What to Expect When Working With Us

Home or hospital? Which midwife?
Before making your decision you are invited to ask questions over the phone and to attend a personal consultation at no charge. We will be happy to answer any questions you have and will help you find the care that is right for you, whether with us or someone else.

What happens at a prenatal visit?
Should we decide to work together, your first visit will be about two hours. We will discuss your medical history, birth history and current pregnancy in depth. You will receive a binder with information about working with us, prenatal testing, maintaining a healthy pregnancy, caring for a newborn, getting a birth certificate, labor and birth and more. You may also use the binder for personal notes or journaling.

Subsequent prenatal visits will be an hour long so that we can have time to get to know each other well.We feel the most important aspect of prenatal care is building a bond between mother and midwives. Birth is such an intimate process that every woman deserves a friend to attend her rather than a series of strangers. At your visit we will also do routine health checks and listen to your baby. Prenatal visits are monthly in the beginning and increase in frequency to weekly visits in the last month.

When you are 36 weeks pregnant we will have the prenatal visit in your home so that we can practice getting to your house. We will give you a birth kit and check to see that you have gathered your other supplies. This is a good time to invite everyone that will be attending the birth. It gives us all a chance to meet and creates a forum for you to be clear and specific about what you want everyone's role to be. If you have decided to have a Giving Way Celebration the day of the home visit is a good time to do it.

Community
There is a yahoo group for our clients, past and present, to get you all together to talk about your pregnancies and births. Beth has 2 bonfires each year at her farm where everyone is invited. Hopefully you can meet with your email friends and fellow homebirthers then. We also host the Atlanta Homebirth Meetup group where you can meet homebirthers outside of those involved with this practice.

If you are interested, we offer a Giving Way Blessing Ceremony as our gift to you in honor of your pregnancy. This special blessing ceremony gives your family and friends an opportunity to honor you for the miracle you are as a pregnant woman and divine being. We encourage you to accept this gift.

What about the birth?
There is less to say about the birth because the mother sets the stage. You can have your baby any way you like as long as it is safe for you and your baby. Your husband can 'catch' the baby or you can yourself. You can have a waterbirth, your other children can be with you--whatever you want. We will answer specific questions about birth and safety at the consultation. In most case both midwives will attend the birth as well as an apprentice (if we have one).

We bring flowers to the birth for a celebration bath with healing herbs and essential oils. There is no medical benefit for the bath, but most moms want to do it for the lovely pictures. After the bath the mom showers and comes to the bed to rest. We do a very thorugh newborn exam right beside the mother on the bed. We stay with the family for 2-3 hours (or as long as needed) after the birth to make sure everyone is recovering well. We leave printed instructions and answers to the most commonly asked questions.

What about after the birth?
One of us will return the next day for the first post partum visit. We call (or come if needed) at three days. At one week one of us will come again for a check up and to weigh the baby. Finally, you and your sweet baby will come to see us at 4-6 weeks for our final visit. We will give you a copy of your records that you can place in your binder to complete your birth book. The records are in color with lots of art and poetry to make a nice keepsake. We try to record the first words you say to the baby and other special moments you may have forgotten.