Frequently Asked Questions
So, how safe IS home birth?
According to various studies, home birth is as safe as or safer than hospital for healthy, low risk women experiencing low risk pregnancies. Additionally, many women express more satisfaction with their experience when birthing at home compared to birthing in the hospital. An excellent guide to the available literature about home birth safety can be found here.
I am pregnant, how do I get started?
Start with contacting Amy to set up a free phone consultation here. During the consultation you will have time to ask questions and get a feel for the type of care Amy can provide. If the consultation goes well and you would like to start care, then an appointment would be made for your first prenatal visit.
What does prenatal care look like?
When is it safe to have a home birth?
Licensed midwives are also permitted to deliver babies at home until a woman reaches 42 weeks in her pregnancy. Most women will not go 2 weeks over their due dates, but some do. There are many things Amy can try to help labor start naturally. If labor doesn’t start by 42 weeks in the pregnancy, Amy will have to transfer your care to a doctor.
What if something goes wrong during the birth?
What kind of care do I get after the birth?
I have health insurance. Can Amy bill my insurance for her services?
Amy is able to bill most insurance companies, including WY Medicaid, for her services with the help of her insurance biller. Unfortunately, Amy is not able to bill Tricare. If you’re insured by Tricare ask Amy about discounts available to you.
How do I get a birth certificate when I birth at home?
Within a week of the birth, Amy will register a birth certificate with the state of Wyoming. After the birth certificate is registered, parents can send in a request to the department of vital statistics for a copy of their child’s birth certificate using this link.
How far is Amy willing to travel to attend home births?
Amy primarily attends births in the Big Horn Basin, though she is willing to travel to Lander, Sheridan, Casper and Gillette.
What about waterbirth?
When babies are born in the water, their transition to extrauterine life is easier. They have lived in amniotic fluid for their whole lives, and water birth can be seen as an extension of that. Babies received oxygenated blood through their umbilical cord from the placenta, and they do not breathe under water for a variety of reasons. Babies are born mildly hypoxic, which causes them to swallow instead of breathe or gasp. The dive reflex is also responsible for preventing babies from breathing under water. The dive reflex forces the baby to swallow anything which hits the back of its throat instead of inhaling it. Babies are usually brought out of the water within seconds of the birth, and placed on their mother’s chest.
Amy is comfortable assisting women during delivery in the water. She uses a waterproof Doppler to monitor the baby while the mother is submerged. Birth tubs can be rented from Amy for a nominal fee.
Are there different kinds of midwives?
Are there birth centers in Wyoming?
Finally the answer is yes! In 2019 the WY Health Department changed the rules and regulations pertaining to birth centers. Now, you have the option of delivering at a birth suite in Worland. Ask Amy for more information.
Service Area
Amy provides home birth services to families in the Big Horn Basin and surrounding areas. If you are outside of her service area or are not sure that she will come to your town, please contact her.
Services
Journey Birth Services offers home birth and birth center midwifery services, childbirth education, placenta encapsulation, and water birth tub rentals. Find more information about these services here.
Consultation
Want to meet Amy and see if she is the right midwife for you? Schedule your free consultation here.