Holistic Prenatal Care

What is Prenatal Care?

Holistic, high-quality prenatal care is an important part of every healthy pregnancy. While ultimately prenatal care is the care a pregnant person gives to herself during pregnancy, visits with your midwife provide you with essential information, support, and appropriate monitoring.  

For me, the biggest aspect of prenatal care is relationship building.  It is my goal to create a relationship of mutual respect and trust during our time together.  This will be essential during the intense process of birth and the windy path of postpartum. I want my clients to feel like they are coming to meet an old friend for a cup of tea and a chat when they come to see me.  Given what we know about the impacts of maternal stress on the developing baby, my goal is that you feel less stressed when you leave my office than when you arrived.  

To allow for this kind of exchange, I allot a full hour to be with you.  This allows the time to answer questions, educate, assess needs, provide support, and, most of all, listen, along with the standard physical assessments (blood pressure, urine, weight, fundal height, palpation, and any agreed upon laboratory work). 

There is rarely a wait (I know your time is valuable!) and you are never rushed through your appointments.

Any labwork or other diagnostic testing is discussed and explained thoroughly and you may refuse any test that you choose. Both you and your partner are encouraged to take an active role and to make informed choices regarding your care. You know best what is right for yourself and your baby. I seek to empower you to make the choices that are right for you.

Circle Work - Group Prenatal Care

As a trained facilitator I love to create spaces for group magic.  I have been facilitating women's circles and special rites of passage ceremonies for more than two decades.  There is something really powerful that happens when pregnant women and people come together to share experiences, insight, and wisdom. 

Building a village is an essential part of preparing for motherhood. Group prenatal care is an opportunity to forge lifelong bonds with other pregnant women and people. In each monthly group, we explore various aspects of matrescence, including things like pre and postnatal nutrition, exercises to strengthen the pelvic floor and improve flexibility, emotional challenges and shifts in identity, breastfeeding, brain changes, and on and on. 

 

 

As long as humans have gathered, women have passed down information about these rights of passage of pregnancy, birth, and motherhood. Pregnant people and their partners learn so much from their shared and varied experiences. Being together also increases the release of oxytocin, the love hormone. Everyone leaves feeling more connected and inspired and less alone.