Midwifery care is beneficial for all types of people. Home care and birth is appropriate for people who are generally low-risk. This means that they are pregnant with babies who are growing well, they are not on blood pressure or diabetes medication, they strive to nourish their bodies, and they take responsibility for their own health and medical decisions. Home-birthing people aim to have an unmedicated birth. People who have had a previous complication in another birth, are over 35 years old, have a BMI that is considered high, have had a previous cesarean, and are often appropriate candidates for homebirth. If you are unsure, let’s talk.

I have attended births in many diverse settings. Apartments, Rv’s, Air Bnb’s, hotel rooms, backyards, basements, etc. Having your own private room for labor is really all you need. Don’t worry about your neighbors or if your place is small. Birth is a normal physiological process, a normal life event. You can do it in your home just like all your other normal life processes.

Midwives are good at giving you tips to contain any potential mess. And truly, there is less than you might think. Generally, we generate a grocery bag of trash and a load of laundry. We try to get the laundry running before we leave, clean up any bit of stray bodily fluid, and leave little sign of a birth before we go (except for a fresh new babe!). It really is that simple.

Birth in any position and in any location that you feel called to be in. I will follow you and be available to support you as needed during the birth. I am also happy to suggest positions and support you to help with flow if you’d like. And more importantly, you are free to move and follow your body’s guidance during the process. This is your birth and your body.

Water therapy can be an amazing relief during labor. And some people even plan to birth their babies in water. Or they labor in water and decide to stay for the birth. I have several birth tubs and I am happy to rent one to you or help you get one ready for the big event. Babies born in water are sometimes called baby mermaids or baby sharks and I have had the pleasure of participating in many. I’ve even had a few waterbirths of my own!

$8500 covers all the prenatal, birth, and postpartum care. Starting care at 6 weeks pregnant, or 41 weeks pregnant, or anywhere in between is the same fee. I encourage you to sign up early to give us the most time to really get to know each other! The bulk of the work and energy that I give comes from the labor and postpartum. Our prenatal time is so valuable and sets you up to be fully prepared and confident for birth. And, when people come to me later in pregnancy, we put in as much of that work as we can in the short time we have before birth. My backend office work, fees, and equipment are essentially the same.

Above the overall cost of care, if we order labwork or ultrasounds, your insurance may charge you a fee depending on your coverage. If you need and consent to a Rhogam injection, the fee for the medication is added to our fee. All other potential medications are covered in the cost of care. If you would like to rent a birth tub from me or ask me to prepare your placenta for you, there is an additional fee.

Sliding scale and payment plans are available to families who are low-income. I ask that you please take this scale into consideration when asking for any type of sliding scale:

http://www.wortsandcunning.com/blog/sliding-scale

How does insurance work?

I can help you access all the testing, ultrasounds, and monitoring that you would have from another provider. Some of them we can do in your home and some of them you would do at a local lab or ultrasound office. I will let you know if there is something that would be offered in conventional obstetric care that I cannot provide. For example, homebirth midwives do not administer vaccinations. For any of these potential tests, we will discuss your individual needs and wants. Some people get everything. Others pick and choose. Consenting or declining conventional testing should never be a stressful interaction with your provider. I respect you, your family, and your beliefs.

No. Licensed Midwives in California are licensed and qualified to care for you in normal pregnancy, birth, and postpartum. Occasionally, something may come up medically that will lead us to call in the resources of an obstetric specialist. I am happy to collaborate with any other care provider that you choose for your team. Some people do choose to see an OB while also seeing me. In the Bay Area, we benefit from many collaborative relationships with caring and supportive hospital providers. I can also facilitate record sharing at your request.

People have all kinds of relationships with hospitals, doctors, medication, etc. While the families I work with are planning to birth at home, we do sometimes change the plan. ALL the families I work with have their baby’s best interest at heart. We are a team. My primary goal is also the health and safety of you and your baby. There are many tools available to us to support your goals. And I recognize and honor that your spiritual and emotional experience is also highly important. Because we work collaboratively and because we work to build trust and relationship, any decision to go to the hospital is generally mutual. In a given situation, we have a discussion about the risks, benefits, alternatives, and our thoughts around reaching out to a higher level of intervention or care. I respect your decision as the person who has lived in your body and the parent of your child.

You can invite anyone who feels supportive to your process or your family. Some people prefer to labor and birth virtually alone. And others feel supported by community and family surrounding them. I welcome your chosen doulas, photographers, family members, friends, childcare, pet care, household support, and anyone else that helps you drop into the labor space. It is wonderful to have a dedicated person to care for any children who are present. And it is also important to keep your space sacred and intimate. I encourage you to carefully curate your team.

I really don’t like the word “require” in the context of the birth experience. Every decision about your birth will be a conversation between us. Many people do find doulas supportive. I love working with doulas and feel like a good doula can read the energy of the room, knows how to give the exact support you need, and only adds to the experience. People who have never given birth before often find that doula support is well worth the investment. And, some people have more than enough support in their partner, friends, and community. Let’s talk about it.

Licensed Midwives in California are licensed by the California Medical Board and are experts in normal pregnancy, birth, and postpartum. We are skilled in the normal emergencies of childbirth. We carry supportive tools that are far from routine, but available if needed. Our greatest tools are our hands, our minds, our experiences, and our intuition. We also carry devices to listen to a baby’s heartbeat, blood pressure cuffs, IVs, oxygen, catheters, several different anti-hemorrhage medications, equipment for supporting babies breathing at birth, equipment for stitches if needed after birth, and much more. Part of the fee that you pay covers a second trained midwife at the birth to bring a second set of skilled hands and knowledge. Our training is designed to identify issues before they turn into emergencies and solve problems collaboratively and holistically.