Vivante Midwifery & Women's Health - Portland, Oregon

Calysta C.

My husband and I planned to meet with a few midwifery groups before deciding who we wanted to support us in delivering our first child but once we met Sharon, we both knew our search was over. I could tell right away, based on vibes alone, that I would feel comfortable working with her. After learning more about her experience and knowledge, I felt even more certain that this was the right fit.
She, Julia, and their apprentice Maxine made an incredible team. They were always available when we needed them, and helped us navigate several challenges throughout the pregnancy including managing a large fibroid and the pain it caused, gallbladder flares, gestational diabetes, and ultimately a preterm delivery.
Although I had to be transferred to the hospital when our baby girl arrived a month early, Sharon was with me every step of the way. I will never forget how grounded and present she was, especially during my contractions as I was getting the epidural. She locked in with me and gave me exactly the support I needed in that moment.
Sharon’s experience, calm professionalism, and sense of humor made all the difference in our birth journey. She respected my choices and gave me the knowledge I needed to make them with confidence. I’m so grateful to the entire Vivante team for their care and presence during one of the most important moments of our lives.

Albert P.

Everyone deserves to experience the kind of midwifery and care that Vivante has to offer. Sharon, Julia, and Max were invaluable when it came to the magical and dynamic experiences of both the pregnancy and birth of our son. From the very beginning, they offered everything from excellent care and professionalism to emotional support and encouragement. With their collective knowledge and wisdom, we felt fully informed and aware of every step and decision along the way, and learned new things about both the baby and ourselves as we went. The feeling of coming into a peaceful environment with caregivers who truly care about the wonderful work they do as well as you as a person is truly a gift. Once our baby decided it was time, Sharon was by our side through tough changes in plans and circumstances, steadily advocating for us and our decisions, and providing a sage and comforting support that we can’t even imagine not having. Vivante’s incredible network of care providers throughout the city of Portland made our postpartum needs easy to address, and really cemented the value of their midwifery practice. If everyone was able to experience the humanity, compassion, and inspiration that Vivante offers throughout the process of pregnancy and birth, we would live in a world that is more whole and genuine. It doesn’t hurt that Sharon, Julia, and Max are all amazing people in their own rights, and this combined with their excellent level of care and devotion to their work makes Vivante an easy choice for the fulfilling experience their midwifery provides.

Suzanna K.

I interviewed many midwives, but knew immediately when I met Sharon at Vivante Midwifery that she was the right fit for our family. During our first meeting, Sharon told me about the birth work that she did in the Philippines and said something like, “I wish I could just be the village midwife and get paid in bread and fish.” This was so telling of the kind of person Sharon is: she is really in this because she is passionate about birth work - not just as a job or a way to pay the bills.

Throughout our time together, I felt genuinely loved and expertly cared for. Our monthly meetings were slow paced, filled with patient answers to my many questions as a first time mom. Sharon possesses a wealth of knowledge on all things pregnancy and birth, and was mentoring a wonderful student - Max - throughout the process, who we loved having on our birth team.

Both my husband and I are mixed race, so it meant a lot to us to have a midwife of color - mixed race herself - who could bring that perspective. So much about pregnancy is calibrated for an average white person. Sharon always had the understanding that there is a lot of variation among human beings, especially across ethnicities, and always made us feel seen and cared for.

After our 20 week ultrasound, we had a scare about the baby and my health. Sharon was there by our side every step of the way, even offering to come with me to the gynecological oncologist appointments.

At this point, Sharon feels like a member of our family and it’s hard to imagine that we soon won’t be seeing her regularly. I highly recommend her for anyone seeking a warm, caring, knowledgeable midwife. I couldn’t be more grateful to have walked the path to motherhood with Vivante midwifery as my guide.

Nessa H.

Choosing Sharon for our birth and pregnancy experience was the best decision we made. From the moment we met, Sharon was kind attentive and made us feel at home. Every visit she listened to us deeply at every visit, took our personal situation in to consideration, connected us with a network of practitioners in the area for pregnancy and postpartum needs. She had a bounty of wisdom that helped us navigate pregnancy and birth. Sharon gave me space to cry, express my fears, ask questions, and feel confident in every choice I made through this experience. When my birth plan changed and I transferred to the hospital after a long labor, she supported me through every step emotionally and physically. She held my hand, cried with me, and most importantly helped me feel secure as my birth plan changed. If we choose to have more children we’d go with Sharon without a second thought.

Kayla W.

There aren’t enough good things we can say about Vivante. As first time parents we didn’t know what to expect in pregnancy or home birth but knew we wanted to stay out of the hospital system and get the best care for mama and baby - and we got more than that! Sharon and her team were more than knowledgeable, comforting, supportive and reassuring. Each prenatal visit was tailored to our care. Vivante respected and worked with all of our wishes and preferences. When we needed specialty care, Sharon put us in contact with the most amazing network of people we could ever ask for. I was nervous for birth in the last few months of pregnancy and I couldn’t have gone into the experience more comfortable knowing I had such an amazing team behind me. I was able to have an incredible successful and comfortable home birth. The evening itself was magical and I wish I could relive it. I can’t recommend Vivante, Sharon, student midwife Max and the entire team enough. The Portland metro area has a great network of midwives but Vivante is the best of the best!

Nina S.

I started working with the team at Vivante before getting pregnant and I'm so glad to have gone through the entire journey with them. At every stage they were the calm, collected, experienced, and lighthearted voice you hope to be hearing. Always available to answer questions and provide a plethora of recommendations for any additional needs. During my labor, Sharon brought all of the warmth, compassion, and she'd demonstrated through my pregnancy. We decided to do a hospital transfer, which she helped facilitate so smoothly and stayed with us all through until the baby was born healthy and happy. The postpartum home visits made after were a respite in the newborn haze. I will absolutely continue to use Vivante for my annual appointment and if I ever become pregnant again, I wouldn't even consider another provider; that's how good they are!

Cassandra M.

I have had an absolutely wonderful time working with Sharon and Linda as my midwives.

With this being my 3rd pregnancy, I came to Vivante with loaded prenatal and birth experiences from my first two babies. After my first consult with Sharon, I felt confident she would be able to support me in navigating the complicated feelings that had carried over from my last birth. I also felt reassured by her and Linda’s combined extensive experience in midwifery care, and by their balanced intuitive and medically informed approach.

Now, three weeks out from the birth of my third baby, I am thrilled to have put my trust in Sharon and Linda for this pregnancy. I felt very supported during the challenging times of my first/second trimesters, and I had a beautiful and breezy third birth experience. Sharon and Linda were very respectful of my labor wishes and took great care to avoid repeating dynamics that had made things more challenging for me in the past. I am very grateful to them for listening to me and working with me to ensure that my labor/birth would be able to unfold in the way that it did.

I have felt completely safe every step of the way in the care of Vivante, and I will not hesitate to work with them again for a future pregnancy.

Florian E.

When my wife told me she was pregnant with our second child and wanted to have an another home birth, I answered yes only if Sharon was our midwife again. Growing up without being exposed to what home births are, it was and still is an intimidating experience to go through. Even if as fathers we are not doing the hard work, it can be challenging to see the person we love most in pain. For both births, Sharon was a steadfast source of expertise and confidence that made the experience as magical as we’d hoped. I cannot recommend Vivante (and Sharon!) enough. She made the challenging times of labor calm and focused while always keeping an eye on the health and safety of my partner and our baby. She skillfully navigated us through two very different labor experiences with lifelong memories I’ll always be grateful for. Her care leading up to labor and postpartum was thorough and compassionate, and I couldn’t imagine working with anyone else.