Community Birth. |
Community birth care with a Certified Professional Midwife is both the same and very different than care with an OB-GYN. We follow the same prenatal appointment schedule, but our appointments are longer (on average, about 45 minutes). We attend you in your home throughout your labor and into the first few precious hours afterward. And we stay in close touch for the first six weeks postpartum, seeing you about five times.
Overview of community midwifery care.
Prenatal Care
(There have been some changes to these policies due to COVID-19. Please click here to learn more.)
Appointments with your midwife are typically 45 to 60 minutes long. Community birth relies on a good working relationship with our clients, including getting to know you and your family and building trust between us.
Prenatal visits take place in in my office in the Riverwest neighborhood. Every prenatal visit includes a check of your vital signs as well as measuring your baby's growth, listening to baby's heart beat, and discussing your overall health. If you're planning a homebirth, your 36 week visit will take place in your home with your whole birth team assembled. Following this visit, your remaining prenatal visits will be at our office.
Prenatal care follows the standard schedule:
Labor and Birth Care
Your midwife will join you at home once you're in active labor and will stay with you until after your baby is born. During labor, we will monitor your vitals and listen to your baby at regular intervals. We will also encourage you to eat, drink, and to stay as active as your labor allows. Midwives are not doulas, however. We believe most birthing people can benefit from active, hands-on labor support from a friend, family member, or professional doula.
You will need to order a birth kit to you before your 36 week home visit that has most of the supplies needed. There will be a small list of additional things you need to obtain for your homebirth as well.
Postpartum Care
Certified Professional Midwives are trained to care for both the birthing parent and the newborn for the first six weeks postpartum. We believe in a more frequent postpartum visit schedule than is typical for obstetrical care in the U.S. At each appointment, we will check you and your baby's vital signs, weigh the baby, offer infant feeding advice if needed, and discuss how you're feeling. Postpartum visits typically take place on the following schedule:
(There have been some changes to these policies due to COVID-19. Please click here to learn more.)
Appointments with your midwife are typically 45 to 60 minutes long. Community birth relies on a good working relationship with our clients, including getting to know you and your family and building trust between us.
Prenatal visits take place in in my office in the Riverwest neighborhood. Every prenatal visit includes a check of your vital signs as well as measuring your baby's growth, listening to baby's heart beat, and discussing your overall health. If you're planning a homebirth, your 36 week visit will take place in your home with your whole birth team assembled. Following this visit, your remaining prenatal visits will be at our office.
Prenatal care follows the standard schedule:
- Once a month from 10 to 28 weeks
- Every two weeks from 28 to 36 weeks
- Once a week from 36 weeks til birth
Labor and Birth Care
Your midwife will join you at home once you're in active labor and will stay with you until after your baby is born. During labor, we will monitor your vitals and listen to your baby at regular intervals. We will also encourage you to eat, drink, and to stay as active as your labor allows. Midwives are not doulas, however. We believe most birthing people can benefit from active, hands-on labor support from a friend, family member, or professional doula.
You will need to order a birth kit to you before your 36 week home visit that has most of the supplies needed. There will be a small list of additional things you need to obtain for your homebirth as well.
Postpartum Care
Certified Professional Midwives are trained to care for both the birthing parent and the newborn for the first six weeks postpartum. We believe in a more frequent postpartum visit schedule than is typical for obstetrical care in the U.S. At each appointment, we will check you and your baby's vital signs, weigh the baby, offer infant feeding advice if needed, and discuss how you're feeling. Postpartum visits typically take place on the following schedule:
- 24 - 36 hours after your baby is born (in your home)
- 3 - 5 days after your baby is born (in your home)
- 2 weeks after your baby is born (in your home)
- 4 weeks after your baby is born (in our office)
- 6 weeks after your baby is born (in our office)
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I could give you a million reasons to hire Lucky as your midwife. She helps everyone to feel comfortable and empowered to make the right decision for their family. I have never had such thorough and thoughtful health care in all my life... Through every stage of my pregnancy, birth and postpartum I felt comfortable and confident.
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Cost.
Transparency about expenses is important to me. If you have questions, please ask!
- I have a self-determined fee scale of $3500 to $4800 (updated 1/1/2023). Payment plans are available.
- You may have additional costs for your lab work or ultrasound(s).
- I accept Badgercare, HSA/FSA, payment plans, cash, check, and payment apps.
- You'll need a few other supplies for your birth, but they're things you probably have around your house.
Is homebirth a good choice for you?
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People with low risk pregnancies may be good candidates for homebirth with a trained midwife. What does low risk mean?
In general, it means that when you started your pregnancy, you didn't have:
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I am happy to meet with you via Zoom and answer any questions you might have about homebirth or my services. Just use this button to fill out a contact form and I'll get back to as soon as possible!
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