"A gentle birth begins by focusing on
the mother's experience and by bringing
together a women's emotional dimensions and her physical and spiritual needs."

- Barbara Harper, RN, Gentle Birth Choices

Debbie can provide complete prenatal care throughout your pregnancy. A majority of prenatal visits will take place at her office at 421 Clemons Ave. Debbie makes prenatal visits available every four weeks from the beginning of pregnancy up to 28 weeks (7 months), every two weeks from 28 to 36 weeks (the 7th and 8th month), and once a week until your baby's birth. At 36 weeks, she will arrange for a complete prenatal visit to be done in your home. Debbie is available 24 hours a day to her clients, however non-emergent calls will be answered on weekdays prior to early evening.

Your first visit generally lasts one to two hours. During this important visit, your medical history will be discussed and a complete physical examination will be offered if you have not already had an exam. We will also discuss your food, supplement and herbal choices, overall physical and emotional well-being, including relationships, and stressors. The follow-up visits usually last about one hour. Topics during these visits vary depending on your needs and concerns and how far along you are in your pregnancy.

Monitoring routinely offered at follow-up visits include: urine testing for protein and glucose, weight check (not mandatory), blood pressure reading, measuring your baby's growth, position and activity, and listening to the baby's heart beat, which is done either by fetoscope (stethoscope for hearing heart tones) or doppler.

All laboratory work can be completed by the midwife, including but not limited to:

• Complete blood count (CBC)
• Blood type and Rh factor
• RPR screening (blood test for syphilis)
• Rubella antibody titer
• Urinalysis
• HIV screening
• Glucose screening (26-28 weeks)
• Group B streptococcus culture (near term)

Throughout your pregnancy, labor and delivery and postpartum care, decisions about your care regarding medical procedures and tests will be up to you. Debbie will help ensure you are informed and educated every step of the way.

You are also invited to attend the prenatal homebirth group conversation that takes place the first Thursday of every month from 7:00pm - 8:15pm at Happy Bambino, 2045 Atwood Ave. Other clients from both Open Arms Midwifery, LLC and other home birth practices in the area will be in attendance, giving you the opportunity to get connected with others in your community as well as get acquainted with Happy Bambino and all it has to offer.