Homebirth details

Prenatal Care

We start off prenatal care with a two-hour visit to review your health history and get to know you and your health goals and how you desire to create a birth plan. We do initial prenatal lab work at this appointment. We’d prefer to first meet with you early in pregnancy so we can be a help to you in the first trimester when you may be dealing with nausea, vomiting, and fatigue. We’re here to help! [Better yet is for you to meet with us for a health consult before you get pregnant so we can coach you through getting to a healthy place pre-conception!]

Appointments are monthly until 28 weeks when we start meeting every 2 weeks and then at 36 weeks we meet weekly until your baby is born!

For your 36 week prenatal visit we meet you in your home to make it easier for you, learn to know the route to your home, and assess the birth setting so that when we come to your birth we are prepared, quick, and ready for the blessed event.

Labor and Birth

Learning about proven coping mechanisms for pain management without medication is something we cover in prenatal care so that you are mentally and physically prepared. Exploring techniques and creating a personal strategy so that they are familiar and most effective for you is one of the benefits of personalized prenatal care.

Additionally, we very strongly encourage to take the course Pain Free Birth. Our experience with the parents who have used this thorough program have been outstanding. We provide a discount code for our parents that take this course. Another option for childbirth education is Christian Hypnobirthing. Again, our experience with the parents who have utilized the accompanying app with its tracks of music, scripture, and birth affirmations have been amazing. We feel like these two courses are above and beyond other childbirth education courses. The father or support person needs to be involved in learning childbirth education as well.

Laboring in a tub is highly effective in pain management and something we encourage moms to utilize. We provide a birthing pool if you don’t have access to a deep tub. We do not offer birth pool rentals.

Waterbirth

Listening to relaxing music, aromatherapy, and movement are also helpful strategies that we encourage and help facilitate. Plan ahead with discovering soothing and calming essential oil blends and make a personalized playlist you want to listen to during birth.

While pain medications are something we don’t use during labor we will have a local anesthetic to use in the case we need to do a vaginal repair.

We encourage women to imagine, dream, research, and learn how others have birthed throughout the centuries. Create your ideal birth plan in the setting of your choice and we will meet you where you are to give you support, respect, and care to allow it all to occur within the range of normal.

Our standards of care during labor and birth include: close communication with you as your time for birth nears, availability in early labor, coming to you when you are ready for us, assessing labor with respect for the setting and atmosphere you have created, informed consent for any procedures, minimal interventions, minimal vaginal exams, spontaneous delivery of the placenta, waiting to cut the cord after delivery of the placenta or after it is done pulsating, and being ready and willing to adapt to whatever the birth presents while meeting your needs and desires.

Immediate postpartum care is for 4-6 hours. After a first quick assessment of baby and mom we retreat to allow baby, mom, and dad to bond. The first hour after birth is referred to as the Golden Hour for baby and parents. Our goal is to protect that precious time be keeping baby skin to skin the entire time, allowing the quiet and alert state of baby to guide early breastfeeding and eye contact with mom and dad. Then we can do the business of a more thorough neurological and physical exam, any newborn procedures you request (such as Vitamin K), a hot meal, cleaning and tidying of the birth setting, and education and instructions for care of the newborn and mother for her support people.

We will only depart when mom and baby’s vital signs have been stable for an extended time and the parents are comfortable with us leaving. We will return the for the first postpartum visit the following day.

Newborn Care

We provide newborn care to 28 days. This involves the immediate newborn exam after birth and at every postpartum visit to the 4-week visit. We provide the CCHD screening which checks for heart defects and the newborn metabolic screening which is required by the state and tests for many conditions that may be preventable or consequences lessened if caught early. Newborn care is discussed more in depth on this page.

Postpartum Care

We follow the research evidence for optimal care for the postpartum time as well. We will check on you and your baby in your home 24 hours after birth, 3-5 days after birth, 7 days after birth, 2 weeks after birth, 4 weeks after birth, 6 weeks after birth. These visits will also include lactation support. Of course, if you prefer to come for any of those appointments at Deep Roots you are welcome to!

We also offer 3, 6, and 9 month postpartum visits because, again, the evidence shows that postpartum care and lactation support throughout the year after birth improves outcomes for baby and mom.

We are also extending the option of postpartum care for the second year for a an additional fee to help coach you in being the healthiest version of yourself as you care for your children!