Prenatal Care
During prenatal visits we will not only focus on checking on the health of mom and baby.
We will spend significant time going over questions you might have, things you envision for your birth, education on the decisions you will have throughout your care and beyond, education on the changes your body is or will go through, and socializing. This is an important part of midwifery care because the more educated you are and the more comfortable you are with me the better your labor and delivery will go.
All family and support people are welcome to not only come to appointments but get involved. I love letting the older siblings help with taking vitals and listening to the baby. I also welcome questions from concerned family members. I believe this is a experience that involves the whole family and will treat it as such.
Labor/Delivery
I will be available to you when you need me. I will continue to monitor you and baby to ensure everything stays low risk. I will bring the necessary medical equipment in case of emergency but I will not intervene in the natural physiological process unless needed. Monitoring of baby will be done intermittently using a Doppler throughout labor. You will be allowed to personalize your birth experience. Where you deliver, how you deliver, and even who catches baby will all be up to you. If you’re interested waterbirth, You will be able to borrow one of my professional birth tubs to use to labor or even deliver in.
My job as your midwife is to make sure labor progresses normally and mom and baby are safe. I am not a doula (although i love working with doulas) but I can use my knowledge, tools, oils, herbs or homeopathics to help you as you labor. This is a day I believe you will remember for the rest of your life and I will strive to make it the best experience possible.
Postpartum/Newborn Care
Postpartum and newborn care will begin right after birth and will continue to 6 weeks postpartum. Three postpartum visits will be done to check up on healing, breastfeeding, weight gain of the newborn, maternal and newborn vitals, mental and emotional health of the mother, and any other concerns that arise in the postpartum period.
Before I leave after the birth I will make sure moms bleeding is under control, she is able to use the restroom, eat and drink and can get come rest. I will do a complete newborn exam. I will check body systems, weight and measurements of baby. It is also a goal to get baby to initiate feeding before I discharge you from the birth.
I come back to your home sometime between 24-72 hours after birth. At this visit I check back on issues like bleeding, diaper output and feeding as well as mom and baby vitals. I offer the Newborn Metabolic Screening and CCHD screening at that first visit.
The next scheduled visit is at two weeks. Again we check mom and baby vitals, checking on how everyone is adjusting physically and mentally, and go over any questions or concerns that may have come up.
Care formally concludes at the 6 week visit. The same things will be checked as well as looking for things to have returned to a new normal with baby.