Catching babies in WA

Giving moral support to families everywhere

Hey! Come see me over at my newest project: www.yourmoralsupport.com! If you are working with a hospital provider and need warm support and evidence based information to supplement their care, wanting support with parenting, or wanting to process difficult birth experiences, reach out! I am offering virtual support for folks across the country alongside your healthcare professional (or mental health care professional.) “I’m not your care provider—I’m just the moral support!” I love serving families in this way.

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I am no longer routinely catching babies in Vermont. I catch babies at an awesome little birth center in Eastern Washington State now. It has been so amazing working out here in the PNW, but of course I am super sad not to get to be catching your baby Vermonters! If you need help finding a midwife feel free to reach out. There are amazing midwives here! I suggest Threshold Community midwives if you are in Central Vermont—Tessa and Emmy are extraordinary! (8 Generations and Vitality are other favorites if Threshold doesn’t reach your community.) Thanks for a beautiful amazing breathtaking 8 years of babies!

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I have a fiery passion for birth work, families, and babies. I would love the opportunity to talk with you about the birth you are envisioning. I enjoy walking with families in a relationship of equals. I aim to empower you to make the best decisions for your own family by sharing my knowledge of evidence and practice with you. I bring fresh skills, safe care, deep knowledge, and all of my respect and love.

I offer complete pregnancy, birth, postpartum, and newborn care for low-risk normal pregnancies and clients. I have offices just outside of Montpelier (at Green Mountain Community Fitness in Berlin) and near Burlington (at the Grow Family Wellness Center in Essex Junction) and attend births up to a 1.5 hour radius of either town. I do not accept insurance or medicaid. I offer free no-pressure in-office consultations so we can see if we’re a good fit and to talk about what care would look like with me, and I have regular daytime and evening office hours so you don't have to use your time off until after the baby is born.

I have worked hard to build skills and knowledge to provide midwifery model pre-conception care to LGBTQ clients or clients who have struggled with infertility. I offer guidance around assisted reproductive technologies including guidance around home IUI (intrauterine insemination).

There really is no one “kind of person” who plans a homebirth.

Whether you live in an apartment, a yurt, a trailer, or a house, have a pet canary, don’t own a CD player anymore but still have CDs, have no other children or 8, are looking for a job at a bike shop, or work in a cubicle, are so over Zoom, listen to baseball on the radio, don’t enjoy gardening, despise 80’s jeans, love fall, want to be an astronaut when you grow up, won’t grow up, feel like you’re too grown up for all of this, go birding, used to think homebirth was just for “hippies”, or all/none of the above. Homebirth is for people like YOU!



Is Homebirth Safe?

Studies consistently show that planned homebirth with a skilled attendant is safe for low-risk clients. Up until recently the only studies available were studies using birth certificate data which included many births that were not planned to be at home and for which the client did not have adequate prenatal care. The Midwives Alliance of North America (MANA) has been collecting high-quality data on planned homebirth as part of the MANA stats project. Studies using this data are just emerging, but are demonstrating that planned homebirth is safe. The results of two of the biggest and most recent studies can be seen by clicking here.

Numerous healthcare organizations in the UK recently came to the conclusion that planned homebirth is safer for low-risk clients than hospital birth. To read an article by the BBC on these new recommendations click here.

Is Homebirth Right for Me?

It can be hard to figure out what kind of care is right for your pregnancy and birth. I'd love to try to answer some of your questions. I offer free in-person consultations (even before you're pregnant if you'd like) and love meeting people who are interested in exploring their options.

What Does "CPM, LM" After Your Name Mean?

Vermont is a state that requires a license in order to practice as a midwife.

I am a Certified Professional Midwife (CPM) and Licensed Midwife (LM).

The CPM is a national credential awarded by NARM (The North American Registry of Midwives.) The CPM requires 2-3 years of study and clinical apprenticeship and students must meet detailed requirements and domonstrate evidence of didactic and clinical learning through knowledge and skill sign-offs either with a structured school program or with an approved preceptor and portfolio evaluation. NARM administers a test that CPM candidates must pass before earning the credential. In order to maintain the credential CPMs must meet yearly continuing education and peer review requirements. To see more about the process of becoming a CPM and what the credential means you can click here.

Vermont grants the LM based on the CPM. If a midwife earns the National CPM credential she is eligible for the Vermont credential, Licensed Midwife.

Neither NARM nor VT require an advanced degree as part of the certification/licensing process, but I hold a BA in Motherhood and Sustainable Living, and an MA in Radical Alternative Education.

What Kind of House do I Have to Live in to Have a Homebirth?

I'm surprised by the number of people who think they can't have a homebirth because they live in an apartment/live in a cabin/don't own their house, etc. Your home is your home! As long as it's accessible and safe, and it's a place YOU feel comfortable, it's a great option for a place to give birth! If you're concerned that your living space would disqualify you from having a homebirth, talk to me--I bet you'd be suprised at the diversity in great places I've attended births.

What Kinds of People Have Homebirths?

All kinds! People with big families and first-timers...single people, younger and older...straight people, gay people, cis gendered, gender queer, surrogates, people who have utilized reproductive technology...people with light skin and dark skin, with long hair and short, people from all over the world...crunchy families, republicans, people with all income levels, all types of professions, insured and uninsured...There is no one "kind" of person who has a homebirth. If you think it sounds interesting or appealing to have your baby at home, then you just might be the "kind".

What Happens in an Emergency?

Emergencies that require immediate medical attention at a homebirth are extremely rare, but they do happen. Proper screening, risk-assessment during pregnancy and birth, appropriate monitoring, and close personal care reduce the risk of encountering an emergency at home. I carry medications and equipment to stabilize client and/or baby while waiting for more advanced medical care to arrive or while in transit to a medical facility. I carry oxygen for client and/or baby, medications to help control postpartum bleeding, IV fluids, and other life-saving equipment. I maintain certifications in Cadiopulmonary Resuscitation (CPR) and Neonatal Resuscitation Protocol (NRP) which I can administer while waiting for more advanced medical personnel/equipment. Some emergencies require a call to 911 for medical transport. In some emergencies we travel by personal car to the nearest hospital. To reiterate, true immediate medical emergencies at homebirths where there has been adequate prenatal care and with a skilled midwife in attendance are extremely rare. (See studies cited above.)

Most hospital transports from homebirths involve a non-emergent need for more advanced medical assitance such as: exhaustion during labor and the need for medications to relieve pain in order to get adequate rest, need for medications to augment a slow labor after trying everything we're comfortable trying at home, meconium in the amniotic fluid (when the baby empties his/her bowels before birth it can be an indication of stress to the baby) when birth is not imminent, or early indications in vital signs that client or baby could need more advanced care at birth.

In the case of an emergency or non-emergency transfer to the hospital I will remain with you and/or your baby as long as necessary to provide support and help you navigate the situation.

Won't a Birth at Home Leave my House a Mess?

No! I ask each family to purchase supplies for a birth kit that will contain all the materials we will need to protect your home from messes. Midwives tend to be very good at using these materials to protect your furniture and furnishings. When I leave your home after your birth I leave it looking like nothing ever happened--this work will not be left for you or your family! We might create a bit of laundry, so if possible I will start the machine on my way out.

Do you Accept Insurance and/or Medicaid

I do not accept insurance at this time. If your insurance pays out of network providers you may be able to submit a claim yourself and have some of my fee reimbursed to you, but this is unusual for insurers in VT--most do not pay for out of network services.

What is Your Fee and What Does it Include?

My fee is $5200, pluss $600 payable directly to my assistant at the time of birth. This includes: all of your prenatal office visits with me throughout the whole pregnancy, on-call availability 24/7 for emergencies and labor for the duration of your pregnancy as well as for 6 weeks postpartum, my attendance at your birth, the use of my equipment and medications at your birth, newborn care and examination, newborn screenings that you choose: hearing, metabolic, and CCHD, newborn eye prophylaxis and vitamin k administration if you choose, postpartum visits for you and baby on days 1 and 3, at 1 week, 2-3 weeks, and 6 weeks, and includes my fee for drawing/collecting labs including prenatal and postpartum bloodwork. My fee does not include: your personal home birth supplies ($50-$100), any vitamins and herbs I may recommend or birth tub supplies if you desire a waterbirth.

My fee does not include any cost that labs charge to run labs you elect to have me draw, additional medical testing you elect or are recommended to have during your pregnancy like genetic counseling or ultrasounds. Labs and hospitals will often bill insurance, you can always contact those services for information on their cost.

I ask for full payment by 36 weeks, payment plans at the start of care are negotiable. I do ask for a deposit at the time of hire.

If you feel my practice is the best match for you and this fee is not attainable for your family, let's talk. I do a small number of births at a reduced fee each year--sometimes these may include a barter/trade an extended payment plan, and/or a reduction in my fee.

What Are Some of the Benefits of Homebirth Care?

Care with a homebirth midwife is personalized care. I spend time with my clients, listening, so that I can know you well enough to provide just the right kind of care to support you physically and emotionally throughout the gigantic transitions involved in having a baby. You have choices during the care for your pregnancy and birth. I educate my clients, sharing what I know, so that they can make informed choices for their families that they can feel good about. Birth at home can be a transformative experience. I honor whatever that will look like for you personally and support you through the hard and amazing parts. Clients who give birth at home rave about not having to leave their comfortable surroundings during labor, being able to tuck in to bed and sleep afterwards, not having to travel with their new baby immediately after birth, having the people they want to have in their space to support them, and having nourshing food and other familiar comforts of home during labor and the postpartum period.

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