PRENATAL AND BIRTH SERVICES

Homebirth

Families have welcomed their babies into the safety of their homes since the beginning of time. Home birth is beautiful, sacred, and a life enhancing experience.

It is our greatest honor and joy to protect the sacred birthing space and welcome new life and new mothers/fathers in the peace and security of one’s own home, surrounded by love. We aim to slow down the birth experience and honor the transition babies make on their journeys earth-side through love and continual support.

Around 98% of women in the United States give birth in hospitals. However, some families make the informed choice to give birth at home. Large observational studies have demonstrated excellent perinatal outcomes for planned home births. Home birth is associated with reduced use of medical interventions that are associated with perinatal morbidity for birthing women and their newborns. “The safety of home birth is optimized by assessing appropriateness of the woman and family for planned home birth, attendance by a qualified maternity care provider, and integrated systems that support collaborative care” (ACNM, 2016).

We welcome all first time moms and VBAC mamas lovingly into our care.

Purchase your birth kit here!

Waterbirth

Water-birth services are offered at Dos Midwifery. Water-birth has been proven to decrease pain during labor and to decrease the length of the first stage of labor. Babies born in the water are visibly relaxed and calm and the environment is truly peaceful.

Prenatal Care

  • Initial visit (1 hour) We conduct a thorough medical history and physical exam with your consent. Initial lab work will be performed in the comfort of our office. We discuss dietary recommendations and lifestyle factors while pregnant. Furthermore, we will discuss important considerations while pregnant, including: genetic testing, carrier screening, ultrasound recommendations, etc.

  • Prenatal visits (30-45 min. duration) Prenatal visits begin at around 8-10 weeks gestation. Visits occur monthly until 28 weeks’ gestation. Thereafter, prenatal visits occur every 2 weeks from 28-36 weeks. At 36 weeks, prenatal visits occur weekly until birth (up to 42 weeks’ gestation). A home visit will typically occur in the last month of pregnancy around 36 weeks.

  • During prenatal visits, general well-being is assessed including vital signs, fetal heart tones, fundal height, nutrition, lab-work, stress levels, overall coping, etc. Spinning Babies techniques may be incorporated into some prenatal visits to optimize fetal positioning and to ensure balance within your body. Dos Midwifery requires an anatomy scan ultrasound around 18-20 weeks to confirm placental location and fetal anatomy. We also highly encourage screening to rule out gestational diabetes at 24-28 weeks.

    Immediate Postpartum Care

    See below

    Newborn Care

    Newborn head to toe exam is done around 2 hours postpartum which includes newborn measurements, weight, vital signs, reflexes, a full head to toe assessment, checking for lip and or tongue tie, and blood sugar testing if indicated.

    The state newborn metabolic screen is usually done within the first 24 hours postpartum and is done at the client’s home if they choose to screen. Non-invasive screening for congenital heart defects with pulse oximetry is done at this time as well. Referrals for newborn hearing screening are given. 

POSTPARTUM SERVICES

Immediate Postpartum Care

  • We will remain at the location of birth for the first 2-4 hours postpartum and will ensure everyone is stable before departure. We arrive, set up, and clean everything at the end—as if no one knew you just gave birth at home! You will simply be left with one bag of laundry, and one bag of trash!

  • There will be the following postpartum visits: 24-48 hours postpartum, 2 weeks postpartum, and 6-8 weeks postpartum. At these visits we cover physical, emotional, mental, and spiritual health and well being. We also thoroughly assess the newborn’s well being at each visit including: oral ties, latch and nursing, weight gain, and other normal newborn care.

  • Belly binding will be offered within the first 2 weeks postpartum to all Dos Midwifery clients.

    Postpartum belly binding and bone holding

Belly binding is an amazing practice that has long been conducted in many various cultures. We have been taught the tradition of belly binding and bone holding that has been carried out by wise Mexican midwives (parteras) for centuries.

The benefits of belly binding include:

-improves digestion

-helps with uterine involution (bringing the uterus back into its pre-pregnancy size/placement)

-abdominal separation (diastasis recti)

-helps reduce postpartum bleeding

-encourages internal organs to migrate back to original place

-provides posture support during breastfeeding

-provides a sense of security and “togetherness" and is very grounding emotionally

-protects hernias

-is warming to the womb space

-helps with regaining bladder control

-allows fascia and ligaments to rest

-relieves pelvic joint dysfunction pain

-supports uterine and abdominal integrity

-minimizes discomfort from uterine cramping

-stabilized intra-abdominal and chest cavity pressure

When should you consider binding?

Belly binding can be done as soon as four hours post-partum and the specific type of binding we provide is most beneficial within the first two weeks after birth. Belly binding after C-section is safe although we typically will wait until the incision is healed and staples are removed. Included in the service is complementary postpartum tea, brief processing of pregnancy and birth experience, bone holding, womb massage, belly binding, and two wraps to continue the binding post-partum. This profound healing wisdom works best when rest and proper nourishment are being attained by the new mother. There is no rush to get back to pre-pregnancy state. This transition is meant to be slow. Massage, bone holding, and binding helps encourage warmth, support, and loving intention into the new mother.

Placenta Encapsulation

Consuming your placenta post-partum is some of the best natural medicine you can take that both you and your baby prepared throughout your entire pregnancy! It is perfectly constituted to meet your specific hormonal needs which will help increase lactation as well as energy levels, decrease fatigue, help treat iron deficiency anemia, and ease the hormonal drop that happens after parturition. 

All placentas are prepared using the Traditional Chinese Method which actually turns the placenta into some of the most powerful tonifying and warming medicine in the Chinese medicine arsenal--zi he che--by gently steaming with myrrh, lemon, and ginger before dehydrating. Zi he che warms and tonifies the kidney yang (qi-- energy or life force) and augments the blood and essence. Any other method of preparation is less potent and will not give the desired effects. 

WELL WOMAN CARE

Annual Wellness Care

Gynecologic services including: annual well woman care, STI testing, Pap smear, preconception counseling, reproductive counseling, family planning, and contraceptive counseling (birth control prescription, if desired) provided in a calming and peaceful atmosphere

  • $150 for annual well woman exam

  • $50 for blood work only

  • The cost of services does not include lab work. All lab-work will be billed by your insurance at rates provided by your insurance provider. The option for cash-pay is also available for those without insurance.