Home Birth

Labor and Birth at Home

One of the best things about homebirth is you never need to leave your home. Instead, we come to you. For some women, it can be difficult to recognize when labor is actually underway. Instead of making trips back and forth to a birth center or hospital, we come and check on you to evaluate your labor. When labor is established, we come to stay with you until your baby is born and until the two of you are stable and on your own. Another advantage of homebirth is that you are the queen of your own castle instead of being a guest in a birth center or hospital. Feeling more in control of your environment reduces stress and enables you to surrender more easily to the power of birth. Midwife means “with woman”. We stay with you continuously through your labor and birth. Continuity of care increases safety during pregnancy and birth. Compared to hospital staff, with frequent shift changes and impersonal “babysitting” by the electronic fetal monitor, the homebirth midwife knows her client intimately and is closely attuned to her well-being and that of her baby.

When your baby is born, they will go directly into your arms. We do not cut the umbilical cord until after the placenta is born. The baby continues to be oxygenated by the placenta after birth. Any necessary assessments, such as evaluating your baby’s breathing and heart rate, are done with your baby in your arms. The best place for your baby after birth is in your arms next to your heart.

“Birth is vast and multi-faceted, radiant and mysterious. Birth contains multitudes, and through her we birth our multitudes. We give birth to our hopes and fears, to our ecstasies and our agonies, to our joy and our disappointments. We give birth to our babies, each one perfect and radiant. We give birth through our instincts and we give birth to our instincts. We give birth to our capacity for instinct, which will match us perfectly with our babies who are, and always will be, instinctive creatures. May we all be blessed through instinctive birth”

Sarah Buckley

Evidence Supporting Homebirth

We assist families who choose to birth in the comfort, privacy and safety of their own homes. For healthy mothers attended by a certified midwife, homebirth is proven to be as safe as hospital birth (1,2), more satisfying (3) and less likely to employ unnecessary interventions or end in an unnecessary cesarean section (1).

Birth at home is gentler for the mother, baby and entire family. In a hospital, unnecessary medical interventions and other insensitive practices can create an unpleasant experience. Research in perinatal psychology proves what we already know intuitively; that “the newborn is a sentient, feeling, remembering, aware being and that the experiences in the womb and at birth have a profound influence on his or her future health and human behavior” (4). How we are born is important!

Homebirth is a safe, satisfying and serene choice for babies, mothers, fathers and siblings.

References

Johnson, K.,Daviss, B. Outcomes of planned home births with certified professional midwives: large prospective study in North America. British Medical Journal 2005; 330:1416-1423
Murphy, P., Fullerton, J. Outcomes of intended home births in Nurse-Midwifery practice: A prospective descriptive study. Obstetrics and Gynecology 1998; 92(3):461-470
Janssen, A., Carty, E., Reime, B. Satisfaction with planned place of birth among midwifery clients in British Columbia. Journal of Midwifery and Women’s Health 2006; 51(2): 91-96
The Association for Pre- and Perinatal Psychology and Health www.birthpsychology.com

Jessica Hickey

We are so grateful to have had Brooke supporting us through our fourth pregnancy & first home birth. Brooke and her team were amazing— they are super friendly and professional, and made me feel very comfortable and cared for throughout my pregnancy, the birth, and postpartum. If you are looking for a midwife, I highly recommend Brooke! - 7/25/2024
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Jessica Hickey

- 7/25/2024

We are so grateful to have had Brooke supporting us through our fourth pregnancy & first home birth. Brooke and her team were amazing— they are super friendly and professional, and made me feel very comfortable and cared for throughout my pregnancy, the birth, and postpartum. If you are looking for a midwife, I highly recommend Brooke!
Ariana Brookshier

Brooke was my midwife for my second pregnancy and I am beyond grateful for her thoughtful care throughout the whole process. She took the time at each prenatal appointment to go over any questions or concerns that I may have. She never rushed the appointments and addressed each concern with patience and care. It is extremely evident that Brooke has a huge heart for pregnant mamas and their babies. I have never experienced care like hers from another health care provider. Brooke’s calm spirit was extremely comforting at my home birth. I felt completely safe knowing her extensive experience. Feeling safe was a big concern for me, but I never doubted my safety or my baby’s while under Brooke’s care. Brigid, Brooke’s assistant, was also apart of every prenatal appointment and a big part of my birth. She is extremely patient and nurturing. They made an amazing team and I will miss seeing them both on a regular basis. One thing that really stood out to me was Brooke and Brigid’s desire to get to know me and my family on a personal level before our home birth. I found this to be so valuable and it made me feel extremely comfortable inviting them in to our home. I will shout Brooke’s praises from the rooftops forever. If I have another baby, there is no question that I will want Brooke as my midwife. - 7/06/2024
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Ariana Brookshier

- 7/06/2024

Brooke was my midwife for my second pregnancy and I am beyond grateful for her thoughtful care throughout the whole process. She took the time at each prenatal appointment to go over any questions or concerns that I may have. She never rushed the appointments and addressed each concern with patience and care. It is extremely evident that Brooke has a huge heart for pregnant mamas and their babies. I have never experienced care like hers from another health care provider. Brooke’s calm spirit was extremely comforting at my home birth. I felt completely safe knowing her extensive experience. Feeling safe was a big concern for me, but I never doubted my safety or my baby’s while under Brooke’s care. Brigid, Brooke’s assistant, was also apart of every prenatal appointment and a big part of my birth. She is extremely patient and nurturing. They made an amazing team and I will miss seeing them both on a regular basis. One thing that really stood out to me was Brooke and Brigid’s desire to get to know me and my family on a personal level before our home birth. I found this to be so valuable and it made me feel extremely comfortable inviting them in to our home. I will shout Brooke’s praises from the rooftops forever. If I have another baby, there is no question that I will want Brooke as my midwife.
polina sam

I received exceptional care from Brooke and her assistants. I truly felt cared for and enjoyed my prenatal visits with her. Brooke was always uplifting, caring, wise, and friendly. She always took her time to go over necessary information and never made me feel rushed. I felt like my wishes were respected and honored. Brooke went above and beyond to help me with my insurance issues. Ultimately, I felt like she really cared about every small and big thing related to pregnancy. I had a wonderful experience with her services and miss seeing her often. - 5/23/2024
read moreread less

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polina sam

- 5/23/2024

I received exceptional care from Brooke and her assistants. I truly felt cared for and enjoyed my prenatal visits with her. Brooke was always uplifting, caring, wise, and friendly. She always took her time to go over necessary information and never made me feel rushed. I felt like my wishes were respected and honored. Brooke went above and beyond to help me with my insurance issues. Ultimately, I felt like she really cared about every small and big thing related to pregnancy. I had a wonderful experience with her services and miss seeing her often.