First Birth Mommas

Will this be your first birth?

3 Things are very important

2. Hospital backup plan 

Establishing with a preferred practice to secure a smooth and supportive option for hospital midwifery care or medical care is important as a part of a comprehensive plan. A woman is about 30% more likely to risk out of homebirth with her first pregnancy, or need to transfer in labor, than in subsequent births. Ideally this hospital-based practice is staffed with midwives and OBs who agree with you that homebirth is a good first plan, and they will be happy to support you to achieve the closest hospital experience to natural, peaceful labor and birth that can be offered in hospitals. Ideally they will coordinate their care to be easy on you, offering televisits when you already had a recent visit with your homebirth midwife. They would be easy for your homebirth midwife to contact and share records and plans of care with so that no barriers exist for you and baby to be taken care of well. The hospital they use would ideally be staffed with nurses who are accustomed to allowing clients to labor off of monitors, use birth pools, allow the undisturbed golden hour and breastfeeding, etc. Luckily we have an option in Atlanta that fulfills all of these! It's OB2Me's Homebirth Hybrid program, partnered with Providence Midwifery. Regardless of the distance, I guarantee the benefits of this program and transfer options are worth it because labor transfers are rarely emergent, and usually because labor has stalled... so the drive to our ideal hospital and backup midwives is absolutely worth it. You can always use the closest hospital for urgent or emergent transfers,  but the most important thing for all of the labor transfers I have done was the ability to transition the birth plan somewhere supportive. I believe this backup plan relaxes the mother and partner and leads to more successful homebirths. I do not receive compensation for recommending this practice, but it does lesson my liability as a homebirth midwife to know a receiving hospital team will not complain to my licensing board because they have a gripe against homebirth... and this is an important reason I will NOT work with clients who have non-supporting OB practices as your backup. If it's your first birth, I want us to have a supportive plan B in place. 

3. The plan to help the maternal body function optimally 

Feeling good in pregnancy, birthing with functional ease, making a resilient and healthy baby that tolerates labor well, and being setup for recovery well in postpartum is based on the body you come into pregnancy with and what you do for your body in pregnancy. These components are important in the primip pregnancy pathway.

1. Proper nutrition is a foundation for preventing pregnancy complications like pre-eclampsia, growth restriction, gestational diabetes, and postpartum anxiety. It's incorporated into prenatal care, but you can also work with a nutritionist if the support will help you meet our goals. 
2. Maintaining moderate exercise that is functional and allows opening of the body for birth is a priority. First pregnancies need exercise that is very different than a lot of what I see advertised out there. My recommendations can vary based on your body type, but as a midwife, my goal is function for pregnancy, birthing and recovery. One program that I highly recommend is the Body Ready Method. 
3. Body balancing through Chiropractic care because the tension in the diaphragm, back and pelvis will greatly influence if baby can get in a position that allows natural labor to work. It will also lessen pregnancy discomforts. Your treatment plan with them will be based on their findings. Most women go every 2 weeks, then weekly after 36weeks.
4. Pelvic floor balancing and coordination through work with a Pelvic PT.  Pelvic tension will keep baby from flexing into the head properly is a common reasons for labor transfers. Also, learning to coordinate your breathing to relax in labor, breathe a baby down when complete, and push effectively with ease is what pelvic PTs and my coaching will help you to do. Most clients do a 2nd and 3rd trimester visit, with more if the finding indicate progressive work is needed. 

4. The plan to support your emotional journey and labor preparedness 

As much as I care if you can have a successful natural birth, I must also care if you have a smooth emotional journey because it influences your physical body tension, the blood flow to nourish baby and the journey you experience to motherhood in the labor process. We say that labor will be long if the emotional work was not done in pregnancy. 

1. A Doula is important to the pregnant woman because she is a like a sister who cares and supports, but also has professional training in this support. There are many reasons for doulas, and because of several of these, I do require you hire a doula for your birth if this is your first birth. For one, the midwife doesn't start her care until you are active labor (4-6cm) but first labors benefit greatly from the labor support of doulas in early labor.   I also do not continue care at hospital transfers so I expect that your labor support team is adequate for you by having a doula. I  have many wonderful doulas to recommend that you will not regret!
2. Doing the inner work is important. You may have a way that is your own path for doing this. Perhaps you even have a therapist. I recommend the books Birthing from Within and Transformed by Birth to guide you into this inner journey. Somatic and embodiment and spiritual methods also are supportive to this journey.
3. Education on what's happening in your pregnant body, how to embrace and breathe with your body's labor process, and educating your mind enough to make decisions that align with your values is an important part of the first pregnancy and occupies a lot of time. Part of this education journey you take on your own, part through our prenatal visits, and part through an intentional childbirth education class. I believe this will vary for each person and therefore we discuss options and "methods" individually so that I can help you decide what you'd like to take. 

5. Partner role preparedness

Not to be underestimated is the role of a partner. 

1. Partner needs to be a part of deciding about homebirth and prenatal care- present at the consult call, present at a few prenatal visits at least, present at the home visits and birth, of course!
2. Partner needs to prepare for birth through education and childbirth classes. 
3. Partner needs to bring peace, faith, emotional support and physical support to the birth. We are counting on you for hip squeezes!
4. Partner needs to be prepared for the role of newborn care since it's a "divide and conquer" new life ahead. 

6. Breastfeeding preparedness

Meeting with a lactation consultant prior to birth will set you up for success, the correct supplies, and a relationship with who you will call after birth. 

I highly encourage, at minimum, working with a lactation consultant 3 days after birth and 1 week later. We provide breastfeeding support at birth and our followup home visit (24-48hr after birth).

7. Newborn care preparedness

Respecting the innate needs of a newborn, we honor their experience coming into this world best by learning how to care for them and make them feel secure. You can choose an educational path to prepare for baby, and I will also teach you physiologic-based tips at the home visit after baby arrives. Babies aren't' too complicated if you understand them!

My selection criteria for clients

I am your midwife if you want an intentionally crafted journey for your first birth and guided transformation into being a mother. I honor this with so much of my work that I've doing as a midwife for the past 17 years, and I offer to you this pathway that I truly believe in. 

-Midwife love, Crystal