Midwifery Care

Prenatal Care

Prenatal care is truly the cornerstone of midwifery care. Clients enjoy one hour visits to discuss nutrition, emotional progress through pregnancy, family dynamics, supplementation, supportive care, siblings at the birth, remedies for common discomforts, and so much more. This also gives us all the chance to get to know one another well and develop a strong relationship before your labor. Partners are encouraged to participate in prenatal care to build relationships with us and get questions and concerns answered. We also love having siblings participate in prenatal appointments and learn all about care, birth and what to expect with the arrival of baby. 

Prenatal visits include standard medical evaluations, examinations, and labs with the full informed consent of each client. We recommend the same standard testing throughout pregnancy that is offered in the hospital setting, but believe it is personal choice for clients to decide how they would like to proceed with their care. All prenatal care is conducted at home to give women the ease of less travel in our large area of the state. 

Home Birth

There is nothing that compares to the experience of birthing your baby in your own home. Mothers enjoy the comfort and familiarity of their own space, they can eat and drink as their body desires, move freely around their home without restriction, and give birth in whichever position feels the best in the moment, including in the water. Partners enjoy the luxury of a familiar space to rest during labor and they often report feeling more in control in the home setting. We bring all necessary equipment to monitor mother and baby's safety during labor, birth, and immediate postpartum. We provide another certified and experienced midwife at every birth. Our team provides all cleaning services after the birth to ensure that each new family can rest in their home without the worry of cleaning up afterwards. 

Water Birth

Many clients find great relief from the use of a birth pool during labor. Birthing pools are available for clients to rent. Mothers enjoy reduced discomfort and baby's benefit from a smooth transition from the watery womb to the dry air of the outside world. We are trained to facilitate safe birth in the water. 

Managing Labor Sensations at Home

The most common question asked about home birth is: "What about the pain?"

Women are strong, capable, intuitive, and incredibly determined; especially when it comes to giving birth to their baby. Our culture has somehow lost the collective knowing that women can give birth without pain medication. Midwives have not forgotten! We see normal birth often and know, without a doubt that any woman who chooses this path can accomplish it. Throughout pregnancy we help families prepare for birth with encouragement, information, class recommendations, and careful planning. This goal is more easily achieved when a woman is in her own space and has control over her own body. Partners are also well prepared throughout the course of pregnancy during prenatal visits, classes and learn how to assist their partner during the labor to help achieve a natural birth. 

Postpartum and Newborn Care

Postpartum care is a shining light of midwifery care. We visit with new families three times at their home in the first week and another three times during the subsequent five weeks after birth. During these visits, mother and baby are both evaluated medically. We also provide breastfeeding support during these visits. We work with Kindra Kennedy who is a Certified Lactation Consultant and makes a point to see any clients in need of additional support for breastfeeding. 

Complications and Transfers

While most low risk women achieve their goal of home birth, there are sometimes complications that arise on occasion requiring transfer to a hospital. Allegra has trained extensively to recognize and respond to these occurrences. In the majority of these cases, we are able to transport via private vehicle. We accompany all clients in this situation to the hospital and remain with them for support until baby is born.