Frequently Asked Questions

Surprisingly, home birth is actually less messy in most cases.

For instance, if mom has a water birth, the mess stays in the tub. Then, with the midwife's help, mom gets wiped down with warm water and a towel, or simply takes a shower if she's feeling up to it. Then, the midwives use the pump they brought to flush the water/mess into the toilet and it magically disappears!

Harmony Home Birth provides the birthing pool, liner and tub of disposable birth supplies to keep the mess contained. We also recommend using old sheets for the bed and having a layer of plastic under the old sheets. 

Your midwife will check on you and your baby’s well being at every prenatal visit. If you are healthy during your pregnancy, you should be able to have a normal, uncomplicated birth. Your midwife is trained to recognize signs of complications as they arise, and carries supplies and equipment for handling the most common complications of childbirth. These include but are not limited to: hemorrhage, cord around the neck of the baby, shoulder dystocia, etc.

Together with our clients, we will also make a transport plan before birth, so we are prepared should a complication arise that cannot be managed at home. Should we have to go to the hospital, we will absolutely stay with you and advocate for you. We become your doula in the hospital instead of your midwife. Most of the time, a transport is not an emergency, and we can go in private cars to save the cost of an ambulance. We go to the hospital of your choice. If it is an emergency, we will call 911 and go to the nearest hospital in an ambulance.

Home birth is only for low-risk women. However, the definition of low-risk varies among care providers and the state they practice in. For example, midwifery laws in Idaho consider twin pregnancies to be high risk and so we cannot deliver twins at home. 

If you are concerned about a particular medical complications, please call us, and together we will talk about whether or not home birth can be an option for you. We also go over this topic more in detail at the free consultation. 

Most likely, yes. The type of housing available for the birth is usually not a concern, assuming there is electricity and running water. The place also needs to be relatively picked up and clean.

Water immersion is highly effective in reducing pain and helping moms to relax during labor and birth, so we include in our price the use of a birthing tub. Otherwise, walking, staying upright and touch are all very helpful as well. The support that comes from being surrounded by people who love you and support your choice for natural birth is also very comforting and can help with pain management.

We also recommend that parents (especially first-time parents) attend natural birthing classes so they prepare themselves as much as possible. Because midwives never induce labor using medications (which can cause unnaturally long and painful contractions that are much closer together than normal), the need for pain relief is greatly reduced.

In her own home, a woman can freely do whatever works for her (whether it’s moaning or reciting poems, scripture, etc). This makes it easier for her to deal with the pain of childbirth. In hospitals, women too often feel they must conform to some unwritten code of acceptable behavior. Because they feel restricted and are out of their comfortable space, they perceive the pain to be more intense.

We specifically carry oxygen for both mom and baby, medications/herbs for hemorrhage, suctioning equipment, catheter, suturing equipment (for 1st and 2nd-degree tears only) and numbing agents if suturing is necessary. We also have a water-proof doppler and other equipment necessary to monitor mom and baby’s well being during labor and birth and for several hours after. If you have questions about this, please call us.

We specialize in the care of normal, healthy newborns and provide regular care for the first few weeks of your baby’s life. However, it is a good idea to have a care provider (family practice or pediatrician) set up ahead of time in case your baby needs some additional assessment or care in those first few weeks. We are able to do all the newborn screenings that are normally done in a hospital, including the Newborn Screen Test (the heel poke) and the CCHD (screening for heart complications).

We are not licensed to administer vaccines, but we can help you connect with a local pediatrician to continue your child's care. 

YES! Everything about midwifery care is family friendly—the appointments as well as the birth. We do ask that parents prepare their children for being at the birth. This can be done through watching birth videos, talking through the process, and having a care provider specifically present for the kids if they need to leave the birth or need anything (since mom and dad will be busy!). It is important that the kids know they are allowed to leave if they want to.

Family and friends are very welcome as long as they attend a prenatal visit or two, if at all possible. All must be in support of the choice the parents are making for a home birth. It will be the birthing parents’ choice who comes and doesn’t come. Your midwife will support the woman's decision.

Prenatal appointments are held at our clinic location, except for the 37 week home visit when we come to your home. Appointments can be brief – as short as 20 minutes if desired by the client, or they can be longer. Normal is usually 45-60 minutes.

At the appointment, we sit down and talk about what has happened since the last time we saw each other. We talk about how you are feeling, have you step on the scale, and we check vitals. Then we do the fun part, which is feeling the baby and listening to the heartbeat! Some appointments involve a little bit more time for paperwork or lab work.

After that we are usually done, unless there are concerns or questions that the parents might have. We always recommend that both mom and dad keep a piece of paper that is easily accessible (on the fridge, for example) to write down questions as they come up during the week. Otherwise, it is easy to forget these questions, especially in the beginning when we don’t meet as often.

At the 37-week home visit, we go through your gathered birth supplies, tour the birth space in your home, and talk more in-depth about your birth plans. We ask that anyone that the parents want to have at their birth attend this prenatal if at all possible. If they cannot attend in-person, due to living out of state, for example, we ask that they send in any questions so that we can talk through them and have them cleared up before the birth.