Amy
Ray was an anchor for me.
It’s hard to put into words how wonderful working with Refuge Midwifery has been. Ray is kind, professional, organized, confident, inclusive, welcoming and wise. After having worked with two other midwifery practices and feeling as though I had slipped through the cracks I reached out to Ray. At first I had some hesitancy around working with a CPM rather than a CNM but upon meeting Ray my nervousness was gone. It was evident from our first meeting that Ray was extremely skilled and knowledgeable in physiological (natural) birth. I knew my baby and I were in good hands! Ray addressed my concerns around being on SSRI’s, and having Hyperemises Gravidrum. I felt safe and seen from both a medical and personal stand point.
Being pregnant through a pandemic I experienced increased anxiety. Ray was an anchor for me, answering all of my husband’s and my questions promptly with careful consideration and thorough responses. Something I particularly appreciated was that Ray always gained consent before touching me during our appointments and after my son was born she explained everything she was doing and talked him through any exams she was performing. During our labor Ray was hands off when I needed to labor on my own and hands on when I needed more physical support. When my son needed some extra help getting into the rhythm of breathing Ray calmly helped him as my husband and I held his hands and talked to him. Once he got the hang of it we were holding him again. Had we been in a hospital he would have been whisked away and we would have missed out on those initial moments of skin-to-skin contact. In the past 8 months since working with Ray I have said countless times “Thank goodness we found Ray!” I am forever grateful to her.
As a doula I have had the unique opportunity to work with Refuge Midwifery as both a client and a colleague. In both settings I was impressed by the way in which Ray offers just the right amount of support, stepping in when needed yet allowing the birthing person and their family to progress through labor freely as they choose. Ray and Victoria have an innate ability to know just the right thing to say at the right time. They can sense when their direct support is needed and when the client just needs them to hold space. Watching Victoria and Ray work as a team during a postpartum complication I was impressed by their calm and decisiveness. I have recommended Refuge Midwifery to all of my friends as well as my doula clients. There is no team I would trust more.