Prenatal Care & Birth Planning
Your prenatal visits will be by appointment. Your initial appointment will be 2 hours long to allow plenty of time for questions and getting to know one another. Most other visits are one hour long.
Prior to your first visit, we encourage you to have a consultation with the midwives & a tour of the birthing home. On your first visit, the midwife will review your history with you, discuss any risk factors or concerns, discuss the consent forms, give you further information about pregnancy care, complete your physical exam, and order appropriate laboratory tests.
During each prenatal visit we will listen to the baby, check the growth of your uterus, check blood pressure, check position of the baby, and discuss any issues that arise in pregnancy. There is always time for questions. We believe it is very important for you to be heard and for your questions to be answered. We will have plenty of time to talk and get to know each other before the birth. Your prenatal care will prepare you for labor, birth, breastfeeding, and early parenting decisions.
We encourage you to bring your primary support person with you to your visits if you so desire. If there is anything, which you would like to discuss privately with the midwife - just let us know. We encourage you to be involved in your clinical care by testing your urine and checking your weight.
Problems or complications may be identified during your prenatal care and in some instances may present significant risks which prevent you from continuing your plan for birth at the birthing home. Your midwives will discuss the implications of the problem and explain the recommended plan for either continued collaborative care with a consulting physician and the midwives, or for total transfer of your care to the doctor of your choice if necessary. Please feel free to discuss any questions or concerns with your midwives.
We are family friendly. You may bring children with you for your visits if you desire. We provide a play area.
The National Association of Childbearing Centers explains the birthing center as "a program that gives you confidence in your ability to give birth...balancing the human touch and technology. It is a program of education for pregnancy, birth, labor support, baby care, and much more. Most of all a Birth Center program gives you the time that you deserve...time to listen to and answer your questions about pregnancy, birth, baby care, nutrition, women's health...time to stay with you throughout labor and birth...time to help you, your new baby, and your family get off to the best possible start."
