Home Birth

Midwives are dedicated health-care professionals who offer expert care to expectant parents and their newborns. From pregnancy through labor, birth, and the first six weeks after your baby arrives, my midwifery practice will be with you every step of the way. I truly believe that this continuous support helps create a more positive and fulfilling experience for you. Midwives specialize in low-risk pregnancies and births, ensuring you receive the best care possible throughout this special time.

A Certified Professional Midwife (CPM) is a skilled and knowledgeable expert in providing care for expectant parents and their newborns. CPMs are specially trained to support low-risk pregnancies and manage births in the comfort of your own home. We are certified through schooling, rigorous training, and exams, ensuring we have the expertise to offer safe, compassionate, and personalized care. With a CPM, you can expect a supportive and holistic approach to childbirth. We focus on creating a positive and empowering birth experience tailored to your needs and preferences. From prenatal visits to labor, birth, and postpartum care, I will be there to guide and support you through every step of the process, all within the familiar and comforting environment of your home.

As a Certified Professional Midwife, I am your primary care provider during pregnancy. I am always available should you have any questions. I will see you on a typical schedule. Once per month until 28 weeks, then 2x a month through 36 weeks, then once a week until birth.

Prenatal appointments typically take place in your home. Each appointment lasts about an hour, and you'll usually see me around 12 times before your baby arrives. In the first 40-45 minutes of each visit, we'll focus on discussing your pregnancy, providing nutritional counseling, answering any questions you might have, and getting to know each other better. The last 15 minutes are dedicated to checking your blood pressure, measuring your fundal height, feeling your abdomen to check your baby’s position, and listening to your baby's heartbeat. When needed, we may also run tests for anemia or other labs. We love having family members join in on the prenatal visits. Kids especially enjoy helping out with the midwives, which helps them feel more connected to the pregnancy and excited about their new sibling!

After giving birth, it's easy to forget about your health and turn your whole focus will be your baby. Postpartum support is key to your health. I will visit you 4 times postpartum. Your first visit will be 24-48 hours after birth, then we will schedule a 1-2 week visit, a 4 week visit, and a 6 week visit. During the visit, the focus with be on both you and the baby, to ensure you’re adapting well to the new change in your family. My focus on postpartum care is dedicated to mental health by providing additional support, outside of your immediate family and friends. I strongly believe that midwifery care does not end after birth and does not simply include the physical aspects of the postpartum period. A huge benefit of having a midwife is having the same practitioner with you throughout the entire journey.

If everything goes smooth and there are no complications that arise, we (myself and an assistant) would stay for a minimum of 2 hours. This time is used to monitor yourself and baby, clean up, get you settled, and answer any questions that arise. My favorite part of being a homebirth midwife is tucking the new family in after everything is settled, while leaving them to enjoy their new baby like nothing happened.

Absolutely. I support showing childbirth as a normal experience for your family, including your children. I always recommend having a designated adult present (someone other than your partner/support person) that the children are comfortable with. Birth can be long, and you’ll want someone who can step away with the children if they are feeling impatient. Additionally, if an emergency were to arise, it is vital that there is a designated adult who can pull them away if needed, or care for them should you need a transfer. Of course, if children are involved I am more than happy to include them in any aspect you wish to show them the amazing things our bodies can do within your comfort zone.

Yes, I can order your labs and have them processed. At your initial visit, we will do a full prenatal panel. I can refer you for an ultrasound as well. At 20 weeks you can expect me to refer you for an ultrasound. At 28 weeks, we will do another round of blood work. And finally, at 36 weeks I offer GBS (Group B Strep) testing which is self collected and then sent to a lab for processing.

As a small, individual-focused practice, I use paper charts. If a transfer is needed, I would fax your documentation (all necessary information for mom and baby) to the new provider.

There are three tests often given to newborns: a hearing screen, a congenital heart defect screening, and a metabolic screening. I offer all three of these, and if you elect to have them done, I would perform them in your home at the 24-48 hour postpartum visit.

Absolutely. Laboring in water can be a great pain management tool by letting your body relax. I have pools that you can use. I will provide all the necessary materials to set them up at the 36 week visit. The liner, hose, and adapter are single use items which you will be responsible for.

Many people believe that they must be considered “low risk” to have a home birth, and that there are certain “checked boxes” that would disqualify them from home birth options. “Low risk” is a broad term and not something that “qualifies” you for home birth. Part of the midwifery model of care is developing the relationship to support you through your pregnancy, labor, birth and postpartum, regardless of your pregnancy risk status. If situations arise, we will talk through them, assess the risks, options, and ultimately decide together what is best for you and baby. You’ll be given the knowledge to make these important care decisions for yourself. During your 3rd trimester prenatal appointments we will talk through birth scenarios to prepare everyone for different situations that could occur. I emphasize the importance of knowledge in my practice, so I’ll make sure that I can answer any questions about the various outcomes to give you confidence when labor comes. When any situation arises, I help in making you feel prepared to mentally handle them, but that you’ll also be able to calmly work through emergent situations. While an emergent situation could occur, many can be managed at home with just as positive of an outcome as the hospital. If a situation during labor, birth, postpartum, or for your newborn requires a transfer I will accompany you to the hospital to ensure the transfer goes smoothly and continue to provide you with support.

During our prenatal appointments, we will talk about out-of-hospital pain management tools. While home birth pain management tools differ from what is offered in the hospital (NO2, epidural, IV pain meds) they can aid in offering relief during your labor and birth. During your prenatal visits we will work to prepare your body for labor and birth. When it comes time for labor, you will know common remedies and tools to use during labor to manage pain. If you choose to have a doula (which I 100% support) you will have another knowledgeable person there to support you and assist in pain management. Additionally, I can recommend a number of birth courses that will help you and your birth partner prepare if you elect to do so.

This varies from person to person. With an initial visit we can discuss your specific situation and ultimately come to the decision on if home birth is a good option for you. There is no specific low risk definition because low risk to one person looks different to another person. During our time together, I look at information obtained through testing, I monitor your individual situation, and evaluate our relationship to see if we can work through things as they come up. While there certainly are some scenarios that may arise that would risk you out of a home birth option, many can be monitored, and should you still want a home birth we could even obtain assistance with a co-care medical professional.