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What is a midwife?

A midwife is a health care provider that specializes in pregnancy and birth. They develop a relationship with their clients, based on trust. The goal is a labor and birth completely supported. She provides all-encompassing care, education, and guidance for the mother and her newborn.

How much does it cost?

All consultations are free. We currently accept cost share or HSA plans. A down payment of $500 is required at the initial prenatal in order to reserve your spot on the calendar. The balance is paid via a payment plan that we agree upon.

What does prenatal care look like?

The first appointment is at least two hours as we will go over your history and do an initial prenatal. Then we will meet once a month until your 28th week, when we will begin meeting every 2 weeks. At the 36th week, the birth team will come to you to make sure we know where we are going and to check that all supplies are present and accounted for. After that you will be seen once a week until delivery.

Who will be there besides you?

Our team will consist of myself and at least one other student midwife or midwifery assistant. Student midwives & midwifery assistants are trained in CPR and NRP and will be in varying stages of their training. If this is your first baby, first home birth or a VBAC mom there will also be a doula.

What will my birth look like?

That is up to you. I have seen rooms lit by candlelight, party births, just the parents, all the kids, all the animals, you get the picture. My job is to be the life guard and I do not get out of my chair often. We use a lot of water as a comfort measure and good old fashioned "with woman" support. After the birth we work on bonding and feeding everyone, then we tuck you into bed and let you take a well deserved nap. 

What is the Midwives Model of Care

(MMOC)

MMOC is a new way to look at pregnancy and childbirth, as normal life events; and it has been shown to reduce birth injury, trauma and cesarean section. It is nurturing and hands on during pregnancy, birth and the postpartum. The MMOC includes:

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  • Monitoring physical, psychological and the social well-being of a mother during her childbearing cycle

  • Providing personalized education, counseling and care with on-going hands-on help during the labor, delivery and postpartum

  • High quality, safe, affordable and respectful care

  • Minimizing the interventions of technology and produces excellent outcomes for low risk women, as well as vulnerable and at risk women

  • Identifying women who need referrals for obstetrical attention

 

The hallmarks of MMOC are being with women, listening to women and sharing decision making with them; while supporting women and their families to birth safely, undisturbed and with confidence.

What if I do not want a student or doula at my birth?

It is my job as a midwife to ensure that you and your baby are safe during delivery. While I believe that low risk pregnancies are generally safe, every once in awhile there is a hiccup that needs to be managed. With the birthing mother and baby being two, there should be a one to one ratio. It is also helpful to me if there are three present to do documenting and occasionally there is the need for a third pair of hands. 

If you are a first time mom or a VBAC mom, in my experience, these labors are longer. I like to have a doula involved to help the mother and her partner with comfort techniques. I have doulas that I have trained that can be invaluable in these situations. Although I am a doula as well, in order for me to be at peak performance it is necessary for me to have a doula present so that I can focus on the midwifery part of the birth. 

In addition, my road to midwifery has been a long one, in part, because it has been difficult for me to find preceptors willing to take students. It is part of my vision to train others and my responsibility to train the next generation as I was trained. If this is something that you are not comfortable with, I would encourage you to interview other midwives as well.

How often do I see you in the postpartum?

We see you for the first time at 24 hours, then again at 3 days, 1 week, all at your home, at 3 weeks and 6 weeks we are back in the office.

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