Frequently Asked Questions
What is a midwife? A midwife is a trained and licensed care provider who specializes in normal, healthy pregnancy, labor, birth, and postpartum care. In California, Certified Professional Midwives (CPMs) provide community-based care for low-risk pregnancies, support physiologic birth, and collaborate or refer when care needs fall outside of midwifery scope. Learn more about midwifery care: American College of Nurse-Midwives – https://www.midwife.org What is a Midwife? https://www.midwife.org/what-is-a-midwife
Why choose midwifery care? Midwifery care centers individualized, relationship-based support, longer visits, education, and shared decision-making. For people with low-risk pregnancies, midwifery-led care is supported by strong evidence and focuses on safety, autonomy, and continuity of care. Evidence & research: ACNM – Evidence & Research: https://www.midwife.org/evidence-based-practice
Do you offer pain medication during labor? Home birth does not include epidurals or IV pain medications, which are available only in hospital settings. Comfort and pain-coping support at home may include movement, water immersion, positioning, breathwork, continuous support, and other non-pharmacologic measures.
How is the baby monitored during labor? Your midwife monitors the baby’s heart rate at regular intervals throughout labor using portable equipment. This allows assessment of baseline heart rate, variability, and response to labor while still supporting freedom of movement and physiologic birth.
What do midwives bring to a home birth? Midwives arrive prepared with medical equipment to monitor both the birthing person and baby, supplies to support normal birth, medications and tools to manage common postpartum needs, and emergency equipment such as oxygen and newborn resuscitation supplies. All equipment meets professional and regulatory standards for out-of-hospital birth.
What happens if I need to transfer to the hospital during labor or birth? Transfers are something we plan for ahead of time, even though most births progress normally at home. If a transfer is recommended or requested, your midwife will accompany you to the hospital in a supportive, non-clinical role, help communicate your care history, and remain present during the transition. Once you and your baby are discharged, your midwife will continue providing postpartum care at home.
What does postpartum care look like? Postpartum care includes multiple home visits to check on physical recovery, emotional well-being, infant feeding, and newborn health. Care continues through the early weeks after birth and provides space for support, questions, and ongoing assessment during a major life transition.
Do you work with insurance? In some cases. We collaborate with a third-party insurance biller to help people with PPO plans look into potential reimbursement. Claims are typically submitted after the 6-week postpartum visit and involve an additional billing fee. Midwifery care is privately paid, and the full fee is due by 36 weeks of pregnancy, regardless of insurance coverage.