If you are planning a homebirth with one of our Lynchburg midwives, I have an excellent homebirth package of services for you and your family. My flexible and affordable services can be rendered individually or as a package.

Anticipation and Beyond offers the following services:

• Natural childbirth classes
• Breastfeeding classes
• Homebirth labor support
• Postpartum care for the family

This Package Includes:

• Homebirth education class
• Full labor support from the onset of active labor until two hours after the birth
• A breastfeeding class and breastfeeding support for up to one month after the birth
• Postpartum care – up to three hours which can be used for either breastfeeding support, postpartum care, or both (not exceeding the three hour limit)
• Fees - $475
  $250.00 non-refundable retainer fee – due at registration for class
  $225.00 balance –no later than two weeks before your estimated due date. 
• I accept payments by cash  or check

Homebirth Childbirth Education Class
This class is to encourage and support families in their choice of the midwifery model of care. All classes are private and individually designed. Working with each family exclusively allows the time and focus needed to provide in depth information. You make the class time to fit your busy schedule. I do day, night and weekend classes. The classes are fun, interactive, and purposeful to guide you on your journey of trusting birth. Understanding you body and realizing birth is normal, natural, and not an illness or a dangerous crisis will enable you to minimize your fears, doubts, and uneasiness. Birthing outside of a hospital environment can sometimes bring trepidation and apprehension to the new birthing dad. I want to encourage and educate parents, along with putting their hearts and minds at ease. Teaching parents to share their emotions, feelings and needs during pregnancy, birth, and the postpartum time is the first step to building the physical confidence and endurance needed to bring a new baby into the world.

This class includes:

• Prenatal exercises
• The stages of labor
• When to call the midwife
• Comfort measures
• Breathing techniques
• Relaxation techniques
• Role of partner
• Pushing and birth
• Water birth
• Postpartum care
• Breastfeeding
• Complications
• Intervention risk
• Birth plan writing and transfer preparedness
• Role of a doula for homebirths
• Community resources
• Recommended reading
• You can choose:  
  4-3 hour classes
  6-2 hour classes
   

Breastfeeding classes
Please see the Breastfeeding page for details on my breastfeeding classes and services


Postpartum Doula Services
Please see the Postpartum page for details on my postpartum doula services

Labor Support
Why would you need a doula for a homebirth when you have a midwife? That is a great question simply because a midwife is your primary and foremost healthcare provider. She manages and oversees all of your clinical care. Your midwife provides continuity of care for you and your newborn baby.

A doula, on the other hand, supports a laboring woman with continuous reassurance, comfort, and encouragement. A doula is there for the birthing family emotionally, informationally, and physically. A doula nurtures the mother and tends to her complex needs during the labor process. A doula makes sure the mother stays hydrated and fed, helps with continual positioning to help assist in the optimal fetal positioning of the baby, encourages hydrotherapy, aromatherapy, and massaging. A doula reads encouraging poems, scripture, and letters from friends to give confidence to a weary heart in times of tiredness, and discouragement. A doula is there for the laboring mother as well as her partner and other family members, to bring self confidence and trust to the birthing process. As your doula, I ensure to enhance and protect the laboring atmosphere between the mother and her partner to reassure the family to not be fearful of what your body was created to do. I also want to help you understand the physiology of labor and birth so you can work with your own body. I, as your doula, would adhere to the standards and protocols of your midwife with the utmost integrity. Working as part of your birth team we can serve you with the essential and supreme care that you deserve.

With my years of experience working in hospitals and doing homebirths, I have a unique understanding of what birth can look like in the relaxed, serene atmosphere of your home. You may give me a call or drop me an email if you have any questions or thoughts about having me doula at your family’s homebirth. I would be blessed to be part of your homebirth team.