Homebirth Midwifery Service with Karen Garner, LM, CPM, RN, BSN
Homebirth care is unparalleled in today's modern obstetrics. It is woman- and family-centered, unique to your specific needs, concerns and situation. There is no comparison to birthing your baby in the comfort of your own home; and your family all tucked in bed together for a well-earned nap after working so hard to bring your baby earth-side! Karen offers homebirth midwifery services to families within an hour of Shelby, NC. Karen is a South Carolina Licensed Midwife and a Certified Professional Midwife (CPM). If you are interested in interviewing with Karen, please reach out as early as possible as space is very limited. Most people book by 6-12 weeks pregnant.
What is included in midwifery care? Full prenatal care (monthly appointments until 30 weeks then every two weeks until 36 weeks and then weekly until you give birth, birth midwifery services by your midwife assisted by a birth assistant or second midwife through a couple hours after birth (including the use of herbs, homeopathics and/or medications to control excessive bleeding for mom after birth, helping baby begin breathing if necessary, checking mom for any tearing, and a full head to toe assessment of baby with an emphasis on keeping the mother-baby unit together as much as possible) until mom and baby are stable and doing well, a home visit between 24-48 hours after birth where she can do the newborn metabolic screening test and the non-invasive critical heart condition screening, if desired, and an office visit at 2 weeks and 6 weeks postpartum). Karen can also arrange for any ultrasounds needed or wanted, care with a homebirth-friendly family-practice nurse practitioner or physician for you and baby during pregnancy and after birth, RhoGam if needed and you have Rh negative blood type, and any lab work you need or desire.
Labor Doula Services are tailored to meet your individual needs. Everyone has different needs and desires when it comes to birth! Our goal is to help you find a doula who you feel comfortable with and trust enough to share this memorable and important time of your life with. At your free consultation, your doula will find out about your birth history if any and your birth preferences and tell you how she can help them become a reality for your birth. Your doula is there for you for text messages, emails and phone calls from the time you hire her until you give birth and is on call for you for when you are in active labor. Your doula will provide a home visit towards the end of your pregnancy and and will join you at home or at your birthing location throughout active labor and birth (even if you need her in the middle of the night!) and through the first hour or two postpartum. Then she will come back to your house within around a week postpartum to check in with you and see how you and your baby are doing and answer any questions you may have or even help with things like breastfeeding. There are a lot of things your doula can help you with throughout pregnancy and birth and into the postpartum period. But she also has excellent resources if you are in need of specialized care or want to explore alternative birthing options such as a home birth or birthing center birth, Karen's team of doulas only has availability for a limited number of doula clients each month so schedule your free consultation early, if possible. Sometimes there is the option of working with 2 doulas, so please mention an interest in that if it is something you want to explore!
Private, in-home Childbirth Classes are currently offered by Lacy Walton. Classes focus on alternative methods for pain management, understanding the stages of labor, ideas for how your partner can help you through labor and much more! Her clients have been very pleased with her method of one-on-one classes in the comfort of their own homes. Please contact us for more information and to inquire about a private class.
Raeshia Sims, based out of Shelby North Carolina, is a photographer with more than five years of experience in maternity and child photography as well as experience with birth and fresh 48 hour photography. Her doula clients will be able to receive her birth or immediate postpartum photography services with her doula services (if it does not disrupt her doula care). Her photography services can also be booked separately whether or not you are working with another doula. Raeshia’s passion is to capture beautiful moments of families to be cherished for years to come! When she is not learning about the art of photography, she enjoys taking organic portraits of her daughter.
Home Visits: A consultation begins with an in depth assessment of the mother-baby dyad. Jessi listens thoroughly to your experience and challenges you are facing. She observes a feeding. Then we discuss realistic recommendations. A written Care Plan will be provided for you to reference while you are home. You may reach out via text for 48 hours after our session. After that a follow up appointment can be arranged. Virtual Consultations: A virtual visit is similar to an at-home visit except we will be meeting via a HIPAA-compliant virtual platform. Many less-complicated issues can be resolved with a virtual consult. A written Care Plan will be provided for you to reference while you are home. You may reach out via text for 48 hours after our session. After that a follow up appointment can be arranged. Rates: Initial Consult: $150 (~1.5 hrs) Follow-Up Appointments: $100 (~1 hr) (A small travel fee may be applied depending on your location.)
Our meetings are educational, encouraging and enjoyable times for moms and moms-to-be. Many moms join the monthly group meetings to ask questions, share wisdom and encourage one another on the hard and fruitful journey of motherhood. Anyone is welcome- even if your baby hasn’t arrived yet! Meetings are free of charge and meet at Karen's home. Feel free to bring a snack to share if you'd like (not required). Some of the topics we discuss include: babywearing, breastfeeding, birth options, parenting different age groups, homeschooling and much more. Treat meetings like a buffet, take what you like and leave the rest behind. We honor each mother and respect that we all have differing opinions and are all doing the best we can to raise our children well. We meet the 2nd Saturday of each month from 10:30 am to 12:30 pm. The next meeting, "All Things Pregnancy" is open all mothers or mothers-to-be and will be Saturday, July 13, 2024. Please email Jessi at: [email protected] or text Karen at: 704-980-8973 to register.