There are many reasons why a woman will choose to forgo the usual physician and hospital approach and have her baby outside of the hospital. Regardless of the reason, out-of-hospital birth with a licensed midwife is a safe alternative for maternity care and birth.
Read moreElise's Birth Story: River
"2 days after my due date I had been having contractions consistently since 6am every ten minutes. Naps, cleaning, chiropractor appointment, walking, and eating all that day didn't speed things up. I would have bouts where the contractions would be 5 minutes apart but would slow back down any time I rested. I gave my birth team a heads up that this looked just like my other labors and we were going to be in it for the long haul.
Read moreChildbirth Education Classes....Why do I Need Them?
Statistically, people do more research when buying a car than they do when having a baby...isn't that shocking?! I think childbirth education (CBE) classes are the equivalent to taking Driver’s Ed when you’re a teenager: 1) You take them because you want to and should know what’s going on within the “vehicle”, 2) So that you learn how to take action to make appropriate decisions, and 3) So that you don’t have regrets after the fact if things don’t go your way. But what type of CBE class should you take? Where should you take them? When should you start? What will the classes discuss? Do you need to take them if you already took CBE classes with a previous pregnancy or if this is your 2nd, 3rd, 10th child? What happens if you don’t take them? Keep reading if you want to find out…
Read moreKnowing Your Options & Creating a Birth Plan
Did you know that the average couple spends more time researching what car to lease or what house to buy than they do preparing for the birth of their child? Don’t be a statistic! Learn about your options so that you can make the best decisions possible regarding your pregnancy, birth and the start of your baby’s life. In doing so, you can use these options and the ones that are important to you, to create a birth plan to share with your care provider and your doula to make sure you all are on the same page (and if you’re not, it’s time to think about finding someone who is). Here are some choices you have that you may have never thought about or known were choices before…
Read moreParty vs. Privacy: Who Should You Invite to Your Birth?
The conversation usually starts with a client asking, “Who can I have at my birth?”, but the answer to that question isn’t really what they’re looking for since my response is, “Anyone you want!”. I then help them to rephrase their question so they can ask what they’re really wanting to know…..“Who should I have at my birth?” And that’s a great question, but not one that I can answer for them…
Read moreInterview Questions to Ask Your Care Provider
When you are interviewing your care provider (midwife, nurse-midwife, or doctor) before signing on for care (and you definitely should!), it’s difficult to know what questions to ask. Some people worry that by asking questions, they will inadvertently offend the provider, or that they will “ask a stupid question” and be looked down upon. I’ll tell you this right now….if your care provider is offended or treats you poorly for asking a legitimate question, they’re not the provider for you! So how do you know what questions to ask and how to go about interviewing a care provider? I’ll walk you through it…
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