Appalachian Midwifery
I will lift up my eyes to the hills—Whence comes my help? My help comes from the Lord. Ps. 121:1-2
Serving Southern VA & WV
30 Years of Experience
Regina Benbow Photography
Valerie Monterrey CPM
My husband Preston and I Have Six Children. Preston is a local pastor and helps as an administrative assistant in the office.
I have been involved with midwifery and child birth in the home setting for the past 30 years. I have served communities in Washington, Texas, Michigan, New York, Ohio, Maryland, Delaware, Pennsylvania, Virginia, and West Virginia. I have participated in over 950 out-of-hospital births. I am trained in the use of emergency medical procedures and equipment in the unlikely event they becomes necessary. I am working in Southern WV and VA, as a home birth midwife. I am a Certified Professional Midwife (CPM) Certified by North American Registry of Midwives. My Virginia license is pending.
Support Midwifery- Support Students!
In my practice, students are an important part of my team. You should expect to see my students at appointments and at your birth. Educating future midwives is as much my passion as providing midwifery care. I enjoy having students and I hope you will build relationships with them throughout your care!
Jess Slonaker
Jess is a birth assistant and student midwife from the Eastern Panhandle area. Jess is married to Will, who works as a farmer and the food ministry manager of their local rescue mission. They have two children, Irene and Leonard.
Jess's birth-related passions include caring for women who are survivors of previous trauma, VBAC, and first time parents.
In her spare time, Jess enjoys all kinds of arts and crafts, floral design (in another life she was a floral designer), baking bread and sweet treats, hosting friends and family, reading, and working with her horses.
Jess says: "I believe there is no calling more important or life changing than motherhood and that’s why, as much as I love babies, I consider my calling to be supporting mothers not catching babies."
My statistics:
❥Transport rate 6%
❥Longest Birth 92 hours
❥Shortest Birth 45 min
❥Largest Baby 12#
❥Smallest full term baby 3#4 oz
❥Oldest Mom 47 years old
❥Youngest mom 17 years old
❥Need for perineal repair 10 %
❥Seven sets of twins
❥Twelve successful vaginal breech birth
❥Clients with a breech at labor 3.3%
❥VBAC choosing homebirth 4%
❥ Mothers choosing Waterbirth 33%
❥I have attended nearly 950 births
Philosophy
I believe that women are the key to healthy families and thus society. I believe women are fearfully and wonderfully created by God. I believe His design is not defective. I Believe that they are able to birth naturally without intervention except in the most extreme and rare cases.
I want to educate women to become responsible for their own health, to learn all that they can about their bodies and about procedures often proscribed for them and their families. I want them to be aware of their alternatives.
According to the WHO World Health Organization about 7-10% of cases require specialized obstetric services.
World Health Organization, United Nations Children's Fund (Unicef) Revised 1990 estimates of maternal mortality: a new approach by WHO and UNICEF. Geneva: WHO; 1996.