Rio Grande
Midwifery
"Birth is not only about making babies. Birth is about making mothers ~ strong, competent, capable mothers who trust themselves and know their inner strength."
~ Barbara Katz Rothman
Meet the Midwife
Nemonie Donahue, CPM, RM
Nemonie is a Colorado Licensed, Certified Professional Midwife providing holistic, individualized home birth care in the San Luis Valley.
Midwifery is deeply rooted in her soul. At the age of 5 she knelt by her mothers side to witness the peaceful home birth of her brother. This experience fostered in her a genuine trust in natural birth, inspired her own two home births and ultimately set her on the path to provide midwifery care.
Nemonie has been attending births since 2000 when she started her journey into midwifery as a mother, childbirth educator, and doula. In 2006 she began an apprenticeship assisting home birth midwives in their practices. The guidance and teachings from these midwives gave her a strong foundation on which to build her own practice. In 2018 she graduated from the National Midwifery Institute and has since helped many women become empowered through nurturing gentle births. In addition to midwifery, Nemonie enjoys spending time with her family, reveling in nature, sharing a good conversation, playing volleyball and traveling.
Midwifery Care
“Good beginnings make a positive difference in the world, so it is worth our while to provide the best possible care for mothers and babies throughout this extraordinarily influential part of life.”
~ Ina May Gaskin
Rio Grande Midwifery is dedicated to providing expectant mothers with the *Midwives Model of Care. This is based on the fact that pregnancy and birth are normal life processes. We combine both time honored midwifery skills and evidence based clinical care to monitor the well being of the mother and baby throughout the childbearing cycle.
Prenatal visits are scheduled at your home once a month until 28 weeks, twice a month until 36 weeks, then weekly until birth. Each visit lasts approximately an hour, allowing time to voice any questions and concerns, discussion to prepare for birth, and risk assessment including blood pressure monitoring, urinalysis, heartbeat checks, baby's growth and position, routine screenings and lab work. Starting at 38 weeks Rio Grande Midwifery is on-call 24/7 for your birth. In case a change in birth setting becomes necessary, a transport plan is prepared. A trained assistant accompanies Nemonie to each birth. During labor, the midwives will be monitoring fetal heart rate, maternal vitals, labor progress and the overall well-being of mother and baby. Any concerns or problems that arise will be discussed as a team and a plan of action agreed upon. We provide clinical monitoring, encouragement and guidance while respecting the private and intimate elements of birthing a baby. After the birth, the midwives stay for several hours to monitor mother and baby’s transition, support breastfeeding, clean up, and perform a complete newborn exam. Postpartum visits are scheduled regularly until 6 weeks after the birth. We offer routine newborn procedures including Vitamin K, eye prophylaxis, and the Newborn Screen. Rio Grande Midwifery will also file for your child's birth certificate.
*Copyright (c) 1996-2008, Midwifery Task Force, Inc., All Rights Reserved.
"Nemonie is an excellent midwife. Her care goes above and beyond anything we ever expected. We were so happy to have her care before, during and after the birth of our son Izzy! Nemonie is an incredibly experienced, kind, professional and knowledgable midwife. Her research and training go above and beyond any state regulated requirements. We loved how focused she was on me as a mother, my baby and our family as a whole. She spent countless hours talking with us about our concerns, fears and wishes. I can't say enough how wonderful it was having Nemonie as our midwife. She was our solid stone of stability in stormy waters. We love her so much and we feel so lucky to have had her in our lives during the birth of our son."
- Morgan
"Nemonie was my midwife from early on in my pregnancy. She'd come to my house and provide excellent prenatal care that included my whole family in the process of measuring and listening. I loved her holistic approach to care as well as her knowledge of when to seek additional assistance from other healthcare providers. Marley Jade ended up being born in the hospital, but Nemonie was by our side through the night providing me with extra support and helped us follow through with our birth plan as if we were still at home. We welcomed our baby girl earth side December 21, 2018. A few days postpartum Nemonie came to my house and continued spectacular care. Her suggestions were very beneficial to my recovery. My family and I are grateful to have had her along on our journey."
- Sarah
"Nemonie was an answer to prayers. After moving to the San Luis Valley when I was over 20 weeks pregnant with my first child I was nervous that I would not be able to find a midwife in such a small and rural area. My dearest desire was to give birth with a knowledgeable, experienced, friendly midwife in the comfort of my own home. Thankfully I found Nemonie! She is the definition of a midwife. I bonded with her right away and always looked forward to our appointments. On the day of the birth, she was able to give me my space to labor but was supportive and comforting when she saw I needed her. I attribute the success of my home birth to my birth team who supported me through the difficult times."
- Karina
"Nemonie is a rare jewel in a rural land, where home birth care is few and far between. Her passion and dedication in midwifery is seen and felt as she goes above and beyond. She is attentive to personal wishes and needs, understands the importance of giving her time, and we enjoyed so many hours with a warm cup of tea and great conversation as we prepared for our birth. She helped us prepare for and welcome our little girl into the world. Nemonie is truly knowledgeable and reactive to the natural process of birth and aware of safety and concerns that can sometimes be unsettling to new parents. She helped us work through fears, hesitations, and realities. She challenged us to communicate our desires and helped us envision a plan for the birth we wanted. While not everything went according to plan she was with us to the very end and ultimately supported us every step of the way. We are so thankful for her expertise, her compassion, and her love. She is a blessing to home birth and a gift to our family."
- Marlayna
"I had the amazing gift of having Nemonie as my midwife for the birth of my third child in October 2019. Having had a cesarean and then a home birth in northern Colorado previously, I was immensely nervous about finding midwifery care in such a rural community. My worry was for nothing since I found such fabulous care with Nemonie! She really became part of the family. My kids looked forward to being included in each of my prenatal appointments. I always felt like Nemonie actually cared personally about me and my baby. She was skilled and supportive, giving her time and knowledge without making me ever feel self conscious, worried or judged. Her support was how I ended up with another successful home birth! In a community where the traditional model of obstetric care has an ever increasing cesarean section rate, finding such a skilled and amazing home birth midwife is beyond a blessing!"
- Miranda
"Birth is powerful. Let it empower you."
~ Anonymous
Contact Info
Schedule your free consultation today!
