Prenatal Care

Do you want the nurturing prenatal care and the informed consent that an experienced midwife offers? If you want a hospital birth, we offer the option of doing prenatal care with us. We also offer prenatal care in combination with birth and postpartum services for our home birth clients.

What does prenatal care with a midwife look like?

Routine Monitoring

One of the reasons prenatal care is so important is because it helps prevent complications and improves your chances of having a healthy pregnancy. At one of your first appointments, we will review your health and obstetric history and do a full physical exam. Throughout your pregnancy, we will monitor your vitals and draw any necessary lab work . We also assess for potential health issues that may have arisen since your last appointment. Genetic testing, screening for sexually transmitted diseases, and PAP smears are also available options.

Monitoring Baby

From your first appointment until you give birth, we will monitor your little one and their growth. At every appointment, we will measure your fundal height, listen to the heart rate with either the Doppler or fetoscope, and assess the position of baby through Leopold's Maneuvers. At around 18-20 weeks gestation, we will give you a referral for an ultrasound to check the anatomy of your baby and prevent complications.

Nutritional Counseling

Whether your guilty pleasure is ice cream or pickles, we offer nutritional counseling throughout your pregnancy. We serve a wide variety of clients from expectant parents whose diets consist of everything from whole food plant based to kosher. We offer nutritional counseling on a individual basis that encourages our clients to thrive within their diet and grow a healthy baby. At around 28 weeks gestation, we will test do a glucose screen to test for gestational diabetes by doing a finger prick or quick blood draw.

Emotional & Mental Health

During your prenatal appointments, we don't just spend time checking up on the physical health of you and baby. We spend time building trust and developing a relationship with you and your partner. During pregnancy, your hormones are changing and fluctuating and it's not uncommon for some to feel unsure about all the new changes happening in their body during pregnancy and postpartum. We offer counseling, herbal and homeopathic treatments, and referrals to counselors we trust. Birth is personal and we want you to feel as comfortable and empowered as possible during this time.

Sibling Involvement

During your pregnancy, your children are welcome to participate as much as you are comfortable with. We provide a bin of toys for little ones during serious moments at prenatal appointments so that you are able to focus. We also often have siblings listen to the baby with the fetoscope or help measure the fundal height.

Referrals to WIC & Healthy Start