I truly don’t think words could ever fully express how grateful I am for Abby and the impact she has had on my life.
I met Abby a little over nine years ago, and from the very beginning, she made me feel safe, heard, supported, and genuinely cared for. My first birth journey didn’t go exactly as planned, and due to my oldest being premature, I unfortunately had to transfer to the hospital. But even through that unexpected turn, Abby never left my side. She stood by me, supported me, and continued to make sure I felt cared for every step of the way.
What started as a relationship built through my own birth experience grew into something so much bigger. I went on to take her online doula classes and began learning under her mentorship as I pursued my own path toward becoming a homebirth midwife. That experience was truly incredible. Abby helped me develop new skills, expand my knowledge, and, most importantly, build a confidence in myself that I didn’t even realize I needed or had within me. She encouraged me, guided me, and helped me see what was possible for myself in this calling.
And then, to have the privilege of having her by my side again for the successful homebirth of my second daughter was something I will forever cherish. All that and she came lugging in a huge house plant. Memorable to say the least lol.
Abby is everything you could hope for in a birth worker and mentor. She is kind, gentle, knowledgeable, informative, and has such a beautiful way of making people feel seen, heard, respected, and safe. Whether she’s supporting you through one of the most vulnerable moments of your life or helping you grow into the professional you dream of becoming, she shows up with so much heart.
I genuinely believe she is one of the most beautiful paths God has ever placed in my life. I am beyond grateful for the woman she is, the mentor she has been, and the role she has played in helping me become the woman and birth worker I am today.
Abby, I couldn’t be prouder of you, and I hope you know just how far your love, knowledge, and willingness to pour into others reaches. You have made an impact on my life that extends far beyond the birth room, and I will always be grateful that our paths crossed. ❤️
— Nadine Serenity
Using Cardinal Birth has been one of the best decisions I've ever made. Abby and Cassie are wonderful. They respect your autonomy, and they understand the natural, physiological process of labor and birth. Abby is very kind and informative. I never felt pushed to do anything I wasn't comfortable with. Abby also has such a wealth of knowledge and experience. She has 10, soon to be 11, children. The first few were born in the hospital. She knows both sides of the coin on hospital vs home birth, and those hospital births are what led her to choosing home birth and becoming a midwife. Cassie is sweet and supportive.
Abby and Cassie were both there for the birth of my first, and Cassie was with me for my second while Abby was on maternity leave. Abby was with me again for my third.
My first baby had shoulder dystocia, and Abby and Cassie handled everything calmly and efficiently. Abby had to reach in for the baby after changing my position a few times didn't work, and she maneuvered everything so smoothly. I also hemorrhaged. Again, Abby and Cassie handled everything calmly, and I was able to recover at home, no hospital trip necessary. Later on, I learned how a hospital handles dystocia, and it very likely could have been traumatic. Those "certified" midwives and doctors are rarely taught how to handle the somewhat common, but more complex, situations without large interventions. Both ladies also took good care of myself and baby, and cleaned us in the few hours after birth.
My second birth went smoothly. This time Daisy was with Cassie, and again, they handled everything calmly. It was actually a nice memory after my daughter was born: my husband was putting our first to bed, while I was with my daughter in the other room with Cassie, Daisy, and my sister, like a sleepover!
Abby was with me for my third baby as well. All was going as expected until I got an exaggerated fever at the end of pregnancy. I developed pregnancy ICP, and I'm convinced it came from the illness. I was 38 weeks and a few days when we found out. When Abby saw my labs, she called me to tell me that she recommended for me to go to the ER and deliver the baby. In her position with her beliefs as a midwife, I knew she would only recommend the hospital in a true emergency, and here was a true emergency. I was induced, and thankfully, the birth olwent quickly and smoothly without any complications. While Abby wasn't able to be in the hospital with me, she was on call for me the entire time, and she helped me navigate through all of the hospital paperwork and words salads. Daisy was able to be at the hospital with me, and that was a great comfort, because my husband had to stay home with our kids since my daughter had a fever.
The midwives were also on call for me at the end of my pregnancy and through the first 6 weeks of my postpartum. Where else do you get that besides traditional midwifery? You form real, true, genuine relationships with these women. And these relationships are lasting, especially when they can be present for multiple births. You aren't stepping in an office for 15 minutes once a month for routine questions where you are a number and not a name. These women care for you. They care for the babies they deliver. Abby was also very encouraging to me from her personal experiences as a mother of Irish triplets, because that's what I have now. She has been so encouraging and informative. She made me feel confident and safe. Cardinal Midwifery has been a huge blessing to my family; I recommend them to anyone I can!
— Emilie Branning
I could not recommend Abby and her team more. I chose the comprehensive package that included care/checks throughout the pregnancy and I was more than thrilled with the time, effort, knowledge, and patient education that I was provided. This was my first pregnancy and started going to a hospital OB and Cardinal Birth for double care… I ended up canceling all my hospital appointments because I felt so confident in my choice with Cardinal Birth. Once I reached far enough along that they were on call for me, I felt as if they were immediately attentive to my messages. I started labor at 11:30pm and went directly into active labor. Abby arrived immediately and was the perfect amount of support. She listens to the family’s wishes for how much or how little support you want during labor and helps you feel the autonomy and control you should with a birth. After birth she gave my son more of a check than his pediatrician did… and spent time making sure me and my house were cleaned, comfortable, and safe. I cannot wait for my next home birth.
— Amber Mattson
Abby is an amazing midwife! I had so much peace throughout my pregnancy knowing she was monitoring our sweet baby each month. She has SO much knowledge on pregnancy, birth, and beyond. All of our prenatal appointments were usually 60-70 minutes long as she took time explaining things in depth along with answering any questions my husband or I had. She will really meet you where you’re at and care for each mom and baby as an individual, not one size fits all with her care. I’m looking forward to working with her again in the future and would highly recommend her! Thank you so much, abby!
— Siena Bovenkamp
We had an amazing experience with Abby. With our first birth we had some extreme blood loss and Abby was very calm and reassuring. She knew what was needing and I felt instantly better. All of our prenatal appointments were informative and Abby always answered all our questions that we had and we also always learned lots of things. We are on baby #2 now and have had the same incredible experience.
— Angela Steele
My family and I have been incredibly blessed to know Abby and her team for a little over four years now. I have been under her care both pre- and postpartum and have had two safe, peaceful, and autonomous birth experiences.
For us, birth is such a beautiful and sacred experience. It wasn’t something we feared and Abby and her team truly live by that mission. From the beginning, we knew we had found an answered prayer in Abby. Her values, practices, and incredible wealth of experience and knowledge gave us so much confidence in her care. Above all, knowing that she and her team are led by Jesus first has given me the utmost peace, confidence, and assurance in every step of the journey.
I would wholeheartedly recommend Cardinal Midwifery to anyone seeking a traditional, holistic birth experience grounded in evidence, informed choice, and autonomy. Abby and her team have been such a blessing to our family, and Cardinal Midwifery is truly something special.
— grace bartechko
We love this midwifery crew!!! We enjoyed a peaceful and comfortable home water birth. We enjoyed the prenatal visits and learned so much. Abby is calm and confident, a great communicator and knows how to handle individual situations with grace and knowledge.
We pray that the Lord gifts us more children; and if so, no doubt we will ask to have Abby as our midwife again!
— Hannah Joy McCall
Abby is amazing! I had her for both of my home births. First as a doula and then as a midwife. She’s so attentive and wise and in tune with what’s going on. Her heart for families is unmatched! So blessed to know her as a professional and to consider her a friend. ❤️
— Bridget Bugg
I cannot recommend Abby, Cassie and their assistants enough. From the very beginning, I felt completely supported, respected, and trusted in my choices. They truly believe in birth autonomy and in a woman’s ability to trust her body, while also bringing such a calm, knowledgeable presence that made us feel incredibly safe and cared for.
During the birth of our first son, we experienced a shoulder dystocia, and Abby handled it so calmly and confidently, with Cassie there alongside her as her assistant. There was never a moment where I felt panic from either of them, and that calm carried over to both my husband and me. They gave us the space to have the birth we wanted while always knowing exactly when to step in.
There were so many little things that meant so much to us. My husband was able to catch our baby, and they honored our wishes for delayed cord clamping - even allowing/encouraging us to wait until after my placenta was born before cutting the cord. I never felt rushed or like I had to defend the choices I was making for myself or my baby.
Their care didn’t stop once the baby was born either. They stayed with us for hours afterward, making sure both baby and I were doing well. They helped me shower, cleaned everything up, did laundry, and made sure our entire family was comfortable and settled before they left. To be able to climb into my own bed afterward with my new baby, knowing we had been so lovingly cared for, is something I will never forget.
By the time we were expecting our second son, Cassie had become a midwife herself. Abby happened to be on maternity leave when it was time for him to make his arrival, so Cassie ended up delivering him and it felt incredibly special to have someone who had been there for our first birth now be the one to guide us through our second. Once again, we felt completely supported, safe, and respected throughout the entire experience.
There is something incredibly special about having providers who make you feel empowered in your own birth while also making you feel completely safe in their hands. Abby and Cassie have given us that experience not once, but twice, and I will forever be grateful for the role they have played in bringing our boys into the world.
And now we are pregnant with our third baby, and we are SO very excited to work with Abby and Cassie again. ❤️ There is such a sense of peace going into another pregnancy knowing that someone we already know, love, and trust will be there to walk alongside us again. After two beautiful experiences with this team, we truly couldn’t imagine doing it any other way.
— Kelly Benner
Abby did not try to take an ounce of my power throughout my pregnancy. She gave me the tools to feel confident throughout my pregnancy. My husband had a list of concerns when we started this process and Abby was able to make him feel confident in her hands. I felt supported and understood during my pregnancy. On delivery day, I was able to receive the comfort blanket of Abby’s medical knowledge and encouraging words from Lisette. I highly recommend using Abby and Lisette, they helped make my delivery day everything I wanted it to be.
— Jonathan Wessel
I had the best experience with Abby and Cassie! From our very first visit we knew she should be the one to help deliver our son. She listened, gave intelligent advice, made me feel comfortable and confident to birth at home, and became a great friend through the whole process. We would definitely recommend to anyone wanting a peaceful and memorable home birth!
— Christie Bonacci
Working with Abby was the best decision I ever made when it came to building my homebirth team. From our initial phone call; not only did I find so much trust in her experience and knowledge, but it was obvious she cares about supporting women to trust their bodies.
During prenatal care, I never felt stressed, worried, concerned, or overwhelmed and when it came time for labor and delivery, her calming presence and confirmation of my instincts helped guide us an amazing experience meeting our daughter.
In my opinion, there is no better Midwife to support you through the most important phase of life.
Thank you Abby!
— Megan Packer
Abigail is profoundly knowledgeable. Guided me through my first birth which was a sunny side up baby. Her and her assistant encouraged me when I was exhausted and needed it most. When it was appropriate for me to rest, she and her help waited quietly. I felt dignified above all else and she helped create my family’s most profound memory. I would recommend Abbi in a heartbeat.
— Sweet Scoto
I had both of my babies with Cardinal Birth. They offer amazing prenatal care and the best care in labor.
Abby focuses on the clients autonomy in decision making and respects the choices her clients make.
If you are looking for a midwife who tells it as it is and is genuinely an amazing person then you’ve come to the right place.
— Daisy Mcgowan
I have had 2 home births with this team and EVERYONE there has been amazing. They listened to everything I said and helped me through the stages of pregnancy birth and after. I had the best experiences ever with both births in my own home and both my children came into this world in calming spaces with love of family and great midwives & assistants. Couldn’t say a bad thing about anyone over there!!! LOVE them and my experience. Have 2 happy healthy little girls and the best birth experiences ever.
— Beth O'Connor
Calm peaceful birth of my baby girl ❤️❤️
— Celeste Estelle
