What to expect Home birth edition

At your home birth, your midwife will provide labor, birth and postpartum care in your home!

When will my midwife arrive?

When you are 37.0 weeks you will have 24/7 on call access to and availability from your midwife for your birth. You will be asked to update your midwife from early signs of labor, until she arrives at your home upon your request. Your midwife will give you specific guidelines when to call for her during labor. These guidelines vary per midwife and situation. She will then assess you over the phone and come when you are close to or are in active labor or sometimes earlier depending on the situation.  They will stay at your home to monitor you and your baby when you are in active labor. We encourage free movement to help facilitate physiological birth process as well as nourishment and hydration to give you the energy to do what you need to do! With WM you receive a book that includes an in depth guide to physiological labor for all involved. 

Labor and Birth

Once your midwife arrives, she will check on you and your baby, you will be supported, and equipment will be set up for the delivery of your little blessing. A second attendant will arrive when you are close to giving birth to help care for you and your baby.

Midwives bring medical equipment and medications to all home births similar to those available in birth centers and hospitals where level 1 care is provided. Midwives are trained in Neonatal Resuscitation (Newborn CPR), Basic Life Saving skills (CRP), suturing, IV access and medications. These skills are kept up to date with monthly drills and yearly/ bi-yearly trainings. If at any time you or your baby need a higher level of care your midwife will facilitate a transfer to a nearby facility and accompany you through the process. 

After the Birth

After the birth, your midwives will monitor and assess you and your baby to ensure that you are recovering well. They will perform a head-to-toe physical exam on your baby and help you with feeding.

Once you are both considered healthy and well, your midwives will leave so you can rest. This usually happens within 2-4 hours of the birth. Before they leave, they will talk to you about what to expect within the next 24 hours. You will be given a list of a few things to watch in the few days following birth in between visits with your midwife. WM will come see you at 24-36 hours after delivery, day 4-5 if needed, 1 week, 2 week, 4 week and 6 weeks. Midwives see babies the first 28 days of life. 

If you and/or your baby need closer observation or monitoring after the birth, your midwife will recommend moving to the hospital for extra support. Depending on why you or your baby need closer monitoring, you may need to go to hospital by car or by ambulance.

Your midwife will be available to you by phone at any time, day or night, if you have questions or concerns after giving birth.

The day after the birth, your midwife will visit you at home (or in the hospital, if applicable) for your first follow-up visit.

Midwives provide all the early post-birth care you and your baby need in the comfort of your own home, including:

• Routine Newborn screening
• physical and mental health assessments
• parenting support and teaching
• feeding support 

In short:

At your home birth, your midwife will provide labor, birth and post partum care in your home!

They will come to you when you are ready for support and will stay through postpartum recovery.

They will set up for delivery and then clean up when the birth is complete!

You will have physical, mental and emotional support through pregnancy, labor and postpartum.

You will have personal autonomy to birth how and where you want to. 

Your midwife travels with all of the equipment a birth center has for emergencies.

Oklahoma Licensed Midwives are required to have Newborn Resuscitation (NRP), Basic Life Saving Skills (CPR), IV insertion skills, and medication for midwives courses/certifications.

Oklahoma Licensed midwives can not attend a delivery until 37.0 weeks gestation and can not attend your delivery if you have reached 42.0 weeks gestation.

Midwives care for low risk mothers and babies.

If you are a low risk mama home birth and water birth might be great options for you!

If you want more information, you can Contact Us through our website or you can call us at 918.736.9955.