Solstice Midwifery

Solstice Midwifery Traditional midwifery practice offering midwifery care and homebirth in the Twin Cities & Western WI.

Savoring the intoxicating aroma of elderberry syrup simmering on the stove while feeling deep gratitude for this quiet t...
09/04/2026

Savoring the intoxicating aroma of elderberry syrup simmering on the stove while feeling deep gratitude for this quiet time in my kitchen, preparing my little apothecary for the season ahead.

Usually, I make this with dried elderberries, but this year I found myself with an abundance of fresh elderberries at my disposal. As I shook each berry from its cluster, carefully and diligently removed every leaf and stem, and then sifted through the berries in order to cull any unripe berries, I found myself feeling deeply grateful for all that this fleeting summer has shared with me.

If there’s one thing midwifery has taught me over and over again, it’s to savor the moments when rest and nourishment find their way to me.

08/31/2026

I had a cold for the past month. Sometimes it felt worse when I was outside, and it ALWAYS was worse in the morning. I felt congested, had a cough, dry throat, you know... all weren't too bad but just annoying!

& then yesterday I woke up what felt like the start of a sinus infection.... FML!

From what I heard around town, is basically you all got the same thing... it started as a cold and now its...allergies? 😆

So...
I did this little combo and it worked so well yesterday. I'm gonna do it again for a few days for good measure.

The combo:
Steep nettles, hibiscus, and anything else youd like for 15-30min at least. Drink 1-3 cups a day.
Eat 1-3 raw garlic cloves. I chopped mine and put in my cucumber salad.

Food and plants work wonders for things like this!

Anywho... I hope this helps!

Enjoy these last few days of summer ☀️

Peace ✌️,
Midwife Sam

08/23/2026

There is something about the late summer and the impending change of seasons that makes me feel like a little woodland critter as I work to frantically harvest and preserve all of my garden goodies!

Fire cider is a traditional herbal vinegar infusion with no precise recipe. What you add can depend on what you have growing, what’s in your kitchen, what you enjoy, and what plants you feel drawn to work with.

My version usually includes a combination of:
• Apple cider vinegar
• Garlic
• Onion
• Ginger
• Horseradish
• Hot peppers
• Citrus
• Herbs and spices
• A little honey added after straining

It’s okay to stray from this recipe and make it your own!

If you’re not up for making your own fire cider this season, let me know if you’d like to purchase a bottle from me!

08/12/2026

Are you pregnant and tired in the afternoon and end up napping each day or drinking coffee at work?

Here's a little midwife hot tip of the day for ya!

- Try splitting up your supplements, into morning and afternoon doses, or taking an additional capsule/dose of your prenatal or b vitamin at lunch
- Make sure you eat 20-30g of protein at lunch and try to stay hydrated all morning, as this will also help!
- If this isn't helping, ask your midwife to check in to see if you're anemic, as you may need extra iron too. We recommend completing these labs for this: a complete blood count and ferritin.
Ferritin helps identify your iron stores.

Okay, take care!


07/23/2026

An honest opinion of what matters when you hire a midwife:

- Personality: relatable, warm, enthusiastic to see you
- Inclusive of your family and children
- Their stats are known and shared with the public
- They work with other birth related professionals and can consult with higher level providers for you as needed
- Honest about their experience levels in all things (breech, suturing, emergent complications, water birth, etc)
- Honest recommendations about what needs to happen in pregnancy, birth, and the postpartum for you to meet you goals
- Open to your feedback when something isn't comfortable for you and they willing make adjustments as needed

Midwife Sam also has this on her list:
- Midwives who will nicely tell you about yourself, laugh with you, and hold space for all the naunaces of your life
- An ultimate "girl's girl". A midwife that is ready to hold you hair back when your puking in labor, ride out when you're needing a venue change in labor, preserve your autonomy if you are in the hospital, wipe your tears, and tell you that youre beautiful, incredible,and doing everything right, especially when you don't see that yourself.

✅️✅️✅️

Jamie and Jenna check the whole list! What is on your list for a midwife? Does Solstice meet the mark?

Sam will be starting her maternity leave December 1st! Please help us wish her a gentle pregnancy, birth, and postpartum. ❤️

A new offering to anyone wanting extra support the first 6 months postpartum. Everyone deserves to have intentional and ...
06/30/2026

A new offering to anyone wanting extra support the first 6 months postpartum. Everyone deserves to have intentional and loving support after having a baby, especially when you are in the thick of it. Let us be those extra hands, a listening ear, or providing you helpful tips to get you through this season. You can book 4-6 hour sessions.

Curious to learn more? Read some of our reviews and contact for a complimentary consultation with Midwife Sam to see if we connect!

Website in bio.

Do you notice anything unusual at first glance when you look at this placenta?The first thing you might spot is that the...
06/28/2026

Do you notice anything unusual at first glance when you look at this placenta?

The first thing you might spot is that the umbilical cord isn’t attached near the center of the placenta. Instead, it’s inserted along the edge—a variation called a marginal cord insertion. While many marginal insertions still support healthy pregnancies and births, they’re always an interesting reminder that nature doesn’t always follow the textbook.

What may be harder to notice is something even more uncommon: this is also a furcate cord insertion.

With a furcate insertion, the umbilical blood vessels separate and lose their protective cushion of Wharton’s jelly before they reach the placenta. Without that gelatinous support, those exposed vessels are more vulnerable to compression or tearing. It’s a rare finding, occurring in only about 0.16% of pregnancies.

And yet...we saw TWO in a single day.

Birth work has a funny way of delivering lessons in clusters. Midwives often notice clinical anomalies appearing back-to-back. Sometimes they arrive to teach us something new. Other times they quietly reaffirm the wisdom of practices we’ve held with intention for years.

These placentas did the latter.

They reminded us why we hold such deep respect and reverence for the third stage of labor. Why we avoid rushing the placenta whenever possible. Why we trust physiology, protect the birth space, and allow the placenta to separate and be born gently, guided by the body rather than the clock. Every placenta has a story to tell, and every birth invites us to practice with both knowledge and humility.

Birth is endlessly diverse. The more placentas we witness, the more we are reminded that careful observation, patience, and respect for physiology are some of our greatest tools.
Every placenta is worthy of a closer look.

Just a casual bowl of disinfected instruments waiting to be sterilized. This is what everyone’s counters look like…right...
05/28/2026

Just a casual bowl of disinfected instruments waiting to be sterilized. This is what everyone’s counters look like…right?



TW: Neonatal Resuscitation As midwives, we are trained to resolve complications, like in this photo story. Here you’ll s...
05/26/2026

TW: Neonatal Resuscitation

As midwives, we are trained to resolve complications, like in this photo story. Here you’ll see Midwife Sam assisting a newborn with their first breaths following a shoulder dystocia (the head is born, but the shoulders delay the rest of the birth).

Midwife Sam begins providing initial breaths via mouth-to-mouth as this baby boy was not showing reassuring signs of their lungs transitioning after birth. She did this without hesitation as Midwife Jenna retrieved a bag-mask tool that can also be used to inflate a newborn’s lungs. After a few breaths, Midwife Sam moved to using the bag-mask and he started grimacing, squirming, and quickly letting out a nice loud cry. You can see both Midwife Jamie and Sam working as a team to help him transition into breathing.

While true complications are rare, we routinely practice the skills needed to keep moms and babies safe. We prefer to be hands-off immediately after the birth, allowing the baby to be skin to skin right away, but in this situation it was clear to our team that he needed some extra help. These observations and assessments occur within less than 1 minute of the baby being born.

The look on Midwife Sam's face says it all as this sweet boy makes his first cries. Just after he turned 1 minute old, he was ready to be returned to his mama for her embrace.

While this isn't the first time Midwife Sam needed to use her skills, it was the first time she provided mouth-to-mouth with a baby. She will always remember how it felt to exchange her breath and energy with his - it was truly remarkable.

This family was grateful for our quick and respectful response to their baby’s needs, exclaiming, "thank you for being our son's first kiss"!

Photo creds:
Birther:
Photographer:
Doulas:


newborn

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149 East Thompson Avenue
West Saint Paul, MN
55118

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