I look forward to meeting you in early pregnancy and building a relationship of mutual trust and healthy goals. I allot one and a half hours for our initial visit to discuss your health history, current health and pregnancy to date, collect lab samples, and generally chat about your immediate needs and long-term goals. Subsequent visits are approximately one hour although you may not need the entire hour. In order to provide you optimal care during your pregnancy, I recommend your antepartum visits follow a once-a-month schedule until you reach 28 weeks. From that time I will see you at weeks 30 (optional), 32, 34, and 36. The 36-week visit will take place at your home, giving the birth team an opportunity to find your home in advance of birth and meet anyone you have invited to your birth. From that point we will meet weekly until you give birth.

The focus of each visit is driven by your immediate needs at that point in pregnancy. We will discuss your growing baby, nutrition, exercise/activity level, hopes and fears, childbirth education options, home birth preparation, back up and/or emergency plans for labor, your emotional health including relationship with your partner, birth planning, common prenatal screening options to customize your care, and much more.

At the time of birth our common goal is to meet when you are in active labor. I will stay with you throughout the duration of labor and birth and immediately postpartum. My team and I will leave your home approximately 3 hours following birth, but not before you have been up to urinate on your own power, bathed, had something to eat and drink, and I am satisfied your bleeding is normal. I will do a complete newborn exam and assist you with nursing; your baby must also be stable before I leave. I will provide you with personalized postpartum instructions tailored to your particular birth experience before my departure. My team will assist with the clean-up following birth by bagging up laundry or starting a cycle if possible, bagging up trash for disposal.

In the event you require transport to the hospital for birth, I will accompany you to ensure a smooth transition and stay with you as your midwife advocate until you’ve given birth. If you and/or your baby alone require transport to the hospital for evaluation, I will accompany you in the same capacity. We resume the postpartum care outline below upon discharge from the hospital.

Your postpartum care will involve a 24-hour visit (roughly, depending on what hour you give birth), a 72-hour visit at which time the metabolic screening sample can be collected from your baby if you desire. Postpartum care resumes at 1 and 2 weeks and concludes at 6 weeks. At each visit we will discuss as appropriate but not limited to breastfeeding, baby and self-care, nutrition, adjustment to life with your baby, assessing for baby blues or postpartum depression, exercise, changing relationship and/or family dynamics, and family planning decisions.