This practice is relationship-based and centered on physiologic pregnancy, birth, and newborn transition. Care is grounded in informed choice, continuity, and clear communication, with attention to both safety and autonomy.

This model of care is designed to offer time, presence, and individualized support throughout pregnancy, birth, and the early postpartum period.

Prenatal Care

Homebirth midwifery care through this practice is intentionally limited in order to preserve continuity, responsiveness, and rest. For families planning a homebirth, reaching out early in pregnancy allows time to establish care, build relationship, and move through pregnancy with steadiness rather than urgency.

Early connection creates space for conversation, shared understanding, and thoughtful preparation. If this model of care feels aligned, reaching out sooner rather than later is encouraged. Intake information and next steps are outlined on the Begin Care page.

Once a place is secured for a due window, families may choose to schedule an early, non-diagnostic ultrasound using a mobile ultrasound service at the Dayton office. This visit offers an opportunity to visualize the pregnancy and heartbeat. For families interested in early sex determination or genetic screening, SneakPeek blood draws and UNITY genetic testing are available.

The first comprehensive prenatal visit can be scheduled as early as needed in pregnancy. Visit frequency is individualized, but generally follows a rhythm of visits every four weeks and increasing in frequency as pregnancy progresses.

Prenatal visits are intentionally spacious and typically last between one and one-and-a-half hours. Appointments are most often held at the Dayton office and are designed to allow time for conversation, education, assessment, and shared decision-making. Home visits are also available for families who prefer care in their own space and can be arranged for an additional fee. Partners, children, doulas, and other support people are welcome, and many families find it helpful for those planning to attend the birth to join at least one prenatal visit.

Care during pregnancy attends both to routine monitoring and overall well being. Visits include assessment of vital signs, urinalysis, and ongoing evaluation of maternal and fetal health. This practice has access to routine laboratory testing, including screening for common vitamin and nutrient deficiencies, allowing much of this care to be completed directly. When additional labs or imaging are desired, ordering and coordination are handled as part of care. More detailed information about testing options is available on the FAQ page.

Each visit also includes assessment of fetal growth, position, and amniotic fluid levels, along with time to listen to the baby’s heartbeat — grounding moments that help orient everyone to how pregnancy is unfolding.

Around 37 weeks, a prenatal run-through visit takes place in the home. This visit focuses on walking through logistics, reviewing birth preferences, and becoming familiar with the birth space. It offers time to clarify remaining questions and ensure that everyone involved feels prepared as the on-call period begins.

If concerns arise during pregnancy that could affect eligibility for homebirth care, those concerns are addressed collaboratively whenever possible. The intention is always to support informed, safety-centered decision-making while honoring each family’s hopes and goals. While a specific birth outcome can never be guaranteed, continuity of care is. If a higher level of care becomes necessary, support continues throughout the process, including accompaniment during hospital transfer when possible, and ongoing postpartum care once the family returns home.

Hospital Labor Support (Monitrice Care)

Hospital labor support is available for families planning to give birth in a hospital setting who desire continuous, experienced support during labor and birth. This care complements medical management while prioritizing comfort, advocacy, and informed decision-making. A wonderful half way point for families who feel more comfortable with the hospital amenities or have a higher risk pregnancy that excludes them from a home birth.

Support begins in early labor at home and continues through hospital admission, labor, birth, and the immediate postpartum period, depending on individual needs. Postpartum care continues after hospital discharge and at the same occurrence as with all clients.

Labor, Birth & Immediate Postpartum

On-call availability begins at 37 weeks of pregnancy. When labor begins and feels established, families are encouraged to call. Care unfolds collaboratively, with ongoing communication as labor progresses. When it’s time, arrival at the home includes all equipment and supplies needed to support birth safely and attentively.

This includes equipment for monitoring, managing blood loss, newborn assessment, and resuscitation if ever needed, as well as supplies for suturing when indicated. For families planning a waterbirth, all necessary equipment is available, including the birth pool, liner, hoses, adapters, and pump.

One or two trained birth assistants are typically present during labor and birth. These assistants may be other midwives, student midwives, or experienced birth assistants who are well-trained in the homebirth setting. Their presence allows care to remain attentive and well-supported, and ensures thorough documentation throughout the birth.

During labor, nourishment and hydration are encouraged to support energy and endurance. Intermittent monitoring allows freedom of movement and choice of labor positions. Guidance with positioning, rest, comfort measures, or other supportive approaches may be offered as desired. Monitoring is adapted to labor’s progression, with listening becoming more frequent as contractions intensify and move closer together.

Routine cervical exams are not required and are always optional. An exam may be offered upon arrival if desired, and thereafter only when helpful. When membranes are ruptured, exams are limited whenever possible to reduce infection risk and support time at home. Cervical exams can offer information, but they do not predict the length or experience of labor, and many families choose to labor and birth without them.

After birth, babies are typically welcomed directly onto the parent’s chest for uninterrupted bonding. The umbilical cord is not cut immediately and is often left intact for an extended period. Families are supported as they settle into bed, rest, eat, and begin feeding. Vital signs for both parent and baby are monitored, and care unfolds at an unhurried pace.

A thorough newborn exam is completed gently and within reach whenever possible, assessing overall health and reflexes from head to toe. Delayed cord cutting is automatically practiced in an homebirth setting, but families have the option as to what they wish to do from there. Cord burning ceremonies, lotus birth, or other cord care practices, are supported. Decisions regarding the placenta are entirely family-directed.

While birth can be beautifully intense, concerns about mess are common. Care includes attention to the birth space, with birth assistants supporting cleanup as care concludes. Many families are surprised by how quickly the space returns to normal, often with laundry started and trash taken out before departure.

Following the newborn exam, support is offered for the first postpartum bathroom visit, hygiene, and comfort. Perineal assessment is completed as needed, with suturing or healing guidance provided when appropriate. Families are supported back into bed with nourishment, rest, and continued feeding support as baby settles in.

Once everyone is stable, comfortable, and well-oriented, equipment is packed up and postpartum instructions are reviewed. Departure typically occurs several hours after birth, allowing families time to rest together. On-call availability continues, and a follow-up visit is completed within 24–48 hours to check on both parent and baby.

Postpartum

Postpartum care through this practice extends well beyond a single follow-up visit. The postpartum period is understood as an ongoing transition, and care is structured to support recovery, adjustment, and wellbeing over time — not just medical clearance.

A home visit is completed within 24–48 hours after birth, followed by additional visits at approximately 1, 3, 6, and 8–12 weeks. These visits typically last an hour or more and are offered either in the office or in the home, depending on family needs and preference. Together, these visits provide space for both clinical assessment and the less tangible work of settling into life with a new baby.

Postpartum visits attend to physical recovery, emotional wellbeing, and the broader transition into the fourth trimester. Care includes assessment of bleeding, healing, rest, sleep, mood, and overall adjustment. Newborn care during this time includes weight checks, feeding support, cord care assessment, and ongoing evaluation of infant wellbeing. Lactation support is provided directly, with referrals offered when additional support is helpful.

At the 24–48 hour visit, newborn screening options include Critical Congenital Heart Defect (CCHD) screening and newborn metabolic screening when desired. Families may also choose to complete newborn hearing screening through an external provider referral.

Around the 8–12 week visit, care continues to focus on longer-term recovery and integration. A lab draw is offered at this visit to assess maternal health and support a return to baseline, allowing lingering concerns such as anemia, nutrient depletion, or other imbalances to be identified and addressed. Especially if planning a larger family in the future.

While many models of care conclude at six weeks postpartum, additional support is available when it is needed. Some families find that questions, challenges, or adjustments arise later in the postpartum period, and care does not end abruptly unless a family chooses it to. Referrals and resources are shared thoughtfully to support ongoing care beyond the midwifery relationship.

Community resources are continually updated and offered as part of care. These resources are intended to help families build a broader network of support — a “virtual village” that can continue to serve them throughout their childbearing years and beyond. Families are also welcome to share recommendations for providers or programs that have been meaningful to them, helping to strengthen the collective resource network.