FAQs

Midwives are trained to handle certain complications at home and to make best efforts in facilitating a transport to the hospital when it may be necessary. One of the most common complications midwives may handle at home is excessive bleeding from the uterus immediately after the baby is born. The second most common of rare complications in a homebirth is a baby who needs a reminder to take their first breaths. Every midwife at your birth is certified in neonatal resuscitation. In addition, leave baby attached to the cord when possible to help with transition as we help baby breathe.

The most common reason for transporting a pregnant person to the hospital happens during a very long labor where maternal exhaustion begins to set in and the birth parent is desiring pain relief. In this case, the hospital can provide epidural which is the best tool to support sleep and enable a weary birther to recoup in preparation for birth.

It is important to note that we do not believe in homebirth at all costs. We will only remain home when we assess it is safe to do so, and will have discussions if yellow flags arise.

Though we believe birth is a natural event and do our best to intervene to circumvent any harm, pregnancy and birth is inherently risky, and therefore cannot guarantee any outcome.

HMOs like Medicaid or Medicare will not cover midwifery care or homebirth. However, some PPO insurances will cover some or all midwifery care including home birth. 

We work with a third party biller to access insurance coverage for those who have PPO medical insurance. A verification of benefits can be processed for clients who believe they have a PPO insurance with out-of-network maternity coverage. 

It costs nothing to check your benefits. 

We work with a billing company who works hard to help you acquire coverage from your insurance company. You must have a PPO insurance with out of network coverage to be eligible. There is a 35% fee charged by the third party biller. 

We accept Cash, Check, HSA and FSA. We also accept electronic payments via Venmo and PayPal and will also accept credit cards at request. 

If you are still worried about the cost of home birth, most midwives are willing to work out a payment plan and/or bartering agreement. Some midwives collect community donations and have a fund set up for families who can’t afford the full home birth fee. There’s no shame in asking if you qualify! Don’t let the cost of home birth deter you from having one if that is what you truly want, you only get to birth this baby one time and the way you give birth affects you physically and psychologically for the rest of your life and may affect how you give birth to any future babies.

For most people home birth is actually your cheapest option! Your insurance may cover some or all of the cost or reimburse you. If not, the total midwifery care cost for your pregnancy, birth and postpartum may actually be less than your copay for your birthing day at the hospital or birth center. 

Our investment fee is comparable to our community. We have several options for midwifery care, averaging $6000.

For those who want the extra support and education for a hospital birth, We have doula and monitrice packages from $2800-$3600. 

Birth is not as messy as you may think. There is usually 1 bag of trash and 1 load of laundry. We use chux pads to protect your bed or carpet and use waterproof liners which makes it easy to clean up. We usually help with collecting the trash and the linens that need to go in the laundry. 

There are several types of midwives. Certified Nurse Midwives are midwives who were educated in nursing before becoming a midwife. Certified Professional Midwives are midwives who were educated and certified directly in midwifery care for normal pregnancy and childbirth. CNMs and CPMs participate in research, continuing education, workshops, and peer reviews to provide the most up-to-date evidence based maternity care.

Home birth care is truly family-centered care. Around 12 weeks of pregnancy we would do the initial prenatal appointment either at our cozy office or in the comfort of your own home, and your partner(s) and children are always welcome to attend! We spend approximately 1 hour with you at every appointment and go over your health history, previous pregnancies, any mental health or trauma issues you may have, and our contract and any risks vs. benefits that come along with your personal situation and home birth. We talk about your wishes, what to expect at each prenatal along the way, and answer any and all questions you and your family may have. We then take your vitals (blood pressure, temperature, pulse, oxygenation, etc.), measure your fundus (top of your uterus) to see how it is growing, palpate (feel on the outside) your uterus to see what position baby is in and estimate about how big baby is, and listen to baby’s heartbeat with the fetal doppler. We even take a CBC blood panel and send it to the lab and we can also send it out for genetic tests if you wish. We also refer you out to ultrasound at appropriate times for anatomy scans or if we have any concerns. We would see you every month until around 28 weeks, bi-weekly until 36 weeks, and weekly or more until you give birth. Every appointment will be approximately 1 hour long and will start with talking about your nutrition, how your month was, how you are feeling and coming up with solutions to any problems or concerns that you may be having. We will always take your vitals, measure your growing uterus, ask to feel you growing baby and help determine their position, and listen to your baby’s heartbeat. We keep a detailed chart of all the information taken at every visit. Around 36 weeks we have the Team Visit where anyone planning to attend your birth will meet at your house where we will go over all your wishes for your birth, make sure you have all the supplies needed, make a contact list and go over protocols for if baby comes really fast and what hospital we will go to and how if transfer is needed. We will answer any questions and do all the regular prenatal care that we normally do at appointments. Your birth team is now on call until you give birth and will come to you and support you and monitor you and your baby during your whole labor, birth, and postpartum. We watch and listen for any emergencies that could arise and safe-guard your space. After you give birth we do a full newborn exam and administer vitamin K and erythromycin if you choose to do so. We clean up as we go and clean everything up afterward so you and your family can spend time bonding and getting to know your new little one. During postpartum we come again within 24 hours of birth, day 3, 1 week, 3 weeks and 6 weeks to check on you and your baby and make sure you’re healing well physically and feeling well emotionally.

These are just a few:

• You are not subject to routine hospital protocols such as hep locks/IVs, being confined to the bed, not being able to eat or drink during labor, immediate cord clamping/cutting, episiotomy, pushing on your back, etc.
• You make your own informed choices when it comes to your care, birth, and baby, you are in charge.
• Way less interventions and medical management of your birth, your birth is treated as a normal and physiological event that will unfold in whatever way it needs to.
• Less complications because of fewer interventions
• Supportive of VBAC, water birth, breech, and multiples.
• Ability to move, eat, drink, shower, bath, walk, go outside, swim, and birth in any position as you please.
• You are less likely to get infection at home because it’s your own bacteria that you’re around every day that you’re immune to. Hospitals can carry  dangerous bacteria such as MRSA and viruses.
• Your partner(s) are more comfortable because of being in your own home and they can eat, shower, rest, etc. as needed. They can even catch the baby!
• No birthing parent and baby separation, they are treated as a unit. Birth is a much more gentle experience for baby as well.
• Higher rates of breastfeeding success.
• You can do whatever you please with the placenta.

Remember, though there is great benefits to homebirth for low risk families, it’s important to recognize limitations such as lack of access to a doctor or an operating room.  

In our practice, families get to know each of us equally by alternating prenatal visits. We both see clients at our office, and join you in your home together at 36 weeks so we can all prepare together for your big day. We attend most births together, but will sometimes work with another community midwife so that we each have time off-call. This ensures that our clients always have someone they’ve come to know and trust at their births. We may also switch out after 18 hours of labor support so you have a well resourced midwife supporting you in labor.

We divide postpartum care as we do prenatal care, so every client has the opportunity to process their experience with each midwife.

We believe birth is safest when birthers can participate in their care and educate themselves in order to ask questions and make wise decisions. We support families desiring a homebirth who have low-risk, healthy pregnancies.