Leah's Story

Leah was authentic from the get-go.

“I hate making decisions. I like to let others make decisions for me,” she said.

But you know what? Leah made a lot of good decisions, like first-time moms just seem to do.

Her one-month-old could be heard in the background, squeaking encouragement and approval as mom told her tale.

And here’s what Leah said:

I have notes prepared for this. I feel like I’m not a very good speaker.

So when I found out I was pregnant, I went with a provider that was in the same system as my primary. I was kind of thinking about working with a midwife but found out the location where I was going only had OB’s. No midwives. And then I thought, ‘Well, whatever, I’m sure it’s fine.’

But I did know I wanted a doula. So when I hired one, she helped explain the difference between an OB and a midwife. Some of the things I heard from her about where I was going were in alignment with what a few of my friends and colleagues had mentioned, so I thought maybe I should look around and see what else was out there. Maybe I wanted to try midwife instead. That might seem more my style.

With some pregnancy books I learned a little more about midwives, so then I felt confident that I wanted to try a midwife first, as long as I stayed low risk. One of my girlfriends, who did a ton of research and was looking to do a VBAC, looked into all kinds of places and did a ton of consultations and decided to go with an OB at Women’s Care of Wisconsin. She told me she really liked them, and her recommendation sparked me to call.

Now, I have a hard time picking a provider based on a video or how they sound or what their mannerisms might be, so when I called I simply said I was interested in a consultation with a midwife who is accepting patients or is nearby. I live in Kaukauna and went with Appleton because it was closer; that’s how I got with Jenny. I hadn’t even looked up anything about her at all!

I was more prepared for this appointment than I was for the one with the OB, and part of that was I had better questions to ask this time around. The facility was very different from the one I'd been at previously, which had a colder, sterile feeling. The nurse who first spoke with me and went through a ton of materials with me was awesome, and they gave me printed materials! I like printed materials, not just the stuff you have on your phone.

And when Jenny came in, she also went through a ton of information, and then she let me ask whatever questions I had. At the previous place, the appointments seemed a little rushed, kind of like they were just checking some boxes. Jenny answered all my questions really thoroughly. We were nearing the end of our appointment and I was like, ‘I have a few more questions, but if you have to go . . .’

Jenny was like, “No, no, no, you keep going!”

I will also say I was very nervous early on about the birth plan and delivery day, because people kept telling me it’s whatever you want. Hey, it’s my first time—I don’t really know what I want, how this works, or even what my options are.

I brought that up to Jenny, and she explained that I didn’t need to know the plan right away, that it was something you figure out later, like in the third trimester. So that made me feel relieved. And then she mentioned how it's important to not be too tied to your plan because things sometimes don’t go the way you think they will.

Or as Jenny said, “Baby’s gonna do what baby’s gonna do.” 

And I don't know why, but that just made me feel better. Like, I didn't need to have a Plan B for everything. I talked about that with my therapist, and she told me that you can give yourself permission to not think bad thoughts. So, I just didn't think about it. And that was great and gave me some relief for a few months.

Until it was, ‘Okay, this is going to happen.’

I shared my anxieties with Jenny along the way. She never laughed at me or my questions. I definitely shed some tears in those appointments. She was so patient with me, so good at explaining my options and providing recommendations when I asked, and always explaining the reasoning behind what she thought was best for me.

And now we have Averi. Born eight pounds three ounces and now she's ten pounds seven ounces. She's doing awesome. Of course she has her fussy moments where you have to figure it out, but she's a really great baby😊.