
Services

Prenatal Care
Family Tree Midwifery provides care to you and your baby throughout your entire pregnancy. We schedule hour-long appointments so that we can get to know each other and have plenty of time to check in on you and your baby both physically and emotionally. For your convenience, we are able to draw your blood for the necessary prenatal lab work in our office. We also refer for ultrasounds as needed. We will see you once a month through your first and second trimester, then twice a month from 28-36 weeks, and then weekly until you give birth. At 36 weeks, we plan a visit at your home to help you and your family prepare for your labor and new baby. When you reach 37 weeks of pregnancy, we are on call for you 24/7 and ready to assist your birth at any time of the day or night. We always encourage you to text or call us if you have any questions or concerns at any point in your pregnancy.
Labor & Birth
Labor and birth are as individual as the women themselves. No one can predict what your labor and birth experience will be like but we will be by your side through the process as it unfolds. When you begin to experience the early signs and symptoms of labor we will be in communication and together we will decide when it is time for us to join you at your home. When we arrive, we bring all of the necessary medical equipment and supplies to ensure you and your baby’s health and safety through the birthing process. The advantages of laboring in your own environment will help you relax and feel confident during the hard work of labor. We always encourage you to hydrate and nourish your body, as labor is very physical work and demands much stamina. There are many different tricks of the trade to ease and find comfort during your labor. You can move freely, try different positions, and decide what works best for you. Hydrotherapy is a great way to take the edge off of labor and a gentle transition for baby if you choose to give birth in the water. If this is something that you are interested in, we have three birthing pools and are happy to accommodate your wishes. We do our very best to keep birth completely natural and intervention free, we like to keep water bags intact for the possibility of baby being born en caul.
Immediately after birth, the baby is skin to skin with mother for warmth, bonding, and security. The umbilical cord stays intact so that the transfer of stem cell rich blood from the placenta to baby is maximized while also increasing your baby’s blood volume and iron count. Delayed cord clamping is beneficial in easing your baby into the outside world in a compassionate way since they were connected to their placenta the entire pregnancy. After at least two hours of bonding and baby has latched, we perform the newborn exam on and beside mom.
We stay with you anywhere from two to four hours after the birth or until both mom and baby feels safe and secure.
Postpartum Care
We check up on you and your baby at home within 24 hours of birth to ensure everything is going well. Then our postpartum schedule is to see you in your home on day three, day seven, two weeks, four weeks and finally six weeks. We provide all of the care that you and your baby will need up until six weeks. Additionally we offer the newborn screening test at your convenience, that rules out any non-evident and rare genetic, metabolic, and hormone-related health disorders. We file your child’s birth certificate and social security card, along with paternity papers if needed. It is important to know that we are still on call for you even after your baby is born, new parents can have many questions after their baby has arrived and we are always happy to be there for you in moments of uncertainty. If necessary, we are able to refer you or baby to doctors and/or lactation consultants at any time postpartum.
Lactation Support
Breastfeeding is one of the healthiest things you can provide for your baby and is the most natural and healthy way to bond with them. The number of benefits provided to both mother and baby while nursing are numerous. It is important to us that you and your baby establish a breastfeeding relationship that is comfortable and fulfilling. The beginning of this relationship can be hard to navigate sometimes but we are here to help in any way we can. We are qualified to recognize and adjust most breastfeeding difficulties and provide you with the support you need in order to really enjoy nursing your baby. All breastfeeding support we provide is included in the routine postpartum care. We are also qualified to recognize when more support is needed. If there is a situation that warrants more expertise, we can recommend a certified lactation consultant that you can hire additionally.