Duluth Home Birth

Home Birth Midwifery Care

Home Birth PACKAGE Includes:

• The Initial Prenatal Meeting

  • Our first prenatal appointment is a longer appointment (>1 hour) in which we come together to to review your pregnancy, birth, and health history. We complete necessary paperwork & finalize financial arrangements, discuss desires and expectations for care, assess your nutrition status, complete desired lab work, and address any concerns or questions you may have.

• Complete Prenatal Care

  • Prenatal visits help build a foundation for healthy pregnancy and birth, provide opportunity for collaborative discussion, and informed-choice decision making, and are also a lot of fun! Siblings are always welcome and often get great joy from "helping" the midwife.

  • Visits are unrushed and typically last 45-60 minutes. They include prenatal physical assessment to assess the health of your pregnancy and growth and well-being of your baby as well as nutritional, educational and emotional support that is tailored to your personal needs.

  • Visits occur monthly until 28 weeks, every 2 weeks until 36 weeks and weekly until birth, with a home visit scheduled around 36 weeks.

• Pregnancy labs including:

  • Standard obstetric panel

  • Glucose testing

  • Group B Strep (GBS) screening

• Phone, text, and email support

  • During your pregnancy, early labor, and postpartum you have direct access to me. Ask me anything and I'll help you find answers, resources or just lend an ear.

  • I do maintain office hours for non-labor and non-emergent inquiries, Monday-Friday 9am-5 pm.

• The Home Visit

  • An exciting time! The home visit occurs around 36 weeks of pregnancy and is a chance for us all to talk more about logistics, and setting up your home for your birth.

  • We combine our normal prenatal appointment alongside a review of your birth desires (& you have the reassurance of knowing that your midwife knows how to get to your house!) This is a great appointment to include anyone whom you plan to have in attendance during labor or birth, including family members and friends or a birth doula or photographer.

• 24-hour on-call starting at 37 weeks of pregnancy

• Continuous labor and birth support and midwifery care (including labor and fetal well-being assessments)

  • In-person continuous support starts from active labor through the birth of your baby. Early labor support may include intermittent home visits and phone consultation.

  • Should a transport to the hospital become necessary, the midwife will accompany you and provide emotional and physical support, and guidance, as well as making sure that your hospital provider has all the information needed for a seamless transfer of care. Postpartum, lactation support. and well-newborn care, continue on our normal schedule, or as close to it, as possible.

• A paid birth assistant or second midwife

• Back-up midwife

  • In the event of illness or emergency; a trusted colleague and assistants will provide care at no extra cost to you.

• Non-disposable birth supplies, emergency herbs, homeopathy, &/or medications, and emergency equipment and supplies (including those necessary for resuscitation and management of abnormal bleeding)

• Use (if so desired) of a water birth tub for active labor and birth.

• Immediate postpartum support from birth until you and your baby are stable and settled. Including:

  • assessment of newborn transition (& assistance, as indicated)

  • watchful patience with physiologic placental birth

  • monitoring of vital signs and postpartum bleeding

  • prompt assessment and treatment of complications, when indicated

  • initial bonding and breastfeeding support

  • an herbal bath (if desired)

  • full clean-up

• A Comprehensive Newborn Exam completed after birth to assess newborn health and development, and identify any referral needs.

• Postpartum care for you and well-newborn care for your baby for the first 6 weeks after birth. Postpartum home visits and well-baby and feeding check-ups are routinely done at 24-36 hours, 3-4 days, 1 week, and 2 weeks. A final office visit is offered at 6 weeks. Additional visits will be provided as necessary.

• For baby: Vitamin K prophylaxis (injection or oral dosing); Antibiotic eye ointment application; and MN Health Department screenings for Critical Congenital Heart Defect screening, Newborn Metabolic Screening, & Newborn Hearing Screening. Each of these is discussed during care and is offered based on your informed choice.

• Filing of your baby's birth certificate and social security number

• Access to my extensive lending library of pregnancy and childbirth books, magazines, and DVD's.

• Tuition free access to any group educational classes or workshops offered by my practice.

Investment: $5000.00