COMPREHENSIVE midwifery
Birthing at home can be a calm, empowering and transformative experience. You will be able to labor where you are most comfortable, surrounded by the people that you know, love and trust. By staying relaxed and calm, the birthing person can allow labor to progress naturally.
You can easily transition throughout your home and outdoor areas, eat the foods that feel most comforting and be in the environment that is the most familiar. Your midwife will be there during active labor to monitor your progress and the well-being of both you and baby, without interrupting the labor process with monitoring or procedures. Your birth team will provide support through massage, words of encouragement, support with position changes, and normalizing the birth process.
Prenatal Care
Our prenatal care is rooted in culturally-sensitive and person-centered care.
Prenatal visits begin in the first trimester and include:
- Hour-long prenatal visits
- Comprehensive clinical assessments
- Routine lab work and genetic testing
- Gestational diabetes screening
- Group B Strep testing
- Ordering of lab work and imaging
- Ultrasound and perinatology referrals
- Nutrition and lifestyle counseling
- Direct 24/7 access to your care providers
Postpartum Care
Our postpartum services are included in care for all patients that receive prenatal care for a planned home birth with us.
Our postpartum care includes:
- Five routine visits between Day 1 and 6 weeks
- Hour-long postpartum visits - initial visits in your home and then transition to in-office visits when ready
- Comprehensive clinical assessments
- Postnatal recovery care
- Well newborn care including monitoring for jaundice, obtaining newborn screening specimen, and performing congenital heart defect screening
- Lactation support and resources
- Community resources and referrals
- Birth certificate verification
- Community & support groups
Frequently Asked Questions
- We will serve families choosing a planned home birth that will birth within the greater Chico area, this typically falls within 30 miles of the hospital.
- Prenatal care, gynecological services, and most postpartum care will be provided at our office location in Chico, CA.
In short, no we are not in-network providers with any insurance company. Our services are “cash pay” only. However we contract with a midwifery billing that can submit a superbill after the birth of your child for reimbursement. Many insurance companies will reimburse for out-of-network provider services. Upon initiating care, we will submit your insurance information to the billing service and we can receive a “Verification of Benefits”, this will give us an idea on how much your insurance may reimburse after birth.
While most of our families give birth at home, sometimes a situation arises in labor that requires a transfer to a neighboring hospital to complete the birth. Most home birth transfers into a hospital are non-urgent situations that allow families the choice to move into a hospital for access to interventions that may benefit them. Occasionally there is a true concern or an emergency which requires the services of a hospital or physicians without notice. During prenatal care a plan is agreed upon for each of these situations, taking into account the location of the planned birth, the family’s preferences, and their insurance coverage.
Our midwives bring emergency response medications and equipment with them to every birth. Typically there are indications in pregnancy when a mother or baby may need more advanced care at birth. If your health changes during your pregnancy or birth and it is no longer advisable to birth your baby at home we will help you find a skillful provider for a hospital birth. If we do need to transfer to the hospital during your labor a member of our team will be available to provide labor support if the hospital policy allows and you do not have a suspected or confirmed Covid infection. We can resume postpartum care on our usual schedule once you are back home or through the active infection period.
We arrive for your birth during the labor process and bring everything we may need in order to keep you and your baby safe during labor, birth and the postpartum period. The equipment we bring includes:
- Resuscitation equipment for baby and mother: a bag and mask resuscitator and oxygen.
- Antihemorrhagic drugs to stop excessive postpartum bleeding.
- Monitoring equipment for you and your baby, including a doppler, blood pressure cuff and stethoscope, and infant stethoscope.
- Supplies for the newborn exam and any newborn procedures that you choose, including a scale, measuring tape, erythromycin ointment, and vitamin K.
- Suturing equipment to do repairs if any tearing occurred, and lidocaine to numb for suturing.
- Whether you actually deliver in the tub or simply use it for pain relief during labor, the option of having a water birth is an integral part of choosing a home birth.
- Soaking in warm water has been proven to have a relaxing and soothing effect on the body, easing tense muscles and reducing the pain, anxiety and stress hormones associated with contractions.
- A warm bath also promotes the natural production of endorphins (your body’s natural pain killer) and oxytocin (the “love” hormone), which encourages contractions. Additionally, the warm water supports the stretching of your perineum, which helps reduce tearing during birth.
- Another advantage of a water birth is the buoyancy of the water, which provides a wider range of movement and helps you get into a comfortable and balanced position for delivery.
- We have birthing tubs available for rent for those who chose to birth in the water, or you may purchase your own birthing tub, resources available.
We also offer postpartum care for those that birth in the hospital but desire more thorough and personal postpartum midwifery care.
Home Insemination
For many families, having children and expanding their families begins before a positive pregnancy test. Some desire or even require additional support in achieving pregnancy, this is especially true for LGBTQiA+ families and we love caring for these families in an inclusive and affirming approach. Our fertility support includes people beginning to explore options for conception to those who desire holistic fertility support to regulate their cycles and find optimal timing for conception.
We approach fertility care from a Health At Every Size (HAES) perspective, and we specialize in working individuals with PCOS (Polycystic ovary syndrome) and transgender people who have previously used hormone affirming therapy.
We are proud to assist families of all types during the intimate, joyful and sometimes challenging conception process, offering personal care and support shaped by your needs and desires. We love supporting all families including queer families, transgender families, single parents, “older” parents, those struggling with fertility, and those whose needs are not being met by mainstream fertility care.
At Home Fertility offers two approaches to the preparation of fresh and frozen samples in order to individualize the process for optimal success, and we’re happy to work with partners, known donors and banked, frozen samples.
Intrauterine insemination (IUI) is a procedure in which washed sperm is placed directly into the uterus through a small catheter (tube) that goes through the cervix. IUI increases the chances of conception when using frozen sperm. In some cases, IUI may also be a great option when using fresh sperm (from a known donor or a partner).
Timing is one of the biggest factors for success with IUI: your chance of conceiving depends on doing the IUI within 24-hours of when ovulation occurs. This means that we are on-call for you, and can make home visits outside of typical business hours
Doing IUI at home means a greater sense of ease and relaxation, more control over the process, and a more connected relationship to your care provider. IUI is a safe and simple procedure, and midwives have been providing fertility support through the ages.
WELL PERSON CARE (GYNECOLOGICAL SERVICES)
Regular care and evaluation for the well person including routing gynecological services are offered in an affirming and trauma informed approach. We offer STI screening, contraception, Pap tests, and preconception counseling. Feel free to reach out so we may discuss how we can best serve you in staying healthy and well.