http://www.fullwellmidwifery.com/

Full Well Midwifery, 4370 Starkey Road, suite 4E, Roanoke, VA (2026)

03/31/2026

I’ve been to births in mansions that look like they came straight out of a design magazine.

Huge houses with aesthetically pleasing everything. Perfectly decorated nurseries. Custom furniture. Beautiful.

I’ve been to births in old farmhouses with creaky floors and quilts older than me.

I’ve been to births in studio apartments where we had to get creative with space.

I’ve been to births in trailer homes with big hearts and small square footage.

I’ve helped unhoused families prepare for their babies with donated supplies and fierce determination.

And here’s what I’ve learned after all these births:

Every woman births the same.

It doesn’t matter if you’re in a mansion or a studio apartment. Birth is instinctual. It’s physiologic. It’s God-designed.

Your body knows what to do whether you’re surrounded by luxury or simplicity.

Labor looks the same in every home. The sounds are the same. The strength is the same. The transformation is the same.

And the baby? The baby doesn’t care what their home looks like.

They don’t know if the walls are painted designer colors or need a fresh coat.

They don’t care if the furniture matches or came from a thrift store.

All they know is:

-The love they feel on mama’s chest

-The milk that flows from her breast

-The warmth and safety in her arms

That’s it. That’s all that matters.

I’ve watched babies born in every kind of situation look up at their mama with the same perfect peace.

Because love doesn’t have a price tag. Safety isn’t about square footage. Home is wherever mama is.

Birth is the great equalizer. It strips away everything external and leaves only what’s essential: a mother’s body doing what it was created to do, and a baby being welcomed into love.

You don’t need a perfect house to have a perfect birth.
You just need your body, your baby, and the love that’s already there.❤️

03/30/2026

Sunday Shares Vol 5

The Birth of Kanyon Leonard 2023

I have always been a mama at heart and I dove into motherhood head on in my first pregnancy, using all the information I could find to prepare myself for labor and delivery. I was privileged to deliver my first son at a local hospital with wonderful midwives.

Before I knew it we found out we were expecting our second child, and I began the same process of hospital appointments I experienced with my first. It wasn't long before I found my heart wanting for more - a more personal relationship with my provider, a more sacred space to walk through pregnancy in.

I called around the area searching for some answer. Most midwives were full or out of our price range - until a recommendation came to us for a newly licensed midwife accepting clients at a discounted rate. The good Lord brought us straight to Heather. I think she could hear the desperation in my voice to find a place (and a person) I felt safe in the hands of. With a heart full of service and dedication to her work she brought us into her care well into our pregnancy.

A few months later I was highly anticipating the birth of my son. On the edge, timing every tightening and keeping notes of any sign of labor. Heather knew my initial intention, and she walked me through those anxious last few weeks of prodromal labor - validating my anticipation (and exhaustion) while also honoring my intention of no intervention. Grounding me.

The last few weeks were long and difficult, I had already made it a week and a half past when I had delivered my first. I knew the day had come when I woke up to period like cramps one Sunday morning. We were so ready to meet him. It was a beautiful September morning, we had a full nourishing breakfast to prepare ourselves for what was to come. Contractions were light and far and few between, but with other symptoms we knew I was progressing. We continued on like a normal day, readied our home, and I took a sweet nap with my one year old. As the evening rolled around things were picking up, we had a ritual stroll down our street and rain sprinkled on our cheeks - that day was so filled with joy and laughter (which is so like him). I was communicating with Heather often throughout the day, and she remembered my pain tolerance from my first birth story and she used that wisdom to come to my home to set up early. She was well prepared and intentional.

Two hours after set up I was ready for Heather and Madeline to come back. They found me on my front porch, crying, watching my now husband play with our oldest. Memories of the life just us three shared flooded my thoughts and flashed before my eyes. My body, mind, and spirit was letting go of the life I once knew and was ready to accept the life that was next.
My midwives acknowledged me briefly and continued preparing our home for the birth. My emotions didn't alarm them, as they knew it was exactly what I needed.

Two short hours later my son was born in the tub in our bedroom. Surrounded by gentle hands and voices. I remember saying I felt like a princess the way Madeline held my hand as I showered and recovered from birth. They were so thoughtful, kind, and personal. We all stood around and oohed over my sweet newborn, and we took tons of pictures as if we have never seen one before. And a few short hours after that they left with a hug and my husband and I were cuddled up with our perfect little baby boy. I knew we were called to home birth from the beginning and we are so grateful the Lord brought us to Heather.

03/26/2026

2:30am. I’m in someone’s kitchen, elbow-deep in their cabinet, looking for a crockpot.

This is my life as a homebirth midwife.

The crockpot is for warm compresses. The mama is in active labor. And I have no idea where anything is in this house, but I’m about to find out.

Other things I’ve done at births:

-Arts and crafts on a kitchen floor in the middle of the night because a freshly birthed mama wanted placenta prints, and what mama wants, we will always try to make happen

-Became a plumber, engineer, and structural analyst all at once trying to figure out: “Can we fill this birth pool here?” and “Will this floor hold 175 gallons of water?”

-Had countless unplanned sleepovers at houses all over Franklin County and Roanoke

-Developed expert-level knowledge of stain removal. Blood on carpet? Meconium on your upholstered headboard? We’ve got you. Honestly, midwives could clean up a murder scene and leave zero DNA behind.

-Met more family pets at 4am than most people meet in a lifetime (including being greeted at my van by dozens of chickens who apparently had opinions about my arrival)

-Eaten mystery leftovers from fridges at 3am after a very long birth and been genuinely grateful for them

This is the life. Unpredictable. Sometimes absurd. Always sacred.

And I wouldn’t change a thing.

03/25/2026

Safe. Supported. Informed.

That’s our goal for every family at Full Well Midwifery.
Safe in your choices and in our skilled care. Supported through every question and every stage. Informed so you can make confident decisions about your body and your baby.

This is Madeleine after a birth, caring for a sweet newborn while connecting with mama. This is relationship-based care.

You deserve to feel this way through your entire journey. - no rush, not coerced or shamed for individual choices, and like your providers genuinely care for you and your baby.

03/24/2026

We’re Heather and Madeleine, Licensed Midwives with Full Well Midwifery. Heather is based in Franklin County and Madeleine is based in Roanoke. Together, we serve families in Franklin County, Henry County, Roanoke, and anywhere within about an hour of either location.

We believe that women’s bodies were created by God to birth their babies. We trust that birth is safest when intervened with the least, honoring the physiologic process while staying prepared to help when truly needed.

We practice relationship-based midwifery care. That’s why we only take 1-2 clients per month. It allows us to spend real time with you, 12-15 hours of prenatal visits where we’re never rushed. It means when labor starts, we’re not strangers walking into your home, we’re someone you trust completely because we’ve built a relationship.

We’re trained in both traditional midwifery and evidence-based medicine. We carry medications, IV supplies, and emergency equipment. We provide comprehensive care for you and your baby through the first 6-8 weeks postpartum, with home visits and 24/7 support.

We accept both self-pay and Medicaid clients. If you have private insurance other than Medicaid, we work with a biller who helps families pursue reimbursement.

We still have a few months open this year. If you’re expecting a baby in 2025 and curious about homebirth, let’s connect for a chat about how we can help you have the birth you want ❤️

03/24/2026

In this photo, I’m performing a newborn exam while wearing my own baby. It wasn’t planned, it’s just what that day required.

And you know what? My clients not only respect this, they actively support it. They don’t want me to be away from my newborn for hours at a time because they believe what I believe: babies belong with their mamas, especially in those tender early months.

When these families came into care with me, they know from the beginning that a baby would be at their birth. They knew I would have a set of hands there to hold my baby if there was an emergency. And they chose me because I was the best fit for their family and their values. And very soon, my time wearing a baby at births will be over.

This is what community looks like. Women supporting women. Mothers caring for mothers.

Grateful for families who not only welcome my whole self, baby and all, but who celebrate it because they share the same values about motherhood and babies.

03/23/2026

Sunday Shares Vol 4 (If you want to be part of our SS series for a coming week and you are a past client please reach out we would LOVE to feature your birth story!)

Birth of Delilah June:

In a rush to beat the back-to-school shopping chaos, I took all three older kids out for clothes shopping. We shopped until we dropped, or in my case, until we had a baby! As I spent that Saturday evening washing all their new clothes and preparing their backpacks, I experienced Braxton Hicks contractions and significant pressure. This was normal and didn’t raise any red flags for me, as I had been having Braxton Hicks in the evenings for weeks. I decided to take a shower and lie down for the evening. While showering, I noticed my discomfort, but I told myself it was because I had spent 10 hours walking around shopping all day. I said goodnight to my older three kids and went to lie down.

Having Braxton Hicks in the evenings over the past few weeks, lying down always relieved them. However, after about 20 minutes of lying down and the contractions not going away but becoming more consistent, I decided to download a contraction timer app. Within 7 minutes, it advised me to go to the hospital. I thought to myself, “There’s no way, I think this app is junk.” I downloaded a second app, and it gave me the same message: “Please go to your nearest hospital.” I genuinely thought I had downloaded two junk apps and was not in labor.

I sent a screenshot of the timer to the group chat around 10:30 p.m. and went upstairs to use the bathroom. I realized I was bleeding and called Heather. She advised me to head to the birth center. I replied, “Eh, I think I’m okay?” (While trying my best to talk to her through a contraction). My boyfriend, who is a firefighter, was on a call, so I wasn’t sure if I could even get in touch with him to get to the birth center. There was no way I could drive 30 minutes to the birth center, and my son had hand, foot, and mouth, so having a home birth wasn’t an option (we didn’t want to spread germs).

By the grace of God, my boyfriend answered the phone, and I told him, “Uh, I’m having contractions. Heather advised us to head to the birth center, but no rush, okay? Oh my gosh, this hurts!!” He doesn’t recall the drive from the station to home. We quickly gathered the few items we needed and arrived at the birth center by midnight. We arrived just as Madeleine pulled up, and she smiled and said, “Are you ready to have a baby?!”. I managed a half-smile as I endured a contraction. She headed inside to get everything set up. We went in a few minutes later and she listened to baby girl’s heartbeat while I sat on the birthing ball—I heard a loud pop, and my water broke. Madeleine said, “Okay, contractions are going to get intense now”. I thought she was joking, but she was absolutely not.

I got into the birth pool on my knees and leaned over the side. Very loudly, I worked through contractions. At this point, I was in a different realm. Heather’s Apple Watch advised her to move to a quieter environment to prevent hearing damage. I don’t recall being that loud! But without much notice, we experienced the fetal ejection reflex, and our Delilah June made a swift entrance into the world and right into Madeleine’s hands! She was born at 2:33 am, which made the entire labor process a total of 4 hours. I praise God for that (and I’m sure Heather and Madeleine’s ears are also grateful)—

We exited the birth pool and made our way onto the bed, where Heather and Madeleine took exceptional care of us until we were ready to head home later that morning. It was truly the best day ever!

Side note from Emily’s birth team- Madeleine and Heather- our ears are all good and we are so grateful to have been a part of her bringing her sweet girl earthside 😅❤️

03/21/2026

There’s no rush to cut the cord.

This beautiful moment captures dad cutting the umbilical cord after it had stopped pulsing, allowing baby to receive all the blood and nutrients meant for them.

At Full Well Midwifery, we typically wait for the placenta to be born before cutting the cord. Most of the time, the cord is cut 20-45 minutes after birth, once it’s flat, white, and no longer pulsing.

Delayed cord clamping gives baby:

∙ Extra blood volume and iron stores that last for months
∙ Smoother transition to breathing on their own
∙ Better oxygen levels in those first critical minutes
∙ Reduced risk of anemia in infancy

At our births, we let physiology guide us. There’s no clock on the wall telling us it’s time. We wait until the cord is flat and white, no longer pulsing, often after the placenta has been born. Then, when the moment is right, a husband or family member gets to participate in this transition. My own daughter cut her baby brothers umbilical cord!

This is one of many ways homebirth honors the natural process. No unnecessary rushing. Just patience, presence, and trust in the design.

📷 shared with permission from this beautiful Full Well family.

03/21/2026

PLEASE SHARE!

We are so incredibly excited to share something close to our hearts here at Full Well Midwifery. We’ve been asked if people could send books for a lending library for our clients and community and the answer is a HUGE yes!

We’ve put together a registry filled with some of our most-loved resources on pregnancy, childbirth, breastfeeding, and newborn care – books we wish every mama had access to. When moms come to our community meetups, they’re welcome to borrow, read, and return. Because information shouldn’t be a privilege. 💛

We’ve also added some items we frequently loan out or give to families in need when we are able (and I’d love to be able to say yes and share these things more often) – things that can make a real difference but aren’t always within reach financially. Things like:

📖 -Empowering birth & baby books
-Prenatal vitamins & supplements
- Blood pressure & blood sugar monitors
🤰 - Belly bands
- Manual breast pumps
…and more

Whether a mama is navigating a high-risk pregnancy, preparing for birth, or figuring out breastfeeding in the middle of the night, these resources meet her right where she is.

Every single item on this registry, starting at just $5, goes directly into the hands of local mamas who need it. No item is too small. No gift is too little. It ALL matters.

If you’ve ever wanted to support a family in your community in a real and tangible way, this is it. You don’t have to know them. You just have to care and clearly, you do. 🤍

The link to our registry is in the comments below. Shop it, share it, pass it along. Help us fill our shelves and stock our lending cabinet so we can keep giving where it’s needed most.

“She opens her hand to the poor and reaches out her hands to the needy.”
Proverbs 31:20

Thank you for being the kind of community that shows up. We are so incredibly grateful. Let’s clean out this list 💪

Knowledge is power - and we want every mama to have it.

03/19/2026

Every baby enters the world the same way - with very little vitamin K on board. This isn’t a design flaw; it’s biology, and many believe it’s part of God’s intentional design - perhaps for a reason we don’t yet fully understand. Vitamin K doesn’t cross the placenta well, and breast milk, while incredible, contains only small amounts of it. Without this essential clotting nutrient, newborns are vulnerable to a condition called Vitamin K Deficiency Bleeding (VKDB) - rare, but when it happens, it can be devastating. That’s why this conversation matters so much to me.

So what about families who want protection but decline the injection?

This is where oral vitamin K deserves a real place in the conversation.

Oral drops are non-invasive, pain-free, and when followed correctly, they provide real, meaningful protection for your baby. This isn’t fringe medicine either. The Netherlands uses oral vitamin K exclusively, and countries like the UK, Australia, New Zealand, Canada, and much of Europe all offer it as a standard option. Japan routinely gives it three times in the first month of life. Millions of babies around the world have been protected this way.

Research points to weekly oral vitamin K drops for the first six months of life as one of the most protective oral regimens available - simple, consistent, and something a parent can do right at home. What makes it work is the follow-through. Each weekly dose matters, and having a provider who can guide you through the protocol makes all the difference.
If you’re a family weighing your options, this is a conversation I genuinely welcome. You don’t have to choose between the injection and nothing.

Oral vitamin K is a real, evidence-informed, globally-used option- and your baby deserves every layer of protection we can offer in those tender early days. 🤍

03/19/2026

A small change to our April Nurturing Motherhood Meetup!

We originally planned for April 4th, first Saturday of the month as usual, but we want to make sure our gathering doesn’t interfere with anyone’s Easter weekend plans and celebrations.

So we’re moving our meetup to the following Saturday: April 11th, 10-12, at our office on Starkey Road.

We’ll still have the amazing Dr. Kirsten from Empower Chiropractic joining us to talk about prenatal chiropractic care and answer all your questions!

Easter is such a sacred time, celebrating the resurrection and new life. We want you to be fully present with your families for that. And then the following week, we’ll gather together to connect, learn, and support one another in this beautiful journey of motherhood.

Light refreshments provided, all ages and stages welcome as always.

Mark your calendars for April 11th and we’ll see you there, mamas!

Celebrating new life in all its forms this season. 🌷

Full Well Midwifery

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