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Why would I want to birth at home with a Certified Professional Midwife?
¤ A Certified Professional Midwife undergoes rigorous academic and clinical training combined with years of homebirth experience before earning the CPM credential.
¤ Midwives provide a holistic approach to prenatal care addressing nutrition, exercise and psychological concerns ensuring you are prepared for the intense and empowering process of labor and delivery.
¤ Using safe, pain-relieving techniques instead of narcotics during the birthing process means
your newborn is alert and able to nurse easily.¤ You labor in the comfort of your home and your baby is born in a safe, familiar environment, surrounded by loving family.
¤ After birth, your midwife ensures that mom and baby are stable, healthy and comfortable and that your home is clean and tidy before she departs.
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How long have you been a registered midwife in the state of Colorado?
I became a licensed midwife in the state of Colorado in 2002 after a 5-year apprenticeship with Jeanie Rosburg.Shortly thereafter I became a Certified Professional Midwife. In 2005 I incorporated The Colorado Springs Midwifery Center with partner Robin Woodward and then opened Baby's Breath Midwifery Services, Inc. as a sole proprietor in the Spring of 2008.
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Studies on the internet show conflicting results about the safety of home birth. Where can I find meaningful statistics and information that will help guide me in my birthing decisions?
The internet can definitely provide confusing information. Your best bet is to stick to reliable sources like the sites listed in the "links" section of this web site. Some of the studies published use birth statistics for all out-of -hospital births instead of planned out-of-hospital births with a licensed midwife. Make sure you take a look at the Midwives Alliance of North America (MANA) link. The CPM 2000 Study published in the British Journal of Medicine is the largest and most accurate study to date confirming the safety and lower intervention rate of home birth with a Certified Professional Midwife versus birth in a hospital.
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I have friends who have loved their home births and I am not at all comfortable going to a hospital, but my family is concerned about my plan to birth at home and they are making me second-guess my decision. What can I do to make them be more supportive?
Your question is probably the #1 most frequently asked question of all! In my practice, it is almost the rule not the exception that couples, especially first-time parents, have to face a certain amount of doubt from family members regarding their decision to opt out of a hospital delivery. While Colorado Springs is a very home birth friendly city, the number of babies born at home is still less than 2% of total births. This makes your choice seem foreign and rather risky to some people. I find that inviting your concerned friends and/or relatives to a prenatal appointment is usually the best way to allay their fears. Once they meet a midwife in person, understand the years of training and experience that the midwife has and get a feel for the personalized and thorough care, most of the skepticism and worry are gone. In fact, after the baby's arrival, these family members become huge home birth fans and can't wait to spread the word about the great care their loved ones received.
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I keep hearing that it is a good idea to delay cutting a newborn's umbilical cord. Do you practice delayed cord clamping?
Absolutely!Early humans and many indigenous cultures today make no attempt to separate the newborn from its placenta. Modern obstetrics in the hospital practices immediate cord clamping for several reasons, the main one being facility of transfer of the newborn to a warming table where the pediatric staff can have ready access to the baby. There is no such need when your baby is born at home. All immediate assessments can be done with the baby on its mother's belly. A baby needing any degree of resuscitation will be much less stressed in the arms of its mother and therefore, will come around much faster. Furthermore, a baby who doesn't initiate respiration immediately at birth is clearly benefited by the oxygen supplied via the still-attached placenta. Despite the World Health Organization (WHO) endorsing delayed cord clamping in 1996, and the American Academy of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG) withdrawing its directives for immediate cord clamping in 2002 (Bulletin 216), the practice is still standard protocol in most American hospitals. This despite studies that show the practice to be potentially harmful. A study by Judith Mercer, CNM published in the Journal of Midwifery and Women's Health in 2001 concluded that "Early clamping of the umbilical cord at birth, a practice developed without adequate evidence, causes neonatal blood volume to vary 25-40%. Such massive change occurs at no other time in one's life without serious consequences, even death. Early cord clamping may impede a successful transition and contribute to hypovolemic and hypoxic damage in vulnerable newborns." There are many more benefits to delayed cord clamping than I have the space to elaborate on here. In 10 years of attending births I have NEVER seen a baby be negatively affected by the practice. In fact, I have seen far fewer cases of jaundice with home birth babies than with those born in hospitals and I am always grateful that I can help a baby's transition to extrauterine life be as gentle and loving as possible.
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How does the cost of birthing at home compare to the cost of birthing at the hospital and what kind of payment do you accept?
Choosing to birth your baby at home with a midwife's care is an extremely cost-effective option for any family. Most midwives charge a third of what a hospital birth would cost. My fees are global in nature, in that all services are included at a single price. The services I provide are complete prenatal care, including laboratory tests and ultrasounds (if applicable);assistance at the birth itself and all associated birth supplies including a birthing pool; comprehensive assessment of the early newborn, and follow-up postpartum care for both mother and baby lasting 6 weeks (sometimes beyond!). Insurance claims, birth certificate and social security card applications are all handled by me as soon as the baby is born.
I accept payment by cash, check and all major credit cards. I will happily submit claims to all insurance companies, most of whom will pay a decent percentage for an out-of-hospital birth with a midwife.
