Kelly Olmstead, LM,CPM

Kelly is amazing! You and your growing family will undoubtedly be in good hands with her. She is extraordinarily well-​organized and über prepared for just about every eventuality. During the labor and birth she and her midwife-​in-​training (Flaura, who is also amazing) set a very calm and peaceful environment for momma and family while maintaining complete situational awareness.
After the birth (and despite having numerous «cluster births» that I can only imagine saturated her schedule and fatigue limits), Kelly was extremely responsive to our family’s questions and needs. She helped us get resources for postpartum blues and navigate a week-​long hospital stint for (non birth-​related) newborn complication.
In short, Kelly is fantastic: knowledgable, competent, experienced, empathetic, accessible, and responsive.

Kelly Olmstead is not only a sweet and generous person but also an amazing resource for anything related to birth.
From the beginning she answered all of our questions without any pressure about homebirth vs hospital. After sitting with her for an hour, our minds were already made up, she clearly had to be the one to deliver our child.
For months we looked forward to each visit and would always leave with delightful smiles, excited for the new adventure that was to come.
When it was time for labor she was at our house ready to check me even in the early stages. She checked back often and monitored my progress until it was finally time to call the second midwife to come in and assist (Laura was a gem).
During labor Kelly encouraged me and put my mind at ease for any aches and pains that I was feeling. When it seems like I couldn’t take anymore she was there to tell me that this was the stage where it should feel like I cannot take anymore but she assured me that I could, and I would, and I did.
Having our baby at home was the most magical experience and I wouldn’t want to do it with anyone other than Kelly Olmstead.
Since the birth she’s been by several times to check our little babe and I must say that we are going to miss her and can’t wait to get pregnant again! (but not too soon) ;)

My husband and I interviewed 5 midwifes as soon as we found out that we were pregnant… I had high expectations for some of them and thought it was going to be a tough choice until we met Kelly.
She was the most assertive of all of them, straight forward answers and very in charge, I wouldn’t have felt as safe as I did with her throughout pregnancy and birth. I think I remember thinking that she was the one during the first 20 min of the interview.
Every time I had an issue or a question (which happened too often) she made sure to follow up with a text, phone call, and email. Sometimes she would even offer to come for a home visit to make it easier on me even though I was supposed to meet her on her office.
I’m still in touch with her, now she is a great resource to me as she is a mother of three herself… she holds a very special place in our hearts and will certainly be our midwife for future babies!

My initial experience with Kelly was as the apprentice at my first birth which was a very long labor. She spent the night at my home, was very patient, supportive, and encouraging.
For my second pregnancy Kelly was my midwife. At 12 weeks when I was out at Shakespeare Santa Cruz and started bleeding heavily we called her. She was waiting for us when we got home with supplies and the moral support I needed in the face of the pregnancy ending. She sat with me for three hours while we waited for the bleeding to stop. When it didn’t she accompanied us to the hospital and stayed until I was out of surgery, which was about 3am. I am so grateful she was there to help me know when it was time to seek medical attention before I was real danger.
Kelly was my midwife for my last birth four months ago. I so enjoyed all my prenatal visits with her. She is very easy to talk to, sympathetic, and knowledgeable. She is also so accessible and willing to do what ever is needed to ensure everyone’s well being.
I can’t recommend Kelly enough!

Kelly was with me at both of my births. She made me feel safe, capable, and in control. She is super informative and easy to get along with. My family loves her as do I. I have friends who have had great experiences with her as well. I feel so lucky to have had positive birth experiences and part of that is due to Kelly being there.
Highly recommend her!

Had planned on interviewing multiple midwives but Kelly was the first one and we fell in love! She went above and beyond in every single aspect of the pregnancy and birth. Caring and knowledgeable, you can’t ask for a better person to guide you through the crazy experience of having a baby! I highly recommend her to anyone considering homebirth. Meet her once and you will feel confident that you are doing the right thing! thanks Kelly!

We hired Kelly for a brief period, but ended up switching to another doula. We only had one meeting with her in which she seemed nice and helpful, albeit she didn’t stand out as being especially insightful about the pending wonders and challenges of childbirth. A few days later, my wife called her to ask a question about pre-​natal acupuncture. Kelly responded with a very brief text that was somewhat flippant and not helpful. A day later my wife asked another doula the same question during an expectant mothers group hike and got a 20 minute reasoned and thoughtful response explaining the pros and cons of getting acupuncture treatments while pregnant. It was such a contrast in understanding/​effort that we decided to switch doulas. My wife felt bad making the change, but called Kelly to explain that we would be working with someone else. This happened just eight days after we had hired Kelly, during which we met with her once for about an hour. Kelly charged us $ 600 for the cancellation. While I realize she may have made some changes to her schedule in anticipation of our upcoming due date, $ 600 is outrageous compensation for a one hour meeting. Kelly may be great in the delivery room — we obviously didn’t make it that far with her — but what we really wanted was someone who could prepare us for childbirth before the due date. Based on the very brief interaction we had with Kelly, it is fair to say that the doula we ended up using was much more knowledgeable about a variety of birthing choices we needed to consider and generally more proactive in getting us ready for our daughter’s birth.

I have to completely agree 100% with all of the other glowing reviews — Kelly is FABULOUS! My husband and I had never even thought of having a home birth until the middle of my pregnancy. Once we started interviewing midwives I knew Kelly was «the one». We clicked right away and I felt totally comfortable asking her anything and quickly learned that I could be confident that I was very well taken care of in her presence. My husband and I had the BEST experience, both prenatal as well as through the birth and post natal. This was our first pregnancy and there were a lot of naysayers out there telling us we were crazy for having our first baby at home and i’m SOOOO glad I didn’t listen to them. I can’t imagine having a baby any other way. You will not be disappointed in choosing Kelly. We interviewed other highly regarded midwives that have been in the community for a long time who also have a great reputation, but Kelly stood out for us. I could go on and on and on, but meet with her and you will know what I mean.
I HIGHLY recommend home birth (coming from a midwesterner who had ZERO knowledge of home birth in the begging of my pregnancy and thought I might just «try» not having drugs). Not only did I not have drugs (nor did the baby), but we got to have total control over such a beautiful, calm and loving birth… all in the comfort of our home.
Lastly, my husband and I got refunded almost the entire amount for the home birth (United Health Care). Don’t assume home birth isn’t covered under your insurance… you just might be surprised like we were. Some cover it, some don’t. It’s worth exploring…
Best of luck on your journey!

I was late in the game when I figured out I wanted to have a home birth, 27 weeks. Starting with my first visit, I was shocked by the difference in care I received. My OB/​GYN maybe spent 10 minutes with me and didn’t offer me much advice. Kelly on the other hand scheduled a whole hour to spend with me. Within the hour long appointments Kelly answered all my questions, offered lots of great advice, and gracefully guided me through everything.
I knew I didn’t want to give birth in the hospital but I questioned my ability to give birth without drugs. Kelly’s support and optimism gave me the courage I needed to have the birth I wanted. After 16 hours of labor, my daughter was born in my home and she took her first breath cradled in my arms. Within a half hour or so, my husband and I were cozy in our own bed staring with amazement at our perfect little girl. The birth was a beautiful event and with Kelly’s guidance we were completely prepared.
Kelly is an amazing woman and you can’t go wrong with her in your corner. She was the perfect balance of strength, love, and guidance for me… I can’t offer enough glowing remarks.