Our practice offers comprehensive prenatal care, including all visits and laboratory tests, routine screening and counseling. We provide continuity of care during labor and birth and have relationships with family and obstetrical physicians should the need for medical consultation, collaboration or referral arise. After birth, we continue to provide care, with a minimum of three visits in your home the first week and two subsequent office visits. We strive for optimum insurance reimbursement.

When you have your baby at home, you are not subjected to routine procedures but seen as an individual. Your needs and desires are not sacrificed to protocols or statistical averages. You may eat and drink and walk freely to facilitate the natural process. You are much less likely to desire pain medication when you feel safe in your own surroundings, able to labor and give birth in any location and position you choose.

If you give birth at home there is no routine separation of mother and baby, which decreases the risk of newborn respiratory, digestive and breastfeeding complications. Infection rates are also reduced. Procedures such as suctioning, washing the baby and separation from parents are avoided. Breastfeeding is easier to establish when the baby has adequate, uninterrupted skin to skin contact with his/her mother. Birth is an integral part of family life. Partners, helpful friends, siblings and family members are welcome, not “allowed” to be present.

Having a homebirth requires a higher level of effort and responsibility. While midwives bring standard equipment with them to every birth, some complications require transport to a hospital. These will be discussed and considered carefully when you request enrollment in care for a planned home birth. In the event of a transport during labor, a midwife will stay with you for supportive care and resume clinical care postpartum. If transferring to HealthAlliance Hospital in Kingston, we will provide clinical care in the hospital as well. Our transfer rate is approximately 10% for first births and less than 1% for subsequent births. Our Cesarean section rate ranges from 4-6%.