While both midwives and OBs provide care for women during pregnancy and birth, midwives focus on providing hand-tailored, holistic care that emphasizes physiologic birth with minimal intervention to low-risk women. OBs, on the other hand, are hospital-based medical physicians who specialize in pregnancy and birth and are trained to handle high-risk pregnancies, complicated deliveries, and surgical cesarean births. Doulas are not healthcare providers and do not perform clinical tasks or catch babies. Rather, they provide physical and emotional support as well as education and advocacy to clients during pregnancy, labor, and birth.

Many studies (such as this one) show that home birth is just as safe as hospital birth for low-risk pregnancies attended by trained midwives. Midwife-attended home births also boast high rates of vaginal birth, low rates of hospital transfer, increased rates of satisfaction, increased rates of breastfeeding success, and decreased rates of perineal tearing. The rate of Pitocin induction in hospital is as high as 90%, whereas rates of induction are less than 10% for planned home births. The rate of c-section for women planning a hospital birth is upwards of 30% in the United States, whereas the rate of c-section for women planning a home birth is approximately 5%.

However, there are some pre-existing conditions as well as conditions that could potentially pop up during pregnancy that may make it unsafe to have a baby out-of-hospital. To determine whether a midwife-attended home birth is the ideal choice for you, please get in touch to book a complimentary consultation with Mira.

Midwives do not carry narcotics or provide epidurals in the home setting. Freedom of movement, the ability to eat and drink as you please during labor, Spinning Babies, rebozo manteada, bodywork/massages, and the use of hydrotherapy are techniques used at Brujita Birth. During pregnancy I provide an in-depth childbirth education class catered for out-of-hospital birth so you can learn pain-control techniques and I strongly recommend hiring a doula who is trained in comfort measures, especially for early labor before your midwife arrives.

Yes! I love supporting water births. Some of the benefits of hydrotherapy and water birth include pain management, increased relaxation, shorter labors, reduced rates of perineal tearing, and a peaceful Earthside transition for baby. You may choose to use your own bathtub or one of my comfy inflatable birth pools.

Yes, if breech home birth is the choice you make after a discussion of risks and benefits. I attend workshops such as Breech Without Borders to ensure I‘ve gained the skills and knowledge necessary to safely attend breech births. If we know baby is breech before labor begins there will be a second breech-trained midwife in attendance.

I am happy to attend di-di twin births after an in-depth discussion of risks and benefits as long as the pregnancy remains low-risk. For twin births, two additional midwives will be in attendance and that will be an added cost.

Yes, for women who have had only one cesarean section and have a low-transverse incision.

Yes! Paying in full at your initial appointment, hiring an approved doula, attending Push Prep (through a pelvic floor therapist), or having Medicaid qualify for discounts. They can be stacked up to no more than $650.

I do. There is a $1000 non-refundable retainer required to initiate care and reserve your spot, and then payments can be divided into equal monthly amounts, with the remainder of the Midwifery Fee due in full by 36 weeks.

I am not in-network with any insurance companies or Medicaid, though some healthshares may pay for home birth services. Non-routine labs and non-routine ultrasounds can be billed through insurance or Medicaid, and I can provide you with a superbill after your 6-week postpartum appointment for you to submit to your insurance to attempt to receive reimbursement. I cannot make any promises on whether you will receive reimbursement.

All prenatal visits, labor, birth, and postpartum visits are covered in full, as well as any emergency medications or equipment used during birth. Routine labs and the anatomy ultrasound are covered in the fee, as well as any routine newborn medications you may want. An inflatable birth pool can be provided, as well as your birth kit.

Additional costs may include:

Non-routine labs, any ultrasounds wanted or needed outside of the anatomy scan, specialized medications such as RhoGam, any prescriptions that may be written for you, supplements, any fees for necessary consultations with other medical providers or fees for complementary modalities such as chiropractors, acupuncturists, etc. If you choose to have a water birth, you will need to buy a new hose and connector as well as a birth pool liner.