Mountain Midwives, Hardin MT

My husband and I had our last two babies with Mountain Midwives. Their maternity, prenatal, and postnatal care are superb. They were always available when I had questions. They took every twinge or anxiety seriously and addressed my concerns with patience and respect. They let their expertise lead where it was medically appropriate and necessary. I will never forget how they provided a safe and nurturing experience for our family.

Mountain Midwives delivered my first baby December 2018. I received excellent pre and postnatal care at a very fair price. They always went the extra mile for me! As a nervous first time mom, I felt very cared for and was able to develop a bond and trust with Pat, Tricia, and Nikki that served me well during the endurance test of first time labor. They respected my wishes, helped me feel prepared for the birth, and made me feel very safe and secure during labor. The health and safety of me and most importantly my baby, was always top priority for them. I enjoyed everything I learned from them about the homebirth process, and found the Red Lodge retreat to be very informative. They discussed their protocol and model of care for birth, how complications and emergencies would be handled, postnatal well checks for mom and baby, birth certificates, breastfeeding and even more! I think they balance being personal and professional in their practice. They are very kind and easy to work with. I know many people who have had homebirths with them, and I felt confident in their ability and reputation. My husband and I were very happy with our experience, and we will use them again in the future!

We had a wonderful experience with Pat and Nikki! We had just moved to the area from Colorado and I knew I wanted a Midwife for my third pregnancy and birth after having my first in a hospital and second at a midwifery birth center. Pat always answered my questions with in depth answers. We were in WY and two hours from Billings and she worked with us throughout the entire pregnancy to accommodate the right plan for us. My baby was pretty big and born with a compound presentation but it all turned out perfectly! If I had been in a hospital with anyone but Pat, I’m sure the outcome would’ve been much different. I’m so thankful for Pat and her team. I wholeheartedly recommend Mountain Midwives to anyone wanting a natural birth with midwifery care model.

Mountain Midwives is a great option if you have a good delivery experience, but you need to be aware if there is something that goes wrong you need to be your own advocate because they won't be a good advocate for you. They will stick to the laws, which thankfully are in place, however, those laws might be beyond your comfort level so you should be aware of a few things before you wholeheartedly decide to use a midwife and do a home birth. These are the things I wish I knew beforehand:

1. They will lie to you about the costs. While it is try that a hospital birth is much more expensive on paper there is a very good chance that your costs will be much closer to the home birth than you first think. You have to ask the Hospitals to see what is available.

2. Mountain Midwives will paint the hospital out to be a money making machine where you are on a time schedule for delivery and will be forced to deliver on your back with your legs in stirrups, and pitocin shots to speed things along.
This may happen. However is is very unlikely. Hospitals are incredibly facilitating, and you are able to talk with them beforehand and make similar plans for your birth experience as you would with your midwife. They probably won't let you do a water birth, but I strongly suggest that as part of your decision making you at least go in and talk to the birth center at Billings Clinic or SCL Health (St. Vincent).
Don't trust Mountain Midwives to be fair in their representation of hospitals. Both Hospitals in Billings are excellent options.

3. Mountain Midwives are great as long as things are going well, however, when things go poorly their decision making is bad and not practiced. You need to prepare for this and make a birthing plan that is comprehensive about both what you want in the ideal situation, but is also comprehensive about what some of your desires are if it isn't going well. How long are you okay being in labor? Are you okay with them dictating how you should position yourself for delivery? Will you be okay with them putting you on a bed on your back with your legs being held up? Do you want to go to the state limits before going to the hospital? Which hospital do you want to go to? What will you do if they start telling you the reason the birth isn't progressing is you? Hospitals monitor you closely and are prepared for and experienced with when it doesn't go well. Mountain Midwives is much less prepared to deal with the negative situation. In reality you will just end up in the Hospital going through their processes.

4. If this is your second birth then this doesn't apply as much to you. If this is your first: PLEASE talk to a OB-GYN as well as the midwives at least let them lay out their process for you. If you are looking to save cost with a home birth realize that if things go wrong you will be much worse off than if you were already in medical care. The first birth is often more difficult and take it from a couple who went through a hellish experience it is worth exploring both the home birth experience and the hospital experience. Secondly realize that the experience at the hospital might be much better than people tell you, but you have to investigate it and find out. They do tours of the birthing center and you can ask lots of questions.

5. Don't trust other people to have your best interest in mind. Both Mountain Midwives and the Hospitals will give you slanted and in the case of Mountain Midwives, false information.

6. Don't buy the Natural Birth is the only way to go argument. If you look throughout history and in developing countries Natural birth also has natural consequences of higher death rates of the infant and to a lesser degree the mother. Yes, we have gone too far, in the US especially, towards interventions in the birthing process, but without a lot of these interventions there would be a lot more couples grieving the death of their infant.

I used Pat and Mountain Midwives for two home births and they were awesome! (Mountain Midwives) Pat is so knowledgeable and skillful, she put me at ease and I felt very comfortable knowing my life and the life of my child were in her capable hands. Definitely would recommend them to anyone wanting a home birth. They will take care of you!

My first experience with Pat and her team was in sept of 2015. My husband and I had just learned we were pregnant with our first baby. I was nervous about a hospital birth, and very excited to explore other options. My husband was nervous about a home birth, but after meeting Pat, and learning about her background as a nurse we Both felt comfortable moving forward with a home birth. Unfortunately I lost that precious baby shortly after our first meeting. Pat was so gracious to offer support and advice as I went through the horrible process of miscarrying, even though we had only met one time. Her team checked on me several times as I grieved.
In February 2016 we found out we were pregnant again, and instantly went back to Mountain Midwives. We received excellent prenatal care, and the weekend class in red lodge was fun and educational!
Our baby boy was born one month ago in our home. Pat, and two of her trainees, Trisha and Nicki, came and helped me.they were incredibly helpful and supportive, helping to alleviate my fears.they let me try things, and offered suggestions when I needed them. I had thought I wanted a water birth, but that changed last minute, and they were super flexible.
I felt safe, and supported by these wonderful women and would highly recommend them to any moms- to-be.

Pat Schwaiger was an answer to prayer! Throughout my pregnancy she treated me with kindness and respect, and helped instill in this first time mama a confidence that I could grow my baby, and deliver her, with strength and without fear.
I had a false labour a week before my daughter was born, and Pat came the three hours out to the ranch where I lived (and didn't make me feel silly for sounding a false alarm)!:) When real labor kicked in she was right there, and though my delivery was long, it was peaceful and calm. I knew that I was in good hands the entire time.
Thank you Pat and the entire Mountain Midwives team for your gift to the community. Because of you, and God, I can treasure Gianna's birth story!

I had an unexpected pregnancy in a new community and found Pat/Mountain Midwives online. Scared and surprised, I found MM through a Google search and called to ask about their services. Pat spoke to me for over an hour on the phone, describing her practice and the the approach she took in her healthcare. I had the best experience through my entire prenatal period and during labor and delivery. The biggest impression she left on me, during the initial phone conversation and through prenatal appointments was that I was in charge and in control of how I wanted to have my child. I was fortunate to not have any health issues, but at one point my iron levels were low and she immediately contacted me about that risk and explained if I wasn't able to improve them that I'd have to plan on delivering in a hospital - I changed a few things in my diet and all was good. Pat and my husband "caught" our beautiful baby, Vivian, and our life has been blessed since. I feel like Pat prepared me for parenthood through her approach to birth - it's instilled a confidence in me and my choices as a parent that may have been lacking otherwise. She's amazing and her practice is incredible.