Nashville Birth Photographer + Videographer | Midwife Feature: Sara Rosser

Sara Rosser (who has a midwife assistant, Sarah Fuqua who works along side her) is a local midwife, based in Columbia Tennessee. I have attended two births with her and Sarah (known as the Sara's)  as the midwife and she is just amazing! She is so peaceful and calm. In fact, most times she hardly touches the patient. Not out of laziness, but out of giving them space to labor. As long as they have what they need, she doesn't get involved much. But if a patient needs her, she is full on there.

Her practice revolves around the freedom of birthing, less interventions, providing a safe environment with positive reinforcement to get through the birth. She fully believes in the mother is the one who is in charge. That it's her body and her right to be in control at all times. She believes in informed consent. I have heard her ask the mother in labor more than once "are you okay If I touch you?". She is also a Trauma Informed care provider, meaning she is informed about birth trauma and how that can effect a woman and her future births.

She never announces how dilated the mother is, IF she even checks. She is a very quiet fly on the wall, she may even be more of a fly on the wall than I am. She just lets mom labor and pops in for a heart rate check on baby every so often. She has trained and worked for The Farm Midwives and is such a phenomenally talented midwife and a beautiful person. If a mother wanted to hire Sara, they can have her at their home birth, or have a birth at The Farm.

There is a review on Sara's website that sums her up perfectly:

                                                                                                                                                                        “Sara knew just when to help and just when to give me space to progress on my own.”

— Samantha

When a client hires me, and I find out that Sara (and Sarah) is their midwife, I am beyond excited. It is such a peaceful environment and the energy is just so quiet and calm. Sara has the best energy with a calm knowing that all is well. Learn more about my Birth Videography and Photography. Or You can inquire about it here.

Nashville Birth Photographer | Should I hire a photographer who doubles as a doula?

I gave birth to my 2nd son in 2012, and had a doula and a midwife at my birth at Vanderbilt hospital in Nashville, TN. I loved them both and could not imagine my birth without them. My doula, made a HUGE difference in my labor pains. In fact, when she left to go to the bathroom, I was so upset she wasn't working on my back because it made such a difference and I had a contraction while she was in there.I also had a filmmaker at my birth and have been obsessed with my birth film since. It is absolutely one of my most treasured possessions.There is no way I could have had one person fill these roles. Each one had their own very complex job that required a lot of brain work and I could not have gone through a contraction without my doula, and therefore, she also could not have been photographing and or videoing my birth for me.Years later, as I have stepped into the role of Birth Videographer and photographer, I have seen sweet well meaning people in the industry of birth, offer both as a package. I have explored this idea for myself and also what my opinion of it was. I have talked to mothers who have had doulas and I have spoken to many birth workers themselves and they all say the same thing... One person cannot do both jobs well. I have also heard from birth workers that they have witnessed these individuals in person and that they were not able to be there for the client as a birth support because they were too busy trying to capture their birth. I have a friend who is both a doula and a birth photographer, she said she offered the combo twice and that "it was terrible" and so she never offered the combination again. She made them hire her for one or the other and then hire another person.You, are the mother. This is YOUR birth. This is your choice. But because it is so important for the birth space and experience, I felt compelled to share my thoughts in a blog. I will never put the ability to book clients because I sold them a package deal to beat my competition or to make my brand look better, over the ability to provide the BEST footage of their birth. My clients come first, not my profits. But also, I do not know the intentions of these sweet meaning people and have no idea why they decided to offer both. My only assumption is to provide a package deal. But if the package deal does not serve the client, then it should not be offered.To learn more about Documenting Birth, click here.