Midwifery
Midwifery Model of Care
The Midwives Model of Care includes prenatal visits and "hands-on" care throughout labor, birth and right after. It results in less chance of complications, fewer interventions, and a healthier birth for you and your baby.
Women and birthing poeple are discovering that the hospital is not the only option for safe birth. Women are most likely to labor best in a place where they feel free, safe and private, with attendants whom they know and trust.
Many find that they feel most comfortable at home or in a birth center, with the ongoing attention and nurturing care of a midwife trained in gentle, natural, safe childbirth - someone who is an expert in normal birth and provides the Midwives Model of Care.
Pregnancy and childbirth involve every part of you. Your feelings, hopes, fears, physical and practical needs, and spiritual or religious beliefs can all affect your pregnancy and birth. A midwife providing the Midwives Model of Care addresses all of these aspects to help you give birth naturally, safely and confidently. In addition, those who experience the Midwives Model of Care report feelings of great satisfaction and empowerment!
Compared to standard medical management, the Midwives Model of Care is a fundamentally different approach to pregnancy and childbirth.
“Women and birthing people in the United States are learning that pregnancy and childbirth are normal, healthy processes, not diseases. And they are finding out that they and their families can benefit from the care of a midwife”
Licensed Midwives
In the state of Louisiana, midwives carry a license from the state board of medical examiners. This allows for midwives to carry and administer medication, process birth certificates, etc.
This also means that there are rules and regulations that must be followed. These include required testing, risk assessments, and procedures for care.
In the state of Mississippi, our CPM credential is recognized and there is not currently any regulation in effect.
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During your prenatal-care you can expect the following:
Initial prenatal visit (1 1/2 hour appointment for clinical and administrative items)
Routine visits
Every 4 weeks from your initial visit to 28 weeks
Every 2 weeks from 28 weeks to 36 weeks
Weekly from 36 weeks to 41 weeks
Every 2-3 days from 41-42 weeks
Visits lasting 45-60 minutes
You are offered the same tests that you would have access to in a physician’s office, such as genetic screening and gestational diabetes
We provide you with thorough information about each screening and test so that you can make an educated decision based on informed consent
Ultrasounds can be ordered at around 20 weeks and 41 weeks or as needed.
Blood draws are done in our office
Family planning counseling
Nutritional counseling
Water birth offered from your home or at the birth center
There is a midwife on call, available to you 24 hours a day, every day of the year
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Labor triage care by well rested on call midwives you have built relationships with prenatally.
Active labor monitoring of vital signs and baby’s heart tones using a hand-held doppler
Use of professional birth pool
A midwife assistant to maintain order and cleanliness of the birth space, assist the midwife at time of delivery, disinfect and deflate the pool, keep the birth team (You too, Dad!) hydrated and nourished, and will even do a load of laundry
On-site emergency equipment and medications including IV fluids and resuscitation equipment
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After your baby is born you can expect the following:
Complete well-child care for birther and newborn
Postpartum visit at your home on day 1, day 3, and 1 week after the birth. This includes the CCHD and metabolic newborn screenings.
Follow up in-office visit at 6 weeks after the birth
Our Care Plan
We have the births we need to have to teach us what we need to know about ourselves, to take us to the next place on our life journey, our journey to wholeness.
-Jane Hardwicke Collings