Introduction to Care

One of the most unique aspects of the Midwifery Model of Care is the continuity of care you receive from pregnancy to labor to postpartum. It’s starkly different from many other forms of care.

We commit to walking this path with you. We commit to taking good care of you and your family during the birth of your newborn child. We commit to 3 am phone calls, sharing ideas of how to nurse and clothe and console your baby. We commit to telling you that you or your baby are okay when you are (but don’t know it), and support you with healing when imbalances arise.

We commit to as many visits as you need to make sure you and your family are off to an amazing, loving start. We are excited to witness and be by your side for something so profound, so important, and will guide you through this initiation. This is a big deal, and it would be an honor to see you through.

Logistics

Women and pregnant people who would like the services of Awakenings will receive midwifery care during their pregnancy, labor, birth and six weeks postpartum, and their newborn will receive care during the first six weeks of life. Should you or your baby’s health and wellbeing be deemed low-risk during that time, no other care providers are needed.

We offer care and assess the birthing parents’ and baby’s wellbeing during the birth itself. We also provide nutritional counseling, use complimentary modalities such as herbal and homeopathic remedies when ailments arise, strategize lifestyle changes that may support your process, discuss the choices you have before you, and offer referrals to other support networks and providers.

In deciding to have midwifery care, both parties are committing to a relationship based on mutual responsibility. You commit to taking full responsibility for your health and for making informed decisions through every step of your care. We, your midwives, commit to providing you with information and options for care, and to see out care as needed. Together, every step of the way, we create individualized care that supports your health and your baby’s health.

What the Care Includes

• Regularly scheduled prenatal visits.
• Midwife on-call for labor & birth from 37 weeks of pregnancy until birth.
• Midwife assistance during labor and birth.
• Regularly scheduled postpartum visits until six weeks postpartum, sometimes 3 months postpartum.
• Newborn care for the first six weeks of life.

The Process to Determine if we are your Midwives

If you think we might be the right midwives for you, the next step is to send us an inquiry letting us know you may be interested.

Please let us know what you’re hoping with regards to this birth. Please include any pertinent information to your history and health.

We can then set up an interview where we get to know each other. Here you can ask any questions and get a feel for what it might be like to work with us.

Once a decision is made to proceed with Awakenings, it’s time to start the lovely intake process!

Getting Started with Awakenings – The Intake Process

If we have decided to move forward together as a team, we will send you, via email, links to the Homebirth Welcome Pack. Please download all the items, as links do expire.

If reading is challenging for you or your partner (if applicable), please let us know and we can discuss all matters instead.

This is holistic healthcare, which means we like to know a lot up front, so anticipate an hour or two to read through and fill out all the required documents.

At the first visit be prepared for the following:

• Pay a 25% downpayment to secure our services.
• Pay a “Petty Cash Refundable Deposit.”
• Bring all required paperwork, filled out and signed by you and your partner(s) (if applicable).
• Bring a journal to take notes in.
• We strongly encourage partner(s) to prioritize coming to the first appointment.

Scheduling

Location: Prenatal visits occur in your home or our home office, depending on the circumstances. The birth is planned to be in your home. Postpartum visits are planned to be in your home until you are out and about in the world again.

When: Appointments are during normal business hours 9a-5p, Monday – Friday.

Length of Appointments: Visits are scheduled for 1-2 hours depending on your needs. Expect the first visit to take the 1-3 hours.

Frequency: Prenatal visits are suggested to be every 3-5 weeks (depending on your circumstances) until 37 weeks, at which point they become weekly until the birth.

Fees for Services

We offer a comprehensive package* for high quality care. Call us to discuss your budget and insurance coverage.

Clients pay 25% of the agreed upon fee as a non-refundable portion upon contracting with Awakenings, and complete monthly payments by 36 weeks of pregnancy.

We do offer a sliding scale in select circumstances (see sliding scale tab).

*Additional fees include labwork, ultrasounds, herbs, supplements, insurance biller, etc.

Sliding Scale

Access to midwifery care is EXTREMELY important to Awakenings. We hope to provide care to all families regardless of income.

As homebirth and holistic care has grown, it has moved further and further from low-income communities. In staying true to the values of midwifery, we offer sliding scale and flexible payment plans. We encourage you to discuss your financial status and obligations with us to determine what you are able to pay for this quality midwifery care.

We trust you will value and prioritize the care you receive over accessories and abundance. But even still, it can be challenging to know whether one qualifies for a sliding scale. A guideline is: how much does paying for your services affect your current lifestyle? If after paying for the services you wouldn’t have to change anything in your day-to-day, you are at the high end of the scale and subject to the standard fee.

If, by paying for the services, you have to alter your lifestyle, you are eligible for a sliding scale. The degree by which you have to alter it, is what determines where on the scale you lie. If it means you are limiting your baby supplies purchases to make sure you can fill the car up with gas to get to work, you might get a small discount. If your basic needs won’t be able to be met, such as quality food and ability to pay rent to stay in your place, a larger slide in the scale is warranted. If you’re choosing to buy a home or remodel your home, that doesn’t meet the criteria for sliding the scale.

When assessing the need to use the sliding scale, please take into account familial income as well.

Potential barters are considered.

~

If you are able to pay the full fee, thank you. Your doing so allows us to offer this high-quality service to those with less resources. Midwifery is about supporting one another, and this is part of that process.

Insurance Coverage

If you have a PPO health insurance, you may be able to obtain reimbursement in accordance with your insurance plan for services from providers who are “out-of-network.” Many apply for an “in-network exception” due to California laws and may be granted in-network coverage.

People are able to do this because if there are no in-network providers in your area offering out-of-hospital birth (which is the case here in the Bay Area), a California insurance plan must cover practitioners offering that care, as long as it is within the scope of their license.

We work with a third-party biller to complete any claims.