OUR STORY
In her 20s and 8 months pregnant with her first child in 1999
Whitley, a corporate financial professional, put almost no thought to childbirth.
Her first internet purchase was the book ‘Natural Childbirth The Bradley Way’ by McCutcheon. She found it an expose on American Obstetrics since the 1950s.
This caused her to ask a lot of questions to her OB such as “How many C-sections and episiotomies do you do in this hospital?” (Episiotomy is surgically cutting a woman’s vaginal perineum to speed up the birth by 20 minutes) When the OB responded, “95% episiotomies.”, Whitley understood that this was a surgeon and not an expert on normal physiological birth. She became a ruthless consumer, abandoning the stigma of ‘patient’, shopping around for a different facility and provider. Home birth was not on her radar and birth centers were not permitted in Vermont due to legislative and economic politics.
She shopped other hospitals in the region, seeking better statistics, desperate to find a provider who knew how to support natural birth without surgical intervention.
Whitley found a group of nurse midwives she fell in love with. She was featured in the local paper for being the first woman in that hospital to labor with the HynoBirthing method. By all accounts she had a fantastic hospital birth, but she still had to fight during exhaustion with shift change nurses to decline epidural and other interventions. Whitley experienced the immediate postpartum of placenta and newborn management hyper dramatic, not well explained, and inconsistent with medical charting that reported all as “normal”. This caused her to consider home birth for her next baby two years later. Her life changed and she started to hear a drum beat to dive into the movement.
CONTINUED...
Whitley would go on to have four home water births with various midwives. She experienced the tempo of diagnostics offered matched that of a typical OB or CNM group, while forming sweet bonds with some of her midwives.
Her third pregnancy in 2005 was the catalyst to explore midwifery as a career path. She
left her corporate career to attend midwifery school at the MEAC-accredited Midwives College of Utah.
She was on fellowship with waived tuition in exchange for business consulting to the board of directors, building financial models for the college and leading their business models through the re-accreditation process. Upon graduation, the Midwives College of Utah hired her as Clinical Dean from 2011-2015.
During this time she worked as staff midwife at a New Hampshire birth center and grew her own private practice in Vermont. Whitley obtained Utah licensure in 2014, relocating to Salt Lake. Whitley worked for four area birth centers from Salt Lake to Ogden as staff midwife and clinical director while re- establishing her own private practice in Utah.
Heather has been an adjunct conference instructor at the Community School for Midwifery and the Midwives College of Utah and former elected Treasurer of the Utah Midwives Organization.
Her strengths are in providing extensive informed consent along the entire journey of pregnancy, birth and postpartum. Whitley feels strongly that midwives can be as guilty on the other end of the spectrum with
avoidance of proper informed consent as OBs notoriously are.
With most of her children grown and out of the nest, Whitley found greater time to devote to her next passion project ~ Sego Birth Suite. With the addition of a space to offer births in a home-like clinical setting, Whitley hopes she can reach more women who may prefer or require birth center over home birth.
MEET Stephanie Green DEM
Stephanie has been catching babies with Sego Midwifery since 2018. A former student of Midwives College of Utah, and PEP-trained, Steph attends some of our postpartum visits in the field. Clients love her compassion, hard work and service orientation. She is a highly skilled team member during rare emergencies. Steph handles some of our postpartum home visits and keeps the practice running when Heather travels, is under the weather, or if we have two women in labor at once.
MEET Jessy Collins, CPM, LDEM
Jessy Collins, CPM, LDEM graduated Magna Cum Laude with a B.S. in Midwifery from the Midwives College of Utah, apprenticing with many different midwives, and is working toward her lactation consultant credential. She wanted to be a midwife as a young girl and spent a year volunteering as a birth and postpartum doula, deepening her love supporting women throughout their reproductive journeys. As a spiritual woman, Jessy believes midwifery is what she is meant to be doing and has been guided down this path. As a midwife she loves providing the freedom and safety for pregnant women to have the individualized care they deserve. Jessy's goal is to make every mama feel confident in the decisions they make knowing they were given all the options, risks and benefits, without any judgement of their choice. Jessy loves the unique and wonderful relationships formed with each family she has the opportunity to share this pivotal moment in their lives with. In her spare time Jessy loves spending time with her amazing husband and two beautiful daughters. She also can be found reading, rock climbing, hiking and volunteering in her community.
VIDEO & PHOTOS OF Birth Suite
TESTIMONIALS
Heather is such an amazing and inspiring woman. She is super knowledgeable and a genuinely nice person. In my opinion, having the right midwife is the most important thing when having a home birth and I obsessed trying to find the right one until I found her. My home birth was magical and life changing and it wouldn’t have been possible if it wasn’t for her and her assistant Stephanie. I try to avoid medication as much as possible and I appreciate the fact that she recommended several natural remedies and specific food options throughout my pregnancy, specially towards the end of my pregnancy when my water broke and I didn’t have any contractions. I did what she said and had my baby a few hours after. She made me feel like I had a choice with several medical procedures and always gave me alternatives. She always goes above and beyond and I will forever be grateful for everything she did for me and the way she made me feel.
TESTIMONIALS
Heather is a truly magnificent midwife who deserves more than a five star review. From consultation to prenatal care to the birth of our third child with her, I never doubted that we chose the right care provider for our family. Heather and her birth assistant, Stephanie are a well oiled machine; I couldn’t ask for a better team to have made sure we were well taken care of.
Our birth was beautiful and perfect in everyway.
We are so happy with the care we received.
If you want to feel safe and secure at your home birth, you won’t regret going to Sego Lily Midwifery.
Thank you for everything, Heather!
TESTIMONIALS
I was a late transfer to Heather at 36 weeks after relocating to Utah. She welcomed my family and I with open arms into her practice & supported us with her years of knowledge and experience. Heather educated us on all our different options with newborn care & we felt extremely informed when making decisions. She coached me through the most beautiful home birth experience, fighting for me in moments I couldn’t fight for myself. She acted quickly and with confidence when my son was born with his cord wrapped many times & has gracefully supported me postpartum. I don’t plan to have any more children any time soon but working with Heather has made me think twice about that plan just so we can spend more time with her! She is a treasure, extremely intuitive & trustworthy. Definitely consider Heather when searching for your home birth midwife!
Thank you for everything, Heather!
TESTIMONIALS
Working with Heather as our
Midwife has been amazing. She is truly a master in the art of birth, and helped assist and guide us through bringing our healthy and beautiful boy Django Earth-side. This was my second home birth, and I’m so happy I decided to work with Heather this time. She has many years of experience and is a mother of 5 herself. You can feel her wisdom and confidence in you knowing your own body and intuition in this incredibly natural human experience. Thank you Heather, we are so grateful for you, forever!
Thank you for everything, Heather!
OUR SERVICES
OUR SERVICES
Nestled in the scenic heart of Salt Lake City, Utah, Sego Midwifery proudly unveils...
Sego Birth Suite, an oasis dedicated to the art of facilitating natural physiological births.
Our distinguished midwifery practice extends beyond childbirth to offer comprehensive services, including the support of Doula and Monitrice, expert guidance in breastfeeding, childbirth and birth options education/consultation. Committed to crafting extraordinary and transformative birth experiences, we go beyond the birthing room, providing pre and postnatal counseling to empower and support our cherished clientele throughout their entire journey.
CONTACT US
We invite you to connect with us at Sego Midwifery!
Your journey towards a transformative and personalized birth experience begins here
Whether you have questions, seek guidance, or wish to explore the possibilities of embracing a beautiful, physiological birth, our compassionate team in Salt Lake City, Utah, is here for you. Reach out and let's start this extraordinary journey together. Your dreams of a unique and empowering birth experience are just an
email, call or text away.
"The moment a child is born, the mother is also born. She never existed before. The woman existed, but the mother, never. A mother is something absolutely new."
FAQ
Whether you're curious about our approach to natural home births, the unique features of the Sego Birth Suite, or the personalized care we offer, this space is designed to illuminate and guide you through the intricacies of our exceptional midwifery practice. Explore the wisdom and clarity you seek as you embark on this extraordinary chapter of your life.
1
Is if safe to have my baby at a home or in a free standing birth suite?
YES
Outcomes of Planned Homebirths with Certified Profesional Midwives; Large Prospective Study in North America, 2005
Planned home birth for low risk women in North America using Certified Professional Midwives was associated with lower rates of medical intervention but similar intrapartum and neonatal mortality to that of low risk hospital births in the United States
Birth Outcomes for Planned Home and Licensed Free Standing Birth Center Births in Washington State, 2021
Women who intended at the start of labour to have a home birth with a Certified Professional Midwife had a low rate of intrapartum and neonatal mortality, similar to that in most studies of low risk hospital births in North America. A high degree of safety and maternal satisfaction were reported, and over 87% of mothers and neonates did not require transfer to hospital.
“This study quantifies maternal and perinatal outcomes for a large contemporary cohort of planned community births meeting eligibility criteria in Washington State, where midwifery is
well-established and regulated and midwifery data collection is mandated by law. Overall, we found low cesarean birth rates (4.7%), high physiologic birth rates (85%), high breastfeeding
rates (93%) and low rates of complications. The perinatal mortality rate in this cohort was comparable with other international settings, defined as high-income countries where
community birth and community midwifery are an established part of the health care system. Importantly, rates of maternal and newborn adverse outcomes were similar for planned home and birth center births.”
FAQ
Whether you're curious about our approach to natural home births, the unique features of the Sego Birth Suite, or the personalized care we offer, this space is designed to illuminate and guide you through the intricacies of our exceptional midwifery practice. Explore the wisdom and clarity you seek as you embark on this extraordinary chapter of your life.
2
Do you offer water birth and is it safe?
YES and YES
The Cochrane review found evidence that laboring in water reduces the use of epidurals and spinals for pain relief. Warm water immersion can diminish stress hormones, and decrease
pain sensation. It directly reduces pain by increasing the body’s natural pain relievers (endorphins) and can ease muscle tension that occurs with labor. It allows the mother to relax between contractions.
Further, the Cochrane Collaboration review of water birth in three randomized, controlled trials (RCTs) shows “no research that demonstrates adverse effects to the fetus or neonate.”
3
Can my family be present for the birth at the birth suite?
YES
Normal undisturbed birth requires a high level of privacy. Those first babies can typically take a long time. We are not equipped for long hours of hosting extended family members while ensuring your privacy. Staff does not provide childcare. We also want to ensure privacy of a potential second birthing mother onsite. It is our recommendation that family members make accommodations to wait offsite and meet you at home in the hours after birth. If you are attached to inviting extended family members to your birth, we advise you to invite them during the pushing stage. We discuss this extensively in prenatal care and make wise plans together.
FAQ
Whether you're curious about our approach to natural home births, the unique features of the Sego Birth Suite, or the personalized care we offer, this space is designed to illuminate and guide you through the intricacies of our exceptional midwifery practice. Explore the wisdom and clarity you seek as you embark on this extraordinary chapter of your life.
4
Do you offer pain management during births?
YES
Hydrotherapy has been shown to decrease the pain of labor, so we encourage our clients to take advantage of our spacious showers and bathtubs. We also have birth balls, birth stools,
rebozos and yoga slings. These aids, along with changing positions often helps you manage labor naturally.
5
Can I eat and drink during labor?
YES
We have a small kitchen and you have access to the refrigerator, microwave and tea kettle. You are welcome to bring your own snacks. We have light non-perishable nourishment on hand. You are welcome to bring whatever you wish or DoorDash to the Birth Suite.
