Midwifery Services
In traditional midwifery style, I provide complete in-home prenatal care, homebirth, and six weeks of postpartum primary care for mother and baby. While my focus is on minimal-intervention holistic care, I can refer clients out as needed for lab work or ultrasounds, and can arrange for the same prenatal screenings that would be offered in an obstetrical care setting.
Prenatal visits typically begin around 12 weeks of pregnancy, although some clients choose to be seen or have tests ordered sooner. I meet with clients monthly until 28 weeks, biweekly after that until 36 weeks, and weekly thereafter. Visits usually last about an hour, to allow plenty of time for discussion of concerns and answering questions, in addition to the routine clinical aspects of care, like taking vitals, measuring mom’s belly, listening to baby's heartbeat, etc.
I attend births with a trained, experienced assistant, who also attends a good number of visits with me. Together we provide continuous care during labor and birth, and for a few hours immediately postpartum.
In the event of a hospital transport during labor, I will typically remain with the family at the hospital in a support/advocacy capacity after transferring care, and resume postpartum care as usual once mom and baby are home from the hospital.
After baby is born, I provide well-care for mom and baby both for six weeks. This allows a window of time for both to recover from birth, bond, and establish breastfeeding without having to leave home for well-checks. Postpartum visits are at 1, 3, and 7 days, and 2, 4, and 6 weeks. Special attention is paid to breastfeeding support and emotional adjustment, and practical baby care concerns, as well as physical recovery.
I also offer placenta encapsulation, at an additional fee, for my own clients and occasionally others.
Insurance coverage for care with a CPM varies widely by company, and by individual plans. I became a midwife because I love taking care of moms and babies, and don’t love math (!), so I work with a biller who specializes in billing for midwives. She can provide a verification of benefits at the beginning of care (or beforehand) for a small charge.
I am also a Medicaid provider, but the current situation with Medicaid and CPM services in Virginia is complicated and coverage is unpredictable, so I also offer a discount rate for Medicaid-insured families who have been denied coverage for CPM services.
