Journey Midwifery Services

This birth was something just short of amazing, This was my first home birth and i don't think i've ever been so emotional. The momma was just a boss at handlin...g the contractions, she had an amazing midwife who was more like a coach then anything, and the most supportive family! I was so honored to be apart of this special day! This was a home birth, no meds, no iv's, no hospitals, just the comfort of your own home and surround by amazing people. See more

In case anyone needs any ideas!

A safe, peaceful entrance to the world.

Welcome to the world beautiful!!!!

If you have ever considered birthing at home, or you are considering it now due to our changing healthcare system , you can now watch The Business of Being Born for free!

This is a great article about the new normal when it comes to pregnancy, prenatal care, and labor and delivery amid all the COVID-19 information. Please know that as our client, you will receive the same caring support you always have during labor and birth! We will just be smiling and supportive behind a mask now ; )

What a great weekend spent taking the Birth Emergency Skills Training class ! We learned SO much! We strive to give our clients the best care with the most up to date research!

Numbing Babies For Tongue Tie Release So I've written before about my opinion that babies should be appropriately numbed before they undergo a tongue/lip tie re...lease, whether it's done with scissors or laser. Recently, it's come to my attention that one of the major tongue tie courses in the US uses a dentist as a presenter who advocates not numbing babies under 2 years of age for awake tongue tie releases. Frankly, I'm horrified at the audacity of such a position. Babies feel pain and just because they can't tell us about it doesn't mean that we should ignore it. We actually have research demonstrating that babies feel pain like adults do - http://www.ox.ac.uk/news/2015-04-21-babies-feel-pain-adults There are numerous different products that numb the mouth. Some are topically applied while others are injected. They have different properties, and I trust the medical provider to know the different properties of what's being used. But there are a few important points to keep in mind: 1) In children under 2 years of age, a drug called benzocaine should NOT be used. There is a warning from the FDA that the drug can interact with blood components to cause a condition called methemoglobinemia, which can be fatal. This includes the use of this drug for teething pain, found in products like Orajel (not Orajel Naturals or Hyland's gel, which are benzocaine-free) or Anbesol. Along the same lines, a drug called prilocaine should also not be used as there are scattered case reports linking that drug to the same reaction. http://www.fda.gov/Drugs/DrugSafety/ucm250024.htm 2) Keep in mind that the ideal situation for numbing a baby's mouth is a product that doesn't last too long and doesn't spread around the entire mouth. Both of these properties can impede the baby from latching afterwards, and that is suboptimal. 3) What's interesting is that many people who feel that babies don't deserve numbing do so out of a fear of causing methemoglobinemia. What they don't realize is that there are numerous other compounds that are available if they do their homework. I use a combination of lidocaine and tetracaine in a paste form. 4) Other providers who don't numb babies say that they worry about "causing breathing problems". The amount of numbing that would need to be applied to a baby's mouth to completely anesthetize the throat is ridiculously large. I don't advocate spackling numbing paste indiscriminately around the mouth and I don't advocate using a super high potency anesthetic either. It is not difficult to create a paste that is thick that can be painted on the desired area with a Q-tip. Additionally, remember that a child's breathing isn't dependent on whether they are feeling anything in the throat. As an ENT, I routinely numb the nose and/or throat for office endoscopy - everyone keeps breathing. Breathing is controlled by brainstem functions, so arguing that numbing somehow affects breathing function is completely untrue. To the providers doing this surgery: if you are not numbing your patients, you shouldn't do the procedure. If you don't have the compassion to numb your infant patients, you don't deserve to have them in your office. I don't care if "your laser causes less pain" - numbing is easy and there's no excuse for not doing it. If you are scared about the possible rare side effects of numbing gel, then you most certainly shouldn't be doing infant oral surgery, which is far riskier than applying numbing medicine. Soon, the ENT Academy will be publishing a clinical consensus statement on tongue tie. I was able to preview their findings (although I was not allowed to participate on the panel) - one of their upcoming statements is that numbing infants isn't necessary. The evidence behind this recommendation is nonexistent, so I'm appalled by what's going to be published. I cannot advise parents as to whether or not they should use a provider who doesn't numb babies. All I can say is that you have to be advocates for your child and make the appropriate decisions that feel right to you as a parent. As long as I have a voice in this matter, however, I will continue to advocate for the humane treatment of our infants.

New study out that suggests that for low risk women, there is no difference in home vs hospital birth outcomes.

Why You Pee in a Cup Every Visit During Pregnancy By: Cara Terreri Well into your pregnancy, you become a pro at prenatal appointments: check in, pee in a cup, ...and wait. As it turns out, urine is a pretty good indicator of health. Like reading the tea leaves or asking the Magic 8 ball, except way more scientific, you urine can tell your care provider about the presence of an infection, diabetes, dehydration, and/or preeclampsia. Preeclampsia is one of the most common pregnancy, birth, and postpartum complications, occurring in 5-8% of all pregnancies, and the leading cause of maternal and infant deaths each year. It can happen to any pregnant person during the second half of pregnancy and up to six weeks after delivery. Worldwide, preeclampsia and other disorders like HELLP syndrome, are responsible for 76,000 maternal and 500,000 infant deaths every year. In the United States, preeclampsia affects one of every 12 pregnancies. 97% of deaths that occur from preeclampsia happen AFTER birth, in the postpartum period. 7 Preeclampsia Symptoms Everybody Should Know Early recognition and reporting of symptoms is the key to timely detection and management of preeclampsia. People who are pregnant or recently given birth should contact their doctor or midwife right away if they experience any of the symptoms listed below. While these symptoms don't necessarily indicate preeclampsia, they are cause for concern and require medical evaluation. Swelling of the hands and face, especially around the eyes (swelling of the feet is more common in late pregnancy and probably not a sign of preeclampsia) Weight gain of more than five pounds in a week Headache that won't go away, even after taking medication for pain relief Changes in vision like seeing spots or flashing lights; partial or total loss of eyesight Nausea or throwing up, especially suddenly, after mid pregnancy (not the morning sickness that many women experience in early pregnancy) Upper right belly pain, sometimes mistaken for indigestion or the flu Difficulty breathing, gasping, or panting It's also important to know that some women with preeclampsia have NO symptoms. Sometime, it's a matter of just not feeling right. If you have a sense that something's wrong, even without symptoms, trust yourself and contact your health care provider immediately. Preeclampsia can only be diagnosed by monitoring blood pressure and protein in the urine (which may or may not be present to diagnose preeclampsia). These things are also routinely done at prenatal appointments, which is why keeping your appointments throughout pregnancy and immediately after birth is vital.

This is going to be fantastic!