Kat Barron - Midwife

12/29/2025

I’ve given birth to 5 babies, all at home (well the twins were at an unlicensed birth center so we could be closer to the hospital).
When my husband and I were trying to conceive this last time, I was praying nearly every day that I would get the twins I had always dreamed of having. Shortly before conceiving I had a very emotional prayer where I said that I knew I may never have another baby, and my prayers may not be answered, I would be gracious and thankful anyway and I truly meant it….I also prayed it would be clearly a blessing from Him IF He chose to allow me to have another baby/babies and by nothing I did. My God was gracious enough to give me the twin’s pregnancy not even a couple weeks after that prayer…. And that was the first month we were avoiding trying to conceive in 6 months 😂 He certainly does have a good sense of humor.
These twins have been the biggest blessing to our family, every single day I am grateful for them.
Their pregnancy, birth, and early postpartum brought me to my knees so many times, blessings are sometimes an obscene amount of work, I think it’s important not to forget that.

They are 2 years old tomorrow ❤️ feel free to wish them a happy birthday!

I know this isn’t the most modest photo, and I certainly debated sharing it, but I do hope most followers on here are women ❤️
This photo was after baby A was born, cord still intact, and contractions had just started getting painful for baby B. Baby b wasn’t born for a couple more hours (ultimately I needed my midwife to break his water for him to be born). That in between 3 hours was probably the most excruciating of my life, and yet, I would do it again and wouldn’t change a thing.

12/28/2025

For the first time, MIT scientists managed to observe what happens at the exact instant a human life begins. We’re not talking about minutes later, or hours: we’re talking about the precise second in which the egg is fertilized.
What they saw was unexpected. Right after fertilization, biochemical waves travel across the egg as if someone had pressed an invisible switch. It’s not a chaotic reaction: it’s an organized activation signal, a true biological “second zero” that sets everything that comes afterward into motion.
What’s unsettling is that these waves are not distributed at random. They follow rhythmic patterns and proportions that the researchers compare to shapes that repeat throughout nature: spirals, orderly growth, sequences similar to Fibonacci, the same ones that appear in galaxies, seashells, and plants.

12/25/2025

Several years ago I attended a Christmas Day birth. Timing was beautiful, my family had already done our morning festivities before I was called out…. The mama was having her 7th plus baby, I don’t really remember the exact number, it’s been so long…
I told the very green student she could catch this baby for her first catch. She shouldn’t have really been catching babies yet, but it was Christmas and was really special, and I didn’t expect any issues with this birth.

After an hour or so baby started being born and I could tell immediately when seeing her face that something was different, so I reached my hands down also to assist and offer extra protection of this baby, not knowing what we were going to manage. This family had chosen to decline all ultrasounds and most testing, so we had no idea she was different, nor if she had anything else healthwise going on. She was born perfectly beautiful and appeared healthy, but I knew right away….. and she wasn’t transitioning perfectly. She showed some signs of a heart condition so I stayed near her with a stethoscope as non intrusively as I could while her mama got to hold her and fall in love.
Baby was doing just well enough for us to wait and allow space for bonding. I said nothing about it yet, just was quietly holding space as long as this baby would allow….
probably 45 minutes or so passed and her mother touching her beautiful face said “she looks different then my others….”
And I said gently “I noticed that too….”
I softly pointed out the signs, one at a time that showed her child had down’s syndrome and said “that’s why I’ve been so close to you, because she has had some trouble transitioning and I am watching her closely to make sure we were safe to stay this long.”
It was about as gentle and perfect as you can imagine a surprise like that would be. Ultimately, I told her we needed to transfer, I suspected a heart condition, which is common with Down’s syndrome.
And we did, all very gently and slowly, thankfully because that sweet baby could handle it.
She ended up having heart surgery a couple weeks later, but did stay in the hospital until then. I am so grateful her mama had that bonding time before having to move to the hospital and be attached to all of the wired monitors.
This sort of thing, the impact we were able to make on that family’s birth, that mother and that baby, it means something… that’s the kind of thing that to this day brings tears to my eyes of gratitude knowing how different her entry into this world would have been if we knew leading up to it.

*this picture is of one of my birth’s but not this baby, we didn’t get any photos of that birth*

12/24/2025

What are your absolute favorite birth herbs and oils?!

I personally love keeping a bottle of helichrysum essential oil that I sometimes routinely, sometimes as first line bleeding defense will rub over the uterus when checking fundus. It’s a lovely smell and I swear it does do what it should and slow bleeding in the most gentle way (obviously we also have other herbs and all the pharmaceuticals as needed, but it’s nice to start with the most gentle).

I also LOVE wishgarden’s smooth transition for hard parts of labor, early labor it can help someone nap if needed, and during transition it absolutely helps calm a mama who may be struggling. Overall, I adore that company’s products but this one takes the cake!

As a birthing mama, what did you love for natural remedies?

Midwives/providers what do you turn to regularly because it just keeps doing what you need?

12/23/2025

Meet Bri, our lovely student midwife!

Bri is young, but don’t let that fool you, she is one of the most grounded and calm student midwives I’ve ever met.
Truthfully, I wasn’t sure when going to go meet with her before if I thought a 17 year old could attend to mothers with the same unshakable presence that is required, but she absolutely has that. It’s been a joy having her join the practice and start her studies!

If you know Bri personally, write about how awesome she is in the comments!

Her words

“Hi! My name is Bri Feuerstein, I am 17 years old, and I’m a first year midwifery student. The human body has always been a major interest of mine, and being homeschooled I was able to spend lots of time focusing on my interests. I originally thought I wanted to go down the path of becoming a naturopathic doctor, but I found myself focusing more on women’s health and fertility. After hearing so many positive home-birth/ birth center stories, and wanting to do that for myself, I knew that becoming a home birth midwife was what I wanted to pursue. In my free-time you can find me playing guitar, sewing, studying the Bible, being outside or spending time with my family. I am so excited to continue this path and look forward to learning more.”ome

12/22/2025

Did you know?

Stem cells in the umbilical cord have been found to migrate up to baby, even hours after birth.
Does a baby need every last stem cell?
No, probably not.

But, is the standard practice of cutting after a couple of minutes ok? Not in my opinion.

Most providers don’t go as far as what I do- which is leave the cord intact until the placenta is born (Normally 5-20 minutes after baby is born), then set it aside in a bowl and wait until mom/dad ask to cut it - which normally is around a 30-90 min after birth.

Over the years this became my standard for so many reasons:
-If you cut early baby doesn’t get all the blood they need from their cord, or maybe even sometimes they get too much and the cord being uncut allows a natural process of balance.
-Resuscitation is easier on babies with cords attached. Often (unless there was an early placenta detachment “abruption”) the baby still gets oxygen from the cord for several minutes after birth, if a baby needs resuscitation this is incredibly protective of that small person’s brain and they tend to come around quicker.
One birth years ago, a baby was born in the birth pool and clearly needed resuscitation, the pool was right next to the bed, and the mama wasn’t a very large person, so I just picked that mama and baby up and laid them on the bed and proceeded to resuscitate that baby 😂 my student was laughing at me after, she said “well that was unexpected!”
Baby came around quickly and they had a lovely relaxed postpartum.
One time when working in a hospital overseas I attended to a very compromised baby. I believe he had IUGR, and he handled his birth ok with only a little help needed after with breathing. His cord pulsed strong for over 45 minutes(!!) and I just know that was nature’s solution to exchanging his oxygen and carbon dioxide in his blood, plus giving him whatever stem cells he needed to heal. His placenta was born easily so it wasn’t an attachment issue.
-Delaying cord cutting also allows the placenta to be born easier as it contains less blood and detaches easier, this prevents hemorrhage.
-I truly love being quiet once baby is born (goodness it’s not about us midwives), and setting the placenta to the side near baby to wait until parents ask to cut the cord is, in my opinion, a beautiful way to respect their space and their bonding and to keep the space calm.

Ofcourse this is just my standard of care, and my opinion, not really interested in arguing with any providers who disagree here 😉
Also, although I have never cut a cord to get a stuck baby out (nor would I), I have had very short cord break during birth and had to be very quick to intervene there (that little person was a bit paler, but she still did just fine and was no different than any other baby by a couple months when she had built her own blood up more -thank goodness we caught and clamped it immediately so she didn’t end up needing to transfer in to the hospital).

12/17/2025

** this is indeed ai and not a true stance from the aap **

It’s about time this research came out - most of us mamas know it’s not natural to let a baby cry it out early but some have listened to supposed experts saying it’s ok.
You can tell the difference when babies get to be toddlers sometimes they just cry to cry and their reasons are a little ridiculous (sometimes), but babies don’t do that, babies only cry when they’re uncomfortable or truly need something (food, warmth, comfort)…..
hopefully this stance from such a large organization can help shift this practice!

And also, there are ways to encourage good sleep in babies so their stretches of nighttime waking are less and less.

The American Academy of Pediatrics now warns that sleep training before 12 months can disrupt attachment and nervous system regulation. The concern is not parenting style but biology. Babies’ brains are still wiring safety signals through proximity.

In the first year, infants cannot self-regulate. Their nervous system relies on co-regulation with caregivers. When stress rises, closeness to a parent helps settle the amygdala, lower cortisol, and signal safety. Room-sharing is a natural way to provide this support.

Sleep training too early teaches babies to manage stress alone before their brains are ready. Calm is not learned by isolation under stress. Instead, infants need repeated, responsive soothing so regulation becomes internalized over time.

Parents who previously sleep trained are not failing their children. They acted on the information available in a culture that often prioritizes independence over developmental readiness. Understanding the science changes how we view early sleep strategies.

This research emphasizes that proximity wires safety. Babies learn calm through closeness, not isolation. Early care that meets stress with support builds secure attachment, emotional regulation, and lifelong resilience.

12/16/2025

I want to talk about something near and dear to my heart. This morning I had a lovely prenatal visit with a new client where the topic of unassisted birth came up and as I've gone about my day, my thoughts keep coming back to all of the women over the years that I have supported in one way or another as they planned to birth their babies unassisted. I also recently spoke to a woman who lost a baby during an unassisted birth, and her grief and words are fresh in my mind.
Some people know this about me, I had our first 3 babies at home, their births I would call "unassisted with a safety net" (the twins were home births also, but monitored and caught by the midwife)... with my first 3 I wasn't monitored, the midwife was mostly in the other room, and I pushed out and caught my own babies without interference.
I felt like I would know intuitively if something was off and I needed help for my baby or me... somewhat recently I had a lovely message conversation with one of my favorite OBs and she said the term "radical ownership" of one's outcome in regards to unassisted birth, or something similar (I would have to go look at those messages and confirm her verbiage, but that is what I took it as). Those words stuck with me, what a beautiful term for it.
As a birthing woman myself, I felt that, if something happened I wasn't going to blame someone else, I knew I was risking it... even though I felt intuitively like I just knew everything would be ok. This is the beauty of autonomy right? Being able to choose what is right for you and your family.
Back to unassisted birth....
As a midwife I have seen many times where my presence and intervention prevented hospital transfer, prevented excessive blood loss, helped a baby breath who may or may not have been able to have been resuscitated by parents, and supported many many women when they felt like it was too hard and they couldn't go on. And as a midwife, I still hope at every single birth that we are completely unnecessary, unneeded, and get to be a non intrusive presence that only offers moments of reassurance to the birthing mama. I have seen first hand many times where unassisted birth could have been disastrous, and other times where it wouldn't have changed a thing. Thankfully, I’ve seen even more births where us midwives weren’t needed at all.

When I think about the women who have planned unassisted births, who I've told "you've got my number, don't hesitate to call if you need some guidance" and who have called me dealing with issues (normally bleeding too much or the placenta not coming out) I have loved it when just a few suggestions and words a reassurance have allowed them to get the bleeding stopped or the placenta out, and they haven’t needed anything further and that allowed them to stick to their plans and stay home. I also have ended up at an unassisted birth turned life-threatening emergency because they happened to be close enough to me, and I figured medics may not quite be able to do everything possible to keep them home or alive (we transferred in to the hospital anyway, my hands holding her uterus to prevent further blood loss en route).
I know in my being that birth is life, it’s not without risk…. Sometimes we walk the bridge of death.
Even birthing in the hospital, you are not risk free... life is, life.
Over the years I’ve had this conversation with many midwives, most have vehemently hateful feelings about unassisted birth. Although, I certainly don’t have feelings like that, I do want to give anyone considering it some food for thought.
First question to consider- if your husband is your only birth attendee, truly, how does he feel about being that if birth were to turn more difficult or emergent? Most don't, and some husbands are very equipped to handle if they do, but it's worth it to ask yourselves. I have had probably more than a dozen husbands call me stressed out while their wife was birthing, so I could reassure them that it all sounded ok, and they could take a breath and just be with her and love and support her the best you possibly can.
Second, there are many “birth keepers” - they normally don’t have medical experience and play the role of doula more (there are all variations- some are traditional experienced midwives that choose to be unlicensed). If you invite a birth “keeper” to your birth - are you still taking radical ownership over your birth, body, outcome? Or are you seeking to still have someone hold that space for you and be there in emergencies if needed? This is big, and only you can decide what you need to support you.
I’ve talked to a few moms after they lost babies during birth with “birth keepers” and their expectation of hiring that person was that they would have that safety net to avoid staying too long if birth became riskier. You truly need to know what the person you invite knows, and offers. A skilled midwife will monitor baby and hear when heart tones tell us it’s wise to get a baby out quicker, or wise to transfer to the hospital for more care. The same question I encourage for people choosing a midwife to hire, do they monitor non-intrusively but sufficiently to really have a good idea how baby and your health is (if you are ok with those things- there is still benefit to a midwife even if you don't allow monitoring).
Third, and arguably in my mind, one of the most important if you are considering unassisted birth, do you feel like you can truly let go of the medical concerns, be fully present and internalized enough to allow labor to progress if you don't have a fellow experienced woman to hold those concerns for you? Stress and worry prolong labor, being relaxed and feeling safe allows birth to happen. A good support will remind you that you are made to birth this baby and can relax fully because you are supported.

You are very welcome to comment opinions on this, or privately message me about this.

Source of this painting Amanda Greavette

09/05/2025

🩸 Did you ever wonder why midwives are called criminal in the land of their grandmothers?
Why women are told birth is “too risky” without a license from men who’ve never bled?
Why catching babies in your hands is punishable, while cutting them from the womb is praised?
It’s not just regulation.
It’s not just oversight.
It’s a war on the design.

👁️ They say it’s for safety—but the numbers say otherwise.
They say it’s for the mother—but mothers say they were never heard.
They say it’s for the baby—but the cord is cut early, the breath is forced, the moment is stolen.
This is not protection.
It is control dressed in sterile robes.

📜 “But the midwives feared God, and did not do as the king of Egypt commanded them, but saved the male children alive.”
Exodus 1:17.
Shiphrah. Puah.
They stood in the face of genocide, not for fame, not for gold—but because they feared God, not Pharaoh.

And today? The decrees still come down from high.
"Do not attend without a permit."
"Report your sisters."
"Say nothing when they are dragged into court."
But we remember.
And we refuse.
🔗 We stand when told to kneel.
🛑 We speak when told to be quiet.
🤲 We catch life even when threatened with cages.

Midwives in Hungary. Shackled.
In South Africa. Charged.
In Pennsylvania. Investigated.
In New York. Erased from history.
In Australia. Jailed for attending what the mother chose.

Licensed or not, the threat is the same—because it’s not about safety.
It’s about sovereignty.

A woman, laboring in power, is dangerous to the powers. A baby born into peace instead of panic threatens the principalities.
And a midwife who says, “I answer to God, not your decree,” is their greatest fear.

Because we do not serve the gods of liability, nor the idols of compliance.
We do not offer incense to the state to be allowed to do what God has already called us to do.

So why do we fight?
Because birth is holy.
Because mothers are not property.
Because babies are not state commodities.
Because legacy matters more than law.
Because we were called for such a time as this.
We fear the Lord.

This is not soft work. This is a Holy war.

07/19/2025

Hello Bonners Ferry & Sandpoint!
I am a new Licensed Midwife to the area and I wanted to introduce myself and share that I am opening a small home birth practice here. I am new to the area, but not to midwifery... I actually started my midwifery journey over 18 years ago and have attended to ~800 women while they birthed their babies! I have also taught many dozens of students skills and have served in leadership roles for many years.
I believe midwifery changes the world because when women are supported in the way they should be, with respect for their own God-given autonomy, it strengthens families.

We recently moved from around CDA to Bonners Ferry and are building our homestead on land. I grew up in rural Montana adjacent to an Amish and Mennonite communities, this community reminds me so much of back home and I love it dearly. I don't know if I've ever felt more at home somewhere right away. We have 5 homeschooled boys, from toddler twins to teenagers, all born at home.
Through my years of midwifery practice I’ve served so many families in different walks of life. I am a calm presence at births, a bold woman of faith, and a very real person that will not judge you no matter where you are in life, my hope is only to serve and serve well.
I believe midwives should have incredible amounts of skills and experience, and most of the time not use any of them.

If you’re seeking midwifery care, I encourage you to reach out to me and let’s have a sit down meeting and see if we would be a good fit to work together.
If you are not currently seeking midwifery care I would love it if you could share this post to help spread the word.

07/19/2025

I am officially out of my sabbatical from having my own practice (I’ve mostly just covered other practices for the last 7 years ish) and I am opening a small home birth practice in Bonners Ferry Idaho.

I am still running my real estate business with my husband, we serve Spokane, CDA, Sandpoint and the entirety of north idaho, my team also still serves western WA But for midwifery, it will be a very small practice and hyper-local.
I’m so excited you guys ❤️ this feels like exactly what I’m supposed to be doing.

05/16/2024