Question 1

What's the difference between a midwife and a doula?

Accepted Answer

Doulas are primarily for emotional and physical support during labor, and can serve women no matter where or how they choose to birth. A doula's role is non-medical. (Doulas are great!)

Midwives are generally a woman's primary care provider during her pregnancy. As a midwife, I see clients for routine prenatal appointments, monitoring the physical well-being of both mom and baby. I also attend the birth and immediate postpartum, offer routine newborn screenings, and then continue to care for both mom and baby through about six weeks postpartum. I maintain all health records electronically in an online portal that my clients have access to in perpetuity, making it easy to consult and collaborate with other providers as necessary, or for you to access your records later on.

Question 2

What kind of midwife are you?

Accepted Answer

My credentials are CPM, meaning I am a Certified Professional Midwife. I went to school and earned a degree in order to become a midwife. I do not have a nursing background and therefore only attend births in an out-of-hospital setting (nurse midwives, or CNMs, may work in hospitals). I am also a licensed midwife (LM) in the states of Minnesota and Iowa, which allows me privileges such as being able to order ultrasounds for my clients with providers near their home, and provide in-office lab work by contracting with an outside company.

Question 3

What does care look like with you?

Accepted Answer

I see clients on basically the same schedule as an OB or any other care provider. Appointments are held at my office in Wells, Minnesota. Visits are generally an hour long, meaning there is lots of time for education, questions, and decision-making. I never assume you want a certain style of care - what you choose or don't choose is up to you. We also start planning for your postpartum period, including your emotional and mental well-being, early in your pregnancy.
I offer routine lab work in-office, and can order ultrasounds with providers in your area. All of your information is kept in an electronic health record, which you can access through your client portal.
Somewhere between week 34 and 37 of your pregnancy, I'll come to your home for one of your routine visits. During that visit, we can talk about the logistics of setting up your home for birth, and I give you a bin with most of the supplies you'll need for your birth. I also generally have a pool available for clients to use if they want waterbirth as an option. Before and again during  that appointment, we talk about instances in which we might need to seek a higher level of care at a hospital, and what we do in case of emergency.
Once it's time to meet baby, we stay in touch until you're ready for me to come to you. When I come, I bring a host of equipment, including herbs and medications to control bleeding and resuscitation equipment for baby in case he or she needs some extra help after birth. During your labor, I can be as hands-on or hands-off as you like. I also plan for a second person to attend with birth with me as well, generally another midwife or a trained birth assistant.
Physiologic birth is always my goal, meaning I leave the experience as undisturbed as possible while making sure everyone is safe and stable. Baby goes to your chest, and the cord isn't cut until it is done doing it's job of delivering blood and oxygen to baby - usually after the placenta is delivered. I stay for a minimum of two hours after birth, though a bit longer is typical. We tidy everything up, start a load of laundry and make sure everyone is stable and comfortable before saying goodbye.
Postpartum care is a little bit up to you. I do another visit at home between 24 and 36 hours after baby is born, at which time we check in on how things are going, and I perform any desired newborn screenings. I'll do another phone check in during the first week, and then see you back in the office either two or three times in the next six weeks, depending on your preference.

Question 4

What's your philosophy of care?

Accepted Answer

I am passionate about informed consent, and about choices. I strive to make sure that my clients feel well-educated on their health care choices; you can't truly consent to something if you're not informed about what something is, why it's offered, and what the risks and benefits are. I don't ever want to make your health care choices for you.

Question 5

I'm interested in a midwife, but I want or need to birth in a hospital. Can I still work with you?

Accepted Answer

Absolutely! I want to empower women to be in charge of their own health and well-being, no matter where they want to have their baby. Appointments are generally an hour long, meaning there is lots of time for education, questions, and decision-making. I never assume you want a certain style of care - what you choose or don't choose is up to you. I will also do my best to help navigate and make the transition to your hospital provider as seamless as possible. 
I do not have privileges to deliver in any hospital. Typically you will transfer to your hospital-based provider around week 36 of your pregnancy or on their preferred schedule.

Question 6

Do you bill insurance?

Accepted Answer

I am not in-network with any insurance plans, however I work with an insurance biller you can hire to help you submit bills to insurance. We are completely separate businesses that collaborate to help clients bill their insurance providers. The biller can be found at https://billingforlittles.godaddysites.com/billing-services-and-fees.(https://billingforlittles.godaddysites.com/billing-services-and-fees) You generally want to start by ordering a Verification of Benefits to see what your individual insurance plan offers.

I am also familiar with healthshare organizations and can generally provide the necessary paperwork you will need to submit your expenses. Certain healthshares require insurance billing codes, which you can get through a Superbill from https://billingforlittles.godaddysites.com/billing-services-and-fees (https://billingforlittles.godaddysites.com/billing-services-and-fees)

Question 7

What if I'm not sure I can afford a homebirth?

Accepted Answer

I never want finances to be a reason that someone can't have midwifery care, whether they desire to birth at home or in the hospital. Here are some ways I try and make care attainable.

First, if you have traditional insurance, you are welcome to visit https://billingforlittles.godaddysites.com/billing-services-and-fees (https://billingforlittles.godaddysites.com/billing-services-and-fees)to get your own VOB (verification of benefits), which helps you understand what your insurance plan offers in terms of coverage for midwifery care and/or homebirth. A VOB costs $35 (as of 08/2025), or you can follow the instructions provided on the website that tell you how you can contact your insurance company and get the same information.

A VOB will help you understand what coverage your insurance might provide for care with an out-of-hospital midwife/homebirth.

I also accept payment through Advance Care, which is a company that helps people finance medical care. Well-qualified applicants may be able to get a medical credit card that offers 0% financing for 15 months. A variety of options are available based on your credit score. For more information or to apply, visit https://advancecarecard.com/.(https://advancecarecard.com/)

A discount and extended payment plan is also available for those on state insurance.

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