Our Services
Prenatal Care
Prenatal visits are how we get to know each other during your pregnancy. Vida Midwifery is passionate about informed choice. We spend time discussing all routine testing and options throughout your care. We feel deeply about ensuring your active participation in your care. These visits are comprehensive and routinely last 30 minutes to an hour in length. They are scheduled in our office space from start of care until delivery. We have no requirements for gestational age for first prenatal appointment. We know that the early weeks of pregnancy come with lots of questions and do our best to accommodate the first prenatal appointment as soon as you feel ready. These visits typically occur every four weeks, until 28 weeks, when we starting seeing each other every 2 weeks. We do one visit around 34 weeks that will last a little longer to discuss preparations for your birth. From 36 weeks on appointments will be weekly until delivery. We encourage you to come with any support system you need and always welcome children in appointments.
Birth
at the Center & at Home
Birth can vary quite a bit from one to the next, and your care will be individualized accordingly. We begin talking about what you envision for your birth at your first prenatal appointment. We continue talking about it through the prenatal period.
Labor and birth care includes support from active labor onward. We will help you decide when it is time to come in, or for the midwife to head to you. At that time, we will help you settle into your birth space, prepare the space as needed, and offer the level of support that is right for you. Some laboring people want very close, hands-on support, and some want quiet spaces to do their work peacefully, knowing help is very near when wanted.
A trained assistant is present to help as we move closer to being ready for birth. We monitor you and your baby’s status regularly, encourage eating and drinking, and help promote movement and optimal position changes as needed. We provide continuous care after the birth for a minimum of 4 hours. This time is used to monitor you and baby, tidy up, assist with breastfeeding as needed, conduct a thorough newborn exam, and make sure you can safely manage things like walking and voiding, and have eaten a nourishing meal. When we are confident that you and baby are stable, you will be discharged with instructions, and with the midwives available by phone 24/7 during your first postpartum week.
Postpartum and Newborn Care
We believe in the important role that quality care following your birth plays in healing and bonding. We carefully plan our postpartum visit schedule around fluctuating hormones and growth spurts for your little one. The first postpartum appointment occurs in your home 24-36 hours after the birth. We typically have an appointment between three to five days and again at one week. These appointments, as well as the two week postpartum appointment, all take place in your home. In addition to these appointments in the first two weeks, we are available 24/7 by phone for the first week after your birth. During these visits we carefully asses you and your baby, answer questions, conduct required screenings, and connect you to resources as needed.
At four weeks and again at six weeks we see you in our office for your postpartum appointments. During these final appointments we will discuss returning fertility and family planning options. We will also discuss timelines for routine health screenings like a PAP collection and can provide these services if needed.
Postpartum is a time period that calls for extra support and care. Our goal is to connect you to what you need as you navigate this delicate, transitional time.
Well/GYN Care
A comprehensive well visit includes a review of your health history, a physical exam, pertinent screenings and lab work, and individualized discussion of health promotion. These visits generally take about an hour, and follow up visits can also be scheduled as needed.
Visits for a specific concerns or problems contain the same elements but are more focused and generally take about 30 minutes, but can be tailored to the time needed.
Contraceptive care includes a discussion of all available options, including hormonal and non-hormonal methods as well as natural family planning. We also offer in-office placement of Long Acting Reversible Contraception devices like Nexplanon and IUD.
Preconception Counseling
Planning a pregnancy soon, or trying to conceive now? Let’s chat about how you (and your partner or support person) can best prepare for a healthy pregnancy and birth experience!
Montrice Care
While many people come to midwifery care looking for an out-of-hospital birth, that isn’t the case for everyone. We believe that your desired birthing location shouldn’t limit your choice in providers.
We offer complete prenatal and postpartum services separate from birth services. We work hard to maintain good working relationships with hospital providers in the area. We provide a complete record to the hospital, and resume normal postpartum care once you have been discharged from the hospital.