Prenatal Care
We offer all of the standard genetic and diagnostic tests and provide the usual schedule of prenatal visits.
There are 4 components to our prenatal care:
1. INDIVIDUAL VISITS AT OUR OFFICE IN NOE VALLEY
We spend an hour with you at your initial appointment and a half hour at subsequent appointments. We provide you with comprehensive information, as well as guidance, so you can make informed choices about what’s best for you and your family. We see you once a month until your 28th week. Then every other week until 36 weeks. At 36 weeks we see you weekly until your baby is born.
2. PRENATAL GROUP VISITS
We offer 5 group meetings for families due the same month as you. Three of these meetings are held in the daytime at a location near our office. These meetings orient you to important issues about what to expect when you come to the hospital. You will have an opportunity to meet a member of the Nursing staff and one of the Pediatricians who will discuss with you their responsibilities in providing their care to you. Two of these meetings are hosted in families' homes in the evening 6-8 pm. This is an opportunity for you to connect with other families who share similar interests and concerns. Because this is such an important time in your lives, relationships made in these groups often continue beyond the time of the births of your babies and into your parenting years. The meetings include group discussion of topics of interest to childbearing families such as preparation for birth, and parenting issues. At the meeting you have your own individual private "belly check" and eat delicious snacks.
3. HOME VISIT
Around 36 weeks (between your 35th and 38th week) we, along with all of the members of your birth team, (including your early labor support person- see below) gather at your home. We listen to your dreams and intentions for the birth of your baby, discuss with you how we can best support you during labor and birth, and give you information about what to expect when you get to the hospital.
4. APPOINTMENT WITH ONE OF THE OB/GYN PHYSICIANS
You have a prenatal visit with our Supervising Physician at around 36 weeks. If your pregnancy has included medical concerns, you see a physician as needed during your pregnancy in addition to your visits with us.
Birth of Your Baby
1. EARLY LABOR SUPPORT
Essential to Homestyle Midwifery care is the inclusion of a doula or licensed midwife for early labor support. That person will be your first contact when labor begins. She comes to your home when you and she both decide it is appropriate for her to come. Your early labor support person helps you work with your labor, accompanies you to the hospital and continues to provide support until after your baby is born. You choose the early labor support person and get to know her during your pregnancy. We will give you a list of Early Labor Support Doulas and Midwives whom we recommend. The contract you make with her is individually negotiated and is not covered by most insurances.
2. LABOR AND BIRTH AT THE HOSPITAL
One of our Certified Nurse Midwives attends your birth. You get to know each of us and each of us gets to know you during the course of your prenatal care. This relationship is one of the most important elements of Homestyle Midwifery care.
One of our clients said, "Having trust in our provider was one of the most critical components of preparing to give birth, and we never could have imagined just how deep that trust would become and how much it would inform our birth experience."
The nurse-midwife welcomes you at St. Luke’s when you arrive in labor. and accompanies you to the room where you will give birth. She stays with you throughout your labor and birth and remains with you until a few hours after your baby is born to help you nurse your baby and settle in. Throughout your time in the labor and delivery unit the midwife will take care of you in close partnership with the nursing staff.
At the hospital, we create a “homestyle” environment that includes a water birth tub for labor, a large futon on the floor and a birth stool-- all of which encourage you to move freely during labor, and to birth in your own way. We encourage you to bring a few special things from your home to make the space feel your own.
Every aspect of Homestyle Midwifery birth care is based on our belief that a woman giving birth needs to feel safe, protected, honored and cherished. Our intention is to honor the power, beauty and dignity of a woman giving birth, to encourage the active participation of your loved ones who are present, and to welcome your baby into this world with utmost gentleness.
If any medical complications arise,our Supervising Physician or one of the members of the OB team at St Luke's Hospital is always available to consult with us and to participate in your care if there is a need for medical or surgical intervention.
Your birth takes place at St. Luke’s Hospital, the fourth campus of CPMC. St. Luke's has a Neonatal Intensive Care Unit headed by a neonatologist. A staff pediatrician is always available to attend your birth if any problems with your baby arise.
Post Partum Care
After the Birth: Post Partum Care
We see you at least 4 times after you have your baby.
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The day after you have your baby at the hospital
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At home between days 3-5 after your birth
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At the office around 2 weeks post partum
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At the office around 6 weeks post partum. At that time we will attend to your needs regarding family planning.
During these visits, we help you to recover from your birth, to breastfeed, and to adapt to the hanges that come about for you as new parents. If you are having particular challenges during our post-partum period, we see you more often.
Homestyle Midwifery Care officially ends at 6 weeks post partum … but then there are the birthdays… and the quinceañeras and the bar mitzvahs and the graduations.
Parenthood: Creating Community
Parenthood: Creating Community
We will host a monthly drop-in parent and baby group at Natural Resources, a Pregnancy, Childbirth and Parenting Center in the Mission District. This is a wonderful opportunity to reconnect with your friends from your prenatal group, watch the babies grow and stay in touch with us.
ABOUT FEES AND INSURANCE PLANS: Now that we are in private practice and our care is no longer subsidized by the St Luke's Women's Center, we must pay all our own expenses, such as malpractice insurance and overhead. In order for our practice to maintain itself it will be necessary to charge a significant out-of-pocket fee for our services
over and above what your insurance will reimburse you. This fee is on sliding scale.
Our fee is partially covered by all PPO and HMO insurance plans. Our Coordinator will assist you to figure out what portion of our fee your insurance will cover. 
At this time we are not able to accept insurance up front. You will need to pay our fee in full sometime before your birth. We offer flexible payment plans. After your care with us is complete we will bill your insurance company and reimburse you.
Our vision is to be able provide Homestyle Midwifery care to all families who are interested in this option regardless of their ability to pay. To realize that vision we are in the process of developing a non-profit arm with some kind of sister/mother to sister/mother partnership between women with more economic resources and women with less, as well as some kind of fee-assistance fund.