Full Circle Midwifery

Kathe Gibbs is amazing! I treasured our prenatal visits, as Kathe and I learned about each other, & she helped my husband and I prepare for our little one to arrive. Kathe is kind, caring, passionate about her work, and the joy and delight she finds in helping families through their childbearing years is obvious, infectious even! For me, where Kathe really shined was during my labor and the birth of my son. As a first time mother, I was incredibly grateful to have her guidance as I labored — it always seemed like she knew exactly when I needed her help (and also when I didn’t!), she knew exactly what to do and say to help me through, and she knew when and how to just let me do my thing! Thanks to Kathe, my husband and I both had such a wonderful, positive, empowering birth experience. .. our son is nearly two, and we still talk about how awesome it was! We just might decide to follow Kathe to Hawaii so we can have our next baby with her too!

Kathe Gibbs is a true Gem! I cannot begin to explain how helpful and essentail she was for my delivery. For example, I spent the 1^st 7 months of my pregnancy with an OBGYN and was not happy, as he was not addressing my concerns, I was extremely tired everyday and all he would say is, «that is normal». After I got fed up with him I started looking for a midwife and found Kathe through Blossom Birth. The first time she saw me she took a look at my blood test and told me the reason I was so tired was due to my Iron levels being so low. The doctor never bothered to even look over my blood work closely to note this because it was in the low section of an acceptable iron level for the average Joe. Kathe then proceeded to offer me a homemade Dock Root extract which immediately re-​energized me! This is just the tip of the iceberg, I could go on and on about how wonderful, knowledgeable and caring she is. I’ve had both of my daughters with her and had one at home! If you’d like to get a personal reference, feel free to ask her for my contact info.

As soon as I met Kathe during the interview (where she comes to your house– how convenient is that?) I knew I wanted her to be my midwife. She’s like a fairy godmother/​shaman/​superwoman. I don’t know how she does it, she gives so much and is full of energy and positivity. I wouldn’t have been able to make it through postpartum without her support and love and I am forever grateful.
Babies are meant to be born at home into loving, familiar hands and women are meant to be protected, respected and honored. If you are considering a homebirth in the South Bay/​Santa Cruz area… Kathe is by far the most experienced, responsible, spiritual, amazing woman to be your midwife. She personifies what it means to be a midwife. She midwifed me through the portal to motherhood, through the challenges I had postpartum and continues to be a light in my life even now as my daughter is a toddler.
Her prenatal care is like nothing you’d get in a doctor’s office. She comes to your house and you chill in the living room drinking tea and talking, some visits were up to two hours long! She palpates your belly– a lost art as the majority of OB’s will just give you an ultrasound each visit. She listens to you and addresses all the parts of you– your body, mind and soul. She respects you and empowers you to put your health in your own hands. She gives you a private childbirth education/​birth planning meeting where you get to see a ton of awesome birth videos from births she has attended. and… she is an endless source of information. No pregnant woman can get enough information and she has a miraculous remedy for everything. She has an herbal iron concoction that cured my anemia. She had these magic tablets that cured my heartburn. She’s magic!
Postpartum… she is an angel. She came to my home with flowers and helped my husband give my daughter a sweet first baby bath in the birth tub. She was on call 24 hours a day for any questions or concerns (and I had a lot). I don’t know how we would have gotten by without her!
The amount of care you receive from this phenomenal woman is above and beyond what is required in the contract. She is priceless. It is a gift to have her in our community serving women in their childbearing years!

I’ve had 3 babies. My first was at the hospital and although wasn’t one of those horror stories you sometimes hear, was not what I wanted. There was lots of pressure from the staff, and I never felt comfortable. I had always wanted a homebirth but was unsure. After getting pregnant for the second time I decided I definitely wanted to have the baby at home. I spoke to a few midwives and decided on Kathe after talking to one of her references.
Everything started out wonderfully. My appointments were filled full of all the necessary things. She checked the baby’s heartbeat, how big I was getting, just like at the doctors’ office. The similarities changed there. She also spoke at length about nutrition, how I was feeling, and what was going on in my life. She was not only caring for me at the deepest level but getting to know me as a person as well. That is critical when helping a woman birth.
When it came time for my little guy to arrive, I called her and after listening to me on the phone decided she should come right over. She was there in no time. She was wonderful. The birth was beautiful and it was so nice to have her there to help and support me.
Then the postpartum period started. This is where Kathe really thrives. I didn’t realize the value of good postpartum care until I had Kathe as my midwife. She checked on us several times and was always available by text, phone, or email. We all thrived.
A couple years later, I was pregnant with my third child. It was a no brainer that Kathe would be our midwife again. Once more she was wonderful. I have never felt more cared for by someone who was taking care of my health needs. Kathe has become almost a part of our family. I would not hesitate to recommend her and in fact have to other soon to be moms.

After my sister had her baby at home with Kathe, I knew who to call when I was pregnant with my first! She helped me deliver my baby girl at home in April 2011. When I was pregnant with my 2^nd it was a no-​brainer to get on Kathe’s calendar immediately! She helped me deliver my baby boy at home in March 2014. Kathe spends as much time as the mama needs at each appointment… we never felt rushed and she always provided so much knowledge and wisdom at each meeting. She always came with recommended readings and leaves the book with you until you are done. I looked forward to new books every time we met! Kathe’s gentle birth techniques are what helped me have quick and wonderful birth experiences with both kids. Kathe is good at responding to texts, phone calls and emails. The biggest challenge during both births is the billing process. I’ve had a really hard time getting my $ from blue cross with lots of challenges with correct and updated codes. While I don’t entirely blame Kathe as we all know Blue Cross will make it as hard as possible, I would recommend that she has some sort of process to keep up on codes or possibly even a billing assistant. While this was a pain, what is MOST important is the trust we had with Kathe and the guidance she provided. She has a special place in our family ;-)