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We are glad that you are considering midwifery care! Your dedication to exploring all your options will enable you to have the safest and most rewarding birth possible.
- PRECONCEPTION COUNSELING
- PRENATAL CARE
- NATURAL BIRTH CLASSES
- LABORATORY SERVICES
- ULTRASOUND
- EXERCISE & NUTRITION COUNSELING FOR PREGNANCY
- HOME BIRTH
- IN-HOSPITAL SUPPORT DURING BIRTH
- POSTPARTUM CARE
- NEWBORN EXAMS
- BIRTH CERTIFICATE & SOCIAL SECURITY CARD FILING
- NEWBORN SCREENING TESTS
- BREASTFEEDING SUPPORT & COUNSELING WITH AN IBCLC
PRENATAL CARE
Prenatal care appointments are typically once a month until the last trimester, then biweekly or weekly as needed. Most prenatal visits will take place in the office. One home visit prior to delivery, usually at 36 weeks, is routine.
As licensed midwives, we will provide a detailed informed consent document and our standards of practice at your first prenatal visit. Some In the Beginning clients appreciate seeing a physician during pregnancy along with their midwife appointments, and some clients obtain all prenatal care through our office. A consulting relationship with a physician or nurse midwife with hospital privileges will be available if risk factors develop.
We schedule prenatal appointments for one hour to allow time to answer questions and share information. Discussing your hopes and plans for your pregnancy, birth, and postpartum experience are fundamental to the midwifery model of care. We will also assess your well-being and the well-being of your baby by monitoring blood pressure, fundal height, fetal heart rate, fetal position and other physical changes associated with pregnancy at each appointment. An obstetrical and medical history will be taken and discussed.
At the home visit, we will review the supplies needed for the birth and the birthing space. We will ask that the supplies be arranged prior to that visit so that we can become familiar with the organization and preparations for the birth.
LABOR AND DELIVERY
A licensed midwife is always available (24 hours a day, seven days a week) from 37 weeks gestation until delivery. We want to be notified as soon as any signs of labor begin or if any abnormal changes occur. We will come to your home and monitor labor when it is deemed appropriate. We will remain present during active labor to check all vital signs and evaluate the baby through fetal heart tones and position. Cervical changes will be monitored as needed.
It is our goal to honor all aspects of a birth plan. If complications do arise, we will explain how that will change the options. If the complication is of an urgent nature, we will notify the nearest medical facility and initiate transport. An emergency transport plan will be discussed with you at your initial visit. If a transport to the hospital becomes necessary, we will remain with the parents to do our best at providing as many of the aspects of the birth plan as possible.
After birth, a complete newborn exam will be done. Eye prophylaxis and vitamin K are available. We will provide help in establishing breastfeeding. The mother will also receive a complete postpartum evaluation. All birth laundry will be put to soak in cold water or washed. We will stay between two and four hours or until the mother and infant are stable.
THE POSTPARTUM PERIOD
We do three in home exams in the ten days following the birth. Newborn metabolic screening, critical congenital heart defect screening (CCHD) and newborn hearing screening are offered. For more information about newborn screening in Wisconsin, please visit this website.
The first visit is done 24-36 hours after the birth. It includes a complete newborn exam and a maternal assessment. The following visits are to assess jaundice levels, assist with any breastfeeding challenges, assess newborn weight and well being, and answer any questions. The second visit typically happens on day three or four.
The third visit occurs when your baby is one week to ten days old. We will weigh your baby at this visit. If your baby has not returned to birth weight, another weight check will be scheduled. If you would like further weight checks, or a six week appointment, they can be scheduled at the office.