Frequently asked questions.
Is out of Hospital Birth safe?
Studies show that Community birth with a skilled midwife is just as safe as hospital birth, with fewer interventions. During your labor, we will closely monitor you and baby to make sure that everything is within the range of normal. If a medical complication develops that makes the birth higher risk, we are easily able to transport to a hospital setting, if necessary.
Does Insurance Cover Birth Centers?
All families are considered Cash Pay, after the birth of the baby, we can provide a Global Invoice for you to submit to your insurance company for reimbursement or we can refer you to a third party biller. Some insurance companies reimburse part or all of the fees and some do not. All insurance companies should cover any labs or ultrasounds. We can also refer you to cash pay services for labs and ultrasounds too avoid large copays.
What is a CPM?
A Certified Professional Midwife is a knowledgeable, skilled and professional independent midwifery practitioner who has met the standards for certification set by the North American Registry of Midwives (NARM) and is qualified to provide the Midwives Model of Care during pregnancy, labor, birth and the 6 weeks following birth.
What is a Doula?
A doula is a trained labor support person who provides emotional and physical support to those who are giving birth and their families. Doulas are not medical professionals, but are valuable to the birth experience and always encouraged in any birth setting, particularly if you are planning a VBAC or this is your first birth. We do not require the use of a doula, but because they are so valuable, we do offer discounts to families who use a doula. Please interview a couple different doulas to find who the best fit is for you, we have some doulas we can recommend if you need a starting point.
Do I need to see an OB/GYN if I hire a Midwife?
You may not need to see an OB/GYN at all. We can provide access to lab work, ultrasound and routine care and testing. Sometimes things come up that would indicate seeing an OB/GYN for co-care or transitioning to complete care by an OB/GYN.
Most of the time, unless you have a healthy relationship with your OB or feel safer having them involved in your care, it isn’t necessary.
Who is at my birth?
We believe strongly in a team approach and you can expect 2-3 people at your birth. This often includes two Midwives and a student or one Midwife and two students.
Children are welcome at the births of their new siblings but we do request that someone is immediately available for them in the event they aren’t coping well or there is an emergency. We welcome anyone who will make you feel safe and supported at your birth, please keep in mind that sometimes too many guests can hinder the labor process.
We are happy to include any family members to attend prenatal visits with the client in order to have their questions and concerns addressed so that everyone present at the birth has a clear understanding of what to expect at an out of hospital birth.
How do we get a Birth Certificate and Social Security card for our baby?
Your midwives will fill ask you to fill out the baby’s birth certificate paperwork at one of your final visits.
After the birth, We will file the birth certificate electronically in Vital Records and after it is submitted and approved, the information (If requested) will be forwarded to the Social Security offices and a social security card will be automatically mailed to you. a Birth Certificate will not be automatically mailed to you, however, it will be available to purchase, online or in person through your local County Clerk office.
Is Waterbirth safe?
Waterbirth can be an effective pain coping tool. Babies are still getting oxygen through the placenta and wait to take their first breath after they are exposed to air.
For a comprehensive review on the safety of water birth, please visit Evidence Based Birth.
Because of the benefits of water birth, and because we don’t want a financial barrier to impact your decision to use hydrotherapy, we provide the use of the birthing pool for no additional fee. We do require everyone to purchase their own disposable liner.
What about an Emergency?
Sometimes when babies are born they need a little help getting started with breathing. We are trained in NRP (neonatal resuscitation) and keep up-to-date on those skills regularly both with recertification and during routine skills days. We also keep our CPR for providers updated.
In the event of a postpartum hemorrhage, we carry medications to encourage the uterus to firm up and expel the placenta and/or stop bleeding.
What if I have to go to the hospital?
The good news is, most people planning a Community birth, are able to stay out of the hospital to have their baby. In the occasions that a hospital transfer is indicated we will decide together what the best option is for where to transfer.
If it is a true emergency, we will call an ambulance and get to the nearest hospital.
A midwife may or may not ride with in the ambulance depending on the situation. If it is not an emergency, but rather we need to head to the hospital for more monitoring or evaluation, we often go by car. The midwife will call the hospital, so they know we are on our way and often, the team is ready and expecting us when we get there.
The midwife’s goal is to remain with you until you are settled in the hospital and then will be available for phone support or in some cases will stay with you until after the delivery.
We are always available to resume postpartum care even after a hospital birth.