Setting Up Practice

I’ve read the books, done the webinars, taken the classes, completed clinical hours and passed the NARM certification exam. Now what? My partner, Carmen, and I met during my first preceptorship. She is in my same age and stage of life. She has been working for decades and brings with her loads of experience, insight and wisdom. Together, we have opened our own office space in the Central West End of St. Louis - just down the street from Forest Park and the St. Louis Zoo. We invited several of our favorite colleagues and close family & friends to An Evening of Blessing to see our new digs and share their wishes for our work.

We have our own EHR and are arranging our accounts with a nationwide lab service and electronic birth certificate filing system for the state of Missouri. We did our first community event on Saturday at New Sunny Mount Missionary Baptist Church. This Thursday we will be going to a birth workers’ evening at a local chiropractor’s office. It is a privilege to get to know expecting families as well as to grow relationships with other birth care providers. As a care team, we are continually building our roster of amazing people from all disciplines to whom we can refer clients as needed.

We are so excited to decide our own practice methods and ways to meet folks where they are - and to provide the most excellent care according to the latest evidence-based research. We start prenatal care as soon as a family selects us to be their providers. Visits can begin at 10-14 weeks. We will order prenatal bloodwork and can suggest an early dating ultrasound to confirm the “guess date”. At 20 weeks we recommend an anatomy scan for visual confirmation that baby is doing well. Around 28 weeks we have different ways to assess how the body is managing blood sugars. At 36 weeks we come to your home for our visit and to help you plan your birth space. At this appointment, you do your own GBS swab. We come to you for labor and birth, as well as all postpartum visits. We do everything possible to support your 30-40 days of heavy rest after baby is born. Doesn’t that sound amazing?!?!

Interested? Have questions? There is much more that goes into midwifery care; let’s chat!