From a Red Medicine perspective:
Birth is the Highest Ceremony that one can experience.
With this knowing, My role as Midwife, is sacred and i am being trusted to guide the women who choose my support with integrity, and that Her authority is the foundation.
Prenatal care is You taking care of you!
Every woman is encouraged to take responsibility for her care and any decision making
The prenatal visit schedule is tailored to the needs of each individual woman but generally follows the standard obstetrical schedule of once a month until 28 weeks, twice monthly from 28-36 weeks and weekly thereafter, until birth
Prenatal’s are provided in the comfort of your home! Green Lily Midwifery serves as a completely mobile office and believes deeply in the value and lost art of home care.
Visits typically last 1-2 hours, thus allowing for ample time to build a trusting relationship, knowing your deepest desires, fears, challenges, and vision for creating your ideal pregnancy, labor, birth and post partum time
Pregnancy is truly transformative territory. In my practice, I invite and guide women through accessing new ways to understand themselves, their relationships and their life experiences. Nourishing the inevitable metamorphosis and integration of new insights, through self exploration, is the sweet, sweet nectar of midwifery care. **For Green Lily clients drawn to further expand their journey, l provide access and guidance through https://elementalbirthrites.com, which is a collaborative and conscious offering, created alongside two of my beloved colleauges.
Together we check your vitals, palpate your baby/womb to find the beautiful parts and position of your baby, and listen to your baby's heartbeat with a fetoscope. Here's a study on doppler usage and the use of ultrasound technology https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/m/pubmed/11476919/.
Lab work, referrals for ultrasounds, genetic screening and any other routine testing is offered if/when warranted.
Nutritional education, encouragement and review of diet diaries: https://www.westonaprice.org/health-topics/diet-for-pregnant-and-nursing-mothers/
https://lilynicholsrdn.com/real-food-for-pregnancy/
Placenta medicine education and ways to honor this incredible temporary organ https://www.debrapascalibonaro.com/infant-rights-birth-ibu-robin-lim/
Education and reassurance for what to expect in pregnancy, how you can prepare your body for birth, post partum recovery and caring for your newborn
Creating a sound plan on how you can organize yourself and your household for the best possible transition to motherhood
Midwife availability 24/7 for urgent needs
Local Resource List shared and utilized as needed, to enhance your physiological, spiritual, mental and emotional well-being for pregnancy, labor, birth and beyond
During labor and birth you will be guided, supported and encouraged to follow your inner compass
On-call and available for your home birth from 37 to 42+ weeks of pregnancy
Birth Team consisting of Midwives and/or skilled birth attendants
Phone support through early labor
Midwife support in your home from active labor through several hours after the birth
Intermittent monitoring of mom and baby’s wellbeing throughout labor
Highlighting and encouraging participation of fathers, partners, siblings, friends and/or other support people invited by the birthing woman
Birth Team will ensure you're staying well-rested, nourished and hydrated throughout labor
Freedom of movement allows for the birthing woman to intuitively take whatever position(s) she feels are best throughout labor and birth
Birth tub available for hydrotherapy in labor and water birth
Creating and protecting a birthing environment for mothers to feel unobserved, comfortable and safe during labor
Each birth is witnessed and respected with the individual woman's experience in mind and approached in which we do not manually intervene, unless there is both a genuine need to do so, and genuine consent has been obtained from the birthing woman
In the event of transport to the hospital, continued midwife support is provided
"Birth Is As Safe As Life Gets" ~ Harriett Hartigan
Ensuring Safety through:
Vigilant prenatal care and self-care
Allowing physiologic labor and birth to unfold undisturbed, therefore dramatically reducing chances for intervention or issues to arise
Monitoring of mother and baby's vital signs
Emergency gear travels to every birth
Mother and Baby Immediate Care After the Birth
Guarding and making space for "The Birth Pause" and allowing this sequence to unfold http://thebirthpause.com/the-birth-pause
Immediate skin-to-skin contact and uninterrupted bonding to honor The Magical Hour http://www.magicalhour.org/aboutus.html
Support with establishing breastfeeding and encouraging the breast crawl https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jswUiLPflYs
Cord clamping and cutting by partner, mother or sibling, well after 1st hour of bonding and/or facilitation of other cutting-of-the-cord rituals http://www.oxytocin.space/birth/umbilical-cord-clamping-options/
Placenta tour, placenta prints and simple placenta preparation for ingestion offered
Guided newborn exam performed by mother + partner or facilitated by midwife
Midwife and birthing woman will check perineal condition after birth together and best course to support healing
Postpartum education and informational handouts for the new family
Sacred PostPartum care
Now that you and your precious babe are on the other side of labor and birth, comprehensive care continues to support your body and spirit, to ensure confidence and power as you settle into your new body and role as Mother.
Well woman and well baby care through 6- 8 weeks
Home visits at 24 hours, 3-4 days, 7 days after your birth + every 7-10 days until 6-8 weeks post partum
4th Trimester / 3 month post partum check-in
Newborn metabolic screening offered
Weight checks or baby scale lent for tracking growth of newborn
Breastfeeding guidance, support and/or IBCLC referral if needed
Utilization of herbs to support multiple layers of post partum healing
Reminders and frequent check-ins on how proper healing requires the mother to be "lying in" http://birthwithoutfearblog.com/2012/10/21/mothering-the-mother-40-days-of-rest/
Education and empahsis on carrying your baby with comfort
Mindful movement and exercising safely post partum
Natural Family Planning + conscious contraception counseling
Well woman exam with Pap smear offered at 6-8 week visit
Deep support provided during the complex and often conflicting emotions that arise postpartum
Referrals for postpartum doulas, meal delivery service, lactation support, mental health resources, energy workers, chiropractic, new mom groups and any resources that would enable self-care
Cerrar Las Caderas, Yoni steam, Intuitive massage, CranioSacral Therapy, Ceremonial flower + herbal baths and more!
