What to Expect From Your Midwife Throughout Pregnancy
Prenatal care refers to the healthcare and support we provide to ensure a healthy pregnancy, monitor the well-being of both you and baby, and prepare for childbirth. Prenatal care typically begins near the end of the first trimester and includes regular check-ups, screenings, and in-depth visits.
We see our families on the same standardized schedule you’ll find across settings and provider types. This schedule and the specific components of prenatal care may vary depending on your specific health and any existing health conditions, the progress of the pregnancy, and your preferences.
Prenatal care in home birth really is different:
Long 45-50 minute visits.
Easy access to your midwives, no call services or nurse lines. Just us!
Relationship, we will really know each other.
Flexibility and autonomy
Here’s what you can expect:
Initial Visit and Assessment:
The first prenatal visit usually occurs in the first trimester. We would typically see you between 10-12 weeks, or sooner if there are significant discomforts or other need for early support.
This initial visit is our first opportunity to spend some quality time with you and your family. Partners and kids are welcome! We have toys and books in our office so that kids can play or participate to their (and your) comfort.
During the initial visit, we gather information about your medical history, family history, lifestyle, and any pre-existing health conditions. We will take time to thoroughly answer any questions you bring, and address any discomforts or concerns you have.
We perform a physical exam, which includes checking your blood pressure, collecting blood and urine for lab work, and a belly check where we palpate (feel) the position and size of your growing uterus, and listen to the baby’s heartbeat. Most of the time we can hear a fetal heartbeat after 10 weeks of pregnancy, but on occasion it isn’t audible until closer to 12 weeks.
We orient you to what care looks like with Trillium, warning signs and when to call us, guidelines for communicating with your midwives, schedule of visits, and other general FAQ for being in our care. We will sign our initial paperwork and collect an initial payment deposit.
If you have received prenatal care previous to choosing home birth with Trillium, we will ask you to complete a Release of Information to transfer your records.
Do you offer labs and screenings?
We have full lab services and are able to draw blood, collect urine and provide all necessary and desired prenatal labs and ultrasounds.
We respect our family’s decision-making around which screenings are best for them.
Regular Prenatal Visits:
We schedule regular prenatal visits every 4-6 weeks from when we start care until 28 weeks, then every 2-3 weeks until 36 weeks. After 36 weeks we see you weekly until your baby arrives.
Our prenatal care visits are 45-50 minutes long. This gives us the luxury of time with each of our birthing families.
During these check-ups, we monitor you and your baby’s well-being, checking in on stress, sleep, nutrition, movement, and offering support for any discomforts, questions or concerns that may have arisen.
We check blood pressure, measure the growth of your uterus and listen to the baby's heartbeat.
We talk about any recommended screenings or decision-making related to your care, offering education and trustworthy resources for further research so you have the time and opportunity to feel confident in your choices.
Home birth midwives are a wealth of knowledge when it comes to holistic and non-allopathic tools and remedies. We maintain hefty referral lists and can direct you to trustworthy resources, helping you determine which tools are best for the job: western medicine, Traditional Chinese Medicine, Ayurveda, herbal and plant medicine, bodywork modalities, nutrition, supplements, the list goes on.
Your 36 week prenatal visit will happen at your home. This is the quintessential Home Visit, where we come to you, deliver a birth tub, take a tour of the house, make sure we know where to park and learn any other special info. We talk in-depth about birth planning, flesh out our safety net: the hospital transport plan, and cover everyone’s questions. It’s a joyful visit!
Prenatal care is essential for ensuring a healthy pregnancy, allowing us to recognize and act quickly to manage any potential complications. Regular visits enable us to work as a team to address any concerns, offer you support, and provide personalized care tailored to your needs.
It’s also our time to build a strong and trusting relationship. We love that as home birth midwives we get to weave quality time into our prenatal care, getting to know one another and setting the stage for satisfying birthing and postpartum experiences rooted in the trust that no matter what, your midwives are in your corner.
