What is the difference between a midwife and a doula?
A midwife is a health care provider while a doula is a support person. The word “doula” comes from ancient Greek and is now used to refer to “a woman experienced in childbirth who provides continuous physical, emotional, and informational support to the mother before, during, and just after childbirth”. A doula does not provide any clinical care such as checking blood pressure, listening to fetal heart tones, and performing vaginal exams.
Is it illegal to have a home birth in Kentucky?
No! You can legally birth your baby wherever you choose. Homebirth is legal in all 50 states.
What is the difference between a CNM (Certified Nurse Midwife) and a CPM (Certified Professional Midwife)?
There are a few key difference between CNMs and CPMs. Most notably, CNMs are nurses who go on to become midwives. They are Advanced Registered Nurse Practitioners and primary care providers for women. Most CNMs have prescriptive authority in the state of Kentucky. The majority of CNMs in Kentucky practice in the hospital setting. There are a handful of CNMs with home birth practices.
CPMs are direct-entry midwives trained specifically to attend out of hospital births. In March of 2019, SB 84 was passed into law allowing CPMs to become licensed in Kentucky. In August of 2020 the first LCPM licenses were issued. The Kentucky Birth Coalition continues to advocate on behalf of LCPMs and birthing families. Their work is essential to ensure families continue to have birthing options in KY. You can follow their work and get plugged in here: Kentucky Birth Coalition (KBC).
How do I get a birth certificate if I have a home birth?
I will file the necessary paperwork to register the birth of your child. Once I have registered your birth you can request certified copies of the birth certificate. Certified copies are $10 each and can be requested by mail from the KY Office of Vital Statistics using this form. Alternatively, you can request certified copies online for an additional charge by clicking here.
What is your fee for Midwifery Care?
I provide midwifery care as a packaged service that includes all of your prenatal visits, labor and delivery care, postpartum visits, and newborn care. Please contact me for my current package fee.
Things not included in this package fee:
- Care provided by another practitioner such as concurrent care with a nurse-midwife or consultations from a higher level care provider such as an obstetrician-gynecologist or maternal-fetal medicine doctor.
- Labs and ultrasounds. These may be billed to your insurance.
- Birth kit and supplies from the supply list, including a liner for using one of my birth tubs.
- RhoGAM if you are Rh negative.
- Vitamin k and eye medication.
- Antibiotics in labor if treating GBS
Can I make payments? Will my insurance cover my home birth?
Currently I am not able to bill insurance. We will work out a payment plan specific to your needs at the start of your care. Ordinarily, payment in full is expected by your 37 week appointment. After you have had your baby and finished your postpartum care, if your bill is paid in full, I can provide you with an itemized receipt with billing codes so that you can attempt to file for reimbursement with your insurance company. I cannot guarantee any reimbursement. I am not a medicaid provider and medicaid will not allow reimbursement for my services.
What areas do you serve?
I serve families within an approximate 1-hour driving radius of Georgetown, KY. This includes Lexington, Frankfort, Richmond, Winchester, and surrounding communities in Central Kentucky. If you are unsure whether your home falls within my practice radius, please feel free to reach out and ask!
Do you offer water birth?
Yes! Many families find water to be a wonderful, highly effective comfort measure during labor. I provide a professional birth pool for your use during your home birth. You will simply need to purchase a disposable, custom-fit liner for the tub as part of your standard birth supplies.
What happens if we need to transfer to the hospital?
The safety of you and your baby is always my top priority. As a trained midwife, I carry emergency supplies to every birth, including anti-hemorrhage medications, oxygen, and neonatal resuscitation equipment, which allows me to handle most common complications at home. However, if a situation arises where you or your baby require a higher level of medical care, we will seamlessly transfer to the nearest appropriate hospital. I have clear safety protocols in place and will remain by your side to share your records and ensure a smooth transition of care.
