Birth

 

We meet with you and your partner to become acquainted, to explore and discuss your priorities, desires, any concerns, and to plan how we might best work together. We will discuss your own best ways of coping with discomfort and fatigue and how you and your partner foresee working together and with us. Ideally the relationship begins a few months before the baby is due, but not always. During this time, we would establish a relationship that gives the mother complete freedom to ask questions, express feelings leading up to labor and birth, and take an active role in creating a birth plan. We are available to the mother and father by phone to answer questions or explain any developments that may arise in pregnancy. As midwives in training and many years of birth experience, we are knowledgeable in the medical aspect of labor and birth so can help our clients clearly understand their options so they can make decisions that are best for the them. 

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** In order for you to have the skills, mindset and knowledge needed for a better birth experience, we recommend that you take Rachel Yellin’s childbirth class. Women who take her classes have more confidence, patience, and inner resources to manage most birth experiences. If you have yet to take a childbirth class, we recommend taking her series. If you have already taken a birth class either with this pregnancy or with a previous one, we still recommend highly taking her intensive. If you are not able to make the dates that she offers, you can schedule a 3-hour private course take her online class. Here is the link to her website:

rachelyellin.com/childbirth-classes-san-francisco/

 

Rachel’s Pregnancy, Birth and Beyond Audio Relaxation Program comes with her classes. If you cannot take a class with her, please download the program. 

Use the code “mollymercy” to receive 20% off the program.

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Jean trained with Evidence Based Birth® and is an official Evidence Based Birth® Instructor and Molly is educated with Evidence Based Birth. As part of our care, you will spend part of the two prenatal visits talking about evidence based care details and getting you prepared to actually get the kind of care that you want. We will do role plays and worksheets, and talk about the issues that parents face when they want evidence based care–because the problem is, if you decide you want evidence based care, it takes extra preparation! Evidence based care is usually an exception to the normal hospital routines. So, as an example, simple things such as eating and drinking during labor are evidence based, but many hospitals do not ‘allow’ parents to make decisions about these things. We’ll figure out how to navigate situations like that so you truly have options for getting what you need and want in your care.

 

Services Provided:

• On call support two weeks before and two weeks after your due date

• Two or three prenatal appointments 

• Phone and email support 

• Labor support from the time you us most to join you through birth and up to two hours after the birth

• Initial breastfeeding and new born care support

• Including and supporting the birth partner

• Two postpartum visits- The first visit is within 24-28 hours after the baby is born to check on breastfeeding before you leave the hospital or in your home. The second visit will be scheduled within two weeks postpartum.

 

Post Partum

 

A postpartum doula focuses on the needs of the new mother as well as the

newborn. She is there to nurture the mother by offering practical assistance as

well as emotional support, enabling her to recover faster and feel more

confident in meeting the challenges a new baby brings.

 

Each woman and her family have different needs that may even change from

day to day. It is important that communication remain open, as clients’ needs or

priorities may change with time or experience. We can anticipate these changes and will be prepared to remain flexible in the role.

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As your certified postpartum doula and certified newborn care specialist, we provide overnight care for your baby while you get much needed sleep so that you can transition gently into new parenthood. Postpartum doula care is important for the whole family, whether you are having your first or third baby.

 

Services Provided:

• Breastfeeding support (referral to a lactation consultant if needed)

• Education on infant care including soothing and comfort skills

• Support for emotional and physical recovery after childbirth

• Foster family bonding

• Spend time with baby so family will have time to peacefully rest

• Organize nursery for optimal infant care

• Shop for groceries and nutritious food preparation

• Offer a listening, non-judgmental ear

• Phone contact as needed​​

• Help with introducing new baby to your other children

• Addressing baby sleep and dietary concerns

• Providing referrals to resources that support you and your family

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Evidence Based Birth Workshops

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Jean is really one of the first instructors in the Bay Area, and in the nation, to offer the three-hour Savvy Birth workshop for parents and the three-hour Savvy Birth Pro workshop for birth professionals. As you probably know, even when you educate yourself on the best practices for childbirth, it can still be really difficult to actually have the birth plan respected. These 3-hour Evidence Based Birth® workshops will teach you the exact steps you need to take in order to get the prenatal and birth care you desire. 

By the end of the workshop, you will be able to:

• Define evidence-based care and know the differences between hospital standard procedures and evidence-based procedures.

• Choose the most supportive provider and setting that will honor your core values and requests, and know how to talk with providers about the evidence.

• Know the difference between midwifery-led and medical models of care and the statistics for hospitals in your area.

• Understand how scientific evidence becomes practice, and how to find the latest research on hospital interventions and new baby care.

• Discuss several solutions for obtaining birth goals in a less-than-supportive environment, and know how to humanize the birth room.

• Define the concept of informed consent and refusal as well as understand the legal rights of birthing individuals.

• In addition, you will receive handouts about hospital interventions and the research behind them, articles on use interventions and the spiral affect, and more.

 

In-Home Evidence Based Birth® Childbirth & Baby Care Education

• My in-home childbirth education classes involve three two-hour meetings customized to your needs. The meetings cover everything you want to know about the process of childbirth, evidence based care, information about hospital procedures involving you and your baby, information about hospital pain relief options, creating birth and postpartum plans, practice of pain relief measures, and more. Detailed pamphlets are provided at each meeting. The total cost is $500. 

• In-home customized baby care education provides parents with tools that cover everything from nursery preparation, swaddling, breastfeeding techniques, cluster feeding, bottle choice and creating an optimal environment and practice for nighttime sleep. I am also available by phone to answer your questions as they come up. Detailed handouts are provided at our meeting. The total cost is $200.

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