Services
Prenatal Care
Prenatal care is focused on providing individual care for each and every mother. Your care can start around 12 weeks, although you may contact me beforehand for a consult. It is a place for each mother to bring her questions, concerns and stories in to be discussed and answered in addition to her health check-up for herself and her baby. I work out of my home, all appointments will be in this location, except the 36 week visit, which will be in your home.
Initial Prenatal
This initial appointment will be held in my home office. It is a longer appointment so that we can get to know each other, lasting about 1.5 hours. During this appointment we will go over the following:
privacy policy, financial contract and informed consents for care
full health history
nutrition
lab tests you may want or need
review any previous records from other health care providers, if needed
Transfers/Late To Care
I will make the determination to take on transfers/moms late to care on an individual basis-so please give me a call/text and we can discuss your details.
Prenatals
Your routine prenatal appointments from 12 week through birth will be about 30-60 minutes long. They will be monthly from 12-28 weeks; from 28-36 weeks they will be every other week. Your 36 week appointment will be held in your home and I will bring my assistant so that you can meet her. From 36 weeks through the birth your appointments will be weekly. During each appointment we will discuss:
your questions
listen to your baby
monitor your health
your birth plan
options for labs
ultrasound (optional)
Labor and Birth
“Don’t think of it as pain, think of it as an interesting sensation that takes all of your attention.” +Ina May Gaskin
Each labor and birth are so unique to you. My assistant and I will be on-call 24/7 for you from 37 weeks onward. We will discuss during your prenatal care when to call the midwife.
Labor
Once you are in active labor, I will come out to your house to stay with you during your labor and birth. Once you are close to delivery, I will call my assistant. During this time we will:
monitor you and your baby
support you in any ways you need
help you follow your instincts
offer comfort measures
create an atmosphere that makes you, the mother, feel the most comfortable
Birth
Have you visualized how you will give birth? Is there a specific room in your home that you imagine your baby being born? Do you want to catch the baby? Wherever you (or the baby) decides to be born will be perfectly fine. Most home births are uncomplicated, should a complication arise my assistant and I are trained in complications as well as neonatal resuscitation. During the birth we will:
offer optimal birth positions
support you in what feels right
monitor you and your baby
Immediate Postpartum
Right after the birth, the baby will be placed in your arms or perhaps you have caught the baby and will bring this sweet one up to your breasts on your own. When the time is right, we will monitor or assist you in delivering your placenta. We will help you to get comfortable into bed and assist with breastfeeding, and then if everything looks fine, let you alone for an hour to get to know your new baby. Once you have had some time to bond we will come back in to monitor you and do the newborn exam which includes weighing and measuring the baby.
Postpartum Care
Postpartum care is so important for every mother. It is more healing to have mothers rest in bed for as long as possible.
The first week
It is important for you to be able to stay in bed the first week. So I will come out to your home during this first week for all of your postpartum care. I will also still be available to you for phone calls if need be. I will come back at 24 hours, 3 days and 1 week to do a postpartum care visit in your bedroom. These will include:
checking on your baby (vitals)
24 hour Colorado State Metabolic screen (heal prick)
7-14 day second Colorado State Metabolic screen
CCHD screening (oxygen level in baby to check for heat defects)
breastfeeding/latch/positioning assistance
mother’s physical healing progress/vital signs
mother’s mental state (postpartum depression check)
answer any questions!
Two through six weeks
I will come back out to your home at 2 week if need be, we will determine this based on your mental state, as well as the baby’s wellbeing and if a weight/breastfeeding check is needed. The final visit of your postpartum care you will come back out to my office for a 6 week appointment.
checking baby vitals
overall health of baby
mother’s vitals/healing process physically
emotional/mental state
breastfeeding support
how/when to resume normal activities such as: exercising, intimacy and other daily activities
Your baby’s birth certificate will be ready within 4-6 of when I submit it. The social security card should be ready by 6-8 weeks.