Birth Stories

Susanna arrived and checked me and we were delighted to find that I was 9 cm dilated and it was almost time to push! She said to my mom "you're going to be here for the birth" my mom asked if I wanted her to stay and I said yes, I needed her. I got in the tub and the water was still pretty cold but not so bad considering it was July and it was heating up outside.

Susanna talked to me just in the way I needed to get me through that inner struggle. She used a firm but kind tone with me. She shared her birth story with me, which helped me to stop judging myself for my feelings and soothed my emotional struggle dealing with the pain. She walked me through guided imagery. Both of these interventions helped me calm down and placed me in a mindset that gave me energy to complete my birth.

Everything about Leoni was mysterious from the start. She was a surprise baby in every way. I didn’t even do a test until I was two weeks late on my period as I was “convinced” I was not pregnant. Her energy was so subtle and sweet right from the get-go.

Just want to put out there a recommendation for our wonderful homebirth midwife Susanna Napierala. Susanna was amazing for us on many levels. She has over 3 decades of experience helping moms deliver babies at home.

I would love to recommend most highly our wonderful homebirth midwife Susanna Napierala. Susanna has been an integral part of the births of both of our beautiful children. We have learned so much from her vast amount of experience as a pioneer bringing waterbirths to the U.S. Our first child was supposed to be a homebirth, but our boy came just a bit too early. Susanna had prepared us well beforehand, getting to know us and allowing us to get to know her.

When my wife was in her last semester of medical school we found out we were pregnant, only three months after our wedding. To us as doctors, safety and kindness during a birth are essential for all women. This led us to choose Susanna as our midwife.

As I spoke with Susanna on the phone I immediately felt at ease and knew in my heart that she would be with me through every stage of my pregnancy.

I can't express in words how thankful I am that I was able to have such a wonderful midwife take care of me through my pregnancy, birth, and post-care. Susanna is exceptional at making one feel well taken care of. She is attentive, accessible, and hard-working.

At some point, Susanna told me to feel the head.  I reached down and felt a soft hairy head