Inside A Cheyenne Birth Center With A Midwife-Led Team | Earthside Birth and Wellness Center | Episode 196

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This is Beyond the Front Door Podcast with Lindy and Rhea.
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We're opening the door to real stories from our community, business owners, leaders, dreamers, and doers, sharing the journeys that shaped them.
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Our goal is simple to support, spotlight, and celebrate the people around us.
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Come on in.
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Yeah.
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All right.
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Welcome everybody to Beyond the Front Door podcast with Lindy and Rhea.
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We are thrilled to have as our guest today Sarah Mori from Earthside Birth and Wellness.
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Thanks.
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Thank you so much for joining.
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Welcome.
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Yeah.
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So if we could just start off and have you tell us a little bit about yourself, like how long you've lived in Cheyenne, just a little bit about your background, if you want to chat family as well.
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Just give us a little insight as to you.
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Sure.
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We have been in Cheyenne almost 10 years now, but moved over from Laramie.
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So I was in Laramie quite a long time.
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My wife is full-time Air Guard.
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Okay.
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She's an officer there in the Wyoming Air National Guard.
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We have five kiddos, ages almost 23, 20, 18, 14, and 12.
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Yes.
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So it's getting fun, like the more adult age.
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Yeah.
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I'm having a blast with that.
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Um, so yeah, we've been living in China almost 10 years, and I just throughout my own birth experiences, started to we call become involved in the birth worker world of becoming a childbirth educator, doula, lactation counselor, all that fun stuff because of my own experiences.
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And so mostly was a stay-at-home mom for the past 20 years.
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Finally, the kiddos were all in school only for COVID to hit, and they all came back home.
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Yeah, how that works.
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My youngest was in kindergarten that year, and I was so excited.
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I had one in I had my it was my oldest, but kindergarten.
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I was thankful it was kindergarten.
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Yeah.
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I was teaching.
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Yeah.
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Yeah.
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That you were teaching.
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I was so excited to like I was retiring from being an at-home mom.
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Yeah.
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Figuring out what I wanted to do with my life.
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And like six months later, they all five of them came home and trying to teach five different grades.
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So that was that's that had to have been a lot.
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Yeah.
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Yep.
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So um, so mostly stay at home and just doing kind of some birth work on the side, different, different businesses I ran, Airbnbs, we own a few properties.
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So that was kind of my little side thing to keep me, you know, your mind at least functioning while you're raising children.
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Yes, you got to do something outside of I believe anyway, you got to do something to for yourself for yourself.
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I mean, I do think being a mom, like we all take a lot of pride in being a mom, and that serves that that what do you how do you want to say it?
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Um, feeds the soul.
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Yeah, but you also need something else as well, right?
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Talk to an adult once in a while.
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A doll once in a while.
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Yeah, absolutely.
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Well, what I guess, like you say, like birth gigs, what like I think most people, or not most people, I we talk about uh being Gen X, I'm complete Gen X.
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And in my day when I was having babies, I mean you just went to the hospital and had a baby, there really wasn't a whole lot of other options.
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Although I did start to see, do you ever remember the one that's 23?
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Mine are 26 and 27.
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Do you remember that little um show, a baby story?
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Did you ever watch that?
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Did you ever no?
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It maybe not.
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But it was a TLC kind of.
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Yeah, well, yeah.
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So it were these these like stories of women that um you saw their story of how they decided to have a child and just it almost like um like uh like a house hunters, like a how do you want to say?
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It's just a 30-minute reality show that determines their journey of being pregnant and then having babies.
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And that's when I actually started to see women have babies like in pools in their house.
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Yeah, yeah.
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Yeah, that's when I was kind of introduced to new ways of doing it.
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But yeah, for sure.
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With my first, I was determined to have a natural birth, but had no idea anything but a hospital birth existed.
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So I just took classes, had a natural hospital birth, which was amazing.
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And then with my second, I was doing another class, and someone in that class was planning a home birth, and I was just like, What?
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What is that?
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What is that?
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That sounds amazing.
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And at the time we lived in Michigan, we were on a family farm, and I was like, Oh my gosh, that's just what I want.
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And so I ended up switching care at 38 weeks from an OB to a midwife, had him a week later, and just that kind of ignited that journey for me of like, oh, there's alternatives, and also just the importance of taking that class of becoming informed.
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And then, you know, as we all learn, like I'm one of those people who are like, I'm gonna take a childbirth, you know, become a childbirth instructor, and then you have to attend a couple births, and you're like, oh my gosh, this is amazing.
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I want to learn to become a doula, and then you do that, and you're like, oh my gosh, I want to become a midwife, and your journey of educating yourself just keeps getting deeper.
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Yeah.
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So what are the um I guess what you talk about, like a childbirth instructor and then a doula and then a midwife.
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What can you walk us through like what each of those mean and what the responsibility level is for each of them?
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Yeah, the biggest question people ask are what's the difference between a doula and a midwife?
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So a doula is non-medical support person.
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So they're kind of like emotional support in your labor journey.
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They help you advocate for the birth you want, whether it's I need an epidural at five centimeters, or I really want a hospital birth and I want to go natural.
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Um, they're more doing that emotional coaching, being there, helping you advocate for yourself, doing some education, whereas the midwife is a medical provider.
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So they're definitely more holistic for the most part.
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Um, there's we say there's two different models of care: the medical model of care and midwifery model of care.
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So they follow that holistic path, but they're trained.
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Emergencies, they're, you know, making sure everyone's healthy, we're doing blood work, blood pressures, all of that same thing.
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But the biggest difference between a midwife and an OB, besides some schooling, is that midwives believe birth is normal and natural part of a woman's and a family's journey, and we're on the lookout for things going wrong, but we're also assuming this is just normal and natural.
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Whereas the medical model of care, the second a woman becomes pregnant, she is on a disease continuum.
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What does that mean?
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So we assume something for something new.
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Oh, okay.
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I feel like that is true.
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Uh when I had kids, I every time you went to the doctor, I feel like it was something to scare you.
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Right.
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And I think there's a hundred percent a place, and I want to like get that out of the front of like we are so thankful for OBs.
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Um, but they are a higher level of care, and the majority of women only need that.
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Don't need it.
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So it's like you're going in at a high surgical level for something that's pretty baseline, normal, and natural.
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And so a quote I heard recently was like, every woman needs a midwife, and then some of them also need a doctor.
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So we do it the opposite where we assume that you know we need a high level of care.
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Yeah.
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And midwives also usually pr um provide a lot more of that relationship-based care.
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Sure.
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So they're building the relationship, they're getting to know you, what you want.
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Um, they are still doing all the medical things and informed consent, but really like you're in the driver's seat as a parent, because again, this is also the beginning of parenthood.
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Yeah, a lot of decisions to make.
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Yeah, yeah.
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And why start in pregnancy being told what to do and what's right or wrong for you and your body?
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Sure.
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Sure.
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So if someone, if a woman recently discovers she's pregnant and she wants to go the route of a midwife, what's different?
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Like walk us through the process of what she does differently.
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Yeah.
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So in the state of Wyoming, I'll just kind of back up a little bit.
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Um, midwives are allowed to practice autonomously.
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And so they can do home births, birth center births, or certain types of midwives can do hospital births too, if a hospital is hiring and has midwives on board.
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Um, so our birth center has what we call CPMs, which are certified professional midwives.
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They can do home births or birth center births.
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And we provide the same type of standard of care, like you're coming in the same amount of visits every month, you know, for the first 28 weeks or then every two weeks.
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Um, we're doing all the same blood work, blood pressures, pee in the cup, measuring baby, checking baby, right, that kind of thing.
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Um, we spend a lot more time with our clients.
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So an hour at every visit instead of feeling like you're a number and sat in the waiting room for 30 minutes for your two-second appointment.
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Um with someone who might be different than last time.
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Right.
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Sure.
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Yeah, sure.
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Yeah, an hour, that's really amazing.
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Yeah.
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So we get to know them.
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They get we get to talk and educate.
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And I think having even my own personal experience as both OB and midwife care with my babies, like people assume that at some point you're gonna be told like what's gonna happen and how this is gonna look.
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And so every appointment you're showing up at an OB, like, okay, they're gonna let me know what birth is gonna look like, and suddenly you're in labor and you don't know what it looks like.
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Yeah, no one's told you.
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You're like, what?
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Well, and back in my day, I mean, all that you all that any woman had was the book, What to Expect When You're Expecting, right?
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It's so scary.
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It's like it could be nothing, but you could be dying.
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Yeah, right.
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Awesome.
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Okay, so it's similar in terms of you're still meeting every month until it gets to the point of every, you know, you're increasing as you get closer to the end of your pregnancy, and um, but you're getting more specialized attention from um the midwife, correct?
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Uh, as you go along and you're still doing blood work, you're still measuring.
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So you still do like ultrasounds?
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Are you doing ultrasounds?
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Yep.
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So we order out one 20-week anatomy scan, and that's a very precise measurement at 20 weeks.
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Okay.
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Read by a radiologist to just make sure babies, you know, also low, low risk.
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You know, they that's when they look at all the organs, all of that stuff.
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Um, in Wyoming, birth centers and home birth midwives can only take low-risk healthy women.
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So that also includes we can't do twins, we can't do breach births.
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If women develop some kind of medical issue, usually it's like high blood pressure, that kind of thing.
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That's what I did.
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I had high blood pressure through my own.
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And that's that can be really common.
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Um, so that's a higher level care.
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We definitely want to be on the lookout for those types of things.
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Um, but interestingly, about 85% of the population is considered low risk and healthy.
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Oh, that is interesting.
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Yeah.
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Yeah.
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So most women can, I mean, if you think about it, back before there were hospitals.
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I mean, women were giving birth in caves and in and in homes and in, you know, the nature.
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Right, right.
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And they say midwifery is the second oldest profession.
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Mm-hmm.
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I just first for some reason have this picture in my head of not not of a birth, not with birthing center, but like, you know, a hundred or two hundred years ago with, you know, like the leather strap in your teeth right down.
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Yeah.
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And all the women in the village are there with their hot water and their blankets and giving birth.
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But the problem was, I'm sure back then, um, higher fatality rates, right?
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Because then women did not have the ability to make a decision from going from lower level to uh to to upper higher level, and then, you know, because that higher level just didn't exist at all.
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And then yeah, so I think that came and went too.
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I have studied like the history of birth, especially in the US.
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And a lot of times those higher mortality rates came from like when we were in Europe and there were crowded conditions and people weren't eating well.
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Sure.
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And when they moved to the Americas where they're, you know, farm fed and really healthy, like the birth mortality rates really dropped.
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And then I think the mortality rates that we picture are because at some point women just like you have enough babies and eventually your body just does it.
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Just is done, right?
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Like, and so so you know, our grandparents, great-grandparents had 14, 15 kids, and eventually your uterus will stop working exactly.
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So so then we it kind of reinforces like childbirth is that dangerous because we just keep having babies until sure our bodies give up.
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But um, yeah, so I think it's probably like anything, right?
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Like you hear the horror stories, right?
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And uh we were just my son, my youngest son and I were just having this discussion about um sharks and the movie Jaws, right?
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Like when again, you know, when I was growing up, Jaws was the big so everybody's afraid to get in the water.
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Yeah, but the odds are of you being attacked by a shark are really low.
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And it just so happens, of course, that my younger son wants to do the the cage, uh be in the cage in the water with the sharks.
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I'm like, I really no, thank you.
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I really would rather you not.
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And he's like, well, guess what?
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I'm going to do it anyway.
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But anyway, I we had the discussion about how Jaws really shaped a generation of being afraid of sharks because of how they portrayed them.
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And I'm assuming it's a similar situation, of course, that we've portrayed that women are dying during childbirth.
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And while some women that is the case, it's not a big thing.
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Definitely not.
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I am a big advocate of like having a professional attend your birth because there are things that come up that are totally unpredictable, and you need someone that's skilled.
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So women do free births and stuff like that, and you know, it's all your choice.
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I just personally experienced enough that I'm like that.
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I want someone that's skilled.
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So midwives do have those skills, like at our birth center.
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That's the big question.
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Well, what if something happens?
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Again, we're not assuming like birth is just great, and as long as you don't mess with it, it'll be fine.
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Oh God.
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When I I feel like my whole life, my mom's told me this is the closest you'll get to death.
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She probably was told that.
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And so then that's all you think is it's like, I'm gonna almost die.
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Right.
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Right.
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Well, I mean, it feels like you want to die, but right?
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Right.
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I mean, there's the there's the ongoing debate, right?
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Of what's the most painful thing in the world and childbirth, and and unfortunately, you know, there's no experience that both men and women both have, I don't think, that help us make that comparison.
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Yeah, but we can assume that childbirth, just considering the way that your body changes while you're delivering, is kind of a big deal.
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Yeah, for sure.
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And you kind of were referencing the story of like picturing people biting down on leather.
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And for me, one huge difference is that when people look at hospital births, like you're you're confined to a bed, you have an IV, you're hooked up to monitors, you really can't move.
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There's bright lights, there's people you don't know.
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And birth also feels a lot different when you're in a calm, supported environment surrounded by people who kind of trust the process.
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And it's just kind of magical how like yeah, women that are giving birth, we call it like a community birth.
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Um, it's gonna be the hardest thing they ever do, but it's not the same level of pain that people often imagine that in the hospital because you're kind of confined and you're sure it's scary and everyone's tense and waiting for something bad to happen.
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And isn't it that and I I don't remember the the fact on this, and you'll be able to say, I'm sure, that we weren't necessarily created to give birth living or laying in a bed.
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Right.
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Am I correct?
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Right.
00:16:57.519 --> 00:16:59.759
You're supposed to be able to be in whatever position you can do.
00:17:00.320 --> 00:17:02.240
Gravity's a really good idea in in part.
00:17:02.720 --> 00:17:03.200
What's that?
00:17:03.440 --> 00:17:04.559
Gravity is a really gravity.
00:17:05.039 --> 00:17:06.240
Gravity to your advantage.
00:17:06.400 --> 00:17:06.960
Yes.
00:17:08.400 --> 00:17:09.519
But okay, okay.
00:17:09.680 --> 00:17:12.559
So I so let's backtrack for a second.
00:17:13.039 --> 00:17:15.839
What does a birthing room look like at your wellness center?
00:17:16.000 --> 00:17:23.359
Like what what what can a woman expect when she's going to she's heading into labor and she's going to use your facility?
00:17:23.519 --> 00:17:24.480
What does that look like?
00:17:24.640 --> 00:17:26.480
What does a typical birth look like?
00:17:26.799 --> 00:17:29.519
Since we're on the subject of position and all of that.
00:17:29.920 --> 00:17:31.119
It looks like a giant bedroom.
00:17:31.200 --> 00:17:34.799
It has a queen-sized bed in it, it's got an inflatable pool.
00:17:34.960 --> 00:17:40.960
A lot of women are really interested in having the water birth or laboring in water.
00:17:41.279 --> 00:17:46.319
Warm water in labor releases hormones to help you relax and take the edge off.
00:17:46.400 --> 00:17:48.079
It's a big pain reliever.
00:17:48.319 --> 00:17:58.559
And typically, when we get into a nice huge tub of water, it not only takes the edge off, it reduces your pain, but you're still like moving around.
00:17:58.640 --> 00:18:01.920
You can be kind of upright, squatting, hands and knees, that kind of thing.
00:18:02.160 --> 00:18:04.400
So we have a birth pool in there.
00:18:04.559 --> 00:18:08.960
Women are also um can have water birth if they choose.
00:18:09.119 --> 00:18:14.640
So about 20 to 25% of our babies are born in the water, which is really cool.
00:18:14.960 --> 00:18:24.799
We have uh it's called a Swedish bladder on the wall, so you can hang on it, squat, do sling, whatever.
00:18:25.039 --> 00:18:31.920
Midwifes are very happy to be in whatever position to catch babies, so you're not typically even in the bed when you give birth.
00:18:32.160 --> 00:18:32.400
Okay.
00:18:32.559 --> 00:18:37.440
You can be squatting on the floor in the pool, hands and knees on the bed, whatever you choose.
00:18:37.680 --> 00:18:52.720
Um and so we also encourage women to stay at home as long as possible because when we're at home, we're comfortable, we're in our own environment, and humans are very much animalistic when we give birth.
00:18:52.799 --> 00:18:55.599
Like that's the most instinctive thing we'll do.
00:18:56.400 --> 00:19:05.519
And if you've ever been around farm or ranch animals, they give birth in the dark, alone, without anyone around.
00:19:05.759 --> 00:19:11.359
And you know, there's always stories of the family cat disappearing for a week and coming back with kittens, right?
00:19:11.599 --> 00:19:18.240
And if they're interrupted, they will literally stop labor and wait till the next night or find a different place to give birth.
00:19:18.400 --> 00:19:22.240
So, humans, we have those same um instincts.
00:19:22.480 --> 00:19:30.400
And so when you're in home at home in your own surroundings, you're gonna just be more relaxed and birth tends to go quicker.
00:19:30.720 --> 00:19:34.799
So we encourage women to stay at home as long as possible, eat and drink.
00:19:35.200 --> 00:19:39.279
They're communicating with the midwives of when to come into the center.
00:19:39.599 --> 00:19:46.720
Um our sweet spot is actually women are usually there about two or three hours before baby comes.
00:19:47.839 --> 00:19:49.599
Just enough to get everybody settled.
00:19:49.759 --> 00:19:58.319
I mean, we have both situations happen where babies come 10 minutes after everyone gets there or ten hours, but it's usually about two.
00:19:59.039 --> 00:20:10.319
And because they're doing most of the work, and so at that point that disruption isn't as big of an impact on our physiologic experience.
00:20:10.640 --> 00:20:22.640
Um and they give birth, and we do they don't stay very long, so we need several hours of really stable vitals on mom and baby.
00:20:22.880 --> 00:20:25.839
Um, midwives can do repairs if they need to.
00:20:26.000 --> 00:20:38.079
We make sure mom has eaten a really good meal, the bleeding is controlled, she's able to get up, walk around, use the restroom, um, baby's nursed, and then they get to go back home.
00:20:38.400 --> 00:20:40.640
So they don't even like stay the night necessarily.
00:20:40.960 --> 00:20:41.279
Wow.
00:20:41.599 --> 00:20:42.160
That's interesting.
00:20:42.559 --> 00:20:44.880
We go visit them the next day.
00:20:45.200 --> 00:20:45.519
Oh.
00:20:46.319 --> 00:20:46.720
Nice.
00:20:47.039 --> 00:20:49.839
And just do a little more post-partum care as well.
00:20:50.079 --> 00:20:57.359
So while they're out earlier than you would be in the hospital, we're also checking in on them more often and supporting in that way.
00:20:58.720 --> 00:21:00.640
This probably sounds like a silly question.
00:21:01.039 --> 00:21:10.640
But um then do you guys you um then you do the paperwork there to go to the state for a birth certificate and all of that?
00:21:10.799 --> 00:21:11.039
Yeah.
00:21:11.200 --> 00:21:11.440
Okay.
00:21:11.680 --> 00:21:13.279
So we filed the birth certificate.
00:21:13.440 --> 00:21:22.640
We also do like the newborn hearing screen, the newborn metabolic screen, where they do the hill poke and check for all the really rare um metabolic diseases.
00:21:22.799 --> 00:21:24.400
So we take care of all of that.
00:21:24.640 --> 00:21:24.960
Okay.
00:21:25.200 --> 00:21:29.839
Work with the state department of health on that kind of stuff.
00:21:30.160 --> 00:21:33.759
So, what happens if there is an emergency in the middle of all of it?
00:21:34.000 --> 00:21:34.079
Yes.
00:21:35.839 --> 00:21:40.079
I always say our number one defense is keeping women low risk and healthy.
00:21:40.319 --> 00:21:45.279
So when we start at that point, 95% of the time, like everything's fine.
00:21:45.440 --> 00:21:47.119
Go normal.
00:21:47.279 --> 00:22:04.240
We're also then proactive, so we're still doing all those same checks on baby and mom during labor, so we're listening to heart rates intermittently during vitals when we So if we're seeing something, we're also not waiting.
00:22:04.319 --> 00:22:11.920
So if baby's not looking great in distress, in distress, we're not like gonna have her keep laboring for six more hours and hope for the best.
00:22:12.079 --> 00:22:12.240
Right.
00:22:12.400 --> 00:22:15.119
So typically Which is probably what people think happens.
00:22:15.279 --> 00:22:15.440
Yeah.
00:22:15.599 --> 00:22:18.640
I'm sure they're like, oh gosh, yeah, then it goes too long and then it's too late.
00:22:18.799 --> 00:22:18.960
Right.
00:22:19.119 --> 00:22:20.559
Then you're like, we're not, yeah.
00:22:20.720 --> 00:22:21.039
We do this.
00:22:21.359 --> 00:22:21.920
You're not in the business.
00:22:22.079 --> 00:22:22.640
We're not, yeah.
00:22:22.960 --> 00:22:23.680
We know what we're doing.
00:22:23.839 --> 00:22:24.160
Right.
00:22:24.640 --> 00:22:26.640
We don't need an emergency on our hands.
00:22:26.799 --> 00:22:26.960
Yeah.
00:22:27.039 --> 00:22:27.279
Yeah.
00:22:27.440 --> 00:22:29.039
And we don't need to prove anything.
00:22:29.119 --> 00:22:40.160
And so again, we're we more often we'll practice out of an abundance of caution than like sure, odds are it'll be fine, but we're not gonna take that risk.
00:22:40.400 --> 00:22:40.640
Sure.
00:22:40.880 --> 00:22:42.640
You don't, I mean, you don't want to lose anybody.
00:22:42.960 --> 00:22:46.880
No, and that's obviously the number one goal of everybody involved.
00:22:47.039 --> 00:22:53.279
We just believe there's like that's like the bottom floor of what we should be giving to women.
00:22:53.519 --> 00:22:55.519
So so we're watching out for that.
00:22:55.680 --> 00:23:02.960
If we see a baby that's not doing great, we're gonna transfer if a mom spikes blood pressure or fever, something transferring.
00:23:03.359 --> 00:23:18.000
Um, but the majority of transfers are non-emergent, so it might be like labor's just going really long where something's happening that we're not progressing appropriately, something like blood pressure comes up.
00:23:18.240 --> 00:23:25.680
But we're also, you know, we carry all the same medications and equipment that typically are found in the hospital.
00:23:25.839 --> 00:23:33.599
So anything from anti-hemorrhagic medications, we can do IVs, but we're not doing them um prophylactically.
00:23:34.319 --> 00:23:38.480
Um we can suture, we can resuscitate a baby.
00:23:38.720 --> 00:23:44.400
Typically, babies, you know, come out breathing, but sometimes they don't want to just transition.
00:23:45.039 --> 00:23:46.480
They take a little extra time.
00:23:46.559 --> 00:23:47.039
Yeah.
00:23:47.359 --> 00:23:49.519
All those individual personalities as well.
00:23:50.000 --> 00:23:50.559
Exactly.
00:23:51.599 --> 00:23:59.519
So then um, so then I'm guessing like if you did have to make a transfer over to the hospital, you're giving all over all that data.
00:23:59.680 --> 00:24:07.759
But then do you have like a uh specific relationship with an OB, or is it more like a relationship with the hospital and you make that transfer?
00:24:07.920 --> 00:24:08.960
What does that look like?
00:24:09.200 --> 00:24:18.079
Yeah, we're definitely um connected with the hospital staff because the whatever OB group is practicing and on call that time, it comes and goes.
00:24:18.160 --> 00:24:23.359
So it's more like um working out with the hospital, what that looks like, how those transfers do.
00:24:23.519 --> 00:24:30.799
We recently started doing like skills and drills with the hospital to kind of practice transfers or certain emergencies.
00:24:30.960 --> 00:24:36.480
We do those routinely as a birth center anyway, but just it's been awesome to like start to collaborate.
00:24:36.720 --> 00:24:37.119
Yes.
00:24:37.359 --> 00:24:40.799
They've been in our space and learning what we do, and that's great.
00:24:41.440 --> 00:24:42.640
Because it definitely needs to be both.
00:24:42.799 --> 00:24:43.920
Yes, you need to have options.
00:24:44.000 --> 00:24:44.319
Yes.
00:24:44.720 --> 00:24:45.359
Yeah, yep, yep.
00:24:45.599 --> 00:24:51.279
And it's been surprising too, like the education level of just starting to have those discussions.
00:24:51.359 --> 00:24:58.400
And when we're like, well, here's all of our equipment and medications, and even doctors and nurses are sometimes surprised.
00:24:58.480 --> 00:25:03.039
Like, like, whoa, okay, you know we didn't know that you knew that.
00:25:03.119 --> 00:25:07.839
Then it's it's that perception of you're probably fighting a stigma a little bit.
00:25:07.920 --> 00:25:08.400
Am I right?
00:25:08.559 --> 00:25:09.039
Yeah, right.
00:25:09.279 --> 00:25:20.720
Yeah, I could see that, but I um and I'm certain you're gonna have some women, the preference is to just go right to the hospital, and then there's gonna be some women that would love to come to the birthing center and do it as naturally as possible.
00:25:20.960 --> 00:25:30.559
But at the end of the day, the two entities working together and understanding each other and kind of overcoming that stigma is probably, I mean, it in everybody's best interest.
00:25:30.880 --> 00:25:31.279
Yeah, yeah.
00:25:31.519 --> 00:25:51.039
And that's been one of our goals from the start of building this business is that to develop a really positive relationship with them and that we're impressing them by how we're acting and what we're doing and what we know instead of like us against them and we're to do it better because the second you do that, you're gonna get humbled really quickly.
00:25:51.839 --> 00:25:52.799
We understand.
00:25:54.720 --> 00:25:55.599
That's really great.
00:25:55.680 --> 00:26:04.640
And I'm really, I'm really glad that they've come and they've been in your space as well to kind of understand and want to embrace women's choices, right?
00:26:04.799 --> 00:26:06.400
That's really ultimately the goal.
00:26:06.960 --> 00:26:10.880
So, where where how long have you been open and where is the birth center?
00:26:11.119 --> 00:26:17.920
Yeah, our birth center is uh 1122 Logan Avenue, so it's kind of between Nation Way and Lincoln Way.
00:26:18.319 --> 00:26:21.519
We've been in that space a little over two years.
00:26:21.839 --> 00:26:29.759
We started in a little carriage house that I own down the street near the Capitol, which was just so great.
00:26:29.920 --> 00:26:32.319
It ended up just being a really grassroots way.
00:26:32.400 --> 00:26:40.960
Like, you know, you start a business and you start picturing the big, beautiful center that we're gonna build, and we just have to come up with a million dollars to do it.
00:26:41.200 --> 00:26:45.039
But Lindy talks about this all the time when you start a business, you gotta start small small.
00:26:45.440 --> 00:26:53.119
Yeah, work your way up and having to scale back and like, okay, how do we make this go forward each little step of the way?
00:26:53.519 --> 00:26:53.759
Yeah.
00:26:54.000 --> 00:26:56.319
So we've been, yeah, we've been in our center.
00:26:56.400 --> 00:26:58.000
It's little, but we love it.
00:26:58.240 --> 00:27:03.039
Um is it just one birth at a time?
00:27:03.359 --> 00:27:06.240
Have you had multiple people in there at once?
00:27:06.880 --> 00:27:08.559
I'm thinking of the Friends episode.
00:27:08.640 --> 00:27:09.119
I'm sorry.
00:27:09.279 --> 00:27:11.759
I think in in sitcoms and movies, apparently.
00:27:11.920 --> 00:27:12.319
Yeah, right.
00:27:12.480 --> 00:27:16.720
I'm thinking of the one with Janice and uh Italy.
00:27:17.119 --> 00:27:20.880
Yeah, and they're having the baby, they're having to shut the curtains, but you can still hear everything.
00:27:21.119 --> 00:27:21.279
Yeah.
00:27:21.440 --> 00:27:30.880
Anyway, just my birth center has two prenatal exam rooms, one main birth suite supply area, and then kind of an extra room.
00:27:30.960 --> 00:27:32.960
So it's like a midwife sleep room.
00:27:33.359 --> 00:27:36.319
I can see probably how you're saying you're not there for a super long time.
00:27:36.400 --> 00:27:37.839
You probably don't have a whole lot of overlap.
00:27:38.160 --> 00:27:38.880
It's pretty rare.
00:27:39.039 --> 00:27:39.279
Yeah.
00:27:39.519 --> 00:27:42.319
We are equipped to do two if we have to.
00:27:42.720 --> 00:27:47.680
Um that gets into as we're progressing and getting our state license.
00:27:47.839 --> 00:27:58.160
It's an interesting dichotomy where without more if we have one birth suite, we don't need a state license, but we need two or more to have a state license.
00:27:58.400 --> 00:28:07.680
And so trying to like have the space before we're like we can't use it as a birth suite, but we're set up just in case.
00:28:07.839 --> 00:28:13.680
So but there's been a couple times when we're like, I think we might have two, but it's actually hasn't happened yet.
00:28:13.759 --> 00:28:16.160
So but you are working on a state license.
00:28:16.319 --> 00:28:22.960
Yes, it sounds like what is what's the um time uh invested?
00:28:23.119 --> 00:28:25.119
Like what how long does that take to make house?
00:28:25.519 --> 00:28:27.279
It's taking a lot longer than we predicted.
00:28:27.440 --> 00:28:38.400
So we're actually a year ago, we got nationally accredited through an organization called CABC, which is the national level of birth center accreditation.
00:28:39.119 --> 00:28:43.200
And so that's been super helpful to be nationally accredited.
00:28:43.279 --> 00:28:57.440
It's helped us kind of form systems and policies and procedures, and um the state license is a little bit more dependent on like building code and the sure building and what you need in every room to be.
00:28:57.920 --> 00:29:09.519
Yeah, so we're hitting like all the operational points of the state licensing because it's the same as national accreditation, but it's more of like which FGI guidelines are we following?
00:29:09.680 --> 00:29:27.599
And since we're the only the first freestanding birth center in the state, we're also trying to navigate what the state thinks that is and what we think that is, and what other states think that is, and what FGI guidelines, who's using what, and how they've changed over time.
00:29:27.759 --> 00:29:34.799
And so that's just been probably honestly throughout this journey, there's been so many hurdles that we've overcome.
00:29:34.880 --> 00:29:50.000
Like we figured out how to get nationally accredited and what med medical malpractice looks like, and what do we need, and you know, hiring employees and all this stuff, and now it's it's been just like a state licensing, building code.
00:29:50.640 --> 00:29:52.319
Well, you're forging a new path.
00:29:52.559 --> 00:29:56.880
So whenever you're forging a new path, um it's just gonna take longer.
00:29:57.039 --> 00:29:57.200
Yeah.
00:29:57.359 --> 00:29:57.599
Right?
00:29:57.680 --> 00:29:58.720
You're you're talking about that.
00:29:59.200 --> 00:30:00.160
The state probably hasn't done it.
00:30:00.319 --> 00:30:00.799
Right, right.
00:30:00.960 --> 00:30:02.640
Right, you're working with them and they're also doing it.
00:30:02.960 --> 00:30:04.079
Like what are we doing right now?
00:30:04.319 --> 00:30:05.839
Yeah, telling you what to do.
00:30:06.160 --> 00:30:06.480
Yes.
00:30:07.200 --> 00:30:09.279
Birthing center, how well what do we do with that?
00:30:09.440 --> 00:30:09.599
Yeah.
00:30:10.000 --> 00:30:26.640
So we've had to start looking at different states and top having these discussions and something that looks pretty cut and dried on their end, you know, pushing back on of like, well, that's actually changed over time and getting the national level involved.
00:30:26.799 --> 00:30:28.720
We've also had to write bills.
00:30:28.960 --> 00:30:35.279
We just had one passed for Medicaid to start covering facility fees for birth centers in the state.
00:30:35.519 --> 00:30:36.720
Umgratul.
00:30:37.039 --> 00:30:37.359
Thank you.
00:30:37.519 --> 00:30:38.480
Yeah, that's a big one.
00:30:38.640 --> 00:30:47.359
But even that is like so it's been 15 to 20 years since there's been regulations surrounding birth centers.
00:30:48.160 --> 00:30:55.519
But the um taxonomy code for facility fee of a birth center isn't in the Medicaid drop-down menu.
00:30:55.920 --> 00:31:05.920
And so we have to legislate that being added, even though it's required by law that Medicaid needs to cover facilities, but it's been another hurdle.
00:31:06.160 --> 00:31:09.279
Hurdle to add on, wait for that to pass.
00:31:09.599 --> 00:31:12.720
Um, so it's just been a lot long.
00:31:13.039 --> 00:31:16.240
Everything's just taking a lot longer than you envision.
00:31:16.400 --> 00:31:17.920
And we'll keep on keeping on.
00:31:18.079 --> 00:31:24.799
I mean, we love to see, you know, like I said, you're forging a new path and somebody has to do it.
00:31:24.960 --> 00:31:25.119
Right.
00:31:25.279 --> 00:31:25.440
Right?
00:31:25.680 --> 00:31:26.400
Might as well be you.
00:31:26.480 --> 00:31:33.200
You're already in it, you're already doing it, you might as well just keep on trucking because it's I do think we're kind of in a phase.
00:31:33.279 --> 00:31:51.279
The our our country is kind of in a phase right now where we're there's a lot more rights and choices being given back to the people instead of you know kind of being held at a governmental level, like education, for example, kind of being back in the hands of parents, deciding where you want your kids to go to school, that sort of thing.
00:31:51.599 --> 00:31:56.079
We do seem to kind of be kind of rolling into this era of back to the basics.
00:31:56.319 --> 00:31:58.880
And so it makes sense that this is what you're doing.
00:31:58.960 --> 00:32:05.680
And I'm guessing once you get all the hard work accomplished, others will start to pop up in the state, would be my guess.
00:32:10.400 --> 00:32:32.079
And unfortunately, each state kind of has to figure this out because state regs are always different, and so it's a lot of birth centers, a lot of women across the US all reinventing the wheel all the time and trying to collaborate with each other, but also like what it looks like in Wyoming looks much different in Minnesota or Iowa.
00:32:32.559 --> 00:32:33.039
Sure.
00:32:34.400 --> 00:32:38.640
Do you how many babies have you have you helped people?
00:32:39.119 --> 00:32:41.359
Well, this year we're at 24 already.
00:32:41.920 --> 00:32:45.119
So we've already surpassed what we did last year.
00:32:45.279 --> 00:32:47.039
So we're pretty excited.
00:32:47.200 --> 00:32:52.240
We'll be at um double to three times our volume this year.
00:32:52.720 --> 00:32:54.720
Do you have anyone outside of Cheyenne?
00:32:55.200 --> 00:32:56.240
Every a lot of people.
00:32:56.960 --> 00:32:57.599
That's what I'm wondering.
00:32:57.680 --> 00:33:02.000
Like these surrounding towns and we have women driving from Casper.
00:33:02.319 --> 00:33:02.559
Yeah.
00:33:03.200 --> 00:33:04.720
Which is like also it's a big deal.
00:33:04.799 --> 00:33:07.200
But yeah, you're like, Laramie, Nebraska's huge.
00:33:07.359 --> 00:33:12.720
So Nebraska, um, legally you can't have a baby outside of a hospital.
00:33:12.960 --> 00:33:17.440
Or conversely, like you can, but midwives are not allowed to practice outside of a hospital.
00:33:17.680 --> 00:33:22.079
So a lot of women in Nebraska have a lot fewer choices than even we do.
00:33:22.799 --> 00:33:28.720
Um, so yeah, we get people, Torrington, Wheatland, driving, yeah.
00:33:29.039 --> 00:33:29.759
All the way here.
00:33:29.920 --> 00:33:30.559
Yeah.
00:33:31.039 --> 00:33:36.559
Um, do you have a um what's a success story that you'd want to share?
00:33:36.640 --> 00:33:43.519
That of course not revealing uh names or information, but what is there something that sits on your heart that you're really there's so many.
00:33:43.680 --> 00:33:52.799
We've just recently had two repeat clients already, so that's been exciting to have women who were with us from the start and already coming back.
00:33:53.039 --> 00:33:59.839
Um, but we've had women have their fifth or sixth baby, and this was their first positive birth experience.
00:34:00.720 --> 00:34:10.480
And it just gives me goosebumps to like how excited they were about those experiences to the point they're like, I thought I was done, but maybe I'm not.
00:34:10.559 --> 00:34:12.000
It was so amazing.
00:34:12.400 --> 00:34:13.679
I can do it again.
00:34:13.920 --> 00:34:20.079
And we often have women saying that before they even leave the center, like hours after birth.
00:34:20.239 --> 00:34:32.159
And and typically that's you know from what I've gathered in the US, most people have a fairly neutral or negative birth experience.
00:34:32.639 --> 00:34:33.119
Sure.
00:34:34.000 --> 00:34:34.559
Sure.
00:34:35.599 --> 00:34:52.159
Um, I guess I wouldn't even um I didn't think of my birth experiences as bad, but I was high risk because um I developed, you know, I was at risk for pre-eclinepsia and developed high blood pressure with both of mine.
00:34:52.239 --> 00:34:52.320
Okay.
00:34:52.559 --> 00:34:55.679
And so it just was, you know, it is what it is.
00:34:55.840 --> 00:35:05.519
But I will say one of the things as you were talking, we were discussing about, you know, just giving birth, laying in a bed.
00:35:05.840 --> 00:35:15.599
And one of the things that happened with my first pregnancy is that um there came a moment where I stopped dilating.
00:35:15.840 --> 00:35:22.960
And my son, I think we think was kind of for lack of a better way of saying, sort of stuck in the birth canal.
00:35:23.039 --> 00:35:27.440
He was face up and we were, I just wasn't dilating.
00:35:27.599 --> 00:35:32.960
And my doctor, like I sat that way for several hours, just laying in the bed like that, right?
00:35:33.039 --> 00:35:34.639
As they were trying to decide what to do.
00:35:34.800 --> 00:35:37.440
And the doctor said, I'm gonna go home and eat dinner.
00:35:37.760 --> 00:35:39.360
And he said, and I'm gonna come back.
00:35:39.440 --> 00:35:42.239
And if you haven't given birth, we're gonna do a C-section.
00:35:42.480 --> 00:35:45.119
Like it, oh, it was getting to the point where they were gonna do a C-section.
00:35:45.440 --> 00:35:52.079
Now, my nurse, who had been doing it for decades at this point, she's like, We're not doing a C-section.
00:35:52.639 --> 00:35:57.440
And she dropped the bottom of my bed and slipped me on my hands and knees.
00:35:57.920 --> 00:36:02.079
So changing my position and very painful, I'm not gonna lie.
00:36:02.159 --> 00:36:05.199
It was a fairly painful experience to go through that.
00:36:05.360 --> 00:36:09.920
But I went from four to a 10 in about 10 minutes um dilating.
00:36:10.079 --> 00:36:12.400
So my doctor didn't make it home for dinner.
00:36:12.880 --> 00:36:14.239
He had to come right back.
00:36:14.400 --> 00:36:18.159
But I was thinking about that as you were talking about the different positions.
00:36:18.320 --> 00:36:37.440
I think if you go into it knowing that you're gonna be in different positions and you're gonna walk around and you're gonna maybe be in water and that sort of thing, um, it probably is going to be an easier experience than when you're laying in the bed for several hours and then change, then change your um position.
00:36:37.679 --> 00:36:40.400
Because for me it was fairly painful to go through that.
00:36:40.480 --> 00:36:44.400
But I part of it I think is just because I wasn't moving right a whole lot.
00:36:44.639 --> 00:36:47.760
Yeah, basically, well, you can't you got like you're hooked up.
00:36:48.079 --> 00:36:49.119
You're hooked up to everything.
00:36:49.360 --> 00:36:50.320
And heart monitors.
00:36:50.559 --> 00:36:53.199
Or those monitors that if you move at all, it falls off.
00:36:53.840 --> 00:36:54.800
Like, no, the heart stop.
00:36:55.119 --> 00:36:56.320
And you're like, Yes.
00:36:56.559 --> 00:36:57.840
Oh, the monitor just fell off.
00:36:58.159 --> 00:36:59.599
Sorry, the alarm started going off.
00:36:59.679 --> 00:37:01.199
I mean, yeah, it's a lot of things.
00:37:01.519 --> 00:37:03.840
And it's I think it's good for women to have a choice.
00:37:03.920 --> 00:37:05.599
And yeah, yeah, yeah.
00:37:05.920 --> 00:37:18.480
And thinking of how your experience might have been different had that nurse not had his physiologic knowledge of birth, like, oh, if baby's that way, turn her this way, the baby will move.
00:37:18.880 --> 00:37:20.239
Yeah, concept.
00:37:20.480 --> 00:37:32.239
Yeah, typically when we fail to progress, it's because the baby's in their funky, and and then you start thinking about it, like, okay, if we can move mom or shift something, then the baby can have a chance to shift.
00:37:32.320 --> 00:37:35.920
And and had she not done that, your birth experience would have been.
00:37:36.079 --> 00:37:37.440
It would have been extreme.
00:37:37.840 --> 00:37:39.199
Yeah, it would have been extreme.
00:37:39.280 --> 00:37:39.920
Yeah, yeah.
00:37:40.159 --> 00:37:46.400
So how I definitely believe in that emotions coming up, or yeah, I have one eye just watering.
00:37:46.800 --> 00:37:49.519
I promise I'm not crying, but so too.
00:37:49.599 --> 00:37:50.960
You did look like you were tearing up a little bit.
00:37:52.239 --> 00:37:56.159
Yeah, and this one eye will not know how to make it quit.
00:37:56.480 --> 00:37:56.960
Yeah.
00:37:57.440 --> 00:38:02.880
But I do think, but my sister just had a baby, so it's sort of emotional because I think about even that.
00:38:03.039 --> 00:38:04.239
She just had a baby last week.
00:38:04.400 --> 00:38:04.719
Okay.
00:38:04.880 --> 00:38:07.920
But um, yeah, it's a it's a lot.
00:38:08.079 --> 00:38:14.159
I think that would be cool to be empowered and do it on do it with a little more say in what you're doing.
00:38:14.559 --> 00:38:20.320
Yeah, because I do think as women, right, we do want to make sure that our that we're safe and that our babies are safe.
00:38:20.400 --> 00:38:20.559
Yeah.
00:38:20.719 --> 00:38:20.880
Right.
00:38:21.039 --> 00:38:24.159
So there is an element of what if something goes wrong?
00:38:24.320 --> 00:38:30.880
You know, I want to know that I have got access to be taken care of and for my baby to be taken care of if something goes wrong.
00:38:31.039 --> 00:38:35.039
So I really love what you're saying that as long as it's low risk and you're progressing along.
00:38:35.679 --> 00:38:42.400
My sister healthy, like she'd probably be the perfect, she would have been the perfect candidate for just a little weightlifting.
00:38:42.719 --> 00:38:43.519
Yep, she's just tough.
00:38:43.599 --> 00:38:47.360
She just doesn't have to push and a baby comes right out.
00:38:47.519 --> 00:38:47.679
Yeah.
00:38:47.920 --> 00:38:49.039
Both my sisters, yeah.
00:38:49.199 --> 00:39:01.039
So absolutely, like health and wellness of everybody is the main thing, but it doesn't have to be the only thing, or it doesn't have to be like, okay, you can either have a great experience and have it be risky, or you can go to safety.
00:39:01.119 --> 00:39:03.280
It's like, why can't we have both things?
00:39:04.320 --> 00:39:11.679
And um just yeah, then people being taken care of and and feeling safe.
00:39:11.840 --> 00:39:13.360
I think that's what everyone wants.
00:39:13.679 --> 00:39:13.840
Wants.
00:39:14.800 --> 00:39:15.440
Yeah.
00:39:15.840 --> 00:39:16.719
I love it.
00:39:16.960 --> 00:39:30.880
Well, I'm um, it's very exciting to hear, and we hope you come back in another year or two and tell us all about getting licensed and um the increase of those babies that you are delivering and providing more choices to women.
00:39:31.039 --> 00:39:31.920
I think that's really great.
00:39:32.239 --> 00:39:32.480
Thanks.
00:39:32.559 --> 00:39:33.199
Thanks for having me.
00:39:33.519 --> 00:39:36.159
Of course, is there anything you wanted to mention that we haven't covered?
00:39:36.480 --> 00:39:45.440
Um, just that we one of the big shifts that we made in the past year is that we are now in network with most insurance companies, and that's been fine.
00:39:46.159 --> 00:39:46.960
Yeah, that was in question.
00:39:47.199 --> 00:39:47.440
Yeah.
00:39:47.679 --> 00:39:53.519
So for the first couple years, we really wanted to avoid insurance companies.
00:39:53.679 --> 00:39:53.920
Yeah.
00:39:54.000 --> 00:39:59.360
Um, because it is a big crazy learning curve and difficult at the same time.
00:39:59.599 --> 00:40:18.000
But just our demographics, like people need to use their insurance, and so that also led to a lot of even educating insurance companies on what midwives are licensed to do, and that according to the American Care Act, that if a state licenses a provider, they should be reimbursed.
00:40:18.639 --> 00:40:30.639
And so working through that has really helped um forge the way for all women to be able to have this affordable option, including we do take Medicaid too.
00:40:30.960 --> 00:40:32.239
So that's huge.
00:40:32.400 --> 00:40:44.000
But even if women decide like this isn't for them, but they're still interested in learning more or being supported, we teach childbirth classes to the community, we do breastfeeding support.
00:40:44.320 --> 00:40:55.760
Um, we've also done co-care where someone's like, I know I can't give birth out of hospital, but I want to be seen by midwives just to feel like this matters, and we've done that too.
00:40:56.079 --> 00:40:57.119
That's pretty cool.
00:40:57.360 --> 00:41:03.039
And the breastfeeding um support is huge as well.
00:41:03.360 --> 00:41:05.519
That in itself is a learning curve.
00:41:05.840 --> 00:41:06.960
It is, definitely.
00:41:07.199 --> 00:41:08.239
Um awesome.
00:41:08.400 --> 00:41:11.440
Okay, so where can people find you if they want to learn more information?
00:41:11.760 --> 00:41:24.159
Um, we're really active on Facebook, and our website is earthsidebirthwy.com, so they can go on there, learn about our providers, learn about the care, um, what's considered low risk.
00:41:24.400 --> 00:41:28.559
We have a virtual tour, but people then can also sign on for a free consult.
00:41:28.639 --> 00:41:33.199
So we we're still doing private tours and consults with anyone interested.
00:41:33.280 --> 00:41:37.920
So they book that, they come in, we talk about our care, show them around.
00:41:38.079 --> 00:41:46.400
They usually get to meet one of the midwives and decide if you know we can run their insurance and if if we're a good fit for each other.
00:41:46.800 --> 00:41:54.559
I love that because uh again, the the idea being you don't necessarily have to make a decision right away, you can go explore all your options.
00:41:54.800 --> 00:41:58.719
Well, yeah, she just told us she switched to 38 weeks on her whole birth plan.
00:41:59.280 --> 00:41:59.920
Yes.
00:42:00.239 --> 00:42:03.360
Yeah, that's that worked out, worked out for this.
00:42:03.679 --> 00:42:07.280
Yeah, but taking the leap and vice versa.
00:42:07.440 --> 00:42:17.280
Like if you're trying to have a community birth and toward the end you're just nervous, like we totally support like wherever you feel safest is the safest place for you to give birth.
00:42:17.840 --> 00:42:24.400
Um, I recently did our free consult for someone not even pregnant yet, but already exploring options, and I love that.
00:42:24.960 --> 00:42:25.199
Yeah.
00:42:25.440 --> 00:42:28.880
Because it can be overwhelming to switch care.
00:42:29.039 --> 00:42:31.760
You know, you're pregnant, that's a lot of work, there's the motion.
00:42:32.159 --> 00:42:35.440
You're thinking that, yeah, maybe do it before so you can do it before.
00:42:35.519 --> 00:42:43.760
But we have, I would say, you know, half of the clients call us the second they pee on the stick and find out they're pregnant.
00:42:44.000 --> 00:42:50.960
And we have a lot of people though that are transferring midway through of like, this isn't quite the care I was hoping to get.
00:42:51.280 --> 00:42:55.119
I'm looking for different options and gotcha supporting that.
00:42:55.440 --> 00:42:56.320
Wonderful.
00:42:56.800 --> 00:43:01.280
Okay, so to wrap up the question, uh Lindy and I have a question that we like to ask our guests.
00:43:01.440 --> 00:43:09.199
And mine is um, what do you think is the number one leadership trait that's important for a person to have?
00:43:09.360 --> 00:43:11.039
Oh, or that you aspire to have.
00:43:11.360 --> 00:43:21.440
That I aspire to have that is an area I'm really growing in because it's one thing to start an idea and then become the owner, leader, manager of people.
00:43:21.840 --> 00:43:25.840
You're like, oh um Oh, I just wanted to do the baby thing.
00:43:26.639 --> 00:43:27.440
Like, what do you mean?
00:43:30.000 --> 00:43:37.440
I just had an idea and I'm you know, all these things helping all the my team through their emotions and things.
00:43:37.519 --> 00:43:45.119
And so I think just being willing to put yourself, well, not put yourself out there, let me think.
00:43:45.440 --> 00:43:48.480
Um in other people's shoes.
00:43:48.719 --> 00:44:02.960
In other people's shoes, I think for leadership, I'm learning to trust myself more of you know, I have grown this business, I do know what I'm talking about, and I have a vision.
00:44:03.280 --> 00:44:06.159
I tended to kind of like, oh, what does everybody think?
00:44:06.559 --> 00:44:27.840
And that helped at the start of a team of like this is kind of a collaborative thing, and now learning to step into like being open, having the line of like listening to everyone's ideas, respecting everyone's ideas on the team, um, but having the confidence, but having the confidence to call something, whether people like it or not.
00:44:28.239 --> 00:44:28.719
Good for you.
00:44:29.119 --> 00:44:32.000
Yeah, it's funny how you get there rather quickly, actually.
00:44:33.039 --> 00:44:33.760
Yeah, yeah.
00:44:33.840 --> 00:44:34.639
That's a good one.
00:44:34.800 --> 00:44:35.280
Yeah.
00:44:35.599 --> 00:44:39.360
Okay, so we're real estate agents, so I have kind of real estate questions.
00:44:39.440 --> 00:44:39.599
Okay.
00:44:39.840 --> 00:44:44.559
Um, the first one is at this stage in your life, what does home mean to you?
00:44:44.800 --> 00:44:51.280
And the second one is in your home right now that you live in, what attracted you to that home?
00:44:51.519 --> 00:44:55.840
Oh, I'm always attracted to historic homes.
00:44:56.079 --> 00:45:01.519
So my newest home I've ever owned is like from the 1950s.
00:45:01.679 --> 00:45:04.320
But my current home started in 1860.
00:45:04.480 --> 00:45:04.880
Oh my god.
00:45:05.519 --> 00:45:05.840
Yeah.
00:45:06.079 --> 00:45:11.599
So I love unique historic built-to-last homes.
00:45:11.840 --> 00:45:15.440
So I have owned three homes in Cheyenne.
00:45:15.760 --> 00:45:20.559
I have a 1928, I had a 1905 and the 1860.
00:45:20.719 --> 00:45:22.320
So that's like my jam.
00:45:22.400 --> 00:45:24.079
I can't do the new build.
00:45:24.239 --> 00:45:24.639
I love it.
00:45:24.880 --> 00:45:24.960
Yeah.
00:45:25.199 --> 00:45:26.159
I don't I don't disagree.
00:45:28.559 --> 00:45:35.199
Um, and I don't know, just the uniqueness of homes and what home is.
00:45:35.840 --> 00:45:38.639
I think obviously just where my family is.
00:45:39.760 --> 00:45:40.239
Yeah.
00:45:40.400 --> 00:45:41.679
Yeah, we get.
00:45:42.159 --> 00:45:42.559
Love it.
00:45:42.719 --> 00:45:45.280
Well, we are so thrilled to have you here today.
00:45:45.440 --> 00:45:46.159
So thank you.
00:45:46.320 --> 00:45:57.519
And you've shed a lot of light for me on the whole process, and hopefully we can um shed the light for other women as well so they at least come and talk to you and learn more about what their options are.
00:45:57.920 --> 00:45:58.639
Yeah, absolutely.
00:45:58.880 --> 00:46:04.639
Well, you guys are always welcome to come and tour the spot and show you around and how you meet the team.
00:46:04.880 --> 00:46:05.519
That'd be wonderful.
00:46:05.679 --> 00:46:06.079
That'd be awesome.
00:46:06.559 --> 00:46:06.719
Awesome.
00:46:06.960 --> 00:46:07.920
Well, thank you so much.
00:46:08.239 --> 00:46:12.239
And for all of our listeners, as you know, Lindy and I are realtors here at Peak Properties.
00:46:12.320 --> 00:46:14.559
So if you're looking to buy or sell, we'd love to help you with that.
00:46:14.639 --> 00:46:23.760
You can find us at sellcheyen.com as well as all of our social media channels and beyond the front door podcast on YouTube as well as your favorite podcast platform.
00:46:23.920 --> 00:46:25.440
Be sure to hit the subscribe button.
00:46:25.679 --> 00:46:27.760
We hope you have a really great day.