Mama Lion Midwifery

Nile is amazing and I might have to have a third child so she can be my midwife again.
After we found out #2 was on the way Nile was the first person we called — she knew about our little bundle of joy weeks before anyone else did. We had such a great experience with her for our first daughter’s home birth that we couldn’t picture it any other way than with her as our midwife for #2. Throughout both pregnancies Nile provided steady, competent, supportive, empowering, nurturing care. Anyone who works with her is in very good hands and is extremely lucky to have such an able caregiver/​partner in the pregnancy and birth journey.
Here I am, 9 weeks postpartum with baby #2, feeling fantastic and happy and nurtured (and I’ve felt like this the whole postpartum period). I attribute much of my health and happiness now to the support I received from Nile during pregnancy, birth, and the initial weeks postpartum. That is one of the best things about Nile’s care, and the homebirth model in general. Birth is about so much more than the moments of labor and delivery of the baby. It is about health of baby and mama throughout the pregnancy and in those tender early weeks. Nutrition, exercise, mental state and general wellbeing are of the utmost importance and Nile is your partner and champion in achieving a healthy pregnancy and birth.
Thanks to Nile, I felt no fear around what was going on or what might happen. I trusted her that if anything were to go differently than planned she would inform us and do whatever was needed to ensure a healthy baby and mama. We were lucky that both times we were able to have beautiful home births, but I know that she would have changed course if necessary.
Nile played a primary role in the most beautiful, transformative, profound, empowering moments in my life. It is a special bond, a true gift, and I am deeply thankful that both my girls came into the world in a calm, peaceful, loving setting. I am forever grateful for Nile’s role in my life!

I can honestly say having Nile as our midwife was the best decision we made when pregnant and planning for our first child. She was absolutely amazing during the prenatal appointments, during the birth, and especially postpartum, supporting all of us physically and emotionally (new mama, new daddy, and baby).
Nile was literally always there for us, no matter how big or small the concern. From the beginning, you know you’re in good hands because she is so smart and knowledgeable, of course well trained and experienced, and one of the warmest and most caring individuals. We felt that we had similar philosophies about safety, and trusted her implicitly. As a scientist, I did all the research I could when I got pregnant, and decided that for me it was a better choice to go with a midwife and home birth instead of birthing in the hospital. There are definitely less interventions with midwives. However, every expectant mama needs to choose what she is most comfortable with.
For me, being in labor and holding my newborn baby in my own home was priceless. And having Nile’s guidance, watchful eye, and encouragement allowed me to have the birth I desired. Giving birth naturally is tough, and when I didn’t think I could do it, Nile was there to reassure me that I was already doing it! She is one of those people that just makes you feel good about yourself and empowered. Every time I had a worry or concern, talking with her always answered my questions, alleviated my concerns, and brightened up my day. We feel so fortunate to have met Nile and have her help bring our child into the world.

Nile in incredible. I have had the honor of being the birth doula at a few births with her and I am blown away by her bedside manner and clinical skills, both of which are crucial for women and their families during birth. My clients were always thrilled with her care and she is one of the first midwives I refer out. One of the things I particularly love about her is how she uses holistic methods whenever she can, but knows when to bring western medicine into the mix, so mamas and babies get the best of worlds. Highly recommend!

Nile’s care was all that we had hoped for and I would definitely recommend to any Moma. Not only is she very knowledgable and experienced, our at-​home check ups were a breeze. The delivery and care for weeks afterwards were also fantastic. If we needed support — she was always there for us.
For anyone concerned about billing, even though our insurance decided to be a pain, Nile was incredibly accommodating, giving us whatever paperwork we needed.
We can’t recommend Nile highly enough. She’s a warm intelligent CNM and we’re so fortunate to have had her deliver our baby!

We really can’t say enough positive things about Mama Lion. Nile and Rachel provided excellent care before, during, and after our birth. My husband was a little nervous about having a home birth, and the fact that Nile and Rachel are CNM made him feel a lot more comfortable.
I had a high risk pregnancy, so we switched to home birth last minute (once we cleared the risk portion of the pregnancy) and it was so amazing to have a natural childbirth in our home after months of monitoring and hospital visits. They empowered and supported us to have the kind of birth we wanted. When we had a minor complication after the birth and needed to go to the hospital, Nile and Rachel made the transition calmly and smoothly. They continued to come and care for us in the hospital environment. We couldn’t have asked for a more supportive pair of midwives.
In general, the kind of care and attention that midwives provide is fantastic, and Nile and Rachel were so amazing. Our family really can’t recommend them enough. I feel so fortunate that they were present for the birth of our daughter. The home birth they helped us to have is one of the greatest gifts my partner and I feel that we’ve ever received.

I myself have never been pregnant– but have been lucky enough to have witnessed two of my sister’s home births. At 8.5 months pregnant, my sister in San Francisco, decided to switch to a home birth. While most midwifes refused to take my sister so close to her due date, Nile took her with open arms. Most people have some crazy stereotype of midwife in their heads– but Nile is (for lack of better terms) pretty awesome. She is down to Earth and has a personality that makes you want to be friends with her. I was there for one of their home visits before the actual labor day– and Nile was so warm, inviting and organized. At the home vist she asked the hard questions that are hard to talk openly about and had great resources and advice for all of my sister’s (and her husband’s) questions. On the day my sister gave birth, Nile brought a level of peace to everything. More importantly though, she let my sister feel in control of her own body. She was there to offer a soothing voice, words of encouragement and a steady hand for the pain. She never told her what to do but rather showed her how to relax or talked her through the contraction. My sister made the best decision when she hired Nile and we all couldn’t have been more excited about what an amazing birth story we now have to tell. Honestly, I do not think a simple Unilocal review can portray how amazing she is and what she has to offer. She is hands down amazing!

When I found out I was pregnant I really wasn’t sure who I should go to to deliver my baby. After living in San Francisco for over 15 years, I had bounced around between ob/​gyns, never really sticking with one. I knew that choosing the person to deliver my baby was one of the most important decisions I would make and I really wanted to find the right person. I come from a family of small people and my mom told me that her doctor said she should only have had c-​sections b/​c her pelvis was too small, never mind that she had delivered two children vaginally already. My sister had c-​sections with all four of her children, and I knew that I really did not want to go that route if at all possible. After doing some research and finding out that the c-​section rate in the US has been increasing exponentially and is now at 1 in 3 of all births, I started to strongly reconsider having my baby in a hospital. My husband and I continued our research, and found that home births in healthy pregnancies are just as safe as hospital births and there is far less chance of medical interventions. So we decided to start looking into finding a midwife and see if home birth would be a viable solution for us.
I met Nile Nash at a panel of «Meet the Midwives» at Natural Resources. I had a good feeling about her right away. We arranged a time to have an interview at my house so that my husband could meet her as well. We met and reviewed many of the possible factors involved in a home birth. I was impressed with her professionalism, depth of knowledge and honesty. There are risks involved in everything in life and it helps not to shy away from them but to understand them as best as possible. Talking with her put me at ease and I instantly felt more relaxed in facing the challenges of childbirth. After meeting with a couple of other midwives, per Nile’s recommendation, and talking it over, my husband and I chose to have Nile Nash catch our baby.
Over the course of the next few months we met with Nile both in a group with other parents-​to-​be under her care and one-​on-​one to do pre-​natal checkups and discuss various issues associated with the birth. When we needed to make decisions about our care she provided us with robust information so that we could make an informed choice. We discussed the personal feelings and challenges associated with childbirth and the impacts of pregnancy on my life and relationship. Truly I have to say it was the most comprehensive health care I have experienced in my life. It was not the usual detached clinical experience. Nile cares greatly about the expecting parents she works with in her practice. She goes above and beyond what is normally expected. There was a point near the end of my pregnancy where my blood pressure became slightly elevated. She came over every couple of days to check it and made suggestions to help lower it, which I followed carefully. Thankfully, my blood pressure went down to normal as a result of her recommendations and never went back up.
When the big day (or in my case, days) came to have my baby, Nile was a superstar. Rarely have I met someone as on the ball and organized as Nile. She arrived with two neatly packed bags of medical gear. She wasn’t just prepared on the physical level but she was ready to meet me in the challenging emotional places my long labor was taking me. As I spent hours in the birthing tub she would come over regularly and check the baby’s heartbeat. Each challenge that we faced in helping my baby come out in the world, Nile helped us meet with her solid knowledge of birthing. It took quite a while, but my little girl arrived during daybreak after a few days of labor. I am so grateful that Nile was the person there to catch her as she entered the world, and so happy that we were able to have the home birth that we wanted. I’m not sure I could have done it without Nile’s help. She is truly talented in her field and has a deep well of compassion and understanding, and a genuine need to do good in the world, and she is doing it. You will be lucky if you choose her to be your midwife.

Nile is an amazing woman and midwife, just the type of person you want there when you bring your child into the world.
We were fortunate enough to get to work with Nile when she filled in with Rites of Passage. We were initially drawn to RoP because of their positive reviews, but we were won over when we interviewed Nile.
I knew from the beginning that I wanted a home birth but my husband wasn’t so sure. After our initial meeting with Nile he was won over by her obvious experience and solid medical background (she is a certified nurse midwife — important for many insurance companies if you’re trying to have them cover some of the costs.)
Nile worked closely with us every step of the way — from the prenatal meetings and check-​ups, through the delivery, and into the post-​birth check-​ups.
Nile is incredibly knowledgeable, gave good background information regarding our many options, was incredibly kind and calm, and really made the entire experience amazing.
We had a lengthy labor and I owe so much to Nile & Kara (the apprentice midwife who assisted) who were with me through the entire experience.
Our son was born in a ‘distressed’ condition which required resuscitation — Nile handled it so amazingly. She was so calm and efficient making sure that I was kept calm and comfortable, keeping me informed while quickly taking care of my boy. It was over in seconds and I was able to hold my little man in my arms right away. I can’t even imagine what this experience would have been like in a hospital.
I am so thankful that I had these ladies at my birth and will definitely call them again in the event that I have #2.
I would be happy to speak with anyone who is considering working with Nile. I can not speak highly enough of her.

Working with Nile was one of the best decisions I ever made. Truly.
If you are looking for a midwife, I can not recommend her highly enough!
I always felt like I was getting the best possible care, from our first prenatal to our 6 week postpartum visit. Above all, Nile was supportive, compassionate, and patient throughout 89 hours of labor. I felt safe at every moment, and wouldn’t change a thing about my birth experience (saying a lot considering I had such a long labor!). She stuck with me through it all, literally for days, tirelessly monitoring the baby and I while being exactly the support I needed. Our daughter was born in such a loving peaceful way, I wouldn’t trade it for the world. I am forever grateful, and only wish that every woman could be so lucky as to have a midwife like her!
The entire experience was more than I could have hoped for. Nile rocks! I recommend her to everyone I can.