When we had our interview with Illysa, five months into my pregnancy, I felt as though we had been her clients from day one. She welcomed us with her warm confidence and I felt completely comfortable and excited that she was going to help us through such an important and wonderful time. At each check up appointment, whether it was at her office or in our home, I felt like having met with a friend for tea but also having received very educated and professional suggestions on our care. When labor finally began, I knew I could relax in our home without the rush and anxiety of the hospital and nurses. Illysa and her assistant, Patricia, arrived quickly and monitored my labor without being invasive in any way. When there was a minor issue, they calmly had me readjust and solved the problem quickly and easily. Had we been in a hospital, this could have ended with unnecessary medical intervention. She included my husband in every stage from the pregnancy to catching the baby and helped him confidently be a major part of the birth. We were not rushed after the baby came, but were able to bond with our new family. Patricia and another midwife even cooked us breakfast. I am so blessed to have had such a wonderful labor and birth of our daughter. Illysa and her team ensured that we were able to have the experience we envisioned.

I have had the pleasure of having both my second and third baby with Christy as my midwife and Illysa helped at the birth of my third baby. There are many things that stand out about the quality of care I received. For my prenatal care I felt like Christy did a great job of helping me to make informed decisions about what tests/procedures I would like to do. She was very flexible about meeting the needs that were unique to each of my different pregnancies. Christy is continually expanding her knowledge and going to trainings, and is very passionate about what she is doing.

With the birth of my second baby I felt that I was in very good hands during the delivery—the cord was wrapped around my baby’s neck and Christy was able to lift the cord off of her neck, before she was pushed out so that she could come into this world and get her first breath of life. She gave me just the right amount of coaxing to go ahead and push her out, my baby was a little blue when she came out and Christy encouraged me to rub her and talk to her, and in no time she became a beautiful pink color and cried a healthy cry. I know that Christy’s skill at manipulating the cord and encouraging me to switch positions and go ahead and push my sweet girl out, may have made all the difference in the world. I am so grateful for her skill and knowledge.

As for my third birth, I would like to say what a nice team Illysa and Christy make, both are calm and work well together--they balance each other in a nice way: nurturing, efficient, competent and have an obvious love for the beauty and strength of the birthing process. I was really encouraged and empowered to trust my body and have the strength to give birth as we are meant to. It really was a lovely birth and post birth experience. The post natal care was outstanding for both me and my baby. Lastly, I would like to comment on how nice it is to be able to use the same midwife for more than one birth. There is something really nice about using a small practice with one or two midwives.

Thank you,
Darby

“Illysa was very supportive and educational for me to help me overcome my hesitations and fears of a home birth. She taught me the importance of the environment and surroundings and the intimacy that is necessary for a natural birth. The birth of our son was the most beautiful experience I have ever had. Having Illysa there was awesome because I was able to give the proper support for my wife in both pregnancy and labor. I will never forget the time where my wife was the most vulnerable and I got to a point where I did not think my wife would be able to continue and fear set in---Illysa kept her composure, was able to calm us both down and created a chant with my wife, myself and our doula to keep us focused that the baby was coming and it would be okay. “ I am okay, I am doing it, the baby is coming soon!” At the last part, when my wife was pushing, I was close to her and I remember Illysa signaling me to come to her side because the baby was coming. Seeing the baby’s head was so emotional and seeing that my wife was doing this and he was almost here made me so happy. When I held out my arms and caught our little Lorenzo, I knew that everything was okay and we could have never done this or had such a beautiful birth without her. I will forever be thankful.”

Alex Rodriguez

“ My experience with Illysa and having a homebirth was so perfect and natural, it was one of the most amazing experiences in my whole life! After deliberating for what felt like forever, at 6 months pregnant with our second child, my husband and I decided to try a homebirth and leave our OB/GYN. Illysa was the second midwife we met and I instantly felt calm and trusting in her. She had such a gentle demeanor and my fears of being so far along or judged for knowing nothing about homebirth instantly disappeared after our first meeting. I knew she was who I wanted to guide us through this experience. Not only did she explain everything her services offered us, she had an informative little booklet for us and was so easy to work with as we figured out the finances of paying for the birth. Each visit with Illysa was calm and informative and it felt like going to visit a friend’s home instead of a sterile doctor’s office. Illysa gave us one on one care and she gave me so much knowledge and advice on everything from the emotional to the physical part of pregnancy. My labor was fast and intense, more than with our first son so I was very unprepared for my reactions to the pain yet through the whole process, Illysa was there for both my husband and I and she knew what to do when I was having back labor, when I felt tired, scared and when our baby’s position was turned. Illysa never ceased to amaze me with her vast knowledge of the woman’s body and a baby’s needs. She recommended diet changes, herb teas and tinctures for all of my needs even in postpartum care. She taught my husband to care for me at home in the week following the birth and she was always a phone call away for anything I needed. Illysa is a model for what makes homebirth a beautiful and priceless experience for anyone- woman, man or baby.”

Marina Solis

Lorenzo’s mama

Illysa with baby Lorenzo

"Having my birth at home with Illysa created the most amazing and memorable
experience of my life. Illysa was knowledgeable, comforting, and strong. I
felt like I was in control of my child's birth, I had choices, and I was
able to fully experience the birth. It makes it really comfortable to be
forewarned of what may be coming and how it may happen. The knowledge is
great and empowering. What Illysa teaches before, during and even after
birth is tremendous."

-Araceli Kudrle

Be Careful! Once you experience birth with Christy, you will want to have more and more babies! Her patience, love and knowledge made our journey through the pregnancy and birth of our second child incredible--I can't imagine anyone with more capable hands. My only regret is that we didn't meet her before the birth of our 1st--a marked difference between a busy ob/gyn office where we felt like a number, and her calm, wise, loving personal attention. We felt so pampered and empowered. Thank you, Christy! You are a blessing to us and have made a huge difference in our lives.

Erin Cottingham, mom of Iris born August 19, 2009

"My husband and I were in the process of moving back to Austin and I was 4
months pregnant with my first child. I found Illysa online while
researching midwives in Austin from Florida. What initially caught my
interest was that she offered client swims and walks. What could be better
than a community of women to help me learn about pregnancy and parenting? I
contacted Illysa through email and instantly she responded. She spent a lot
of time emailing back and forth with me helping me learn what I could do to
have a healthy pregnancy. The way that she took the time to care for me
before I was even a client of hers made me feel very good about our
relationship.

When my husband and I met Illysa we knew she was for us. Illysa is very
calming and at the same time straightforward. She has the combination of
warmth and medical experience that I was looking for. At our appointments I
felt as if I were meeting with a friend. Illysa explained all of the
choices that I needed to make and led me in the right direction so that I
could do my own research to find the answers that were right for me.

During my 3 days of labor Illysa was amazing. This was my first time to
experience any of these feelings and Illysa made sure to keep me updated on
what was happening with my body throughout the entire labor. Her
reassurance that my body knew what to do kept me calm when I felt like I
couldn't do it anymore. She stayed with me night after night to make sure I
was okay. With Illysa at my side I was able to give birth to my daughter in
a birthing pool at home surrounded by my family. Had I chosen to go to a
birthing center or the hospital I would have had a cesarean section.
Becoming a mother in my own home with my husband holding me was an
experience that I wish every mother in the world could have. I feel so
empowered and connected knowing that I was able to give birth to my daughter
on my own. We will definitely be choosing Illysa again when we decide to
have another child."

-- Christina Smith, proud mama of Lyra Zoe

We could not have planned a more perfect natural home birth for our son. Our wonderful midwife, Christy was an integral part of the entire pregnancy culminating in our amazing backyard birth. Christy has such a warm and comforting approach which really helped me feel relaxed and confident. Despite calling Christy when I went into labor after midnight, she arrived with a smile on her face and I knew then that everything would be just right. Our healthy baby boy is a testament to that!

-Jenny Wood and son River born June 28, 2009

"Illysa believes that there is the right midwife for every woman and when I met Illysa I knew she was the right midwife for me. I could tell that she had the knowledge that would provide a safe environment for my care during pregnancy and birth. But it was also her attitude that impressed me. I wanted to work with someone who would trust my body and not try to fit me into a formula for my care or my birth. I knew I could trust her to not only talk honestly with me about what she was seeing, but also to listen closely to what I was saying. That proved to be the right combination for me.

My birth experience was amazing. Illysa helped create a calm and supportive environment during my very fast and intense labor. Birthing in water helped calm my nervous system down and relieved some of the pressure of the baby coming down. Illysa supported my decision to be in the water 100%. My husband caught our baby and passed him though my legs and Illysa very unobtrusively made sure that all was well. I honestly don’t remember her doing the work, though I have pictures of it. What I remember most was meeting my child. That’s how it should be!

We had some issues with breastfeeding and Illysa made sure that the expertise and support we needed was in place. She stayed with us until we were set with what we needed. I called her whenever I had a question and she was always glad to talk. I really felt like I had the best support that a woman could have in transitioning into motherhood. I felt honored, respected, and safe with Illysa."

-- Gray Sutherland-Rice

"Giving birth was the most difficult thing I’ve ever done; yet it was also the most natural and simple thing I have ever accomplished. For all the difficulty, I knew my baby would enter this world in a calm and energized manner. She didn’t spend her first moments in a cold room, manhandled by strangers, or blinded by lights. She didn’t have to metabolize birthing drugs and was allowed to be in my arms for all but a few minutes – minutes in which she was never out of reach. For my journey, all of the goodness of our birth experience made up for any time or difficulty or pain I could have endured. I was present in every moment and my baby was too. I could have dreamed of nothing more perfect."

~ Kati Pelletier, mother of Arwen

"There would be no way that I could express how Illysa changed my life. I knew the moment that I saw her and heard her speak that she is the midwife I wanted to use.

I was pregnant with my 4th child. This was going to be my first home birth. I loved how Illysa made me feel so comfortable and in tune with my baby. Any appointment that I had, she made me feel like I was her only client. She took so much time making sure I was doing well physically and emotionally. She helped me bond with the baby before he was even born. I never realized that my doctors didn't do that. She encouraged me to take care of myself in ways that I hadn't before. I love how she includes siblings in the appointments. She would let them help measure, she would explain what was going on, etc.. This meant so much to me. My kids loved going to her office and pretended to be like her. Once during my pregnancy I had some strange symptoms and she told me to come over to her house. This was on a Saturday, during her family time. How amazing to be that important to her. When I went into labor she was there within an hour (my previous births were very fast). I was able to labor in my bedroom with my husband, while everyone else was in the living room and kitchen. It was such an amazing experience. It felt like it was just the 2 of us and the baby in the world. She would check on me occasionally and make suggestions when she needed to. When it was time to deliver, I was in the pool in the living room. I was surrounded by my family including my 2 oldest children. Illysa and her assistant were very sweet and would explain things to the children when they had questions. Illysa remained calm but yet authoritative during the process. She helped direct me to do things that would help the baby be born. As strange as it sounds, I was never as involved with the other births of my children. I was in total control and knew exactly what was going on. We had a small difficult situation where my son's shoulder became stuck. She handled it so gracefully. She knew exactly what to do and there was nothing to worry about. She directed family members, her assistant and assisting midwife to help in different areas.

When Maverick was born it was beautiful. We were able to just sit and bond. She encouraged me to hold him as long as possible. She made sure that it was an incredible moment. After the birth and at post partum appointments, she made sure she had time with him alone to talk to him and really get to know him. I felt that she loved him already also. I felt so taken care of after the birth. I cannot express how relaxing and personal she is. This is how every birth should be."

~ Tabitha Krauss

"Illysa gave us great holistic care. She made us feel confidant, informed, and ready to take on the challenges of birth, and parenthood. For our next child, there is no question that Illysa will be our midwife."

-- Jasmine Prince-Lovelace