Midwifery Services

Midwifery services include pregnancy, labor, birth, postpartum, newborn care, and well-women care.

Trusting

Birth

Midwifery Services

As a client of Redding Midwifery Group you will receive personalized prenatal, labor, birth, and postpartum care 24 hours a day, 365 days a year. We offer support to women seeking to deliver at home or in the Birth Center. In addition to midwifery care, we provide holistic gynecological care, functional bloodwork, and lab testing.

Services Include:

• Routine office prenatal visits lasting 30-45 mins

• Labs and ultrasounds ordered as needed (billed to your insurance or directly to you)

• Birth Center option. The birth center is fully equipped for low risk birth and is located 3 minutes from Mercy Medical Center, and their level 2 NICU, in the event that a surgical delivery becomes necessary

• Water birth and Birth pools**

• Vaginal Birth After Caesarean (VBAC)

• Two home prenatal visits* (at 37 wks of pregnancy) prior to the delivery (for home birth clients) - home must be within a 30 minute radius of Mercy Medical Center or no further than 10mins South of St. Elizabeth’s Hospital in Red Bluff.

• Two home postpartum visits within the first eight days after the birth (for both home birth and birth center clients)

• Three postpartum visits up to 6 weeks after birth at our office for both mom and baby

• Newborn care and breastfeeding support

• Well-woman check at 6 wks postpartum (including Pap if needed)

Prenatal Care

• Prenatal visits are conducted out of our clinic space in Redding, CA. The visits are every 5 weeks between 8 to 26 weeks of pregnancy; every three weeks from 26 to 37 weeks; then weekly until the birth of your baby. For those choosing home birth, the visits will be at your home on the 37th & 38th week to allow us the opportunity to get to know your space. For those choosing the deliver at the birth center, all visits will remain at the clinic.

• At each prenatal visit you will have ample opportunity to ask questions and have your concerns addressed. Each visit will run 30 to 45 minutes long.

• Prenatal care includes: Urine dips, blood pressure monitoring, fetal growth checks, fetal heart rate and position, and general well-being of mother and baby. We also pay close attention to the social and emotional aspects of your pregnancy and transition into parenthood. These assessments play an important role in the prevention and detection of problems that can arise in pregnancy and the postpartum.

• All your records are kept on a secure online system, which you may have access to at any time to view your progress notes and lab results, and to correspond with us electronically. The system used is ‘Client Care’ and is fully secure, confidential and HIPAA approved. 

• Your support people and children are welcome to come to your prenatal visits. 

Prenatal Education & Doulas

• Attending prenatal education classes is highly recommended as part of your birth preparation, especially for first-time parents. We have brochures for classes available in the community. Around your 28th week of pregnancy is the right time to be seeking and enrolling in your chosen prenatal class.

• Doulas are independent support people who are educated in both physiological and surgical birth. They are not clinical care providers, but they do work alongside clinical care providers. Doulas are hired by parents to support and assist them at the birth with practical and informational support. Both the medical evidence and anecdotal experience support doulas as very positive members of the birth team. For families planning their first vaginal delivery it is mandatory a doula is used if desiring the services of Redding Midwifery Group. We are happy to refer you to some incredible doulas in our community. You can find a list here.

Labor and Delivery

• By the time your labor begins, we will be aware of your wishes and plans for this special event. We will have discussed important issues requiring your decision-making as well as what to expect at the time of birth and during the first weeks postpartum.

• We will be in touch over the phone to assess your progress throughout your labor. When you are in active labor, we will come to your home (for home birth) or meet you at the birth center to attend to you until the birth of your baby. Following the birth, we will complete the care of you and your baby, and assist with early feeding. We will remain with you, usually 2-6 hours, until you and your baby are stable. Upon which time we will depart from your home or send you home from the birth center.

• We will have a second attendant present during your labor, and a third attendant will arrive near the time of your baby’s arrival for an extra set of hands/charting. This is to ensure you receive the safest care at the time of delivery. All second attendants are certified and current in CPR and Neonatal Resuscitation, and are usually students that you will have met throughout your care.

Postpartum Care

• We provide care for you and your baby up to the first six weeks postpartum and remain on-call for you and your baby in case of emergency.

• Usually there are two postpartum home visits in the first week after birth. Your one, three and six-week visits will be at the clinic. Around six weeks postpartum we will see you and your baby for your last visit and then discharge you both back to your family physician for ongoing care. During this last visit we also offer a full well-woman exam and Pap if you desire. 

Parents’ Role and Responsibility

• we request that our clients be responsible for the health of both themselves and their babies by maintaining a nutritious diet, obtaining adequate sleep and exercise, and participating in regular prenatal care. we also request that parents acquire the knowledge and skills necessary for labor and birth, either through prenatal classes or self-education.

• A midwife’s care is individualized according to the clients she serves. It is important for you to make us aware of your expectations. In order to be effective as your caregivers, we require that clients keep me well informed of concerns or situations that may affect your care.

Education of Future Midwives

• We regularly have midwifery students from all over the country, doing clinical rotations at my clinic. We believe it is my duty to give students the opportunity to learn, and we are proud to be able to contribute to the education and training of future midwives in this country.

• Students bring a wealth of knowledge and experience, which they are keen to share with the clients and midwives.  If you are uncomfortable having a student present at your birth, please let me know ahead of time.

• All of our students are trained Doulas and are both NRP and CPR certified. If they are operating as a birth assistant, rest assured that they have passed a thorough vetting process and have significant birth experience.

• If you have any questions or concerns about how students will be involved in your care please feel free to discuss this with us at any time.

Lending Library and Videos

• The books and videos in the office can be borrowed for a period of 2-4 weeks. Please be sure to return borrowed materials in good condition and on time so others may also benefit from them.

Appointment Times

• If you must cancel your appointment, please provide as much notice as possible. Please also expect that your appointments may need to be rescheduled from time to time due to the unpredictable nature of a midwife’s schedule. It is important you always keep your contact information up to date so you may be reached for rescheduling.

  ** Birth pools are loaned on a first come basis at 37 wks and availability varies