If you are newly pregnant or researching your options about midwifery care or home birth, we are sure you have questions! Here are some more commonly asked ones:
Is home birth safe? What if there is an emergency? Yes, home birth is safe. If you are a low risk pregnant mom and want a natural birth, having a midwife and choosing a home birth is a great option. As midwives we want a safe birth for you and your baby. We carry emergency equipment such as oxygen, suction, resuscitative equipment, medications for postpartum bleeding management and IV’s. If a need arises to transfer to the hospital at any time during or after your birth, we will come with you to maintain support and continuity of care.
How can I manage the pain of natural childbirth? Educating yourself about pregnancy, labor and birth and postpartum and newborn care is important. You can do this by communicating with us at your prenatal visits, taking a childbirth education class, or by reading books and searching the internet. Feeling educated about birth will help remove a lot of the fear about it and will provide you with tools and ideas on how to cope. In a home birth you will have the freedom of movement, to eat and drink, and have one on one support from your midwife which makes coping with labor much easier. Having the option of laboring or birthing in water is also an excellent way to decrease the discomfort in labor and help you get through it.
Isn’t birth messy? We will provide you with a short list of items to have on hand that help keep your space and environment clean at the time of birth. Afterward, we will clean and tidy everything up- the only evidence of your home birth will be a baby in your arms!
How do I get a birth certificate and social security card? After your baby is born, we will complete the necessary vital records paperwork for your child’s birth certificate and have you sign for a social security card to be issued.
Does insurance pay for a midwife attended home birth? Many insurance companies will cover a home birth. When you come to care, we will provide you with a detailed insurance billing packet and will help figure out what insurance will cover.