Ranee helped me give birth to my son a week ago. I began this pregnancy receiving prenatal care from a hospital local to me. During my time with the hospital, they made me feel scared about my birth due to my age, and history of high blood pressure in my first pregnancy. Each appointment was very short and I never felt like I mattered to the provider. The final straw of me leaving the medical model was the doctor pushing the rhogam shot on me even after I explained that my husband and I both have negative blood types so we don’t need the shot. The doctors reply was to ask me if I am sure the baby is my husbands and then pushed third trimester ultrasounds on me to see if my placenta was old, the fluid too little or the baby too big, none of which has evidence based benefit to get a late term ultrasound. I left my final appointment feeling insulted and that I wasn’t listened to. This is when I found Ranee. From the very beginning of our interaction, she gave me evidence based options and made me feel confident in my ability to birth my baby naturally. She made sure to monitor my blood pressure, levels in my blood and my glucose levels. Each prenatal appointment, she spoke to me as someone she cared about and was very thorough to look into my diet and water intake and solve problems before they develop. I enjoyed the hands on approach as she felt my baby’s position, could estimate the fluid levels and heard the heart beat of my son as he moved to ensure the placenta was working as it should. The one difficult part about this model of care is the need for the mother to be understanding of Ranee’s changing schedule. Ranee has clients in all different stages of care and when someone is dealing with pregnancy loss, giving birth or other emotional factors in their life, Ranee is there with them providing care. This is both a negative and a positive because it means when you are dealing with something difficult, she will be there for you too. When it came time that I was in labor, we were set up with everything we needed. My husband was able to make a beautiful sacred space with candle light, incense and Gregorian chants in the background. It was so beautiful and relaxing. When I was ready to give birth, Ranee was there helping me to relax and reassuring me that I could do it. I gave birth to my son in a birthing pool with my midwife standing by watching over me and providing hands on help as needed. Between the two models, I would choose to give birth at the house with Ranee standing by every time. I know if she tells me I need to transfer to the hospital it would be for good reason and not because my birth became inconvenient for her. The birth of my son is a moment I will remember forever with fondness.
— Rebecca M.
