A Certified Nurse Midwife (CNM) is a healthcare professional specializing in women’s health with a focus on managing normal, low risk pregnancy and birth. Nurse-midwives must have a degree in nursing (RN) and a graduate degree in nurse-midwifery. CNMs are board-certified through the American Midwifery Certification Board, and licensed through their individual state of practice. CNMs also have prescriptive authority.

The midwifery model of care is a fundamentally different approach to pregnancy and childbirth than modern obstetrics. Midwives focus on providing their clients with education and counseling through prenatal care, supporting informed decision-making. Midwives spend a significant amount of time 1:1 with their clients, developing a relationship of trust. Midwives also provide continuous presence and hands-on support during labor and birth, and more comprehensive postpartum follow-up.

Women receiving midwifery care have fewer interventions, fewer c-sections, better health outcomes for mother & baby, and higher satisfaction with their birth experience.

Doulas provide physical and emotional support to a mother and her partner during birth. Doulas do not have any medical training and cannot provide monitoring or assessment of the mother or baby.

Another common question is do I need a doula if I hired a midwife?
Sure! Midwives love working with doulas! While midwives do provide more hands-on support, their primary focus is the medical role and they may not be able to provide the continuous physical/emotional support that a doula can give.
A doula + a midwife = a Dream Team!

Birth is unpredictable, and I often say that while you cannot make a plan for how your birth will go, how you prepare yourself can go a long way towards having an empowering birth experience.

Childbirth preparation classes are essential in helping you and your partner know what to expect and how to cope with labor.

Hiring a doula has been proven to result in fewer interventions and surgical births! The continuous presence and physical support of someone familiar with the labor process goes a long way toward easing fears and helping cope.

Staying active throughout your pregnancy can prepare your body (and even your mind) for labor.

Seeing a Webster-trained chiropractor during pregnancy will keep everything in alignment and promote optimal fetal positioning.

True emergencies in labor or birth are rare. I am trained to recognize the signs, and I have the equipment and medication necessary to stabilize mother or baby until EMS arrives.

I work hard to prevent emergency transports by assessing risk factors during pregnancy and labor. Oftentimes there are little red flags that pop up during the labor before serious complications arise. My number one goal is ensuring that both mother and baby are safe, so I am monitoring closely throughout the pregnancy and labor for these red flags and continually assessing whether home is still the safest place to birth.

If a transfer to the hospital becomes necessary, I will accompany you to the hospital (Covid policies willing) and transition to a role of support. I will provide a copy of your prenatal records to the hospital, and explanation regarding the reason for transfer.

After you are discharged from the hospital, I will provide the usual postpartum care.

Yes!

GBS is a bacteria found in normal vaginal flora and exists in varying quantities. At 36 weeks we test for GBS and if there are large amounts, the recommendation is to receive IV antibiotics during labor.

If you test positive for GBS, we will discuss the recommendations, research, and options. If you choose to receive prophylactic antibiotics, the midwife can administer those during labor.

Advanced Maternal Age is the terminology developed for identifying pregnant women over the age of 35.

Being Advanced Maternal Age is considered a risk factor in pregnancy, and for the purposes of insurance it is coded as a high risk pregnancy. The main risk factor associated with AMA is a small increase in the likelihood of a fetus with genetic abnormalities.

If a woman is otherwise healthy, being 35 years or older does not make her pregnancy high risk or preclude the option of home birth.

The fee for home birth is $8000. This includes prenatal visits, care during the labor/birth, birth assistant fee, and postpartum visits.

No, I do not take insurance, but I can provide a superbill for the services provided. I also work with third party billing companies (A-VAS or Earthside Billing) that can help you seek reimbursement from your insurance company.

The midwife will provide the attestation of birth and instructions for how to register your baby’s birth and obtain a birth certificate.