"Pregnancy, Birth, and Postpartum Care"

Pregnancy

You are nurturing your baby inside you, and your body is going through a lot of changes. At Gentle Birth, you will have regular prenatal visits during which we talk about these changes, your current stage of pregnancy, and discuss any questions or concerns you have. Our doctors provide holistic, relationship-based care where you get to know your midwives and we get to know you and your family. We can collect routine labs and perform ultrasounds including early pregnancy ultrasounds, 20-week anatomy ultrasounds, and routine follow-up ultrasounds all at the birth center. Our visits are typically 20 minutes minimum, so this time allows us to discuss changes to your lifestyle or birth plan when needed, provide information so you can make decisions about your care for yourself and your family, and talk about classes to take, choosing a doula, and planning for your birth and postpartum time.

Initial Postpartum Care

After birth, baby goes skin-to-skin immediately and you and your family can enjoy these special bonding moments together. We will assess and stabilize your baby as needed immediately following the birth, determine APGAR scores, and continue to check on you and baby frequently for the first hour to ensure everyone is doing well. We will help you get comfortable together in bed and the doctor will assist with the placenta and check for any lacerations requiring repair. As soon as baby starts showing feeding cues, we can help, if needed, with the first feed; our adjustable beds make it easy to get into a good position for feeding baby. Baby’s first exam is done next to you in the room within the first few hours of birth. We will check baby’s weight and length, do an initial physical exam, and make a keepsake birth certificate with footprints as well. We bake a fresh loaf of bread for every client in labor (gluten free options available) and we will bring you food and snacks to eat, help you get up to the restroom for the first time, and go over highlights of your discharge instructions. Families usually go home around 4 hours after the birth, so you can sleep in your own bed and recover in the most comfortable location of all – your home! The nurse-midwife is still available by call or text for any questions or concerns any time after you go home as well.