks are planning their perfect births, and so it was hugely comforting to have her continuing to take care of my family in that moment.

For our second kid, my partner and I decided to do a home birth. When interviewing midwives, a friend gave me fantastic advice — most midwives are gonna be pros at what they do, but make sure to pick one that you’d want to have coffee with. After our initial interview with Michelle, I immediately knew I wanted her on my team. She is truly amazing at what she does, incredibly knowledgeable, and has a cool calmness and quick wit that put me instantly at ease. And the in-​home prenatal visit were so convenient and a great way for our whole family to get to know and bond with her. This was especially important to me, as my toddler was going to be around during the birth. Michelle always made sure to include my daughter in the appointments, letting her «help» take my blood pressure or listen to the baby’s heartbeat.
At about 27 weeks, I wound up getting myself good and dehydrated and had a bit of a scare. I was in Arizona and having pretty strong, incredibly frequent contractions at my brother’s wedding reception. I called Michelle in a panic from the parking lot, terrified that either the baby was coming or that I was going to be put on bedrest in Phoenix, away from my existing little brood. Michelle’s calm, but very clear and firm instructions took me away from the reception, but got my stress, hydration, and uterus under control. For someone that had a traditional hospital birth the first time around, the fact that I could immediately call Michelle on her cell and get that kind of remote hand-​holding was mind-​boggling.
Without sounding like a hippie — the birth itself was really powerful and felt like such a team effort. Michelle, her assist midwife — Andrea Ruizquez — and my husband were freaking rockstars. I was so impressed by how well everyone supported me, my toddler, and our new little dude. And the postnatal care. Yes, she helped me get through the physical recovery, but more importantly, she always made me feel safe and supported when I found myself in a momentary hormonal/​exhaustion-​fueled freak out.
I am so incredibly grateful that we worked with Michelle, and would do it again in a heartbeat. If you’re considering a home birth in the Bay Area you should be calling her already.

From the first day I met Michelle I felt an instant connection. She felt like a true sister who understood my desire for a home birth. Throughout my pregnancy she gave me and my husband positive support. We always looked forward to seeing her.
When the day came for our little guy to arrive Michelle came hours before she needed to and encouraged me throughout my labour. During the hardest part when I started to feel exhausted and about to give up she coached me through it and our little miracle baby boy was born at home as we had envisioned.
I had to be transported to the hospital when my placenta didn’t deliver and I thought that Michelle handled it very professionally and so that I remained calm. She stayed by my side the whole 8 hours.
The post natal visits were where I really felt we got the most out of our time with Michelle. She always arrived on time and stayed as long as we needed her. She was amazing moral support.
When the time came for us to go our separate ways my heart was sad but I knew I had gained a friend for life and if we ever decide to conceive again she’ll be the first one we call!

I cannot recommend Michelle enough for any woman needing support with becoming pregnant. She was incredibly supportive, responsive, and genuinely interested in my progress and outcomes at every step of the way. I was so touched with her unwavering commitment to helping me conceive. She validated my longing to be a mother, even though I am single, and helped allay my doubts. She is not only a skilled and capable midwife, but felt as warm and lovely as trusted friend. My at-​home insemination experiences were simple, comfortable, sweet, funny, and intensely connecting. I even got to push the plunger of sperm into my utuerus! Now that I know I’m expecting, I love to joke that I really, truly, knocked myself up. I have heard so many stories of clinical, cold IUIs in doctor’s offices, and with Michelle, I was able to create the sacred, fun experience I wanted to have from the moment I decided to become a single mom. I will be forever grateful for her involvement in this life-​changing journey. (Michelle is also VERY affordable based on my research!)