Midwifery Care is one of the most ancient & sacred relationships a woman can have in her life.
When you are in the hands of the right midwife for you, you feel safe, cared for, honored, respected, and empowered. You feel inspired by what is possible and the growth you can achieve through your journey to motherhood.
What does it look like in our practice?
We focus on a holistic model of care that centers on nutrition, lifestyle choices, and natural remedies, as well as the mind-body connection, mental/emotional well-being, and traditional postpartum wisdom to create an empowered and sacred birth experience and transition to motherhood.
We believe in the absolute importance of creating community around motherhood and this is exactly what you will find when you walk in through our door. From our Mama Rising circles to our Sacred Pregnancy circles, you will find support and community on your journey.
What is Slow Midwifery?
“Slow midwifery” as we like to call it, allows each prenatal visit to be a respite time where you leave the busyness of your day-to-day and create space to do the real work of pregnancy. We deeply believe the real work of pregnancy is the self-reflective, healing work to be done, or what we call, the heart work.
What can you expect?
Our prenatal visits with you are hour-long visits where time is spent conversing and building relationship, discussing topics from nausea to birth positions to lab work, breastfeeding, baby-wearing, and everything in between. We spend time answering your questions, ensuring you and your growing baby’s well-being, and ruling out risk factors. Great importance is not only given to your physical body, but also your emotional body and spiritual body.
How often are Prenatal Visits?
We see you for regular visits every four weeks initially, every two weeks at the start of your 3rd trimester, then weekly at the end of your pregnancy. Near your birthing window, we will also see you once in your home to discuss your birth space and help prepare it for what you will need during and after your birthing time.
Your birth is the epitome of what you will have worked so lovingly and intentionally for.
This sacred time is an unforgettable one for you as a person and as a family. We enter your birth space with reverence and respect for the holy magic that is taking place. We attend each birth as a team of two or three in order to provide you and your baby with the safest, most supported care possible for home birth. When it’s time to birth your baby we support you in any position you instinctively feel to give birth.
Your Postpartum Care
During your sacred postpartum time we observe the first 40 days of rest, or the “cuarentena”. In our practice we hold this traditional wisdom as a high value. We prefer that once you enter your birthing time, you won’t have to leave your home again until the end of your 40 days. All of your postpartum care leading up to the end is done by us in your home.
At the end of your cuarentena you return back to see us for your final postpartum visit and to help you transition into mothering-in-community. We invite you to join our Mama Rising circles with your new baby where a different postpartum and mothering topic is the focus each week.
Breastfeeding Support
Providing you with breastfeeding education and support is very important to us. Throughout your care you will have the opportunity to connect with Alejandra DeMaio, IBCLC (aka “Ale”) perhaps at a Mama Rising circle or a birthing class. Ale will visit you at home in the weeks following your birth to teach, guide, and support you and your baby on your breastfeeding journey. She will become another extremely important person in your mothering community.
Other Offerings
Learn more about Vaginal Birth After Cesarian (VBAC) and Water Birth.
Vaginal birth after a cesarean in many cases is a safer option than a repeat cesarean section. With newer research, the old saying of “once a cesarean, always a cesarean” is no longer true. Sacred Birth currently accepts VBAC clients for care. Together with an OB consultation and your previous records, we can determine if a home VBAC is a safe choice for you.
A comprehensive source of information regarding VBAC can be found at www.vbacfacts.com.
Water birth is a beautifully gentle way to welcome your baby into the world. For thousands of years women across the world have used water in sacred ceremony, to bathe in, and to ease labor. Laboring in water allows you to move more freely into various positions as your weight is supported by the water. It allows your body to release endorphins, our natural "feel good" chemicals
Benefits of using water in labor can include:
- shortening the duration of labor
- lowering blood pressure
- increasing tissue elasticity to minimize tearing
- a more gentle transition for your baby
The safety of waterbirth has been explored and researched for several decades. One of the pioneers in this research is Barbara Harper, RN, founder of Waterbirth International
For a list of research and articles regarding waterbirth please visit: www.waterbirth.org.
By the end of our time together it is our hope that you integrate your whole experience in a positive, empowering, and life-affirming way and that you carry that inspiration with you on the rest of your life path. Our intention is to nurture self-growth throughout your entire motherhood journey.
Frequently Asked Questions
An OB is a maternity care provider that can perform surgery. Most work exclusively in the hospital and are part of large group practices. Most OB prenatal visits are 15 min long, and care, including birth, is generally with a different doctor each time.
Midwives are maternity care providers that care for low-risk women usually in an intimate practice setting, outside of the hospital. Midwives are legal and licensed in the state of Florida and practice a holistic model of care that includes in-depth counseling and education, shared decision-making, an emphasis on mental-emotional wellness, breastfeeding, parenting, and a general focus on the whole person and a healthy transition to motherhood.
Doulas provide educational support prenatally as well as labor support. They are able to assist with a healthy transition to motherhood and are also knowledgeable in breastfeeding and parenting resources. Although doulas are not maternity healthcare providers, they are a valuable part of the support team for mothers regardless of the place of birth.
Due to having low-risk clients with healthy, low-risk pregnancies, our transfer rate is very low. We are trained to identify risk factors and transfer to the hospital before complications become true emergencies. We carry medications such as pitocin, IV fluids, oxygen, and resuscitation equipment that allow us to manage some complications at home. As a maternity healthcare provider in the state of Florida we also train and certify in Neonatal Resuscitation and CPR every 2 years.
During your care we discuss the reasons why we might transfer to the hospital and what happens during a transfer. We have great relationships with our community hospitals and facilitate a smooth transfer of care in the small percentage of births where it might be necessary.
We are considered out-of-network providers with insurance companies. Many plans have high deductibles making it a small difference to pay out of pocket for your care. We partner with a specialized midwifery biller that will give you the specifics of your plan’s maternity benefits. If your plan has a low deductible and covers home birth then she will assist you in seeking reimbursement by filing a claim on your behalf after your care is complete.
Payment plans with us are available throughout the course of your care. Should you need longer terms of 2-5 years, you will have the option of working with a medical financing company. Most of our clients use our monthly, interest-free payment plan and are paid in full before their birth.
Yes! Many of our clients feel great relief laboring in water and often give birth to their babies in the water. Water birth is a safe and gentle way to welcome your baby into the world. We bring a birthing tub to every birth we attend and you will have the option to labor in it and give birth in it should you choose.
