Postpartum Care
Postpartum care is one of the things that makes midwifery care so different from care you would receive when seeing a hospital-based provider.
Postpartum Birth Center: A huge bonus to the birth center birth is the care that people receive from their dedicated postpartum midwife or nurse in those tender first hours. That includes: confirmation of normal and advice on how to care for your postpartum body and newborn, communication with primary midwives when an issue arises, breastfeeding support, nurturing healing modalities such as herbal sitz bath, heat treatments and offering soothing tea. Midwives also take vital signs on the dyad, monitor bleeding, check on uterine position and provide ample newborn care education.
What will we eat at the Birth Center during the postpartum stay? Alma Midwifery is located in a foodie’s dream neighborhood! One of the perks of the birth center birth is that you and one support person will be served satisfying meals during your stay. You pick the restaurant, we order for you and serve you in bed. This is all part of the Babymoon pampering!
Postpartum Home Birth: Once everyone is stable in the homebirth setting, the Alma team gives postpartum/newborn care advice and leaves the new family to care for their newborn & fall in love. It is recommended that the birthing person have an able partner (or friend or family member) staying with them as they will need help in the first day(s) postpartum.
Postpartum Care Schedule: Postpartum care is one of the things that makes midwifery care so different from care you would receive when seeing a hospital-based provider. We offer five to six postpartum visits for the birthing parent and baby: 1 day, 3 days (at home, birth center or hospital), and 1 week (optional), 2, 4, and 6 weeks. In that time, we do all well-baby care for your baby also. The first three months after a birth are often referred to as the fourth trimester, and we believe that the length of our postpartum care is a helpful tool in monitoring for postpartum depression and continuing breastfeeding support, along with any other issues that may come up in your postpartum journey. The home visits in the first week of life are one of the aspects of our care people say they most appreciate. Our final visit is the six-week postpartum. Most babies are smiling, confidence is growing and it is a bittersweet “goodbye” visit.
