Our commitment
What To Expect
Respectful Treatment
Gentle, nurturing care that respects you, your family and your beliefs.
Respect for your informed decisions about medical tests, recommendations and interventions.
Willingness to support your birth plan, including any family members and friends you may want present at the birth.
Freedom to move, eat, bathe – to do what helps you during labor and birth; your midwife doesn’t “prohibit” or “allow,” but patiently supports and guides you as needed.
Respect for the birth process as it unfolds uniquely each time. Although amazing, being pregnant and giving birth are actually normal life processes for which the body is well-designed. Each experience is unique.
Respectful care regardless of setting, although at present this kind of care is most readily found in homes and birth centers.
Personal Attention
Prenatal visits that allow plenty of time for questions and answers – 45- 60 minutes for each prenatal appointment is common.
Meaningful discussions to explore and help resolve fears and concerns you or your family may have.
Caring attention to develop a trusting and nurturing relationship with you and your family that can help you to labor and give birth naturally and safely.
Evidence, Perspective, and Resources
Plenty of information about pregnancy, birth and the newborn, and about breastfeeding and newborn care.
Suggestions about ways you can take good care of yourself and your baby that are tailored to your cultural and lifestyle needs.
Encouragement and practical suggestions for you to have good nutrition and make healthy lifestyle choices.
Full information about any recommended tests, procedures or treatments so you can make informed choices about your care.
Appropriate Monitoring
Regular and thorough check-ups for you and your baby throughout your pregnancy, during labor, and after the birth, to make sure both of you are healthy and doing well.
Recommendations for diagnostic technology when appropriate.
Planning with you for the unexpected and for the rare emergency.
Referrals to other health care specialists or to a different birth setting if needed.
Expertise in normal, natural childbirth.
Because they are experts in normal pregnancy and birth, midwives are experienced in the variations of normal birth and recognize the early signs of conditions that are not “normal,” including as medical conditions or complications that may occasionally arise during pregnancy or the birth process.
Confidence in Your Body
Help with discovering your own body’s ability to give birth, in its own way and in its own time.
No routine treatments or arbitrary timetables that can interfere with your body’s healthy process of laboring and giving birth.
Truly individualized care, privacy and natural childbirth.
Support for doing the work of giving birth. Rather than someone else “delivering” the baby, you are empowered to give birth to your own baby yourself!
Natural Techniques for Comfort
Help you cope with the discomfort of labor. Midwives have found that encouragement, massage, relaxation, laboring in water, changing positions and other approaches are often very effective.
Encourage the progress of labor and help you give birth to your baby gently and lovingly.
Help you avoid risks (to yourself and to your baby) that are associated with many standard medical techniques and hospital protocols.
A Care Provider Who Will Stay with You
Attentive, sensitive care and emotional support in tune with your needs, throughout labor. Research has shown that having a “sympathetic female companion” with you all through labor and delivery reduces the chance of complications and the likelihood of an unnecessary cesarean section. The Midwives Model of Care means that the midwife stays with you and “mothers the mother”.
After your baby is born, the midwife will stay with you until breastfeeding is established and both you and your baby are resting comfortably. She will arrange a visit after the birth to check you and your baby and to answer any questions.
What is a CPM?
A Certified Professional Midwife (CPM) is a knowledgeable, skilled and professional primary maternity care provider. CPMs are trained and credentialed to offer expert care, education, counseling and support to birthing people during the pregnancy, birth and the postpartum periods. In the state of Louisiana, midwives are required to carry a license from the Louisiana state board of medical examiners. This allows for CPMs to carry and administer medication and integrate in the standing healthcare system. This also means that licensed CPMs are required to abide by the state laws. To read more about the licensure of midwives in Louisiana, click here. To learn more about the CPM credential, visit the website for the National Association of Certified Professional Midwives.
Do I still need an OB?
Yes and no. In the state of Louisiana, clients are required to see an OB for an initial risk assessment prior to care with a midwife. During this risk assessment, the OB must take a health history, initial lab work, ultrasound, and or physical exam that identifies the person as low risk and healthy. That in turn allows them to start care with licensed midwives. After, you no longer need care with an OB unless your risk status changes.
Am I eligible for home birth/birth center?
Low risk healthy birthing people are candidates for out of hospital birth. If you are questioning if you are eligible for out of hospital birth, please reach out and we can discuss your individual needs.
How much does it cost?
The investment for Grace Midwifery Collective care is $3500 – $6500. We understand that midwifery care is an investment and we do not want anyone’s birthing experience to be determined by their ability to pay out of pocket. Please reach out so we can have a thorough conversation about your needs and financial situation.
Do you take Insurance?
YES! We are able to bill as out-of-network providers. First, we will complete a complementary verification of benefits to help you explore how much your insurance will cover, what your out of pocket costs will look like, and discuss timelines for reimbursement. If you would like to see what your insurance will cover, use this link: Verification of Benefits and Provider Code 340 to input your information. Our biller will send a VOB to you in business 3-5 days. Costshare/Healthcare companies usually pay 100% of our fee.
How often do I see Grace?
Check out our midwifery page to see a detailed overview of our care and visit schedule.
What happens if there is an emergency?
During labor the midwives will monitor the baby’s heartbeat frequently and discreetly. We work to keep you hydrated, fed, and rested while also checking vital signs periodically. We have a Midwife and trained birth assistant or student at every birth. We follow our carefully researched and frequently re-evaluated protocols to make sure you stay low-risk and safe for out of hospital birth. Due to having low-risk clients with healthy, low-risk pregnancies, our transfer rate is very low. We are trained to identify risk factors and transfer to the hospital before complications become true emergencies. We carry medications such as pitocin, IV fluids, oxygen, and resuscitation equipment that allow us to manage complications at home. As a maternity healthcare provider in the state of Louisiana, we also train and certify in Neonatal Resuscitation and CPR every 2 years. During your care we discuss the reasons why we might transfer to the hospital and what happens during a transfer. We have relationships with our community hospitals and facilitate a smooth transfer of care in the small percentage of births where it might be necessary.
Do you offer TOLAC/VBAC?
We are unable to offer TOLAC/VBAC birthing care for anyone in the state of Louisiana due to Louisiana law. Please contact us to discuss your options.
Do you recommend hiring a doula?
Absolutely! Doulas offer continuous 1:1 emotional and physical support during labor and perfectly compliment midwifery care. We especially recommend a doula for any person birthing outside of the hospital for the first time.
What labs/ testing is needed and do you offer them?
All standard maternity labs are offered and available with Grace Midwifery Collective.
What do midwives bring and what do I need to buy?
We like to think that birthing at home is like bringing the birth center to you while birthing at the birth center feels like home! Your midwives bring all necessary equipment to monitor vitals, access wellbeing, and manage complications. We also include a birthing tub! Toward the end of pregnancy you will be instructed to purchase a birth kit which includes disposable items and put together common household items for your comfort.
Who can I have at my birth?
We believe it is the right to have whomever you desire at your birth. However, we also highly recommend these people are there not as spectators, but as support. If they do not share the same values and education about the safety of home/birth center birth, we recommend reconsidering their attendance.
Do you offer delayed cord clamping?
We believe in physiological third stage. Which means we “wait for white”, until the cord stops pulsing, or until YOU request it! The only time we may intervene is in the case of a true emergency.
Do you file the birth certificate?
Yes, our team files the birth certificate within the state laws’ required time frame.
How do you help me cope during birth?
One of the benefits about having a midwife for your unmedicated birth is that we have helped hundreds of people do this. We have trust in you, your body and your baby, and we have skills to help. If there is one thing we know, it is that you can cope with the discomfort of normal labor. We do ask that all first time home birthers take childbirth education class and or hire a doula so that you are more prepared and confident.
Do you offer waterbirth?
Yes! We love water birth and offer birthing tubs in your home for no additional fee. Our team is trained in the nuance of waterbirth and is supportive of both water immersion for labor and birth.
Follow up postpartum visits for you and the baby are arranged through 6 weeks. These review nutrition, baby wearing, sibling and family adjustment, emotions, physical changes, feeding, and more!