“Wait - so I don’t have to pile the kids up to go to my prenatal check-up? The midwives are coming to my house?”
YES!!! Well, sometimes...
Many of the prenatal visits are done in your home. It is easier on the client, their family, and oftentimes the midwives. At certain visits we are reviewing things that are important to do in your home - especially if that’s where you intend to give birth.
“How can you care for me in my home? What about your office equipment and monitoring equipment?”
You mean all the stuff that we have with us at all times because we are always prepared for an entire homebirth? Yeah, we bring all the things.
Often we use a tablet or IPAD for charting, our phones for scheduling appointments into our calendar, all of our lab draw supplies, our doppler for listening to baby’s heart tones, and the rest of our monitoring equipment. Testing moms urine at each visit and monitoring her blood pressure are also involved.
With kids around, they often like to help. We look forward to building this trusting relationship with your family so that they can feel safe asking questions and participating in your care.
Dedicating 45 minutes to an hour to your visit gives everyone an opportunity to be heard and have their questions answered. Each appointment has a checklist of things that are done before the next appointment - conversations to be had, tests or labs to be drawn, education, options, and what-ifs to be discussed.
We spend time with your birthing partner reviewing items to have on hand when labor starts and our Emergency Care Plan form - what that means and how to implement it.
“Can I have the birth pool on the 2nd floor?”
Yes, as long as it is a structurally sound building.
“How do you keep the water warm?”
We continuously monitor the temperature and add warm water to regulate. Sometimes we remove small amounts of the water to add more.
We’ll write another article specifically on water birth.
Every visit is made complete after measuring the baby's growth, assessing for his/her position, and listening to their heart tones.
Yes, prenatal visits at home.
I am relieved knowing this is an option for me. I am so excited to meet with you both and discuss options for my family. I have always been more along the natural side of pregnancy and delivery. Your articles make me feel at ease and not as stressed about the birthing process.
Hello Hunter. So happy this site has been helpful for you. We look forward to working with you.