After the hospital birth of my first born, I felt it in my heart that this was not how God designed us to give birth. His birth was induced early (with an epidural soon after) for the convenience of the doctors; labor lasted hours with little to no improvement; delivery was forced, while I pushed for almost 3 hours to welcome our firstborn son. To say that I remember the details of his birth, would be a lie. The interventions with the vast amount of nurses, doctors, and staff, overwhelmed me to the point of “brain fog.” If it weren’t for pictures, videos, and my husband there to witness it, I would not remember much about those days we spent in the hospital.

Two years later, we were ready to add onto our family, but this time we knew we wanted to explore a more supernatural birthing experience. My husband and I began reading “Supernatural Childbirth” by Jackie Mize and “Pregnancy in His Presence” by Philippa-Jo Dobson; we created a very specific list of prayers, declarations, and promises from the Bible; and we got to work preparing to birth our daughter in the way that God designed women to do since the beginning of time.

A friend told me about The Natural BirthHouse, and as soon as I walked in for my first appointment with Midwife Tesa and Lani, I knew this was where God was calling us to. I didn’t have to wait 15-30 minutes to be called into a 5 minute, superficial appointment, like I did with my OB. Each appointment with my midwife lasted 30+ minutes, with no wait time, and each conversation left me feeling more comfortable, confident, and educated.

When it was “game time,” I reached out to my midwife on call, Tesa, and she guided me through early and active labor. I labored in the comfort of my home, with my sweet husband as my doula, for about two days. Although, it lasted for what may seem like a long time to some, my labor was calm and an overall enjoyable experience. My daughter was a bit posterior, which caused the delay in labor; but Midwife Tesa was prepared and well educated on this, and was able to guide me through the different techniques to get her turned.

Once she was in a better position, the contractions came on stronger and quicker, and transition came very soon after. My husband and I headed to the BirthHouse, unsure if we were about to have our baby in the car. When we arrived, Midwife Tesa, Tamara, and Lani were already there, prepping the Mother of Pearl room for us. These ladies dropped everything they were doing, to put us first; stopping mid shower, leaving their groceries behind at Walmart, and missing out on their Bible study. Now you tell me if your OB would do that for you!

So as I mentioned before, things progressed very quickly once my baby got into a better position, so I didn’t labor for long before I asked to get into the tub. This whole pregnancy, I pictured and planned for a water birth, and as soon as I walked into the room and got onto the bed, my body was telling me it was time. As things intensified in my surges, the environment around me was calm and serene. The Holy Spirit filled the room, and every person in it, giving me a sense of peace in, what some would see as, a not so peaceful experience.

Delivery became complex as my daughter had the umbilical cord around her neck and shoulder dystocia, but that didn’t change our environment. Our delivery team remained calm and composed as they helped me to change positions, and my husband and I were able to keep our focus on delivering our baby girl.

Esther Laine was gifted to us at 7:27pm on March 16, 2025. Esther: named after a courageous and faith-driven woman in the Bible; and Laine: named after her daddy, who has worked so hard to get to the place he is at now, as a bold man of God, who bravely stands in the gap for his wife and children, breaking the generational curses of past generations, even in the face of adversity.

As they handed me my daughter, everything was solemn; heaven and earth collided. I laid back into my husband, and I could hear God say to me, “Well done good and faithful servant.” The journey that we took, to get to where we were in that moment, required a faithful obedience; renewing our mind daily by the word of God and not allowing the world into these sacred moments and decisions. I can now say that I’ve witnessed what our daily obedience to God can lead to: an abundance and purpose beyond what we could ever imagine; he opened unexpected doors of blessings. It will forever be a faith refining moment in our testimony, and it will live out in our legacy.

When choosing The Natural BirthHouse, we didn’t just join a midwifery prenatal care and delivery team, we joined a spiritually guided family who will forever leave their mark in our lives.