Christian Midwife in North Texas

Hello! My name is Rebekah and I wear many hats. I am a wife, John and I have been together for 13 years! I am a mother to three beautiful blessings; Cora, Ada and Evie. I am a daughter and a sister, I have a close relationship with my family of origin. I live near my father and see him almost daily and I see some of my extended family regularly. I am a friend, I am the friend that will drop whatever I’m doing if you need me (I will have my children in tow and I may look like a hot-mess, but I will be there!). Among the many things that make me who I am, the foundational piece is that I am a Christian!

I have served many families who do not hold the same faith as I do, and that is okay! I am honored to be in your birth space regardless of your beliefs. I am committed to giving each family I serve the best of my care!

My work as a midwife; my skills, knowledge, compassion and heart for serving are gifts from God. I believe that the Lord places the families in my life that I am meant to serve.

For my clients that are also Christian, I am happy to incorporate prayer into your care if that is something you desire. I consider it an honor to pray for the women and families that I serve.

What Sets You Apart?

During a recent midwife interview a client asked me what makes me different?

In midwifery there are many things that you don’t want to be different on, you want to work within your scope of practice. You want to provide exceptional care. You want to work within community standards. It got me thinking, and here’s what I would say makes me who I am as a midwife.

I was a doula. You can take me out of that role, but you can’t take the doula out of me. I genuinely want to serve the clients that entrust me to care for them. Doulas and midwives have very different roles and sometimes being in the medical role of midwife I’m not able to provide as much support as I would like (l always encourage you to hire a doula for your birth!) but I am always working to ensure that I have your Informed Consent for everything we do, both in prenatal care and in birth! I also work hard to get dad’s involved in care and make sure that you understand and are on board with whatever is happening/involved in the discussion. This is your birth too and I want to make sure you’re well supported!

I take my time. I want to make sure you are comfortable with the care you are receiving and truly understand what is happening with your pregnancy and the choices you are making. YOU are the caretaker of the life you are growing, I am supporting you in that role! My intakes are at 8-10 weeks of pregnancy, because I want to make sure you’re well supported in your first trimester (most providers don’t see you until 12 weeks of pregnancy). If you have a history of miscarriage, I want to start lab work as soon as possible after you get a positive home pregnancy test! Appointments are at least an hour long! If you need to see me more often than the typical schedule (monthly until 28 weeks, then biweekly until 36 weeks and weekly after that until birth), I am happy to schedule additional appointments as needed!

Experience. I have attended over 300 births in a variety of settings before licensing as a midwife. I worked as a midwife assistant for years before starting Midwifery School. In my midwifery apprenticeship (clinical training), I worked in a high-volume practice affording me a lot of hands on practice and I far exceeded my minimum requirements for clinical training. I have had the opportunity to train and work under midwives from multiple different schools, states, trainings, licenses and backgrounds. Often I know multiple ways to accomplish a goal and can choose the method my experience tells me is best suited to the situation.

Community - I have been a birth worker in various roles since 2015 serving the Dallas Fort Worth Community. I certified as a doula for the first time in 2016 (I have taken different doula trainings over the years). If I don’t know something, I know who does. If I need resources or information, I can get it. You can’t do birth work without circles of support around you. We’ve all heard the saying, it takes a village, well that holds true with midwifery too. Over the last six years I have had the opportunity to create many professional connections and relationships. This also means I have great backup support. Midwifery is an unpredictable lifestyle (it’s more than a job, it’s a huge piece of who I am and who my family is!). I always strive to make it to my clients births (and I very rarely have missed births!), but we all know illness can sneak up and put us out of pocket, emergencies, family things etc and when this happens I am so glad to know that my clients will be receiving exceptional care on the slight chance that they labor while I’m out.

Accessibility - If you need me, you can reach me. If you have a question, I’m here to answer it or provide you with resources to learn about it. I do work to have good boundaries with work and family life, especially since the nature of midwifery blends so much into my day-to-day personal life, but I want to be available to you! If you have a question that can’t wait until your next appointment, I welcome you to send a message through your chart. If you’re not feeling well and the things I’ve suggested as general guidelines did not help, please send me a text! You aren’t going to get an answering service or general/unpersonal one-size-fits-no-one care with me.

If you think that we would click, I would love to hear from you and schedule a consultation! Feel free to send me an email or fill out the form below!

Photo credit for all images in this post go to: East Layne Photography

Midwifery FAQs

Can I have a water birth with you?

Yes! Most clients are eligible for a water birth! We can discuss the specifics further in your free consultation. Shade Tree Midwifery also has options for birth tub rentals if you do not have a large enough tub at home.

Do you accept VBAC clients (Vaginal Birth After Cesarean)

Yes! Rebekah & Matison are passionate about providing VBAC options for clients. There are some requirements such as low-transverse incision and obtaining your previous surgical reports. There needs to be 18 months from your last cesarean to this pregnancy’s Due Date. It is also strongly encouraged to see a chiropractor and other complementary providers for body work throughout pregnancy. Reach out to Matison & Rebekah for a no-obligation, free consultation!

Do you accept Insurance

Midwifery services with Shade Tree Midwifery are out-of-network for all providers. We do accept cost-sharing groups such as Samaritan Ministries, CHM, etc. It may seem that it would make a homebirth more expensive, but often times cash pay pricing is less than what your out-of-pocket would be for a hospital birth.

Where do you do appointments?

We have an office in Denton, Texas in a family friendly environment where both Rebekah and Matison see clients a couple of days a week, usually Monday, Tuesdays and Friday. Rebekah has a home office in Gainesville, Texas where both Matison and Rebekah see clients on Tuesday or Thursday (one day a week).

Rebekah/matison was my doula. Do you still do doula work?/You were my doula before, can you be again?

Sometimes when things work out on the calendar, we are able to still take doula clients and we do accept Montrice clients or co-care clients for planned hospital births. You can read more about that here. We try to make ourselves available for repeat doula clients.

What areas do you serve?

We serve a large portion of the DFW metroplex, into south-western Oklahoma. Denton, Decatur, Gainesville, Bowie, Rhome, Sherman, Keller, Lewisville, Flower Mound, Argyle, Grapevine, Fort Worth, Boyd, Pilot Point, Aubrey, Prosper, Celina, (to name a few…).

How long are you with me after the birth?

After your sweet baby is born, your birth team stays for 2-3 hours. Sometimes we need to stay a little longer, and that’s just fine! My goal is to be tucking you into bed as your hormones tell you that you’re tired and you’re ready to take a nice long nap after birth. If you have a birth-center birth, my goal is the same! To send you home before that post birth excitement wears off so you and your family aren’t driving home exhausted. We are available for any questions or concerns after the birth team leaves, there is a 24 hour phone check in and we will see you again between 48-72 hours after birth for your first postpartum visit (in the comfort of your own home)!

How many births do you accept a month?

We are usually able to greet 3-4 new lives each month. It depends on personal schedule and client distance etc. Book early for best availability! Sometimes we still have spots available and can take on late transfers. We are always happy to refer to other great midwives if our schedule is full.

We hope this answered some of your questions! If you have other questions or would like to schedule a free consultation with one of the midwives, you can email or fill out this form and either Matison or Rebekah will get back with you soon!

Texas Midwife!

I am overjoyed to announce that I am officially a licensed midwife in the great state of Texas!

I will be offering home and birth center births in the North DFW area starting January 2022!

These exciting changes mean that the website will get an update as things are changed over from doula work to midwifery services. Thank you for your patience as things are ironed out and set up. I am dedicated to providing individualized care. That also means I’m a one-woman show with a lot of balls in the air! As always, my current clients take priority and the marketing will be update as soon as possible!

I look forward to serving you and your family as you meet your new little love!

- Midwife Rebekah