Midwifery Care for Homebirth
"A woman, as long as she lives will remember how she was made to feel at her birth"
-Anna Verwaal
Midwifery Care
The Midwives Model of Care is based on the fact that
pregnancy and birth are normal life processes.
Initial Consultation
Contact me to schedule a free consultation so we can meet each other and discuss your goals for a homebirth.
Prenatal Care
Midwives work to promote good health and believe that when women are cared for as a whole person their health improves and so does their self esteem. Midwifery care builds a friendly professional relationship through longer visits that include the physical, emotional, and social aspects of life.
Prenatal care with a midwife includes all of the standard lab work, ultrasounds, and physical assessments that you will have with a doctor. However, we will have hour long appointments to discuss all other aspects of pregnancy, nutrition, supplements, birth, breastfeeding, parenthood, and many other topics.
The ideal time to start midwifery care is at the beginning of pregnancy.
However, women can always transfer into care anytime throughout pregnancy.
Labor and Birth
When labor starts we will stay in touch frequently until you are ready for me to come and be with you. During pregnancy we will talk a lot about your hopes for labor and birth. I will know your preferences and will help you to have a labor and birth that is empowering and peaceful to you.
During labor and birth my assistant and I will unobtrusively be monitoring you and your baby and making sure you are both healthy and safe. I am there to provide medical, physical and emotional support to help you through your "hard work".
I believe women give birth best where they feel safest and with people they feel safest. I enjoy building relationships with families; the birthing parents, siblings, grandparents, friends and anyone else who is planning to be at your birth. Knowing the people who will be at your birth helps me to keep everyone relaxed so that you can focus and feel free enough to follow your instincts.
After birth, we will monitor you and your baby, clean up, make sure you have eaten, help establish breastfeeding, do a newborn exam and then tuck you and your baby in bed.
Postpartum is a continuum of midwifery care. There are several postpartum visits for mothers and babies until 6-8 weeks postpartum. The first few visits after birth will be at your home so you do not need to leave or feel rushed to do anything but cuddle your baby and be taken care of by your family.
Postpartum
If you would like more specific information about what is included in midwifery care visit the FAQs or give me a call and I would be happy to answer any of your questions.