Home Sweet Home Midwifery Service 

                                  Serving the Illinois and Iowa Quad Cities areas

Frequently Asked Questions

What about safety?

Many studies have been done comparing the outcomes of planned home births  attended by midwives with outcomes of low risk planned hospital births. I was pleased to participate in the most recently published study, which appeared in the British Medical Journal in 2005 and examined outcomes of births attended by Certified Professional Midwives. Consistently, outcomes are very similar in either setting. This demonstrates that for women with healthy low risk pregnancies, planning a home birth can be a reasonable choice.  We encourage you to explore the many resources listed on the resource page to make an informed decision about the birth setting that is best for you.

What equipment do you bring to births?

We bring basic medical equipment to each birth, including vital signs monitoring equipment, fetoscope, Doppler, and portable fetal monitor, sterile instruments, oxygen, resuscitation equipment,  IV supplies and medications, medications to control excessive bleeding after birth, scale for weighing the newborn, blood glucose monitor, and disposable medical supplies.  Emergency equipment is tested upon arrival to your home, then stored discreetly unless it is needed.

Who will attend my birth?

All births are attended by a CNM and a professional assistant. You may choose other family and friends to attend the birth as desired.

Do you attend waterbirths?

Many women find comfort laboring and birthing in water. If you desire this option we are happy to accommodate your wishes. Portable birth tubs are available locally or you may use your own large tub. More information about waterbirth is available by following the links on the resource page.

May the father or other family member ‘catch’ the baby?

We are happy to assist the mother, father, or other loved one of choice to help catch the baby as it emerges. The midwife will assist the birth of the baby’s head, check for cord around the neck ( a common occurrence that rarely causes the baby distress), and the mother or other support person can be ready to receive the baby as he/she emerges.  

What do you do if complications arise?

In most instances, complications arise over an extended period of time allowing adequate time to transfer the laboring mother or newborn to a hospital setting in a non-emergent manner. The most common difficulties encountered at home include failure to progress in labor,  mother’s desire for pain relief measures not available at home, and prolonged ruptured membranes without active labor. In such situations, transfer can take place in the family’s own vehicle in a non-emergency manner.

However, occasionally complications arise necessitating emergency transfer, including non-reassuring fetal heart tones, prolapsed umbilical cord, abnormal bleeding during labor or after the birth, and neonatal respiratory problems. For this reason, we ask all families to have an emergency plan posted that includes the numbers of your ambulance service, back up hospital and provider. The midwife will provide care to stabilize the emergency situation prior to and during transfer of care and will remain with you in the hospital as a support person.     

How long do you stay after the birth?

The midwife and assistant will stay for approximately 2-3 hours following the birth, providing ongoing monitoring of the mother’s and baby’s status, assisting the mother to breastfeed baby, performing initial newborn assessment and care, assisting the mother to walk to the bathroom for the first time following birth, and reviewing postpartum and newborn care instructions. If a longer period of recovery is needed, the midwife and/or assistant remain until mother and baby are stable, infant feeding established, and family members are available and able to care for them.

When do you return to check on the mother and baby?

The midwife or an RN will return approximately 24 hours after birth. At that time the newborn screening blood test can be done, and the birth certificate forms completed. We will arrange further home visits as needed until the 4-6 week office visit for the final postpartum check. Baby is typically seen by his/her care provider sometime in the second week of life. Call baby’s Physician/Nurse Practitioner within the first day to schedule the follow up appointment. Copies of baby’s birth records will be provided for you to take with you to your appointment..

Please contact us if you have other questions or concerns.