New Leaf Midwifery

Kimberly Dusek - CDA

UK

5

2 days ago

I found Jen through an ISO posting in a birthing group on Facebook. Though Jen doesn't have a Facebook page herself, she is present on social media through recommendations from many women who love her. It was important for me to get a recommendation from people in my community who hold the same beliefs and values as I do. Upon our first meeting, I knew that Jen was the midwife for me. She exudes a kind and caring energy and genuinely listens to you during a conversation. Jen offers evening appointment times one day a week which, for a full time working mom like myself, was such a bonus! I only had to take time off of work for one appointment which meant many hours that I was able to save for maternity leave and bonding time with my son. Jen's prenatal care is amazing, she cares not only about your physical progress but also your mental and emotional progress. She understands that there are many other things that are changing besides your expanding waistline. Jen is very knowledgeable and offered information and facts on both sides of an issue when I was struggling to make decisions during pregnancy. She was very unbiased and encouraged me to make the decision that best suited my family. Jen was very calm and composed during labor and helped me to relax when I was becoming overwhelmed. She gave me various suggestions of things I could do to help my body progress naturally. She did a great job of bringing my focus back during the hardest parts of labor and helped me to remember to tune into my body and not to fight it. In several of our prenatal appointments, Jen had talked to us about the potential for resuscitation and walked us through what would happen if the need arose. I am so grateful that she mentally prepared us because our little dude's heart rate was low and he was having trouble clearing the gunk out of his lungs and needed compressions. I was calm during this process because I could feel Jen's strength and composure. I am so grateful that I had a homebirth with Jen because I know that at a hospital he would have immediately been cut from the cord and removed from my sight in order to do compressions and I would have been terrified. Jen did compressions right next to the birthing tub that I was still submerged in while my son was still attached to the umbilical cord. A few seconds of compressions and he coughed up the gunk, turned pink and was back in my arms. Jen also made the birth special by giving us a "birth certificate" that has beautiful art and my son's footprint on it and her and the accompanying midwife (Kathryn Raynes who is also amazing!!) sang a birth song to our brand new boy and family. Those little things make all the difference. I could not have asked for a better midwife and I would absolutely call Jen to be my midwife again if I were to have another baby! She will be a lifelong friend of our family and we love her so much. Not only is Jen an amazing part of the birthing community, she has also connected me with families who need breastmilk whom I have started to donate to. It's wonderful to have her as an advocate for the milk sharing community as well. I could go on and on about how wonderful Jen is. I am forever grateful for all that she has done for my family and for how much care and love she has for us.

Ashley Nazarczuk

UK

5

2 days ago

I found Jen when searching for a midwife for my 4th baby after moving to CO. I was first of all impressed with her website - the amount of in depth information she had and helpful articles, etc. From our first meeting I was convinced she was a good fit for me. She is very warm and easy to talk to, as well as being very informed on numerous health issues arising in pregnancy and how best to treat them. I had had several miscarriages in my past and Jen was the first to pinpoint various concerns that no one else had ever touched on. I can't emphasis enough how knowledgeable and proactive she was in dealing with my various medical needs on top of pregnancy (thyroid , progesterone, yeast...). She even draws her own labs and has other medical equipment to handle mom's needs. I wanted to be as natural as possible thru pregnancy, and Jen knows the natural route but also knows when conventional medicine is a better or more needed fit. Perhaps more valuable (or at least AS valuable) as feeling confident in her medical/midwifery skills, she is a wonderful person - genuine, kind, warm, caring. I completely trusted her advice and suggestions, which is huge for a mom to have during pregnancy and birth! And the birth...she was a great mix of comforting and involved but not invasive during labor. I continue now (7 months post partum) to text and email her with my questions because I trust her advice and feedback so much. I loved her and so did the rest of kids and hubby!