Dear Raizy, Janis and Mia,
Before meeting you all, I had no direction for this pregnancy. Filled with angst, all I knew was that I wanted to have my baby at home & delivered by a group of black women. What I've come to discover however, was something much more profound- it didn't take having a team who looked like me to make a human connection. I always felt seen, heard, secure, cared for, loved, and more importantly, I felt all of that for my unborn child. It's one thing to know that there is a baby inside a woman's belly but it's another thing to acknowledge the baby as if he/sheis here already. Every visit, I I felt as though Aliyah was on the couch right next to me. You three are special and what you do is truly noble. At no point did I ever feel as if this was business as usual. Thank you for making my family feel included. Thank you for the care and accessibility throughout the pregnancy and postpartum, even when I had been over-taken by the virus. Thank you for the personal side conversations which helped boost my confidence and gain a different perspective on things. Thank you for empowering me to trust my bodyto do what it was designed to do and giving me complete autonomy in the delviery process. Thank you for being you! You ladies will forever have a special place in my heart. I look forward to our paths crossing sometime in the future. With love, Toniesha and family.
Raizy, Janis & Mia,
A simple thank you doesn't seem like enough for what you have done for us. There will forever be a growing gratitude as you lead us every step of the way in such vulnerable situations. Society screaming "You're having a homebirth?!" and us screaming, "HELL YES!" because of YOU! Our confidence in both births and the different journey each took us on, would not be so strong if it wasn't for each of you. THANK YOU!....thank you for being our calm in the storm of worry & stress. We love you. You guys have made such a beautiful impact on our family and we will forever be grateful for each of you. Love Always, The Kekovskis
Raizy-
You are the midwife of my dreams~
Kind, present, reassuring, observant, gentle and confident.
I felt held by you so strongly in my pregnancy and labor. I will always remember when during our first prenatal when I laid down to hear the baby’s heartbeat, you gently rubbed my feet and kept your hands there. Our relationship was new and I remember immediately feeling connected and so taken care of. You have a warm magic that I will forever be grateful to have experienced. Your presence has touched me deeply and I will forever carry you with me.
Dear Raizy,
With all my heart, thank you! I am SO grateful you were my midwife. Your confidence and knowledge made me feel safe and secure. I witnessed your quick thinking and how wonderfully you handle everything during a birth. You were thoughtful and you were caring. In short, you treated me and my family like people! I was insecure about making out little home work but you quickly banished the thought. You were a joy and I will miss your stories and anecdotes...and I will miss being under your care.
With love,
Raizy,
Thank you so much for all the support and care you provided us as we welcomed sweet Meadow into the world. Your patience and emotional availability far exceed any healthcare experience I’ve received, in pregnancy or otherwise. I’ll so miss soaking up your wisdom!! As someone who has had a void of maternal compassion, I so appreciated the mothering I felt from you. I hope your children appreciate how very lucky they are!
With so much love and thanks,
Sweet Raizy,
I can’t express how grateful I am to have found you. Instead of telling me I could do it, you guided me to come to that realization myself. Your open-handed approach helped me feel totally educated and empowered to make decisions for my care. And your love comes through in every precious picture from that day. Nora’s birth was so healing! Thank you!
With much love,
Raizy,
We feel so blessed to have found you ladies and have you as our midwives through this whole amazing experience. Getting to know you and Janis through pregnancy provided great comfort to Matt and I eased our minds about so many things. I remember you saying that labor would be the hardest work I would ever do, and you were so right. It was an adventure that tested many parts of me to prepare as a mother. We are so glad that you were there for the birth. I never once worried if what was happening was normal or right. I owe your presence to allowing me to surrender and trust the process that was unfolding, and all of the emotions coming with it, so that I could focus and do the hard work. Your skills, experience, honesty, patience and passion are all recognized and greatly appreciated. We were so lucky to have had such an amazing team of women to guide us through pregnancy and birth, and we look forward to growing our family in the future. Thank you.
So much love,
Dear Raizy,
I want to thank you from the bottom of mine (and Alex’s) heart for your incredible care! I deeply admire and respect the passion and knowledge you have for pregnancy and birth and feel so honored to have been able to learn more about this miracle through you! It was such a blessing to have had you as a midwife, to get to know you, and have you care for me and my new little bundle. I honestly felt as if we were in the hands of family, and there is nothing more comforting to a mother than that- to feel in such a safe space and at peace knowing that you and your baby are in good and trusted hands.
Thank you for your charismatic character and kind spirit. Thank you for your eagerness and excitement to educate and share all the knowledge you have acquired over the years through learning and experience. There are not enough words to thank you enough! I look forward to working with you again in the future, In the meantime, always sending you all of my love.
Raizy-
I cannot thank you enough! You helped in many ways realize the beauty of pregnancy and birth. Thank you for the best prenatal care I’ve ever had and for your dedication to midwifery. You have been a huge blessing to us and I will never forget my 1st homebirth. Thank you for being everything I needed while bringing my 1st daughter, Hosanna into this world.
With love,
Raizy,
We are so grateful you were with us for two of the most important events in our lives. You were always so comforting during both pregnancies. There is no one else we would’ve rather had to help bring our babies into the world.
Peace, love, xoxoxo
Dear Raizy-
What would I have done with care any less heartfelt than yours?! I am infinitely grateful for ALL the ways you supported me during pregnancy and birth. You will forever be an incredibly special part of our family’s story.
Thank you & Love,
Dear Raizy,
Thank you so much for being an amazing, dedicated, and loving midwife and friend to us.We feel so thankful to have met you and worked with you! The care and patience of every meeting and conversation with both you and Vicki was extraordinary and you truly made us feel held from beginning to end!
Thank you endlessly!
Dear Raizy,
It’s been a month now since my labor, and the birth of our beautiful baby girl. I’ve been trying to get to writing this out to you, but also had a moment to process everything. I am so incredibly lucky to have met you and Vicki. As a woman growing into adulthood with all the physical and emotional trauma I’ve been through, it was an amazing experience to have my power and body back. My labor truly made me heal and see what I truly want in life moving on. Without your help of moving the cervix over, I would have most definitely been transferred. Thank you so much for being a part of my birth story. Thank you for empowering me to trust my body and soul to do one of the greatest achievements of my life. Thank you for giving me her, and this beautiful family I now have. Thank you for giving this story to Lilith too. Growing up she will feel confident enough to trust her body and intuition just like her mommy. I definitely would have a home birth again and again. Our journey together is not over. I know one day I’ll need you again. Keep being the incredible warrior woman inside and out. P.S. Thanks for the tea and placenta!
So much love,
Dear Raizy,
I’m not sure I can put into words how grateful I am our paths have crossed. From the moment I met you, I felt comfortable speaking openly and honestly about this pregnancy because you are gifted at putting people at ease. I was consistently amazed at the time and attention you gave me and Juniper (and Rosa!) during our appointments.. Your sense of humor, gentle encouragement, and intuitive approach to the birthing process made for such a healing prenatal care experience. All of your time, attention and love set me up for a life changingly beautiful birth. I can never thank you enough for that. The work you do is so beyond a career or job. You make the world a more peaceful place by showing up, listening and taking care of people in a deeply respectful manner. I hope I can bring some of what I learned from you to my work as a speech therapist (and mom). Thank you. Thank you for the laughs, great advice, and killer toy selection!! Your confidence in my ability to birth gave Me the confidence to do it.
Much love,
Dear Raizy,
Where do we start. You have been there 110% from the beginning- when we were not sure what to do about the surgery to postpartum - what to do about Ozi’s jaundice. Your professionalism, follow-up support and empowerment were truly incredible for us and made this experience so memorable and unforgettable. You were really attuned to OUR needs, the way you were flexible about scheduling our visits, coming to our home, teaching Ben massaging techniques, offering emotional support, reassurance, and expert medical care for me and Maoz. Your non-alarmist perspective kept us confident and comfortable, despite the anxiety. We have all been in such good hands and you hae given us the gift of an incredible birth experience. The first half of the pregnncy was fraught with so much stress, but his entry into the world was filled with so much peace, and you gave us that peace, and for that we are so grateful. (Hopefully our gift to you will give you some peace as well!) I was a little nervous about blurring the professional and personal, but you handled it all so well and we are so happy that we have a special bond to you and Maoz and you share something unique- you bringing him into the world. May you continue this special career of midwife, healer, fiend,and empowerer for many, many years.
Dear Raizy,
Your presence and care during Gideon’s birth and in the months leading up to it allowed him the peaceful entrance into the world that only such good care could provide. We are so very, very thankful!
Love,
Raizy-
Thanks for your devotion and warm care. Having you guide us took this journey to the next level! It was truly an amazing experience working with you. May God give you the strength to continue your beautiful work!
Thank you!
Dear Raizy,
I feel such an immense gratitude towards you. Thank you for your kindness and thank you for your continual support throughout my pregnancy and labor. It was such a hard decision for me to come to the U.S. for Wari’s birth. Ultimately, what I had feared, happened- Mario wasn’t able to be there. But with your’s and Vicki’s support I knew I had made the right decision. I felt so well cared for and safe. I felt you understood what I wanted and needed for the birth. Thank you for being so wise, beautiful, and present. I wish you so much luck! We women are lucky to have you!
With love,
Raizy,
We are so grateful and blessed to have had your support at Ariana’s birth. You are so kind, knowledgeable, and truly loving and compassionate. It takes a mighty strong woman to help women through childbirth and you are just awesome. Thank you for being there, for taking care of us, and making sure our little girl was smiling and thriving.
Much love,
Raizy,
I remember talking to you for the first time. I liked you then, and when we met the first time, I was sold. Your warmth and compassion was exactly what I needed through the ups and downs of my 3rd pregnancy. Thank you for all you loving support throughout. It meant the world to me. I’m so glad we met and you accompanied me through my pregnancy.
With love,
Raizy,
Thank you for guiding me on the most spectacular journey over the last 11 months. Labor and birthing Milo was physically and emotionally demanding until the moment he arrived. I balled my eyes out, held my baby, and looked at you to see so much love on your face. Our tears reminded me that we had built a special relationship beyond that of any doctor or provider I have ever had. While Milo's arrival on Rosh Hashannah was unexpected (he apologizes), it will forever mark the beginning of our new family.
Love, Rachel, James and Milo
