Local Care Midwifery Testimonials

I don’t even know where to start. After 4 hospital births and a new doctor midway through my 4th pregnancy, I wanted something different. I wanted to feel like I was more than a number. I wanted to have my concerns and questions heard and not dismissed. More than anything, I wanted to be respected. Each one of my hospital births went “well;” well- as in no medical complications and seemingly okay experiences. However, during each of these births, I was not heard, listened to, or respected. My voice was muted and I was pushed into doing whatever the hospital wanted at that time. My last birth was the icing on the cake for me. We were held, unwillingly, for two extra days in the hospital. This birth was my quickest and easiest birth but my worst hospital birth. I got pregnant with our 5th child and was already having difficulties accepting the level of care I was receiving at the doctors’ office, I knew I needed a BIG change. I found Michelle through my insurance company and gave her a call. It was hands down THE BEST thing I did. Michelle treats you like family. Not only was I heard and answered, I was respected and spoken to like a human being. She is caring, considerate, and personable. I never felt like I was bothering her when I had questions or concerns. I never felt forced or swayed in anyway. She talked to me anytime she needed to do anything regarding my body. My birth was not the easiest for our last little one but she never rushed our progress and provided love and support for our whole family. This baby was the one that was supposed to complete our family but my experience with Michelle has me rethinking our family’s plans! This pregnancy and birthing experience was beyond words; it was beautiful, wonderful, empowering, and downright perfect. I will never go back to a typical medical practice and have been recommending Michelle to anyone who will hear me!

Shawna Burt
Troy, NY

Michelle is absolutely amazing and I would never in my life recommend anyone else! She is half the price and 10 times the experience then some of the leading LC’s in the area and trust me I know. Both of my sons had lip and tongue ties and I have been to hell and back with nursing issues. Unfortunately, I did not meet Michelle until a couple months after my second son was born. But fortunately she took me in and is undeniably one of the most knowledgeable women I have come across when dealing with breast-feeding issues. She was also able to perform cranial sacral therapy (CST) on my son during our sessions which in the past, I have traveled elsewhere for and paid separately for! She’s genuine, blunt, caring, and has a sense of humor. She supported any decision I made and adapted her care to that and never made me feel like a failure…in fact, just the opposite. I still call her to bail me out of emotional situations, ask health related questions, and talk about issues I may be having myself or with my youngest son. I have to say…so far, she has never been wrong. I wholeheartedly and undeniably would recommend her to ALL moms. She’s truly a life saver! I’m sure my son would thank her too if he could :-)

Amanda Moak
Voorheesville, NY

After a birth that left me un-empowered and broken I sought something different. I wanted to be more than a person in a bed, more than $$. I also wanted personalized care when I wasn’t pregnant. Never did I imagine what great a difference there would be between what I had always experienced and what I experienced as a client through Local Care Midwifery. Through out the two pregnancies, breastfeeding struggles, and post partum issues, she supported me and I grew not only as mom, but as a women and the births that I had with her support were amazing.

Michelle puts so much heart and soul and care into her practice, into the care she gives her clients. She has changed my life beyond what words could ever describe. During each labor, each birth she sat vigil near me knowing I needed her, I needed her support, her guidance her reassurance and it was always without uttering a word. She just knew. Just thinking of my births bring incredible joy, incredible love and appreciation for the level of care Michelle provides. She hasnt just been a provider but a friend walking through each step of life with me guiding me and helping me. she is one in a million. She was truly born to be a midwife. Thank you Michelle for all that you have and will ever do for my family.

Christina Hotaling
Slingerlands, NY

My first child was born with the assistance of a midwife at the Seton Childbirth Center. While I was slightly familiar with the option of home birth, I didn’t really consider that option because I wasn’t sure about insurance coverage and didn’t know of any homebirth midwives in the area or anyone who could give me a personal reference. The most important thing to me was that I could take advantage of the midwife model of care, so I was happy with my decision. When I was about half-way through my second pregnancy, though, I was informed that my son would not be able to be present during labor and delivery; he would not even be able to visit me and the baby in the Childbirth Center because of the new H1N1 precautions at all hospitals in the Capital Region. While I understood that the rules were there to protect my baby, it just didn’t seem right that I should have to abandon my older child for several days in order to give birth to his sibling. I asked the midwives at Seton if they could be present for homebirths, and they said that they couldn’t — but that one of their former midwives had recently started a homebirth practice. The moment they told me Local Care Midwifery was Michelle Doyle’s practice, I knew I would be making the switch! Although Michelle wasn’t the midwife on call when I delivered my son, I knew her from her time at Seton because I had seen her for prenatal visits and my 6 week follow-up appointment. I always loved that having an appointment with Michelle was like spending time with a friend. Local Care Midwifery was the answer to my prayers! Not only would I still receive care from a certified nurse midwife, but I didn’t have to compromise on my plan to have my son present or worry about insurance and billing issues. My husband was initially unsure about switching to a planned homebirth, but Michelle’s education, experience, and professionalism won him over in a single meeting. My only regret with giving birth at home is that I now know what I was missing the first time around, and my only complaint about Michelle is that she was too friendly — often letting me waste an hour or two chit-chatting after my appointments instead of forcing me out of the office after 15 minutes so I could complete my errands! I have already recommended LCM to several women, and I will continue to do so as long as Michelle is practicing.

Chrissie Morrison
Mechanicville, NY

I can’t say enough about the care I received from my midwife, Michelle Doyle while I lived in New York. With her great sense of humor, gentle bedside manner, and obvious competency, she made the dreaded trips to the OB feel more like visits with a trusted friend. Trust is vital to the peace of mind of a woman on her journey to birth. Trust that you will not be treated as just another time-slot but fully informed, engaged with, listened to, and respected. Trust that you will be laboring with a partner who will be there to support and advocate for you as needed so you can relax. Trust that if difficulty arises, you will be in the hands of an experienced caregiver who sincerely cares for you and your baby and will not push intervention unless the situation truly calls for it. Michelle Doyle is just this sort of midwife. I have no hesitation in telling everyone, “Go see Michelle! You will love her. She’s the best!

Amanda Price
Idaho

Michelle came to be my midwife during my last trimester. A trusted friend of mine, and good friend of Michelle’s, recommended her to me when I felt that my current OBGYN was already pressuring me to have a c-section for a large baby. I really wanted a natural birth experience, and Michelle assured me that it was most definitely possible. Michelle and the nursing staff supported me through my decisions to have minimal interventions, freedom to move, and the most natural birth possible. Even through some minor complications prior to the birth, Michelle helped advocate for me and my baby to have a natural birth. My son was born healthy in a calm and supportive environment thanks to Michelle. My husband, a first time father, took his cues from the Michelle and the nursing staff. Because they were so calm and encouraging, he was able to be supportive and strong for me as I labored. I am so glad that I made the decision to have Michelle as my midwife, and I am ever grateful to her for my beautiful, healthy baby boy! Thank you Michelle for everything!

Heather Koleszar
Troy, NY

In 2011 I had a near emergency c-section and Michelle was by my side. I had planned on a homebirth with Michelle, but at 35 weeks I was struck with pre-eclampsia. About one year late, I had to make a film about Michelle. I was struck by Michelle’s love, grace, and knowledge throughout all of my prenatal and postpartum care. She connects with her clients deeply and becomes a part of many families forever. I felt a calling as a filmmaker to document this connection.

My original plan was to make a short portrait film about Michelle where I would film a family throughout three trimesters under her care and it would culminate into the ideal birth at home. Michelle chose Rebecca for me to film. Rebecca is gorgeous, charismatic and had already had a homebirth with Michelle. After I filmed one perfect prenatal visit with rebecca at michelle’s office, this story took a turn. Rebecca invited me to keep filming. The short film about a happy midwife and a healthy baby became much much bigger. much like my birth story, this film is about the unexpected. Here is more about the movie and our fundraising campaign to complete the movie: www.intolovinghandsmovie.com

Victoria Kereszi
Troy, NY

From the first few minutes I spent with Michelle during our initial consultation, I had a gut feeling that she was the best person and midwife to guide and care for me through my first pregnancy and birth. What struck me the most upon meeting her was that her presence left me feeling like I had spent time with a dear friend. Aside from her depth of knowledge and sense of humor, the hug that Michelle gave my husband and me before we left her office sealed the deal that we would work with her. Every office visit after that first meeting confirmed that gut feeling I had. Michelle listened to me intently, answered my questions thoroughly (and even provided suggestions for further resources), and had an excitement about my baby that always made me feel special. Her enthusiastic phrase, “let’s listen to a baby!”, before every time she would use the doppler on my abdomen kept me smiling long after each visit. Then, my son’s birthday arrived. Three and a half weeks early. Thankfully for my stress-level, Michelle had done a home visit the Friday before his birth. On Sunday morning, I made the “my water broke” call to Michelle. She assured me that she would call one of the Three Sisters who would come to our house and check on me. Long story short, things progressed very quickly and Michelle just missed my son’s birth by about 10 minutes due to catching another baby a few hours prior. Naturally, Michelle was prepared for this contingency and Jennifer Fegan-Szalay, one of the incredible Three Sisters, was there just in time. Benjamin’s birthday was naturally special, and Michelle made it even more so. She and Jennifer attended to the baby and me so tenderly and even brought my husband and I breakfast in our bed. She continued to be an unparalleled resource weeks and even months after the birth, and I cannot imagine what we would have done without her. I would love to have the privilege of working with her again.

Sara Krahnke
New York