A home or birth center birth is best accomplished with good planning and a competent team of providers to support mother, family and newborn.
Once you are due (after 37 weeks) you will have 24/7 access to your midwife at the first sign of labor. During active labor you will be continuously accompanied by a midwife and at least one birth assistant– usually a trained birth assistant or apprentice midwife. It is possible to move freely during your labor and you will not be confined to the bed or any machines.
Your birth can happen in the water, on a bed, on a birth stool or in any place that feels appropriate at that moment! We will be there to assist you in having a safe birth and prioritizing your baby’s wellness and bonding as a newborn.
After a home birth, our team stays for several hours to insure that mother/parent and baby are transitioning well. We make sure that you are fed, the baby has fed and the transition is going smoothly before we leave. In the birth center, the family typically stays for 3-5 hours until the immediate postpartum transition is complete. At this time, the family is discharged home and follow-up care will happen at home.
We return at 24 hrs postpartum to check-up on everyone and continue to follow you closely over the first two weeks after birth, making sure to address any issues that may arise.
The newborn can be under midwife supervision through 6 weeks of age. After birth, a complete newborn exam is performed and the newborn is observed closely over the following days and weeks.
We offer newborn metabolic screening, Critical Congenital Heart Defect screening and submit all of the paperwork required to register the newborn with the state of New Mexico including application for a Birth Certificate and Social Security card.
Postpartum visits address breastfeeding challenges, physical re-adjustment and emotional transition as well as any problems that arise during the postpartum. It is a privilege to be able to do these visit at home while parents and baby are recuperating from their birth experience