Bridging the gap in postpartum care after a hospital birth...
When a woman and her new baby are released from hospital or birth center, a whole new chapter of family life with many blessings and challenges begins.
The care plan after giving birth and returning home usually consists of well-baby visits by the family doctor or pediatrician, to make sure the baby is growing well and to administer vaccines.
But what about the mother? The typical postpartum visit is six weeks after the birth unless there is a problem which requires a visit sooner. However, within these first few weeks after birth, there is an immense amount of physical healing, transition and adjustment, demand and change going on for a sleep deprived woman and her family.
We all know the value of good prenatal care, but somehow, our maternity care system seems to have forgotten about the immediate postpartum care needs of the mother--especially in the first few weeks where the need for care and support is greatest.
Until the medical system finds value in developing a team of home-visiting postpartum nurses, as is practiced in some other countries, mothers have to fend for themselves and do the best they can within a sometimes isolating experience.
I believe that postpartum care for the woman and baby who have recently returned home is vitally important and can make a huge difference in a mother’s recovery both physical and emotional, her care of her infant, and her journey into motherhood—whether it’s the first time or not.
I am introducing a new idea—a way to bring the wonderful concepts of attentive, respectful, and skilled midwifery model of care to postpartum mothers—no matter where they gave birth.
Postpartum Care Services
My package of postpartum services intends to bridge the gap for care mothers need to receive after discharge from their birth location and includes the following:
Four visits in your home, all occurring within the first month of your arrival home.
Mother’s milk tea blend (4 oz.), with recipe for breastfeeding mothers.
Packets of perineal sitz bath herbs and preparation in your home (if that is needed).
Discounted price on placenta processing and encapsulation—if desired.
Unlimited phone consultation during the time of postpartum service (one month from birth).
Breastfeeding support on an as-needed basis
What happens at the four postpartum visits?
Routine midwifery postpartum exams to check on the well being of mother and baby. Midwives check on many things. A few of these are: mother’s and baby’s vital signs, assessments for normal uterine healing, checking on perineal repairs or C-section incision sites and healing (if desired), weight checks for baby.
As always within midwifery care, if any assessments fall out of the realm of “normal,” recommendation to be evaluated by a more appropriate level of health care provider will be made. Early detection and intervention with the appropriate level of care can help keep small problems from developing into large ones and is a real benefit in close postpartum monitoring.
Breastfeeding support and assistance is offered, so important during those early days!
Basic newborn care and swaddling is taught, or if you are an experienced mother, a review of some things you may not have seen the first time around. Or perhaps you will share with me techniques you have learned! A midwife never stops learning!
A hallmark of midwifery care: emotional support during the “rollercoaster” of hormonal change, sleepless nights, and postpartum challenges.
Informational support from an experienced, holistically minded maternity care provider. It is very useful to have someone to take the time to explain things thoroughly if you have questions or didn’t fully understand something as it was explained in the time constraints of hospital-based care.
Additional benefits: Sometimes it can be very helpful to have someone with a sympathetic ear and yet who is knowledgeable about childbearing with whom to share the story of your birth. Someone who can listen without judgment, without telling you to just “be happy you had a health baby,” especially if your birth did not go the way you planned, as in the case of unexpected cesarean sections. I am happy to be able to listen and provide a reflective presence for you to safely process the story of your birth.
The fee for these services is $850.00. A deposit of $425.00 is required when services are contracted. The balance of $425.00 is due before or at the first postpartum visit.
Areas served: I offer these services within a one hour radius of Columbia, Missouri
Questions? Would you like to discuss these services? Please visit my "Contact" page.