Arrow and Root
Welcome to Arrow and Root!
518-410-7649
www.facebook.com/arrowandroot
We are a family owned and operated business that cares for families from their earliest stages of pregnancy through all the ups and downs of parenthood.
We happily offer the following services;
- Exceptional pregnancy, labor, and birth doula care
- Belly Casting and pregnancy art
- Consultations and classes to prepare for birth and parenting
- Post-partum mother-baby assistance
- Happiest Baby on the Block Classes and Individual consultations
- Breastfeeding help from an IBCLC (Independent Board Certified Lactation Consultant)
- Consultations and customized plans for overcoming parenting obstacles
- Custom design solutions expertly crafted for your home to maximize space and style
- Home and nursery design and preparation
- Expert space organization assistance
- Hand made gorgeous, quality solutions, furniture, and decor at affordable prices.
Check out just a few of our happy clients below!
"If not for Kim I wouldn't be nursing my now 8 month old. I wasn't able to nurse my older daughter due to an undiagnosed tongue and lip tie. She took one look at my then newborn, informed me of the ties, referred me to a doctor, and gave me unlimited support afterwards until we were successfully and happily nursing. She has continued to help me resolve personal, maternal, and parenting issues in a way I never knew was possible. To say that helping others is a passion of Kim's is an understatement. She is a wealth of knowledge and is excellent at what she does. I couldn't ask for better support than she has given me!" ~Kristin Sumpter
Nathan's Birth~ "Even though I totally trusted my midwife, I felt good about inviting Kim to Nathan’s birth. Besides being a close friend of mine, she was a mom of three and knew what it was like to give birth naturally. My first birth had been hard & fast so I had a lot of fear prior to this birth; fear of the intense contractions, fear of the pain of pushing the baby out (I remember the pushing stage being the hardest part), and fear of not being able to manage the pain of birth in general. A few weeks before the birth, over the phone, Kim talked me through my fears, prayed for me, and offered to talk any time if I was feeling afraid. When the day of the birth arrived, I was emotionally ready. The morning I went into labor I hesitated in asking her to come over too early since I did not want to “bother” her. Later I found out that she was parked not far away waiting for me to call; she was ready! When she arrived I was sitting on the floor of the living room, feeling pretty emotional as it was hitting me that I was really in labor. I managed, “I’m crying!” She laughed lightly, gave me a tight squeeze, and replied, “Of course you’re crying! You’re having a baby!” It was not a super cold day, but for some reason I was freezing! As I sat shivering in front of the heating vent, she wrapped me in blankets, reheated my tea, and in between contractions we chatted while we waited for the midwife to arrive. Besides taking care of my physical needs like heating up aromatherapy neck wraps, getting me drinks, or whatever comfort measures I needed, emotionally she helped keep me really calm and without fear. She also presented me with a mural that she had painted with the words of Psalm 46, which had a lot of meaning for me for this pregnancy and birth. Be still and know that I am God . . The midwife and her assistant arrived and got set up, but as the contractions intensified Kim did not leave my side. In between contractions the conversation was light and stress free; she brought the right amount of humor to the environment which helped keep me relaxed. During contractions all fell silent and everyone was respectful of the quiet I needed to get through it. My water broke during an intense contraction while Michelle and Ellen were talking in the kitchen. Kim was right there, grabbing towels, reassuring me that everything was okay. We had asked Kim to take pictures as soon as Nathan was born, and then after that she helped clean up, warmed up chicken soup for me, held the baby while Jeff and the midwife helped me, whatever was needed. Having Kim there lessened my fears, relaxed me, and made a huge difference all around, enabling me to have the better, sweeter birth experience I wanted." For more details of Abi's births, feel free to click on her photo above.
"When I asked Kim to help with breastfeeding I was pretty much at my wits end. I came in contact with Kim through a motherhood matters group and am so thankful for it! My second child was having major latch issues and I was trying everything I knew to get her to latch well but no luck. I called Kim up and she came to my home and looked at all the possible things that could have been going on. As soon as she got to my home I felt relieved. She was there for me as I cried and laughed at my crying. She helped me find comfort even when I was in so much pain. Her energy is just so light and so cheerful. I was still having issues with breastfeeding so I met with Kim a few times and she recommended I see a lip and tongue specialist to see if my daughter had a lip/tongue tie, sure enough she had both. She talked me through what I was going to feel when I was at the doctors while my little 1 week old was getting her lip and tounge released it was difficult to go through but afterwards I met with Kim and she showed me how to care for my daughter and showed me different way to be comfortable while breastfeeding. Kim has been such an encouraging woman to me as I continue on in this journey with my daughter, I know if I didn't have Kim I wouldn't be breastfeeding my little Evelyn now. So if you are thinking of giving up dont! Contact Kimberly! She's caring,funny and knows what she's talking about!" ~Stephanie Knickerbocker
"I have a lot of respect for and trust in Kimberly. With that said, I decided to ask her to accompany me at the hospital when I was to give birth to my second child. I had a couple concerns and changes that I wanted to make in my birth experience this time around. With my first, I never had that talked about urge to push my baby out. It felt very forced and seemed to be quite long and drawn out. My mom also had the experience of not having this urge so I believed it was inevitable for me. Kimberly assured me that according to the “sphincter law”, this should not be the case for me. I trusted her and I was excited to see if she was right! She also gave me great advice as I prepared for the big event to make it a time of worship…. Peaceful and calm. On April 9th, I let Kimberly know at 4:15pm that I was having contractions. At 5:15, I told her they were 3 min apart and by 6:20, she was asking where I was as she beat me to the hospital! It was so nice to have her waiting on me in the waiting room with a wheelchair (while hubby was parking the car and getting all my things up to the room). Kimberly was such a good sport with how particular I was about setting up. I had a large assortment of essential oils that I needed either in the diffuser, in spray bottles or on different areas of my body. She followed my directions perfectly all while coming to my side as each contraction started just to rub my back and remind me to relax my face, shoulders, arms and even hands. She would gently unclasp my hands, which I loved. She never spoke unless it was to clarify what it was that I needed and quietly reminded others to be respectful of the stillness as well. We moved into the water preparing for a water birth. Kim never left my side. When my son decided to push his way out {YEP! I GOT THE URGE TO PUSH!}, my midwife was not present. Praise God Kimberly was there and was not afraid to be hands on. My son’s head was half out and my contraction ended. She held his head in as best she could to keep me from tearing. Thank you for faithfully being there every step along the way! I had the best labor and delivery {and baby!} I could have every asked for! Your continued support with breastfeeding issues and teaching me how to hold him in a wrap was amazing as well!" ~Lydia Reichelt
~Lynne Johnston~ "After my breastfeeding journey with Baby #1 was cut short (because I found out I was pregnant with Baby #2), I was bound and determined to make it to at least a full year of nursing the second time around. You can imagine my frustration when I got to about day 9 with #2 and was in so much pain that every time he latched my toes would curl in pain. On his second Sunday of life, we brought him to church and I found myself in the nursing moms' room with Kim and a bunch of other ladies. I began talking about my situation and Kim mentioned tongue and lip ties, which I had never heard of before. With my permission, she checked my son's mouth and reported that she was certain that was the main cause of our problem. She referred me to a great doctor to do the revision. After the procedure, she invited me to her home so that she could make sure our latch was correct and give me some pointers and exercises to help my son during his recovery. It is no over-exaggeration when I say that Kim's advice that day SAVED our breastfeeding relationship. She and I grew to be friends and she continued to support me in my journey as I returned to work and dealt with pumping and supply issues. I'm happy to say she helped me reach my goal and more importantly she helped me bond with my son in the most special way. Gaining a wonderful friend was an added bonus I was not expecting that day."
“In the 39th week of pregnancy, the baby was scooting her head down much lower than I had ever felt and it was ever so slightly uncomfortable. After lunch I napped with Nathan from ~1:30 until ~2:30. When I got up, I noticed low “tightenings,” a more intense feeling than what I had felt in the morning. I made a couple phone calls to Jeff, my sister Maggie and Michelle (my midwife). When Kim arrived around 6:40, she came upstairs and gave me a big hug. I started crying (which is what I did when she arrived for Nathan’s birth) and felt this big wave of relief come over me. My birth team was complete and it was time to have a baby! She prayed for me, held my hands as the contractions got more intense, encouraged me, kept the conversation light between contractions, and it was not long before Rue was born at 7:33! I didn’t see it, but everyone else saw Baby Rue reach up her hands to me as she was placed by my side, as if to say, “I’m here! Love me!”” ~Abi Schoonover on birth number 3 *Click on Abi's photo to visit her full blog and hear more!
"There's no doubt in my mind that without Kim's help, I would have not been able to successfully breastfeed my first baby, Hartley. I had been nursing her the first 10 days with excruciating pain. It seemed the problems were just getting worse. Somewhere around day 8 I developed severe mastitis and had to start antibiotics. Due to the antibiotics, I also developed thrush. This made nursing even more painful. My husband had been told about Kim from his parents, so they arranged for her to meet with us. Kim did a home visit on day 10, and she informed us Hartley had lip and tongue tie. The staff at the hospital where Hartley was born had all overlooked this. Kim was confident Hartley had tongue tie before she even looked at her. She knew something was wrong from hearing me describe all of my symptoms and problems. She was even able to show me a way to nurse Hartley that didn't cause pain! Kim referred us to a great specialist in the area, and we were able to get Hartley's lip and tongue tie fixed the next morning. It was still a hard few weeks after because Hartley had to relearn how she had been improperly nursing. Throughout everything Kim was there for me whenever I needed her. Now Hartley is 3 months old, and I'm able to nurse her without any issues! I no longer have fear about painful nursing because of Kim. I am so grateful for her help and on going support!" Jordi Mayes
