Childbirth Classes in Wilsonville, OR- Meet Sierra Smith, BBCI

Childbirth Classes in Wilsonville, OR

Today we are excited to welcome Sierra Smith, who teaches Birth Boot Camp childbirth classes in Wilsonville, OR. We want you to get to know Sierra a little better too, so here is a quick interview with her. Welcome to the Birth Boot Camp family, Sierra! We can’t wait to see you change lives!

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Welcome Sierra!

I’m a wife, mom of two, and former military service member and spouse. I had my first child when I was just 19 years old. During my pregnancy, I was seeing a midwife at the local military hospital, who literally laughed at me when I said that I wanted to try an unmedicated birth, which was not the support I was expecting.

I had been watching shows on television that always seemed to show a woman screaming in pain or being rushed off to an emergency, and it honestly scared me. I remember one day when they showed a woman having a waterbirth. She was calm, the room was dark, and even though she made noise, the experience just looked lovely. I decided then to pursue other birthing options.

At the time I couldn’t find a local birth center to take our insurance, and my husband was getting ready to deploy to Iraq, so I ended up emailing back and forth with some midwives in Portland, and decided I would move back home and give birth to my daughter there.

My mother was quite entertained when I called to ask her how she felt about her first grandchild being born in her home. She agreed, and Hayden was born on St. Patrick’s Day in 2008.

It was a Monday, I was only 39 weeks along, and her dad wasn’t due to arrive for another week. She was a planned home waterbirth, though I never made it into the pool.

My labor only lasted a short, but wildly intense, five hours. Even the midwives didn’t arrive until after she was born. At the time, it was quite chaotic, especially as a first time mom but looking back we laugh at the situation.

A lot of people ask if I would do it again and my answer is absolutely! I had a great birth team, who arrived when I really needed them. My mom, was the best grandma/labor doula I could ask for, and it gave me such confidence in what my body was capable of, and that has served me in many ways as a mother.

In fact, 8 years later I gave birth at home again, with the same midwifery practice. This time, to my son Carson, born March 15, 2016, where I finally got the waterbirth I’d always wanted.

What first got you interested in birth work?

I have always wanted to pursue something in a care related field. I’ve researched becoming a nurse, a neonatologist, and even a midwife as early on as junior high school. It wasn’t until my first pregnancy that I was really quite shocked at the lack of support that I was finding.

I began to heavily research my options and it eventually led to my home births, which inspired me to become a labor doula in 2009, and then a Certified Birth Boot Camp Instructor in 2017.

Do you have any particular passions concerning birth?

This is a trick question, because I’m passionate about it all! I must say first time moms, and especially young moms are particularly special to me because I know the struggles and stereotypes they can face.

If I had a dollar for every person that told me I would fail because I was a young mom and didn’t know what I was getting myself into, well, I’m sure it would be a pretty large sum. Of course military moms and survivors of trauma or loss also hold a special place for me because I can relate to that too.

Why did you choose Birth Boot Camp as your certifying organization?

I chose Birth Boot Camp because of their modern and comprehensive approach. I felt that my personal convictions regarding pregnancy childbirth aligned well, and it was an organization that I would be proud to be a part of. Plus, the military theme got me too. 🙂

How did your training help prepare you for teaching?

My training helped prepare me for teaching by addressing things that I might struggle with and it emphasized the importance of couples making their own informed decisions regarding their birth.

It helped me role play, build confidence in my abilities, and I met some phenomenal women whom I think will be lasting friendships, as we now partner to bring Birth Boot Camp to our communities here in Oregon.