Homebirth Midwifery | Pittsburgh | Amethyst Community Health

TRADITIONAL MIDWIFERY

prenatal care, homebirth attendance, newborn screenings, and postpartum care

Homebirth Services Limited

Midwife Michele (“Misha”) is currently a full-time college student obtaining their Master's in Social Work. Because of this along with their non-profit work, teaching, and other community responsibilities, they are unable to accept homebirth clients presently.

They do work with other select community midwives to assist clients who assume the risks associated with homebirth when they are unable to find supportive in-hospital providers that support spontaneous, vaginal birth for breech and twin presentations. Misha offers this collaborative care with other specific community midwives because they are one of the few local midwives trained and experienced in providing peripartum care for clients expecting breech and twin births.

OUR HOMEBIRTH SERVICES INCLUDE

Homebirth is attended by a Senior Traditional Midwife and a trained Midwife Assistant or second Midwife; We HIGHLY encourage clients to hire a labour companion (“doula”) for labour support, especially in early labour.
A midwife willing to engage in supportive consultation with a physician or nurse practitioner for Collaborative Care
In-home Infant Feeding Support (1 visit included); referrals to additional high-quality Lactation Support as needed
Prenatal visits are scheduled approximately monthly until 28-30 weeks gestation, then every 2–3 weeks until 37-38 weeks gestation, and then weekly until the birth; the visit schedule is flexible to accommodate first-time parents and fifth-time parents alike
Referrals for basic lab work, ultrasounds, and health screenings as necessary (cost NOT included in fee)
Postpartum visits scheduled approximately 24–36 hours, 1, 3, and 6 weeks postpartum; optional phone or virtual visits on day 3 and weeks 2 & 5
Newborn Health Screenings: Metabolic Screening, Critical Congenital Heart Defect (CCHD) Screening, & Hearing Screening; the 1st two screenings will be done during the 1st postpartum visit & the 3rd screening will be done during the 1 week or 3 weeks postpartum visit in keeping with best practices.
On call 24/7 from 37 weeks gestation until 42 weeks gestation
Backup midwife in case of injury, illness, or in the rare case that two clients are in labour simultaneously
Referrals to quality medical professionals, childbirth educators, support companions (doulas) and other complementary care providers
Privacy of your own home for prenatal/postpartum care; with the option of virtual visits
Educational materials: handouts, lending library, and video library
Holistic Health/Wellness/Nutritional consulting and education
Homeopathy & Herbal/Vitamin/Mineral supplement consulting and education
Culturally relevant/appropriate care for Queer, Transgender, Poly, Fat, Autistic, Romani (Indian diaspora), & Jewish (Mizrahi; Persian/Iranian-Jewish) clients, and culturally humble care for other People of the Global Majority.

Fee Options

All fee levels are for global care (prenatal, birth, & postpartum). You choose the level at which you are capable of financially supporting sustainable, community midwifery and homebirth services.

Community Helper Global Fee: $5700 (choosing this level will help subsidise services for financially deprived clients.)

Standard Global Fee: $5100 (choosing this level will help maintain sustainable community midwifery services.)

Discount Global Fee: $4500 (choosing this level indicates that you are not able to pay our Standard or Community Helper fee amounts.)

Medicaid Global Fee*: $3900 (this option is reserved for ONLY those clients who have state medical assistance or who financially qualify for these services.

Two-thirds (2/3) of the fee is due no later than 37 weeks gestation, including a $500 deposit to be paid at contract signing.
Remaining one-third (1/3) of the fee is due no later than 6 weeks postpartum.
Monthly payments are expected in some amount, unless paid in full.
Lab work & tests are NOT included and are an additional fee. Ask for a price sheet.
A birth kit is included in the fee, but supplies for a waterbirth are NOT. Ask for a list of supplies for a waterbirth.
The midwife assistant or student midwife accompanying the midwife is paid by the midwife, but tipping by the client is always appreciated and encouraged (suggested amount: $50-$100).
If you feel like you fall between fee levels in your ability to financially support community midwifery, please let us know.

For more information about fees and how to pay them, read our Paying for Care page.

REFUNDS

No refunds are offered at this time.

ADDITIONAL CONSIDERATIONS

OUR BIRTH PHILOSOPHY

Childbirth is a natural event, not a medical procedure; it is physiological, not pathological.
Birth is a sacred Rite of Passage, not just a medical event, especially if medical care is necessary.
The body is capable of giving birth, naturally and safely. Birth is as safe as life gets.
Holistic birth preparations and approaches provide tools for a safe & satisfying birth experience.
How someone gives birth is a direct reflection of how they handle parenthood and life in general.
Parents should be respected and supported in whatever decisions they have made.
Partners deserve to be treated as such and not treated as just coaches.
The company of loving support persons is important during the postpartum period.
When parents are educated about and prepared for childbirth, it can be a wonderful experience for them, bringing them closer together as partners and a family.
It’s the gestating person's right to choose the caregiver or no caregiver and place of care in which they wish to have their baby; whether it be a midwife or a physician, and whether it be in their home, a birth centre, or a hospital.
When parents are given accurate information, the vast majority of them are capable of making the best decision regarding the circumstances of the birth of their babies.
Proper nutrition (including appropriate nutritional supplements) during pregnancy makes an enormous difference in the health of the pregnancy, birthing, and postpartum experience.
For most pregnancies and births, medical intervention is entirely inappropriate and may result in unnecessary complications.
Most episiotomies and most Cesarean Births are unnecessary. There are occasions when these interventions may be necessary, but they should remain extremely rare.
There is a time and place for excellent doctors and hospitals. We are not “anti-doctor” or “anti-hospital”, but thankful for wise and sensitive doctors and hospitals.
The person gestating a child has the last and final word concerning their health and that of their child, born or unborn.