What Is Midwifery Care?
Personalized, evidence-informed care for pregnancy, birth, and the early postpartum period.
Midwifery care is centered around the belief that pregnancy and birth are normal physiological processes that deserve individualized, attentive care. As a California Licensed Midwife (LM) and Certified Professional Midwife (CPM), I provide care for healthy, low-risk pregnancies and planned out-of-hospital births. My care includes prenatal visits, labor and birth care, immediate newborn care, and extended Mother-Baby postpartum support.
As your midwife, I take the time to get to know you on a personal level, answer your questions, provide education and guidance, and support you in making informed decisions throughout your pregnancy and birth. My insight and expertise as a midwife acts to support only, never to override or dictate the decisions of care.
What can you expect from midwifery care?
Personalized Care
Standardized care routines, while they make things easier on the provider, fail to recognize the individual needs of each woman. Prenatal appointments can run from 30 minutes to over an hour, providing time for meaningful conversations that go beyond physical care, as well as education, questions, and getting to know you and your unique needs. This is a relationship, not a business.
Support for physiological birth
When birth is working, it works well. Unnecessary talking or distractions during labor only hinder progress for the woman and break the hormonal state of labor. During labor, I provide non-intrusive, hands-on support and clinical monitoring for you and your baby to the level you desire, all while allowing labor to unfold as naturally as possible.
Informed decision-making
Informed consent doesn’t just mean you say yes to a procedure or a test before it is done. Informed consent means that you are an active participant in your care. You are entitled to know the risks, benefits, alternatives, timing, and all other information concerning the subject in discussion. It means you are allowed to ask questions and do your own research before coming to a decision. It encompasses your provider presenting you with both sides of the argument, and never coercing you into or pushing a certain viewpoint. I truly believe that there is no one right way to do birth, and I seek to respect the values of each and every family I work with!
Continuity of care
Your relationship with your midwife extends beyond the birth itself, with care and support continuing through the postpartum period and your baby's early days. As a Licensed Midwife, I can provide screening and support for your baby through 6 weeks postpartum: no pediatrician appointments necessary!
Midwifery Care at Home
For families choosing home birth, midwifery care means receiving skilled, attentive maternity care in the comfort and privacy of your own home. Prenatal visits can be performed in office at home. Throughout labor and birth, I bring all the required equipment that would be at a birth center, in order to monitor the health and well-being of you and your baby and remain attentive to any changes that may require consultation, referral, or transfer to a higher level of care.
If you're curious about whether midwifery care or home birth is right for you, I'd love to connect and answer your questions!