I always knew that when the time came, I wanted to give birth naturally. However, it was only a few months before conceiving that I seriously considered the possibility of a natural, intervention-free home birth. By the time I became pregnant, I was absolutely certain that a home birth was what I wanted—but my husband, Kyle, wasn’t fully on board.

I began researching and soon discovered “Midwife by Nature.” I reached out to Crystal and explained Kyle’s reluctance about an unmedicated home birth. We arranged a meet and greet, where Kyle and I could ask our many questions. It was important for Kyle to voice his fears and concerns, and Crystal answered each question with ease, patience, and deep understanding, putting us both at ease. I was about 15 weeks along then, and from the moment I met her, I felt an incredible sense of trust. I knew she was the one who would guide us through the most important journey of our lives.

After meeting Crystal, we went home, prayed about it, and felt at peace knowing this was the path we wanted. Each antenatal appointment with her felt less like a check-up and more like visiting friends We always had the last appointment on a Friday afternoon and often stayed much longer than expected, chatting away with both Crystal and Jeremy (her husband and business partner). We always left feeling as if we’d just spent time with family.

Fast forward to the day of my labour. It was late Sunday afternoon when I started feeling intense lower back pain. Around 11 PM, I messaged Crystal, unsure if these were contractions. I tried to rest, but as the night wore on, the pain worsened—it felt like my back was being torn apart. Though I thought I had prepared myself mentally for almost everything about natural birth, nothing could have prepared me for back labour.

Doubt crept in: Was I truly ready for this? As the pain intensified, Kyle contacted Crystal again. By then, the contractions seemed closer together. I gave up on trying to sleep and decided to take a warm shower, noticing I had lost a part of my mucus plug. Crystal then asked us to come to the birth home at 8:00 AM. It was only 6:40 AM, but it felt like 8:00 AM would never arrive.

Once we arrived, Crystal checked, and I was 3 cm dilated. Even though I wasn’t in active labour, we decided to stay at the birth home because I felt more at ease being near Crystal. She encouraged me to rest, but the contractions—now about 7 minutes apart—were unbearable. Crystal checked on me every two hours giving me space and time to rest; everything looked good, and the baby’s heartbeat was strong. As the day progressed, she suggested I get up and move around, by this time the pain was so excruciating that I couldn’t keep any food or water down and began vomiting. Time seemed to drag as my energy drained away. Despite the physical challenges, Crystal and Kyle were by my side the entire time. They took turns rubbing out my back, encouraging me through every contraction. Kyle was incredible, talking me through affirmations, repeating, “I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me,” grounding me in faith as I pushed forward.

Around 5 PM, I entered active labour. Crystal asked me to get into the birthing pool. The room was serene, with soft worship music playing, and Kyle continued to worship and pray softly as I laboured. Reflecting on those moments, it felt as though time stood still. Even with the intensity of the contractions, these were the moments leading up to the birth that became a core memory—being fully present and feeling everything, as we gave all the praise to the Lord for what was unfolding. There are no words to describe the sacredness of it.

As labour progressed, there came a point when I needed to empty my bladder, but I simply couldn’t. Crystal had to insert a catheter, which made moving around even harder. We tried every possible position—squatting, on the bed, the toilet, the pool—but exhaustion set in. Around 8 PM, Crystal brought up the possibility of having to go to the hospital. Kyle and I immediately felt this wasn’t an option for us. I wanted to do everything I could with Crystal first to avoid medical intervention at this point. We trusted her completely, and I was determined to keep going. That’s when Crystal suggested an episiotomy. Without thinking twice, both Kyle and I agreed almost instantly. We fully trusted her, and she performed the procedure calmly and confidently. After Crystal performed the episiotomy, I needed a drip inserted to help keep me going as I lost so much blood. Kyle and Crystal’s presence never wavered. Their support, physically and emotionally, carried me through.

There was a moment when I felt utterly defeated. Each time I pushed, our baby’s head would emerge, only to recede after the contraction ended. But at 11:23 PM, something shifted. My body, in one swift motion, did what it was created to do, and our little nugget was born—alert and wide-eyed, as if he hadn’t just experienced the longest birth journey alongside me. We later learned from Crystal that baby was in an Asynclitic position which caused us to be in active labour for so long.

Crystal was truly born to be a midwife. Her passion, wisdom, and calm authority are unmatched. We couldn’t have asked for anyone better to be by our side during this extraordinary journey. We feel incredibly blessed to have met both Crystal and Jeremy and will forever be grateful for the roles they played in our birth story. Despite the challenges we faced along the way during the birth, I would do it 1000 times over with our amazing midwife, Crystal by our side!