Frequently Asked Questions
What is a midwife?
A midwife is a health care provider that offers perinatal care to pregnant people and newborns from pre-conception care to 6 weeks postpartum. Midwives are trained in physiolological ("normal") pregnancies, births, postpartum and newborn care. Midwives are advocates for informed and shared decision making, and make time to explain options and procedures to ensure clients make the informed decision that best fits their needs.
Midwives follow the Midwives Model of Care™ which includes:
Monitoring the physical, psychological, and social well-being of the pregnant person throughout the childbearing cycle
Providing the pregnant person with individualized education, counseling, and prenatal care, continuous hands-on assistance during labor and delivery, and postpartum support
Minimizing technological interventions
Identifying and referring pregnant people who require obstetrical attention
The application of this pregnant person-centered model of care has been proven to reduce the incidence of birth injury, trauma, and cesarean section.
If I have a Doula, do I need a Midwife? If I have a Midwife, do I need a Doula?
A doula is a wonderful person to have by your side at your birth! However, a doula is an educational, physical and emotional support partner and not a health care provider. Your midwife, while they can also provide educational, physical and emotional support, should not be your main source of this support in labor as they need to focus on keeping everyone safe.
If you are having your first natural birth, it is highly recommended to hire a doula.
Having both a doula and a midwife make up a great birth team!
What services are provided in your Midwifery Care?
Resolve’s midwifery care is full prenatal, birth and postpartum care as well as newborn care. Our midwifery care encompasses all prenatal appointments, monitoring the client's and unborn baby's well-being, lab work, ultrasound referrals, presence at birth, immediate postpartum care, postpartum care for six weeks as well as newborn care for six weeks.
Our midwifery care is more in-depth care than typical perinatal care. Appointments with us usually last between 45 minutes and an hour, during which a foundation of understanding and trust is being built. We care about the whole well-being of our clients, and therefore take time to get to know them. During appointments, we take the time to understand our client’s needs and concerns, delving deeply into nutrition, understanding pregnancy, life stressors, relationships and this big life change. We take time to make individualized plans for each of our clients. Their questions and concerns are our questions and concerns.
When a client's time has come to give birth, we go to them and are present with them throughout the labor, birth and postpartum time. After birth, we provide in-home postpartum and newborn care through the first four weeks, going to our client’s home for three in-home postpartum visits. Additional in-home breastfeeding support during that time is also available. The client then returns to the office to finish postpartum and newborn care at 4 weeks and 6 weeks.
After the initial postpartum time is finished, clients then graduate to the Roots and Wings program, a community-based parenting support program developed by Resolve Birth Services
Do you work in the Hospital?
I am a Certified Professional Midwife, which means I specialize in community (out of hospital) birth. Certified Nurse Midwives are trained in hospital birth and some also practice in community settings. Certified Professional Midwives do not practice in hospitals.
Can I have an Epidural?
Epidurals, while they can sometimes be a wonderful tool, come with risks. For this reason, epidurals should only be administered in a hospital where there are higher levels of care available. When choosing to have a Certified Professional Midwife, or a community birth, you are choosing to use non-pharmacuetical means of labor pain relief.
Do you accept Insurance?
I am currently a Medicaid provider, and accept clients with Medicaid. I do not have contracts with any other insurance providers. Because the care we provide runs outside of the box of standard medical care, we offer more than what insurance deems “medically reasonable and necessary”. We can provide you with a superbill at the completion of care if you’d like to submit it to your insurance for reimbursement.