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I wanted to let you wonderful women know you are always on my mind and in my heart, I will forever be grateful for each of you. I have gained so much insight and wisdom from each one of you. Thank you for walking with me through this wonderful and crazy journey I have taken into motherhood. Thank you for allowing me to be open and raw during one of the most vulnerable times of my life. Thank you for being honest with me, even when I hoped you would say I didn’t need to push and I could just wait a moment ;). I am sure you have all heard this numerous times before, but I don’t think it could be said enough. Thank you! The birth of my two wonderful kiddos has been the most empowering experience and I know you women have aided in that. Can’t wait to go through it all again and I am optimistic it will be with you again. I hope everyone’s thanksgiving was filled with as much warmth and love as you all deserve.
My lap after nap, filled with so much love and innocence.
Love and hugs,
~ Rachel
Brooke and Sunshine are amazing, and we are so thrilled that we chose them as our midwifery team! Prenatal visits with them are relaxed and informative, and we always felt they had enough time for all our questions and concerns. They tailored their care to exactly what we wanted and needed from them, and made me feel very safe which was important to me since this was my first pregnancy. It is so nice to go to prenatal visits and work with someone that is genuinely glad to see you and truly cares about how you’re doing – I have seldom been able to say that about any OB I’ve seen in the past! Throughout our labor and birth they provided excellent and skilled care, and even when my labor threw us some curve-balls and wasn’t progressing quickly, they provided all the information and guidance we needed so that my husband and I could ultimately make the decisions that felt right for us – and finally we did get the beautiful water birth at home that we’d been dreaming of all those months. We are eternally grateful to them for helping us get there – and allowing us to welcome our son into the world in the best way we could!
All our love,
~ Katie, Arash, and Fletcher Bauer
We picked Brooke and Sunshine to be our midwives because we felt that they made a good team, had years of experience, and were respected within the birthing community. We also liked that Brooke was a Certified Nurse Midwife, and had hospital experience. Plus, they always made us feel at ease with questions we had, and they made sure we were really prepared for the delivery. And, when a bump did arise in the labor and delivery process (and with us it seemed to both times) Brooke and Sunshine handled it with stunning expertise and at the same time remained calm and we felt their good energy. Bottom line, they gave us choice and let us take the lead on how we wanted things to go. I felt free to listen to my own body. We are very happy to report we’ve had two happy healthy baby boys at home.
Thank you Brooke and Sunshine!
~ Joshua and Tara Alkire
Dear Sunshine –
Thank you so much for all your wisdom and support as I navigate my way from ‘mouse’ to ‘bear’. Your knowledge and experience has given me so much, one of the best parts of this training so far.
With deep gratitude & love,
~ Shelly Rahim
Dear Sunshine,
Thank you for sharing your knowledge, experience, and genuine presence with us during the ‘Birthing From Within’ class. It has been such a sweet process and we have thoroughly enjoyed every aspect. We feel so lucky that we had you as a facilitation, especially considering you may be letting go of teaching for a while. You bring a depth and wisdom that is truly unique & certainly contributes a significant flair to the client. Many thanks for such a fantastic class!
With love from,
~ Wren & Pete & Tiny Wonder
Sunshine –
I’m so glad you were abl to assist on our birth. Thank you so much for helping bring our son into the world. When you arrived, you brought in a wonderful sense of calm that washed over me. Between you, Brooke & Morgan, I felt like the safest, luckiest woman. Thank you for your wisdom.
All our love,
~ Erin, Morgan & Lucas
Sunshine,
I want to thank you for everything you did for me during my pregnancy and labor with Tobias. When I got pregnant again, I went in search of something different, something more meaningful, something more in accordance with the laws of nature. And despite not getting the outcome I was looking for, it WAS different and more meaningful. From the very first visit with us where you consulted with Brad and I, you listened. I think you know how affected I was after my labor experience with Aiden and you understood. You understood. I hope you know how much of a gift that is. It meant the world to me that someone in the ‘business’ of birthing wuld understand the profound affect labor can have on a woman and the lasting wounds that can occur. I loved your knowledge and your overall approach. I loved that you actually palpated my belly and knew my baby’s head was down! I loved that you allowed the time and space necessary for us to build a report and then I trusted you. Therefore, I trusted myself and my birth plan through my whole pregnancy. I felt pumped and empowered. I do feel like I was given the opportunity to have my baby naturally. I thank you for allowing me to do that and for being there for me. I thank you for coming to the hospital with me, for helping me with my decision to have the c-section, for visiting me the day after, and for coming into my home days later and acknowledging not only what happened to me physically, but what happened emotionally as well. I may never know why I couldn’t birth my baby the way I wanted. I liked what you said about remembering that Tobias was part of it and he had his own plan and way into this world. I have thought that maybe it wasn’t so much that I protected them, but that maybe, my boys protected me with kindness and compassion. Your steady hands and heart were present and strong. You have made a lasting imprint on me.
What you have to offer women is such a wonderful thing. You will never be paid enough for it. It was what I went in search of. Never doubt that the work you do is GOOD. You add to the stream of life and respect the mystery. I am so thankful that our paths have crossed and that you were the one to help me labor with Tobias. You deserve all good things my sweet Sunshine.
With JOY,
~ Katie
We had our second son at home with Sunshine 14 months ago, and it was amazing. She is so knowledgeable, kind, calm, and reassuring; she is someone I would like hanging out with as a friend, but I also completely trust that she knows her stuff when it comes to midwifery and childbirth. We also took her Birthing From Within class, and I would highly recommend it.
My prenatal care with Sunshine was a world apart from the care I received at UCSD for my first son’s birth. Every appointment lasted an hour. She not only took the measurements/ tests, etc. that are necessary, but she talked to me about me, about how I was feeling emotionally as well as physically. I could bring my 3 year old son with me and she got to know him as well. He could play in her office and she included him in the measuring, blood pressure taking, and heartbeat listening.
For home birth, midwives always (as far as I know) bring another midwife along to assist. For our birth Brooke Ray was the second, and she was wonderful as well. I can’t say enough good things about both of them and I feel so lucky to have had them on my team!
Love, love love Sunshine!!
Nelwyn D.
Great Birthing From Within classes and was a fabulous midwife. She was very accommodating and helped us labor at home for most of my labor. Although we changed location at the very end, she made it possible for me to deliver naturally without any meds. She was so helpful with assisting to reduce the anxiety, making sure the baby’s position and heart rate was fine and helped with techniques to allow me to get through back labor. Most of all, she really helped my husband and son support me through it all, in the comfort of my own home. Would highly recommend Sunshine to anyone I know.
Thanks Sunshine!
Rosa K
Terrific Birthing from Within Class. Both my husband and I loved it, and it took a lot of the fear out of my labor.
We love Sunshine!!
Jennie B.
I love these ladies! Brooke has been part of all my pregnancies, Brooke and Sunshine make an amazing team. They made us feel welcomed and comforted they are very informed, compassionate and you can tell they love what they do. My last birth with them was so peaceful and amazing I can’t wait to work with them again when we decide to grow our family by one more 😉 they’ll be the first ones I call!
Tanya E.
I cannot say enough good things about this group of women! They guided me through every step of my first pregnancy. If I had any question, I was able to get a hold of them very easily. I loved our hour long appointments. Sunshine, Brooke, Karly & Elizabeth addressed all our concerns and really helped me feel ready for my son’s birth.
My mom had some real concerns about a home labor but after coming to a couple appointments she felt very confident in their abilities. Since the birth she can’t say enough good things about them or home birth!!
My hubbie and I also took Sunshine’s birthing class. i definitely drew a lot of strength from what I learned. It was really informative and gave me the final tools I needed to go into labor confidently. Sunshine ever quelled my worst fear, having a c-section. She explained what happens during a c-section and how even an O.R. is a sacred space when you understand what’s going on. That really helped me let go of my fears and prepare for whatever labor I was meant to have. My son’s birth was the most amazing thing I’ve ever done. Sunshine and Karly were the midwives on call when I went into labor. They kept me calm and coached me through rough spots when I needed it but knew I really wanted my husband closest to me. They were there always but gave us our space, too. That’s not to say that my son and I weren’t constantly monitored. They just seemed to be able to do it all but fade into the background when all I wanted was y husband. I went into this with a lot of ideas of how it would go. Of course none of those ideas were even close. I’m very thankful for this because I could never have imagined how humbling and transforming it actually could be. Ik new I could have a natural birth. Sunshine, Brooke, Karly and Elizabeth showed me how!
M.S.
From our first meeting with Sunshine and Brooke, my husband and I felt very at-ease and comfortable. These ladies have such a wealth of knowledge and experience. My first birth was years ago and not with midwives, but at a military hospital with many unnecessary interventions. I knew I didn’t want that experience again, instead I wanted to allow my body to do what it was meant to do with as little medical intervention as possible. Each appointment with these ladies was pleasant and informative, and they really asked the important questions to ensure my birth experience was all that I wanted and hoped for. We were blessed with a peaceful and comfortable home birth with Sunshine at our side, and we would do it all over again (in fact we plan to). I have recommended Mother to Mother to many friends and family members, and look forward to seeing them again soon! And now that they have an OB on staff, there really is no reason to go anywhere else for prenatal or women’s health.
Vanessa L.
When I found out I was pregnant I knew I didn’t want a typical hospital birth. I was recommended the UCSD birthing center, but that was not personal enough for me. I still felt like I was being “processed” and it is a clinical setting. Plus you don’t get to the know the midwife who will assist the birth on the day.
For my experience, I wanted something a lot more personal. I wanted to feel like I was working with a team who really took the time to get to know me, and have a vested interest in my feelings and desires for this birth. Mother to Mother Midwifery meets all these needs.
I decided on a home birth, and I found that Brooke, Sunshine, and Elizabeth could provide exactly what I wanted. Professionalism, coupled with experience, and a deeper understanding of the birthing process… not as a medical procedure to be performed… but as the beautiful, spiritual process that it truly is.
It is also pretty cool that they have an OB-GYN on their team, Dr. Elizabeth Ross. She may or may not be at your birth, but for those who need to feel like they’ve been seen by a “real doctor” during their pregnancy, it’s a nice addition. I found that mentioning her to my family members, reassured them that I wasn’t a crazy hippy who was endangering my child’s life by having a home birth (which some people truly believe, because they don’t know the level of care provided by midwives).
I feel absolute trust in Brooke to help me on the day of my son’s birth. They are both absolute professionals, with hearts of gold. They do all blood work and pre-natal visits at their lovely Hillcrest office, and they also send you to an absolutely wonderful ultrasound place with a real homey atmosphere , but also with a massive flat screen TV fr you to see the images of your child on.
Highly recommended,
Mimi M.
I can’t say enough positive things about Mother to Mother Midwifery. My husband and I had the joy of working with Sunshine, Brooke, Catherine and Karly and we found each of them to be a pleasure to work with.
I started my prenatal care with a local hospital that offers midwifery services, but my experiences there were very impersonal and left me feeling like a number. I did quite a bit of research and after meeting with Sunshine and Brooke from Mother to Mother Midwifery, my husband and I knew we’d found what we were looking for. They were so incredibly knowledgeable, but also took the time to get to know us; they really made us feel comfortable.
My prenatal care was impeccable. Sunshine and Brook to the time to get to know me during my regular visits, and at the end of my pregnancy when it looked like I may delivery early, they followed my progress closely and were careful to order additional tests when necessary to ensure everything was normal. I felt confident in my care, which allowed me to relax and focus on preparing mentally and physically for having my first baby.
Part of my preparation for delivery was a Birthing From Within class that was taught by Sunshine and Catherine. Both my husband and I really enjoyed the class. Each week helped us to prepare for a different aspect of delivery and being a new parent; we grew together as a couple and it was wonderful to meet other parents who were preparing for a similar phase of life. We really enjoyed the variety of people we met and we appreciated the open and nonjudgmental atmosphere of our class.
Nearly a year now after the birth of our son, I can honestly say that our birthing experience as the most beautiful and magical experience of my life. Perhaps that sounds cliche, but it’s the absolute truth. Sunshine and Karly could intuit exactly when and how we needed them, but they weren’t overly fussy and allowed my husband and I to share in our own experience together as well. I look back on that perfect moment in time with fondness regularly. Should we get pregnant again, we look forward to working with Mother to Mother Midwifery in the future.
Brooke M.