Hey sister, I'm so glad you're here! In this space you will find little pieces of my life, free education, birth stories (loaded with photographs), and all sorts of other things related to having babies in holistic, faith-filled style! Take a cup of coffee or tea and enjoy these love-crafted words!

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Sister Birth Blog

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"Giving birth and being born brings us into the essence of creation. Where the human spirit is courageous and bold and the body a miracle of wisdom."

~ Harriette Hartigan

Lately I’ve been seeing a real uptick in posts on social media (a place I don’t even spend much time) about water birth and all the reasons it is BAD. Here’s one and here’s another. The reasons listed for avoiding water birth are varied. Some of them make sense to me on some level and others seem absurd. But […]

About the anti-water birth uprising

October 10, 2025

The following is a guest post by the mother of this sweet baby and my sister birthkeeper, Brandy Benson of Wild & Free Birth Wellness. Enjoy her beautiful words below, paired with the photographs I was honored to make, and her video footage. At the end, you’the birth film I made for her, too. Our […]

The Birth of Blythe Mirabel

September 16, 2025

combine the following ingredients in nearly any order. But the first two ingredients must always go in first, as all the others depend upon them.

A Recipe for Attending a Long Labor as a Birthkeeper-Photographer

March 16, 2025

If you’re new here, you might not know that I was a birth photographer before I was any other thing in the “birth world.” Before that I was a family photojournalist sort of photographer. The raw, unscripted, unposed stories of people’s authentic lives together at home has always captivated me, so it wasn’t too much […]

A Grab Bag of Thoughts on Birth Photography

January 9, 2025

Here’s a pro tip: Don’t be too hasty to call in your birth team.

Why you should labor alone

November 30, 2024

We may become too quick to automatically write off midwives with such credentials without considering the whole picture. We have demonized certification and licensure and lost all sense of nuance around the subject.

What Midwifery Licensure and Certification Means for YOU as a Pregnant Mama

November 26, 2024

reexamining our relationship with “need” as freebirthers and self-sufficient homebirthers by Sister Birth

Are Freebirthers and Home-Birthers Allergic to “Need”?

August 2, 2024

Have you had a labor that felt like it took much longer than it ought to have taken? (I’m raising my hand!) You may have done all the “right” things in pregnancy to set yourself up for quick and efficient labor: Ate the right things, diligently moved your body, did some spinning babies or other […]

Why was your labor so long?

May 22, 2024

Pointers for first time moms planning a home birth.

Home Birth Prep for First-Time Moms

April 24, 2024

Have you seen this? This peaceful, unassisted water birth on a porch at the edge of a meadow… the one where the baby received a little assistance from her mother to finish being born? It’s worth watching. And have gratitude for the brave and bold @thealliewoods for livestreaming and sharing her very personal moments with the world. And […]

Public videos of unassisted births and some thoughts on free birth, generally

April 24, 2024

Brooke Collier is a holistic doula, christian birthkeeper, and birth photographer serving Grand rapids, MI and West Michigan and offering online childbirth education and birthkeeper training for women around the world.

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